Propuesta de una descripción de puestos

It has been proven that high-performing school systems invest in improving instruction due to the direct impact that it has on learner achievement (McKinsey & Company, 2007: 13). Therefore, teacher development should be an important focus- area in the South African schooling system’s quest for equity and redress of the inequalities caused by the country’s apartheid past in a post-1994 context (De Clercq & Phiri, 2013; Rollnick, Bennett, Rhemtula, Dharsey & Ndlovu, 2008). In response to the challenges faced in South Africa, where learners lack reading and writing skills and their Mathematics and Science performances are poor, different interventions were launched as PD initiatives aimed at addressing the situation. The question, however, is whether the inability of the South African Mathematics Education landscape to produce good results can be attributed solely to incompetent Mathematics teachers. In South Africa, Mathematics, Science, and Technology education have been of national interest for a number of years (Kriek & Grayson, 2009: 185); but, as indicated in the problem statement, no significant improvement has been observed in learners’ results.

Although the South African context is characterised by the demand to redress the past (Adler & Davis, 2006: 276), transformation cannot happen overnight. Many teachers who are in the current education system were trained in apartheid-created Colleges of Education (Gordon, 2009). It is crucial to note that Mathematics was not part of some of their initial trainings (Makgato & Mji, 2006: 254). Therefore, Mathematics PD programmes should strongly consider including high-level scientific knowledge which these teachers need to acquire to be able to successfully implement the ever-changing curriculum policies (Modiba, 2011: 14). The lack of a teacher education policy framework, the absence of a coherent strategy to effectively upgrade under-qualified teachers, the ineffectiveness of initiatives aimed at developing teachers’ ability to teach reading and numeracy, and the paucity of evidence-based research that informs policy and practice on teacher education in South Africa are some of the challenges in teacher education identified by both the Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education (GDE, 2010: 14). The state’s inability to supervise the performance of teachers is another cause of concern

45 (De Kadt, 2010: 6). In schools where learners are performing poorly, there is also evidence of teachers not completing the syllabus for the particular year (Makgato & Mji, 2006: 261). Another challenge emanates from the fact that in Mathematics topics builds on each other. Thus, without the much needed prior skills and knowledge learners were supposed to acquire in the previous year, they will be unable to master the new grade’s syllabus. Over the past twenty years of South Africa’s democracy, many interventions have been implemented in an attempt to reverse the damages caused to teaching and learning by the previous dispensation (Bansilal, 2012: 236). It is also claimed that PD in South Africa has been sporadic and that the implementation thereof has been problematic (Singh, 2011: 1627). Therefore, studies should be conducted to increase evidence-based research that is essential to justifying the work done in teacher education, notably in PD programmes which include the evaluation of all the achievements of teacher development. This is echoed by Adler and Davis (2006: 279) who argue that, although Mathematics teacher PD programmes are of paramount importance, the effect of these efforts on the country’s education system remain under-researched.

The Gauteng Maths-Science-and-Technology Strategy indicates that the South African government has a vision insofar as supporting professional development initiatives aimed at Mathematics teachers (GDE, 2010: 20). Loucks-Horseley, Stiles, Mundrey, Love and Hewson (2010: 9) regard professional development as “a critical link between where one is and where one wants to be”. Yet, Metcalfe (2011) observes that “the state (and NGOs) continues to invest resources in education without achieving any improvements in quality” (Sunday Times Review, 20 Nov. 2011: 5). The question is whether the plans/programmes designed and implemented in order to achieve the aforementioned vision are conducive to reaching the overall outcome of these programmes. In this regard, Garaway (2003: 705) stresses the need to design context-appropriate teacher development programmes. The designing of appropriate PD programmes requires that the needs of the particular contexts be taken into consideration. Put differently, the implementation of a professional teacher development informed by the needs of the beneficiary teachers is central to ensuring the accomplishment of the aims of the programme (Luneta, 2012: 11; Joyce & Showers, 1988).

