Teachers are instrumental in the implementation of new policies, and so will the models used to capacitate them (Jansen, 2001). This study will, within the current models used in the implementation of curriculum policies, examine an alternative model for teachers.
Background to the problem 1
The challenge of teacher shortages meant that the release of teachers for professional development in relation to the introduction of OBE was a major concern for Department of Education officials. Of interest to the study is the investigation of the experiences of trained facilitators using a peer-led model within the implementation of OBE.
Significance of the Study 4
However, the rush to policy introduction and implementation of OBE has not been realistic given the enormous challenges in teacher development, where some teachers were unqualified or insufficiently qualified (Jansen, 1999). The following diagram on page 5 illustrates the complexity of implementing outcomes-based education.
Aims of the Study 7
Problem Statement 7
In the absence of a clear INPUT policy, teacher development programs are further limited by the fact that teachers cannot be removed from classrooms for training, as this means that learners are left unsupervised. In the absence of qualified staff to replace teachers while they attend longer teacher development programs, the department will need to consider an alternative model such as a peer-driven model to balance the tension between policy implementation and theory.
Critical Questions 10
From my experience gained as a manager of an INSET institution, I realized that teachers need a much more practical and practical model of teacher development to enable them to implement Outcome Based Education. Furthermore, I also want to find out how a peer-driven teacher development model can support teacher development within the context of apartheid South African teacher development.
Methodology 11
This research advocates a peer-led model where teachers do not need to be removed from schools for extended periods. The tensions between the curriculum policies introduced in our changing South Africa and the culture of teaching are a critical issue for teachers' professional development.
Limitations 11
I also used the two schools as case studies with the main case study of Ikhwezi Community College as the institution whose training model this study investigates.
Format of the study 11
Chapter Four focuses on methodology, beginning with an overview of the case study as a research tool and its limitations. Each of the topics to which respondents applied themselves is defined and quantified in detail.
Conclusion 13
To lay the groundwork for an investigation into the ongoing professional development of teachers through policy initiatives following the 1994 democratic elections in South Africa;. How trained facilitators experience the challenges of a peer model for teacher professional development.
A Broad Contextual Policy Framework 15
The need for Professional Development in the context of
Professional Development: The South African context 23
The Socio-political environment 23
The teachers themselves have generally not experienced teacher development programs that adequately prepare them for the delivery of the new curriculum. Teacher development in our country has a lot to do with the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
History of Teacher Development in South Africa 26
The planning had to be extremely thorough, with all team members contributing to writing the presentation. The school context emerges as the most important part of teachers' professional development.
Conclusion 31
The Concept of Professional Development 33
The complexity of the term "professional development" is noted by many researchers who use different themes to define it. Several researchers have conceptualized professional development in two broad approaches – psychological and socio-political contexts.
The Models of TPD 35
Significance of Models for Professional Development 35
Most countries now link professional development to the development priorities of the school and coordinate education with school work accordingly. ICCE-trained principals were required to undergo training to implement the OBE policy.
Theoretical Models of Professional Development 36
Career-Cycle Development 37
As Day (2003) argues, teacher professional development over the career cycle cannot be achieved without the principal's support and full understanding of teacher needs, however diverse they may be. The needs of such teachers will not be the same as those of those in fourth or sixth year.
Common models of CPTD within South Africa 38
- The Face-to-Face Model 38
- South African College of Distance Learning (SACOL) 38
- Master-apprenticeship Model – student/peer reflection 39
- The peer-driven Model 39
- Cascading model for Policy Implementation 40
As an alternative model for a democratic South Africa, it is hoped that this model will address the knowledge and competence requirements of a transformation that strives for a better and different education system. This study intends to investigate the application of this model in Ikhwezi's teacher facilitation programs.
Arguing for a peer-driven model of teacher professional
The question of how teachers experience the various courses and programs they are required to attend in the name of their professional development adds another dimension to arguments about teacher development. This approach to teacher development is consistent with the model advocated in this research.
