Different rules for different teachers: teachers’ views of professionalism and accountability in a bifurcated education system1

Hoffman, Nimi; Sayed, Yusuf; Badroodien, Azeem

doi:10.17159/i65a06

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Although literacy and numerical scores for white people are higher than those of black people in schools meant for blacks (Hoffman et al, 2016), this research shows that if STEM education is taught even among poor black communities, the knowledge can be comprehended and accepted by all irrespective of the background of the learner. More so, the researcher demonstrated that the learning theory of the constructivistinterpretive approach could be applied in a society where learners are allowed to think and create ideas and knowledge independently so they can solve life problems (McLeod, 2023).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Further government intervention led to the construction of modern houses and the provision of social amenities for the people of Cosmo City. There is also a high population of African migrants in Cosmo City, which has led to high competition for resources, including the provision of education, leading to its scarcity (Hoffman et al, 2016). Public schools in Cosmo City are finding it difficult to accommodate all students and lagging in the number of science-based teachers they have.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of STEM Education in Teaching and Learning in South Africa’s Underprivileged Societies

Agai

2024

Innovare J Edu

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STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in some quarters of African society is wrongly perceived because the importance of this contemporary educational approach to knowledge is not properly taught, understood, and harnessed among teachers and learners. The fact that STEM education is a recent educational development and a subject of interest, especially within African educational institutions, suggests that its benefits in teaching and learning are not well-maximized and enjoyed by teachers and students. Using particular pieces of literature and the outcomes of a case study of several discussions with some students and teachers in Cosmo City, this researcher highlights that some underprivileged people’s perceptions regarding the current status and the importance of STEM education were misunderstood. The researcher used the concept of “travel” as a topic to explore how STEM education can be taught and understood among students. Other objectives of this research are to encourage government educational agencies and other organizations concerned with educational development to know and assist underprivileged schools in effectively providing STEM education. The study was achieved by expounding on some of the problems underprivileged schools in South Africa face concerning STEM education. The result obtained from this research indicates that the poor or inadequate utilization of STEM education is responsible for its wrong perception in underprivileged communities in most African societies. The researcher concludes that adequate STEM education that includes the provision of necessary study materials and trained teachers will result in the best maximization of this form of knowledge among all sundry, irrespective of an individual’s socio-economic background.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of STEM Education in Teaching and Learning in South Africa’s Underprivileged Societies

Agai

2024

Innovare J Edu

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“…Regarding the internal regulation at the meso school level, the school culture and management at school level obviously regulates novice teachers' work in vital ways that cannot be addressed directly by initial teacher education. The distribution of well-qualified teachers is uneven across schools given the bi-furcated education system as Hoffman et al (2016) have noted. Fee-paying schools tend to have better-qualified teachers whose organisational assets bring better mentoring possibilities for novice teachers as a well as a reservoir of specialised knowledge, skills, and dispositions (Chisholm et al, 2005;Sayed, 2016;Shalem & Hoadley, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systems approach to understanding novice teachers' experiences and professional learning

Bertram

2023

J. educ. (Univ. KwaZulu-natal)

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The seeming disconnect between what novice teachers learn at university and what their first year of teaching demands has been described and lamented for decades. Researchers, teachers, and school managers often blame teacher education programmes for not preparing novice teachers for the realities of school. However, blaming student teachers' initial teacher education (ITE) programme is reductionist and ignores that this is only one of the complex systems that shape their practice. I argue that a more productive way to understand novice teachers' experiences is through a systems approach that engages with four nested systems that shape their practice-the system of the teacher (that encompasses their personal and professional identities and their knowledge and competences), the classroom system, the school system and the macro-educational system. In this paper, I present interview data generated from 30 novice teachers after they had been teaching for 18 months. The data shows that many challenges faced cannot be addressed by the ITE curriculum because they are grounded in other sub systems. I engage with what ITE programmes can do and suggest that the main influence of ITE is in developing student teachers' ethical commitment, professional identity, competences, and professional knowledge and in providing practical teaching experiences in different schools. I also highlight what aspects need to be addressed by the macro levels of the schooling system.

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“…In South Africa, uneven learning outcomes strongly correlate with the bifurcated schooling system, which reflects students' "race" and class. Higher student achievement is generally seen in the 20% of schools that charge school fees and thus serve the middle and upper classes (Hoffman, Sayed, and Badroodien 2016). Thus, teachers' role in teaching for social justice and being able to recognise both individual and social barriers to learning is vital.…”

Section: Contextual Specialisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating Tensions in Designing a Curriculum That Prepares Preservice Teachers for School-Based Learning

Bertram,

Rusznyak

2024

EaC

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A long-standing concern in teacher education is the variability in the quality of practicum experiences afforded to preservice teachers. Although some variability is due to their personal attributes, preservice teachers often find it difficult to connect theoretical insights to teachers’ classroom practices. These challenges can be exacerbated when teachers do not explain the reasoning for what they do and why. School closures during the pandemic provided South African teacher educators with an opportunity to address this concern. We participated in developing a national online module that prepares preservice teachers for school-based learning through guided lesson study. This article adopts a self-study approach to account for the curriculum choices in developing this module. Three tensions needed consideration: portraying teaching as an individualised pursuit and/or a social practice, focusing on generic and/or specialised pedagogies, and focusing on the tacit and/or explicit reasoning that teachers do. We account for how we worked within and between these tensions. A module of this nature potentially enhances school-based learning by making the reasoning of teachers explicit to preservice teachers. To achieve this potential and to advance work-integrated learning as a scholarship, the conceptual underpinnings of the module and its curriculum design must be open to reflection and scrutiny.

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Different rules for different teachers: teachers’ views of professionalism and accountability in a bifurcated education system1

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

The Role of STEM Education in Teaching and Learning in South Africa’s Underprivileged Societies

The Role of STEM Education in Teaching and Learning in South Africa’s Underprivileged Societies

A systems approach to understanding novice teachers' experiences and professional learning

Navigating Tensions in Designing a Curriculum That Prepares Preservice Teachers for School-Based Learning

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