Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...
Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ... Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...
The strong demand for newly qualified teachers is likely to persist for some time to come. This problem is compounded by the inability ofteacher education to attract new recruits, especially young people (Welch 2002). Welch also draws attention to the varying quality ofmuch ofteacher education programmes across various institutions, an issue that needs urgent attention (Welch 2002: 18). Parker asserts that while it is too soon to fully understand or to evaluate teacher education policy post 1994, ...the DoE has (however) acted decisively in regard to teacher education policy in the period from 1995 to 2000 in those areas for which it has responsibility and that these efforts have been undermined by a broader systemic dysfunctionality linked to the complexity of the governance arrangements within the higher education system and the epistemology that informs these arrangements (Parker 2002: I) This complexity is also identified by Sayed who argues that the "restructuring ofteacher education reveals a new state coping with multiple and contradictory demands" (Sayed 2004:254). It has to create the conditions for a 'more just and humane society' and at the same time create the conditions for economic growth and development. Finding the right balance has proved to be a major challenge. 1.3.4 A brief note on Curriculum 2005 (C2005) As mentioned above, the advent of a new democracy in South Africa in 1994 presented many challenges to the new democratic government. A serious and urgent challenge was to set out a new philosophy of education for South Africa. This philosophy necessarily had to be based on the principles ofequity and democracy where the"... goal of education and training policy (should be) to enable a democratic, free, just and peaceful society..." so as to achieve the political vision ofthe new democratic government (Department ofEducation 1995:22) 23
One ofthe first curriculum reform initiatives ofthe new state was to streamline the various differences in the curriculum that existed in the different education departments. This was followed by the removal ofarchaic content, racially offensive, and other discriminatory elements from the curriculum (Jansen 1997). However, the major curriculum innovation to affect schools was the introduction ofC2005. Harley and Wedekind (2004: 195) note that school curriculum change "in the form of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) was ofa scale arguably unparalleled in the history ofcurriculum change" in South Africa. The first version ofthe post apartheid National Curriculum Statement was released in March 1997. It provided a framework for Early Childhood Development (ECD), General Education and Training (GET), Further Education and Training (FET), and Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET). The plan was to progressively phase in the new curriculum starting from Grade 1 in 1998 and Grade 7 in 1999 with the hope that it would be fully implemented across all grades by the year 2005. The GET band was the first band for which detailed curriculum documents were presented in 1997. Harley and Wedekind summarise the three design features of C2005 as follows: Firstly, it was outcomes-based, and this feature was positioned so centrally that outcomes-based education (OBE) became synonymous with C2005. An integrated knowledge system was the second design feature. School 'subjects' were jettisoned, and eight 'learning areas' introduced for Grades I to 9. The third dimension of curriculum reform was the promotion oflearner-centredpedagogy (Harley and Wedekind 2004:197). These features were manifested in the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNeS), which presented the curriculum framework for the General Education and Training (GET) band. The RNCS defines outcomes-based education as "a process and achievement-oriented, activity based and learner-centred education process..." (DoE 2002:58). Outcomes are the results at the end ofthe learning process in outcomes-based education and are expected to shape the learning process. OBE as a design feature of C200S had its roots in the training sector. Jansen notes that outcomes-based education was conspicuously absent from early discussions on curriculum reform and therefore 24
- Page 1 and 2: Teacher Learning in a Community of
- Page 3 and 4: ABSTRACT Conceptualising teacher le
- Page 5 and 6: DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated
- Page 7 and 8: DECLARATION I, Suriamurthee Moonsam
- Page 9 and 10: ASSOCIATED CONCEPTS UNDER STUDY WIT
- Page 11 and 12: Observation ofJohn's teaching after
- Page 13 and 14: A SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDy...........