The Theoretical Location Of This Study 47
The researcher had to review and interpret policies earmarked for teacher professional development, such as the Norms and Standards for Teachers and Developmental Teacher Assessment, which after 1994 were considered core teacher development initiatives. Important policy documents that had an impact on teacher development after 1994 were consulted in this regard.
Global Research on TPD and local issues 49
However, most countries note that participation in professional development is generally considered beneficial for career development. Most countries offer teachers a range of different professional development activities within and outside the school.
Conclusion 52
Preliminary visits were made to the principals of the selected schools, to explain my choice of schools, as well as the aims and scope of the research. I was very well received in all the schools and all the actors were very cooperative.
The case study as a research tool 54
A case study approach also aims to reveal the interplay of important factors characteristic of the phenomenon. In particular, it refers to the focus of the case study on a certain situation, event, program, phenomenon; while the describer infers that the final product is a rich, 'thick' description of the phenomenon under study.
Limitations of case study research 57
Other research methods 58
Crucial question two: How can we take advantage of the opportunities that a peer-driven model offers. The aim of the analysis will be on facilitator training within the context of broader policy developments in education.
Reasons for data collection 62
The initial research process 62
Dissemination of OBE policy from the Department of Education to teachers is critical to successful policy implementation. In this section I present an analysis of the journals as provided by the trained facilitators (Appendix A).
Challenges Of The ICCE Model Of Teacher
Data collection methods 64
The choice of research instruments 64
They first had to adjust to sharing the same room, facilities and platform with Indian, colored and sometimes white teachers. The other races had to learn to adapt their listening and communicative skills, as they were also not exposed to a multicultural environment.
Designing the research questionnaire 64
I carefully considered the different types of data collection methods that would best suit the type of information I needed. I believed that the responses to the various questionnaires would be reliable answers that would capture what trained school counselors and their principals would say about how they perceived the ICCE training as a model for teacher development.
Questionnaire design and layout 66
This section is designed around questions that seek facilitators' reflections on both the content, as well as the facilitation part of the training received. When designing the questions for this section (as later in the questionnaire I asked facilitators questions that demanded reflection, deep understanding and insight into the training process) I was constantly aware of the possible limitations that could arise from their initial teacher training. has.
The reliability of questionnaire issues 71
Designing the interview schedule 72
- Focus group: Interview Schedule 1 – newly-trained
- Focus Group: Interview Schedule 2 – old facilitators 72
- Questionnaires: School principals, deputy-principals and
- The planning of the actual questions within the three
Therefore, the choice of questions for all categories is extremely important to examine 'more thickly' the responses from the survey questionnaire. In this category, the intention was to determine how the ICCE training was perceived by the principals as well as by those in leadership positions.
Focus-Group Interviews 76
Validity of the questionnaire and the interview schedule 76
When developing within the framework of the new philosophy of conducting OBE, I found for verification that the critical judgments of the experts were extremely useful in terms of reformulation, avoiding ambiguous questions and restructuring the structure of both the questionnaire and the interview schedule. This gave me the opportunity to further restructure some of the statements and questions to avoid ambiguity, making fine adjustments.
The Research Process 77
Seeking permission and administering the questionnaire
Linking Qualitative and Quantitative Data 77
The researcher believes in the flexibility of the qualitative methodology (interviewing), which calls for complex, in-depth and discursive answers from the respondents. The argument is that the only way to integrate both quantitative and qualitative approaches into social policy research is to use the in-depth qualitative findings to explain and justify the findings of the quantitative research method.
Conclusion 79
The different data collection methods used in this research had resulted in different kinds of results. The data presented in the written form, for example the responses from the questionnaires, are the responses of the facilitators "of what they publicly stand for", that is, within and away from their teaching practice. On the other hand, they presented data. in the verbal form, the answers from the semi-structured interviews are, for example, the facilitators' answers "of what they personally experience".
