UNIT - 5 SUPERVISION OF SCHOOL BASED LEARNING.._.pptx

SCHOOL BASED LEARNING MODULE CODE: SBX22ES Supervising teaching practice in schools CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Compiled by Mr Moeletsane  Contents Learning outcomes Introduction Policy guiding teaching practice in S...

SCHOOL BASED LEARNING MODULE CODE: SBX22ES Supervising teaching practice in schools CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Compiled by Mr Moeletsane  Contents Learning outcomes Introduction Policy guiding teaching practice in South Africa Social constructivism Teaching practice supervision: a mandated requirement Mentor teachers Why do we have to support student teachers in the Learning process Summary Topics for discussion and review  Learning outcomes After studying this chapter, you should be able to; Introduce supervision in teaching practice in South African schools in general, and in open distance learning contexts in particular. Analyse some of the education policy guidelines for teaching practice in South Africa. Explain the expectations and roles of teaching practice supervisors and school-based mentor teachers. Briefly outline theoretical frames for teaching practice. Sketch some of the challenges experienced in teaching practice in South African schools, with an emphasis on open distance learning contexts.  INTRODUCTION South African education Policy require that students enrolled for initial professional education of teacher programmes to do teaching practice. In the selected/ identified schools where teaching and learning take place. Teaching practice expected to take place for required number of weeks guided by the programme where students have registered.  Why is teaching practice taken seriously in high education institutions (HEIs)? It forms foundation and pillars of students’ success or failure in the teaching profession. HEIs dedicated administrative staff and academics to teach both theory and practice. Must deliver quality professional education. Ensure that student teachers are afforded the opportunity to develop competencies that allow them to enhance their teaching and learning experience.  CONT… According to Howard & Gullickson (2010) a well-organised and implemented teaching practice programme is founded on procedures, systems and processes that work. These procedures, systems and processes cannot be implemented as standalone techniques. Human resources are key, just as information and communications technology (ICT) is pivotal to ensuring the speedy and smooth administration and management of student teachers’ teaching and learning experiences so as to make them worthwhile. Human resources are mentors. Human resources located at HEIs and those in schools where student teachers are placed for teaching practice are called Mentors or Cooperative teachers. (Work hand in hand with student teachers placed in their schools).  Policy guiding teaching practice in South Africa NEPAD- New Partnership for African’s Development NEPAD has identified the following challenges facing many ministries in South African with respect to teacher education: Lack of opportunities for continuous professional development. Disrupted teaching profession due to current or prior internal conflict or war. A shortage of reference and training materials for teachers Underdevelopment and under utilisation of ICT to benefit to teacher training and development.  CONT… Inadequate training facilities and funding for initial (pre- service) training. Inadequate or poor continuous (in-service) teacher development and training facilities. The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South makes provision for close collaboration between provincial education departments and universities to ensure appropriate student teacher placement. The provision of support by teacher mentors in schools.  CONT… This policy is seen as inadequately supporting teachers regarding their professional growth. The training of school-based mentor teachers is left in the hands of higher education institutions. In that case, teachers complain that they cannot be expected to perform tasks that they are not trained to do.  One of the major challenges in implementing policy requirement by open distance learning (ODL) institution Is the issue of the proximity of practising schools to students’ own homes, and the fact that students have to seek funding for travelling during teaching practice. Most students prefer to practise close to their homes (due to transport issues and, possibly, fear of the unknown).  IPET-Interagency Performance Evaluation Task force. The willingness of the institution to provide their students with authentic contexts is critical. Factors that need to be effectively and efficiently managed in the quest for quality IPET are as follows: A close collaboration between provincial education departments and universities (HEIs) must be established to ensure appropriate student teacher placement and the provision of support by supervisors and mentors in schools. Colleges of education at HEIs need to set up viable and efficient teaching practice programmes to provide IPET to teacher trainees. This involves HEIs supporting their students during teaching practice by supervising them. Ensuring that schools appoint mentor teachers for them during teaching practice. HEIs must ensure the placement of students in functional and diverse contexts for their school- based experiences to ensure that they gain relevant and appropriate teaching experience in South African schools.  HEIs have divided the roles provided by teaching practice support groups as follows: Administrative support. focuses on student placements in schools, communicates all relevant teaching practice matters to students. Controls all quality assurance tools used by the institution, and manages all data pertaining to teaching practice. External and internal supervisors. Most HEIs have internal supervisors (lecturers) for student support during teaching practice. Lecturers usually ensure that both the content and the practice of teaching are in line with education policies. They also undertake research on various aspects of the IPET programme, with most of the research activities taking place during school visits for teaching practice. Some HEIs also have external supervisors. These are education professionals (teachers) who have vast experience in teaching, especially in the teaching and learning in a particular phase, and their support in the IPET programme cannot be underestimated. With the claim that the number of trained teachers keeps on declining, teacher retirees cannot be side-lined in the process of training teachers in this country.  