- Page 15 and 16: TEMS RNCS EMS GET DoE INSET ELRC SA
- Page 17 and 18: In describing the subject-pedagogy
- Page 19 and 20: teachers lacked content knowledge r
- Page 21 and 22: acknowledges the importance and pec
- Page 23 and 24: some formal Mathematics teacher edu
- Page 25 and 26: study, the coordination functions w
- Page 27 and 28: It foregrounds the fact that the co
- Page 29 and 30: school. Higher education opportunit
- Page 31 and 32: frame models for projecting future
- Page 33 and 34: teacher education by the state, (as
- Page 35 and 36: schools, classrooms, management and
- Page 37: Although the Teacher Audit indicate
- Page 41 and 42: entrenched design feature of C2005,
- Page 43 and 44: In Chapter Five, I set up a narrati
- Page 45 and 46: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION
- Page 47 and 48: As indicated in the previous chapte
- Page 49 and 50: This view is supported by Putman an
- Page 51 and 52: Learning is social in nature (Putma
- Page 53 and 54: Constant reflection on and understa
- Page 55 and 56: Teachers drew on their membership i
- Page 57 and 58: The above arguments about the lack
- Page 59 and 60: change. She highlights the importan
- Page 61 and 62: Differences in the cultures oflearn
- Page 63 and 64: persons and is not considered solel
- Page 65 and 66: and offers insights into how learni
- Page 67 and 68: America. Goodson (1992) and Calderh
- Page 69 and 70: learned meaning and value for them
- Page 71 and 72: 'accommodation' and intimates that
- Page 73 and 74: staffroom and a 'pragmatic' teacher
- Page 75 and 76: Davisson (1984), Lumsden and Scott
- Page 77 and 78: directive in that it guides choices
- Page 79 and 80: economic discourse, the economics p
- Page 81 and 82: • Understand and promote the impo
- Page 83 and 84: 2.7 CONCLUSION This chapter began b
- Page 85 and 86: (Walford 2001; Anderson 1999). With
- Page 87 and 88: • It places value on the research
One <strong>of</strong>the first curriculum reform <strong>in</strong>itiatives <strong>of</strong>the new state was to streaml<strong>in</strong>e the<br />
various differences <strong>in</strong> the curriculum that existed <strong>in</strong> the different education departments.<br />
This was followed by the removal <strong>of</strong>archaic content, racially <strong>of</strong>fensive, and other<br />
discrim<strong>in</strong>atory elements from the curriculum (Jansen 1997). However, the major<br />
curriculum <strong>in</strong>novation to affect schools was the <strong>in</strong>troduction <strong>of</strong>C2005. Harley and<br />
Wedek<strong>in</strong>d (2004: 195) note that school curriculum change "<strong>in</strong> the form <strong>of</strong> Curriculum<br />
2005 (C2005) was <strong>of</strong>a scale arguably unparalleled <strong>in</strong> the history <strong>of</strong>curriculum change"<br />
<strong>in</strong> South Africa. The first version <strong>of</strong>the post apartheid National Curriculum Statement<br />
was released <strong>in</strong> March 1997. It provided a framework for Early Childhood Development<br />
(ECD), General Education and Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g (GET), Further Education and Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g (FET),<br />
and Adult Basic Education and Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g (ABET). The plan was to progressively phase <strong>in</strong><br />
the new curriculum start<strong>in</strong>g from Grade 1 <strong>in</strong> 1998 and Grade 7 <strong>in</strong> 1999 with the hope that<br />
it would be fully implemented across all grades by the year 2005. The GET band was the<br />
first band for which detailed curriculum documents were presented <strong>in</strong> 1997.<br />
Harley and Wedek<strong>in</strong>d summarise the three design features <strong>of</strong> C2005 as follows:<br />
Firstly, it was outcomes-based, and this feature was positioned so centrally that<br />
outcomes-based education (OBE) became synonymous with C2005. An <strong>in</strong>tegrated<br />
knowledge system was the second design feature. School 'subjects' were jettisoned, and<br />
eight 'learn<strong>in</strong>g areas' <strong>in</strong>troduced for Grades I to 9. The third dimension <strong>of</strong> curriculum<br />
reform was the promotion <strong>of</strong>learner-centredpedagogy (Harley and Wedek<strong>in</strong>d<br />
2004:197).<br />
These features were manifested <strong>in</strong> the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNeS),<br />
which presented the curriculum framework for the General Education and Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />
(GET) band. The RNCS def<strong>in</strong>es outcomes-based education as "a process and<br />
achievement-oriented, activity based and learner-centred education process..." (DoE<br />
2002:58). Outcomes are the results at the end <strong>of</strong>the learn<strong>in</strong>g process <strong>in</strong> outcomes-based<br />
education and are expected to shape the learn<strong>in</strong>g process. OBE as a design feature <strong>of</strong><br />
C200S had its roots <strong>in</strong> the tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g sector. Jansen notes that outcomes-based education<br />
was conspicuously absent from early discussions on curriculum reform and therefore<br />
24
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