Introduction 80
This part offers me the personal space to reflect on my own professional experiences in my capacity as Rector of the case study institution. Education is a practical field where obstacles are often frighteningly tangible, and examining a case study allows all the variables to be taken into account.
Case Study in Operation 81
Conceptualization of Ikhwezi 81
Because the project is expected to benefit all teachers in the province, regardless of race and union affiliation, it was determined that a partnership with all teacher unions is critical. The Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education had to provide space for the centre; salaries for South African managers, as well as capacity in the form of participants to set up a pilot project.
Objectives of the Role-players 83
The above imperatives, including the assertion of Dr. B. Nzimande (1996) of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education that "there is a need for support for teacher development and effective school management ... in the process of reversing the poor quality of education inherited from Apartheid" the Danish Consortium and the Ministry of Education (KZN) joined together . This was a challenge for most teachers as they did not use the co-facilitation technique in their schools.
Feedback and reflection 87
Enhancing the Ikhwezi model 88
The current 'train-the-trainer' model has recently been adapted to the new unit standard requirements as required by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The Ikhwezi model of teacher development supports the involvement of school-based facilitators in both the creation and implementation of knowledge.
Case Study of Mvubu Secondary School: Historical
On a tour of the school I was struck by a very disciplined and professional ethos, with students relatively well behaved. From the many visits I have made to the school, I have noticed huge steps in growth, with the school establishing its own CPD policy and exposing more staff to Ikhwezi programs.
Case Study of Mvela Primary School 89
The phenomenon of resources and the capacity of teachers to be creative and improvise is the key to the successful implementation of the new democratic curriculum. 98.7% of the results demonstrate how trained facilitators benefited from the training method they were exposed to.
Case Study: Remedy Zimu: Report From Remedy Zimu-Mvela
Case Study Two: Nomakhubalo Dlodlo 93
These qualities of the Ikhwezi peer-driven teacher development model suggest a successful and innovative model for professional development. Team teaching for the South African teachers was still an unknown concept at the time of the project implementation.
Report From Nomakhubalo Dlodlo:Chaza Combined
Case Study: Mr Morten Andersen 96
Report From Mr Morten Andersen: Eastwood Secondary
Conclusion 98
Part One: General Descriptive Statistical Results of all
Participants 100
Participants came from facilitators trained both at the initial stage and three years after the initial training. These participants included teachers trained as school managers, deputy managers and heads of department, as they form the management team in most schools.
Demographics 101
Results of Biographical Profile of Schools 101
This means that schools are fully aware of the expectations of this form of professional development. Given the variety of challenges trainers faced, some areas had to be adapted accordingly.
Types of Schools participating in this project 102
Racial divides and discrepancies among participating
Seen through the historical perspective of apartheid education in South Africa, Table 4.3 paints a general picture of the racial divides and discrepancies between the many educational departments. But the multiracialism that facilitators experienced in the early days of the democratic dispensation came with its own unique challenges.
School phases participating in the study 104
Distribution of respondents 104
Mshengu's frustrations with school principals' resistance to exposing staff to the PD programs offered by the ikhwezi could be due to the sequential training of OBEs by the Ministry of Education.
Gender split of respondents 105
Age dispersion of respondents 105
Education levels of respondents 105
Only 30% of respondents indicated that the issue of lack of resources was not problematic. This section explores the opportunities and challenges of the Ikhwezi peer-driven model as experienced by teachers.
Experience levels of respondents 106
Awareness of ICCE training and facilitation 107
They (principals) are of the idea that the college is not an institution of the education department…. They (directors) are of the idea that the College is not an institution of the Department of Education.
Perceptions of skills-enhancement benefits
While the results show that more respondents participated as a result of the invitations sent by ICCE, the poor participation from Department of Education structures is a cause for concern because the trained facilitators later encountered resistance at the school level. These comments support the low 20% of invitations received by Departmental Structures, which highlights the negative effects of poor communication of the INSET pilot project when carried out in partnership with the Department of Education and Culture.