CONT… School-based mentor teachers. These are teachers in various schools who are either appointed by senior school management or volunteer because of their senior status in the schools to mentor student teachers during their teaching practice. They are expected to be senior teachers and are supposed to possess enormous experience in specific subjects and in the overall leadership and management of schools. It is no wonder that in most schools it is the principals who are found to be the ones mentoring student teachers.  SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM Social constructivism calls for teachers and learners to collaborate in a reciprocal manner in the teaching and learning process: Hence the classroom becomes a community of learning. These teaching and learning principles comes in when the new education system was introduced in 1995 in South Africa. The new education system focused on outcomes rather than the objectives of learning  CONT… Teachers had to assume different roles in their teaching profession. Roles of the teachers: They were expected to be learning mediators Interpreters and designers of learning programmes and materials Leaders Administrators and managers Scholars Researchers and lifelong learners Citizenship pastoral role players; and learning area/subject/discipline/phase specialists (South Africa, 2011). Even though the teacher expected to perform such roles the focus is still on teachers to construct of knowledge with their learners.  Expectations and roles of supervisors Listen to all the problems a student may have regarding teaching practice. Assist the student with such problems. Communicate such problems to the teaching practice office or department immediately so that the student can be assisted further. Sit in a class where the student is teaching a planned lesson based on the teaching and learning programme of the class or phase in the school. Thereafter, provide the student with time for reflective learning or engagement: Then demonstrate to the student how some of the aspects of the lesson could have been done. Provide an opportunity to discuss the progress of the student in the school with the mentor teacher (and with the principal or head of department if possible).  CONT… Submit the assessment forms of students visited in schools to the teaching practice office. Attend training for supervisors when invited by the teaching practice office. Train all school-based mentors in schools where student teachers are placed for the school-based practice. Submit all reports that may be required by the teaching practice office. Adhere to all claims requirements and submit them as scheduled.  Challenges uncounted by that students, supervisors, mentor teachers, and parents, during the process of teaching practice. Time constraints Students unwilling to accommodate supervisors, or vice versa Supervisors seen as unfriendly to students Supervisors seen as rude to students, or visa versa Supervisors not welcomed in the schools Students not welcomed in the schools  Mentor teachers It is the process by which an individual learns from someone who has worn the same shoes and travelled the same path – someone older and wiser. Often the mentor will work in the same organisation. Maintain good work relations  Roles of mentor teachers Introduce student teachers to the school community and explain their reason for being there (make them feel at home) Help student teachers understand school activities and practices Provide student teachers with information about the school, policies, regulations and resources Demonstrate various teaching techniques and strategies Provide a space in the classroom where the student teachers can work and keep materials Encourage student teachers to evaluate their own progress using the reflective process Provide feedback and advice to student teachers on a regular basis.  Ways in which Mentor teachers can assist student teachers and provide guidance in teaching and learning Lesson planning and presentation Classroom management (which means the ability to maintain order and discipline in class) Time management The appropriate use of learning, teaching and support materials (LTSM) Understanding curriculum policy documents Curriculum planning and assessment The use of teaching strategies and methods.  Characteristics of mentors Be knowledgeable, and specialists in their field (and willing to share their experiences with the student teachers). Be lifelong learners, keeping abreast of developments in their field of specialisation (learning from others, including student teachers). Provide guidance and constructive feedback to student teachers. Be approachable. Be trustworthy, reliable and self-confident. Be aware of and respectful of human diversity. Understand moral issues and ethical practices in educational environments. Motivate others by setting a good example. Be effective listeners and communicators. Have in-depth knowledge of content and pedagogy.  Why do we have to support student teachers in the learning process They can develop skills, competencies and attitudes Engage the principles of the new policy on teacher training. Build on prior learning. Receive support that takes the contextual realities within which students practise into account. Assist in developing a sophisticated understanding of knowledge construction.  Education principles according to (Freire, 1973, in Bertrand, 1995): Teachers should commit to constructing knowledge together with the student in permanent dialogue. Education should be grounded in the real-life experiences of the learners. Links should be made between scientific and common-sense knowledge. Education should include recognising, generating and working with one’s own culture. Critical thinking should be developed. Teachers should become aware of the problems of the society in which they live, with the ultimate aim of taking control of the culture and history. Teachers should be trained for active social involvement. Education is directive and fundamentally linked to social, political, economic and biophysical dimensions. Concluding Remarks