A didactic paradigm for school-based practice teaching for colleges of education in KwaZulu
This research centred on one broad objective, i.e. to establish the effectiveness of school-based practice teaching for student teachers in a selection of Primary Teachers Diploma (PTD) Colleges of Education in KwaZulu. Chapter 2 covers the review of literature on practice teaching. Firstly, the history of practice teaching is discussed so as to put the study in historical perspective. Secondly, research findings in selected countries are reviewed so that the study can be viewed in relation to international research trends. Thirdly, some approaches, which give a multifaceted nature of practice teaching as a field of study, are analysed. Chapter 3 discusses the criteria for effective school-based practice teaching with the aim of using such criteria as a yardstick for the analysis of the results of the study. Chapter 4 looks at the didactic theoretical constructs for a practice teaching curriculum . The implication being that any didactically justifiable practice teaching programme should be informed by what is discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. The questionnaire survey, as well as the informal interviews, were used in this study. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods has enabled the researcher to gain deeper understanding and a more penetrating insight regarding the problem under investigation. Findings of the study revealed that there was a consistent pattern of conflict regarding the results which emanated from qualitative findings. Qualitative findings, because of the open-ended nature of the questions, tended to be more reliable in terms of the respondents' ability to critically reflect upon current practices regarding practice teaching in KwaZulu Colleges of Education. Quantitative results, because of the close-ended nature of the survey questions, tended to be less realistic regarding practice teaching in these colleges. This became a chief advantage of quantitative and qualitative coupling of research methods as discussed in the above paragraph. The three most important findings of this study are: 1. There is lack of effective partnership between colleges and schools when it comes to the professional preparation of teachers. 2. The transfer of theory to practice by student teachers is hindered due to the poor quality of the relationship between theoretical training and practice. 3. The supervision of practice teaching is not effective because there is no collaboration between the college lecturer, the co-operating teacher and the student. The above major findings emphasise the need for colleges and schools to view themselves as institutions for teacher education. In this case teacher education should not be seen as the function of colleges of education only. This has implications for a major paradigm shift regarding teacher education. The following are the two most significant recommendations: 1. The practical training of teachers requires radical transformation regarding the need for collaboration between colleges and schools in the training of teachers. Partnership between the college and practising schools should not be a haphazard affair, but should be formalised. 2- All those involved in practice teaching supervision should be trained which will lead to practice teaching being a professional exercise, which is presently not the case. At the moment the practical training of students is a ritual which both the lecturers and students endure out of sympathy for students and not because of an understanding of the finer points regarding the importance this area of human experience. This study recommends major innovations regarding teacher education. One might conclude that viable solutions to the research problem have been found.
Practice teaching, Teacher education--South Africa
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