Utilising ICCE training skills to encourage free
By evaluating personal comments on his own assessment experience, the researcher believes that this newly acquired skill would be used by Dr. Mandawe when assessing his own colleagues. The researcher believes that most teachers would benefit more from the peer-driven model that would give them the comfort of learning alongside their colleagues in a non-threatening environment.
Facilitation: 110
Debriefing is one of the skills that facilitators were not aware of until they had training exposure at Ikhwezi. These data allow the researcher to argue for a need for a team teaching approach in the delivery of the new national curriculum initiatives.
The variety of programmes offered by Ikhwezi 131
We solved these problems with the help of the acquired education and familiarization with SACE's ethics and code of conduct. They felt that their exposure to the training had improved their basic understanding of the National Qualifications Framework.
Challenges 134
Opportunities realized from the Ikhwezi experience led trained facilitators to want to be agents of change and share acquired skills with other teachers. This pressure did not seem to deter them, instead it increased their desire to be more attached to Ikhwezi, and therefore pleaded with the ministry to get substitutes so that they could spend more time developing others.
Conclusion 137
To conclude the study, this chapter will be divided into three parts. In part one of this chapter the emphasis will be on the description of the model as I experience it as a researcher.
Section A: My Involvement 138
Because I am the Head of the college within which this model of professional development is promoted, I have a perspective that may be different from that experienced by the research participants of this study. Section two will explore the challenges and opportunities as presented by the facilitators trained at Ikhwezi and the final section will cover the input of the facilitators through the focus group interview which collectively explored the emerging issues related to this model of professional development.
Section B: Description of the Model 138
The research instruments used in this study provided further insight into the opportunities and challenges of the trained facilitators at Ikhwezi. The lack of follow-up and evaluation is one of the biggest weaknesses of Ikhwezi's peer-driven model.
Section B: The Facilitators Experience Of The Model 143
Emerging themes 143
Professional Development 143
The interplay of these roles also gave me a deeper insight into the challenges and weaknesses faced by the Ministry of Education as an employer and main provider for the continuing and professional development of teachers. The Ikhwezi approach creates a non-threatening environment in which teachers come together, get used to “the work culture” and find a common platform for their professional development.
Personal Development 144
Team Teaching 145
Based on these comments, it cannot be assumed that there was true team teaching, but teachers were certainly able to collaborate in sharing professional knowledge, rather than delivering classroom-level curriculum. Admittedly, team teaching is still an ideal practice in a number of schools due to the current teacher-student ratio and high numbers.
Confidence in Interpreting Policies 146
What is important, however, is the fact that Ikhwezi exposed teachers to a model in which they could experience the value, benefits, challenges and disadvantages of team teaching in practice. The exposure to teams during their training would have hopefully helped the Ikhwezi-trained facilitators understand the group dynamics that needed to be met.
Facilitation Skills 147
Magaqa Moosa: The highlight of being involved in Ikhwezi, being able to inspire and empower others and going out as a facilitator and making such a big impact on those teachers out there, especially in the rural areas, has been such a inspiration to me that we were so motivated to go out to every single workshop that was offered here to go out there and make an impact on the teachers and it's amazing that without getting paid we're going to do this because of the feedback we received from these teachers. . Some of the comments we got from our staff were that "they should be paid to do this job because they are so passionate about it", but it was because of the feedback we got from these teachers that we actually touched something in them and they immediately signed up to be workshopped so they could become facilitators and we realized that there were so many people out there who wanted more, they wanted the challenge, they were motivated to do something different in their job.
Reflective Practice 148
I felt that I had done something if I didn't touch anyone else, that I had done something in education.
