An exploration of the value of an educational excursion for pre-service teachers

Abstract

This paper addresses the question: What is the value of an educational excursion for first year students enrolled in a 4 year pre-service professional teacher education degree at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa? The excursion is an integral part of a first year module that focuses on the personal and professional development of teachers. This article compares the nature of student learning during the excursion with students' learning and interaction in the traditional formal lecture room and argues that it operates as two different activity systems. Drawing on student reflections, questionnaire data and focus group interviews and using Veresov's notion of 'dramatical collisions' and CulturalHistorical Activity Theory as a lens, this study highlights and explores the unforeseen dynamics and tensions created during the excursion. It focuses on the importance of social interaction during the excursion and how it affords students the opportunity to learn how to live and learn together and to work co-operatively in a natural setting. The major findings are that the excursion provides a different learning environment for personal and professional development and this assists students in planning their professional trajectory. These, it is claimed, hold much promise for teacher education.

The Forest in My Hand: Student Teachers’ Experiences of Engaging in an Educational Excursion

“…Although diversity and inclusivity is one of the hallmarks of pre-service teacher education at the NWU, it is often a cognitive learning experience, and not an affective experience. De Beer, Petersen & Dunbar Krige (2012) have shown that the excursion, with its different dynamics compared to the formal classroom, is effective in sensitizing student teachers towards cultural diversity. Student teachers are provided the opportunity during the excursion programme to identify their own biases and prejudices, which might hamper their professional development to become "super teachers".…”

“…A problem faced in pre-service teacher education, is that first-year student teachers often enter their four years of training with very naïve understandings of the teaching profession. De Beer, Petersen and Dunbar-Krige (2012) showed that South African student teachers often enter the pre-service programme with baggage such as that the job of a teacher is to instill knowledge in learners through "chalk-and-talk" approaches. Such viewpoints stem from what Lortie (1975) refers to as the "apprenticeship of observation".…”

“…Furthermore, South Africa as a young democracy still have not succeeded in creating an integrated and equal society. Many first-year student teachers start their university education with not having had much engaged interaction with people of other race groups (De Beer, Petersen & Dunbar Krige, 2012). South Africa, despite having abandoned its Apartheid policies, are still not an equal society, and the new "apartheid" is the socio-economic divide.…”

The Zone of Proximal Teacher Development Under the Microscope: Reflections of a Teacher Educator

“…During the excursion, with its more informal relationships, this intimidating office-bearer, who happily accompanies students on the hikes in the park, becomes a mentor and inspiring role model. For many student teachers who may not have had good teacher role models in schools, the teacher educators become positive role models of the teaching profession (De Beer, Petersen and Dunbar-Krige, 2012).…”

“…Although this is theoretically addressed in the formal classroom, the excursion provides the opportunity to experience this aspect of the student teachers" personal and professional development practically. The following vignette (De Beer, Petersen & Dunbar-Krige, 2012) is a chilling reminder that social change in a young democracy does not happen overnight:…”