5. DISCUSSION
5.6. IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY
ckinney, 2005 cited in Fraser, 2007)
The quadrants in the matrix showed that in most cases teachers engaged in unplanned (incidental) which took place mostly socially, ie. by interacting with others. Learning activities in both planned (intentional) quadrants were limited in comparison to the
I was able to understand how each of the respondents learnt informally by engaging in
different types of learning activities. The narratives explained that activities they engaged in were similar but inspired and motivated by varying factors and at different stages of their development.
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unplanned (incidental) ones. It was also evident from the matrix that while teachers engaged in individual learning there was a greater tendency for the teachers to engage in learning socially, thus most learning opportunities were reflected in the social/unplanned (incidental) quadrants. This reveals that much of their learning happens incidentally.
All but two of the teachers showed more engagement in individual learning than learning socially. Both of these teachers were experienced teachers.
Interestingly, all teachers showed a very limited engagement with planned
intentional)/social learning opportunities. These activities were almost exclusively limited to school and cluster meetings and workshops. The teachers only mentioned meetings and school based workshops as formal programmes of development therefore it is likely that they are not engaged in structured learning programmes where their learning would centre around formal learning. This in turn implies that most of the teachers’ development is happening informally.
There was some variation in the types of activities teachers engaged in, in the planned/individual quadrants. The information in this quadrant showed that the
planned/individual learning activities were very teacher specific in that it impacted directly on the individual teacher needs more than those in the planned/social quadrant did.
5.6.2. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRACTICE OF TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
The respondents’ learning experiences indicate that much teacher learning is situated. They showed that they engaged in learning both individually, by reading, surfing the internet etc and socially, by engaging with peers, interacting in communities of practice. There is no doubt that these teachers were driven to improve their competences and were not afraid to take the initiative to seek the learning they thought they needed. Their situated learning was not confined to the school. Teachers formed networks with teachers in other schools thereby increasing their potential to learn because they are exposed to more experiences and beliefs which invariably impacts on learning. Teachers also seemed to show a great awareness of their practice as they all highlighted the need to reflect on their lessons they taught and seek feedback from their learners. This tells us that these teachers are intent on improving their practice. The data showed that the area in which novice teachers needed
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most development was in classroom management and administrative duties. The
experienced teachers, while appearing to cope well in these areas, sought development to improve their knowledge and keep up to date with current trends. Further, their
interactions with other experienced teachers in the communities of practice helped in their development.
This study has highlighted that teacher learning is indeed situated in this case study school.
It also revealed that teachers learn both socially and individually. Learning socially entailed teachers learning in communities of practice or by interacting with their colleagues in various ways. Learning opportunities were found to be embedded in various ways both within the school and outside. This means that the teachers’ learning was not confined to the school. It was found that teachers engaged in both planned and unplanned forms of informal learning with greater emphasis on unplanned or incidental/spontaneous learning.
The preferred interaction among teachers appeared to be informal chats in different spaces in the school. Judging from the fact that even teachers with long service in the profession indicated that they continue to learn in their jobs, teachers are lifelong learners.
Currently stakeholders in education in South Africa are taking cognisance of what
researchers are saying about the ways in which teachers learn. They have designed a new plan for teacher development called Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa (2011-2025) (Departments of Basic Education and Training, 2011). This plan realises the need to improve teacher education and
development as it impacts positively on teacher practice. As researchers recommend, teachers are encouraged to take ownership of their development by identifying their needs and engaging in teacher development activities.
It is refreshing to note that this document makes reference to activities that are linked to qualifications and those that are not. This implies that informal learning activities are also being acknowledged as authentic forms of learning.
The document further proposes the formation of Professional Learning Communities (PLC), however, this comes across rather autocratically as the establishment and control of these PLC’s lie with the Provincial Education Departments. This does not place teachers at the core
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of their development and ignores the findings in research that show that teachers’ needs and development vary therefore there is no ‘one size fits all’ teacher development
programme. Knight (2002) and Kwakman (2003) contend that communities of practice are established by teachers themselves and that the learning that happens here emanates from the teachers who bring their own beliefs, experiences and knowledges that shape the learning that happens in these communities. Further, the learning is incidental and spontaneous and morphed into new learning when combined with knowledge and
experiences of others. Research therefore suggests that communities of practice should be created by teachers. This study indicated that teacher learning is teacher driven and
situated in the working context; therefore all teachers should be encouraged to engage in learning opportunities. Further, the study noted that teachers engage in various forms of informal learning both at school and outside school; the most popular form, being in learning communities. Thus I believe that this document needs to take cognisance of the need for learning communities being established and sustained by teachers themselves.
Further, the matrices of all teachers in the study showed that teachers prefer engaging in unplanned- social or unplanned-individual learning. Planned informal opportunities are few in the school but some teachers indicated that they also find such opportunities useful.
Therefore, the powers that be should consult with teachers on the ground for a more realistic perception of how teachers learn and what opportunities schools can offer for teacher development. The advantage of the plan acknowledging that teachers learn in communities is that it recognises that teacher learning is largely social.
A pleasing point that this document pays attention to is the factoring in of time for teacher development. It considers options such as releasing teachers to attend CPD programmes by replacing them with student teachers as is done in some countries abroad and scheduling in development programmes in the school schedule.
While the plan pays attention to creating learning opportunities both formally and
informally in schools, it does not totally embrace the potential of teacher driven incentives for the enhancement of teacher development in South African schools. Perhaps this outlook stimulates an urgent focus on teacher driven initiatives in future South African research.
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