Challenges 148
This is just because of our desire to inspire others and really support this program and our gratitude to Peggy for all the work she has done, but sometimes the politics within the schools makes it difficult to be released and able to do the work we want to do.
Section C: Collective Emerging Themes On The Ikhwezi
Of major concern was the lack of PD support structures at school level with some managers resisting change. Some facilitators also noted with regret the lack of enthusiasm from their school colleagues who were not enthused by the incoming flow of professional development brought by their own colleagues.
Conclusion 155
The general apathy of teachers and lack of motivation for new and fresh ideas from their colleagues can be attributed to a number of factors. Teacher withdrawal can be seen as an escape route and can be abused by teachers who find the school environment with all the demands of democratic change hostile and extremely stressful, bordering on burnout.
Introduction 157
Study synthesis 157
- Literature Review at a contextual level 157
- Professional Development Models 158
- The Methodological Perspectives 159
- Case study at school-level 160
- Case study at facilitator’s level 162
Literature reviewed in this study indicated that teachers benefited from the Peer-Driven Professional Development environment that gave them space to work together in teams and thereby learn from each other. Day (1999), Hargreaves (1995). The importance of the structure of formulating teams within the historical context of South African education was essential to effective programs of continuing professional development.
Synthesis at the level of data analysis and
Findings: Policy CPTD imperatives: OBE policy
The peer-led model of teacher development in this study gives teachers the opportunity to learn from each other in a non-threatening environment. Moderators in this research found that the practical changes brought about by OBE focused on new or revised materials, new approaches to teaching, and possible belief change.
Management support and communication 167
I argue that the effectiveness of implementing OBE in schools should be improved by training teachers as facilitators, so that teachers can embrace curriculum change with ease. Changes expected from OBE policy implementation often underestimate the complexity of the system in which such change is introduced.
School CPTD activities 168
Co-facilitation: Implementation for team teaching 169
Facilitation skills: Agents of change 170
CPD via teacher-exchange programmes 170
The three facilitators identified to share their personal encounters in this study have explicitly expressed the belief that participation in the teacher exchange programs enabled them to improve their professionalism, which in turn benefited their schools. This came from other teachers, especially those in management structures, who would resist changes introduced by teachers at a lower rank level than theirs.
Recommendations 171
What do teachers want? 171
Exposed and empowered teachers would introduce curriculum changes and innovations that were benefiting students, but would simultaneously threaten those in decision-making positions. I would recommend that teachers are fully skilled in the roles defined by the norms and standards to enable them to meet the expected demands so that they can effectively facilitate the delivery of the curriculum.
Who drives CPTD? 172
When CPTD? 172
Here again, the employer will need a structure that will vigorously screen and qualify assistant and/or substitute teachers to ensure the quality of the curriculum. The employer will need a clear CPTD release policy in response to NPFTED's expectations that teachers will achieve 150 PDP over a three-year cycle.
Where to CPTD? 173
The Western Cape Institute of Education in South Africa has a model that engages teachers over a period of three to four weeks, with schools identifying their own substitute teachers who are paid by the Department of Education. One only hopes that the PDP rush system will not take us back to the paper rush era when teachers merely collected certificates for promotion opportunities with students' results showing no significant and remarkable improvement.
How will CPTD programmes be delivered? 173
The peer-driven model 174
Effective policies and the transformation process: an assessment of South Africa's new development and micro policies. Transforming further education and training in South Africa: A case study of teachers colleges in KwaZulu-Natal.
Conclusion 175
Questionnaire: Education Manager’s Perception of the
The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information about the manager's experience of ICCE Training and Facilitation. The information you provide will be treated confidentially and will only be used for research purposes.
Questionnaire: Facilitator’s Perception of the
Charts and Tables reflecting data 195
Interview Schedule for the Focus-Group of
Focus Group Responses 223
Second Interviews 226
Journal Entries 253
Letter to Principal of Pilot School 260
Consent Letter 261
Research Participants 262
Information for journals 263