46 Metcalfe (2011) claims that the desired impact of PD programmes is imperceptible “because efforts have been fragmented; learning has not been shared; and innovations have been isolated from system change” (Sunday Times Review, 20 Nov. 2011: 5). PD programmes may also be ignorant of the fact that a significant amount of teachers experienced poor schooling themselves. Put another way, PD programmes may disregard the needs of the people they are supposed to help (Bansilal, 2012: 252). It is also claimed that some PD programmes offered have multiple and sometimes competing goals geared towards reforming the current teachers’ corps, in the midst of limited human and financial resources (Adler & Davis, 2006: 279). In the light of the above explanation, there is a pressing need to share with others in the field both the lessons learnt and the innovations implemented, regardless of whether these innovations are successful or not. One way of achieving this is by performing comprehensive evaluations of all initiatives and publishing the ensuing reports, keeping in mind that “... the reasons for the programme are the purpose for the evaluation” (Luneta, 2013: 107).

The current South African educational landscape predominantly uses the off-site model in its continuous professional development programmes, during school holidays and after school hours (Luneta, 2012:12). However, effective PD interventions require teacher training to be moved to the classroom (McKinsey & Company, 2007: 26; De Clercq & Phiri, 2013: 78), where it would be most relevant and applicable (ibid: 27). The inability to run effective professional development programmes results in a disconnection between practice and theory, as well as a disjunction within the school as a whole (Luneta, 2012: 12). This interrogates the effectiveness of most of South Africa’s continuous PD programmes.

Another important factor that impacts on the effectiveness of PD programmes is teachers’ qualifications. Research conducted by Scholtz et al. (2004) shows that more experienced and better-qualified teachers are more inclined to PD programmes. The level of teachers’ qualifications and their teaching experience also influence whether or not they would take advantage of PD programmes. This finding is cause for concern, since it has been established that many Mathematics teachers are inadequately equipped to teach this subject. There is also the claim that “a common maxim in the educational platform is that one teaches the way one is

47 taught” (Thomas & Pedersen, 2003: 319). Teachers who are in the current system were exposed to poor teaching and teacher-centred teaching and learning. This takes a great effort to undo (ibid).

It is important to note that teacher training is not the panacea to all education problems. Some solutions to the dilemma faced by the South African education system lie in the country’s ability to effect changes in the economic, social, and cultural realms of society. Indeed, the South African education sector is affected by a myriad of factors, such as poverty, unemployment, lack of parent support to learners after school, illiterate and innumerate parents (De Kadt, 2010: 6), and reading challenges resulting from being taught in the mother tongue. A study done by Howie (2003: 1) in South Africa identified proficiency in English as a strong predictor of success in Mathematics. In other words, the low level of Mathematics skills among a considerable number of teachers is but one of many factors that affect learners’ performance. In this regard, teacher trainings should not be viewed as the solution to all the challenges faced in the broader South African educational landscape.

It becomes important to establish whether the content of teacher development programmes should be geared towards fostering the implementation of effective or best practices, or sustainable long-term changes (Franke, 2001: 654). Franke (2001: 658) suggests that “the interest (of professional development) is in having teachers come to see themselves as on-going learners, seeking classroom practices that are responsive to the needs of the learners and continually evaluating and adapting classroom practice”. Learning takes place when teachers and learners interact. Therefore, the quality of this interaction should improve, if the intent is to improve learning (McKinsey & Company, 2007: 26). So, PD programmes need to also focus on changing the way teachers interact with learners and the way teachers allow learners to interact with one another in the classroom. This implies that teachers have authority over the degree to which learners are allowed to participate in classroom interactions. As such, they should be skilled to optimally use this privilege. However the PD programmes in South Africa have limited inclusion of pedagogy and problem solving skills development in them and rather have predominant focus on content, curriculum and assessment (Mullis et al, 2012: 301). This indicates a lack of focus on developing the teachers in terms of these classroom interactions. The

48 TIMMS report also reveals that only 35% of students in South Africa are engaged in the Mathematics lessons (Mullis et al, 2012: 373) which highlight the need to more support for teachers to develop the skill of engaging learners in the lesson.

The endeavour to get teachers to see themselves as on-going learners implies that professional development must assist teachers to develop reflective teaching and life-long learning. The lessons learnt from their exposure to reflective practice in their teaching should result in teachers’ engagement in new practices. According to Onwu and Mogari (2004), the results of the UNIVEMALASHI programme (a three-year teacher development PD programme that was implemented in the Limpopo Province, in South Africa) revealed that this programme had a built-in supportive component. This supportive component contributed to the PD programme’s success and sustainability. Indeed, evidence shows that after professional development workshops on the theory, teachers implemented the learnt skills in cluster meetings in which reflections on real classroom experiences were shared, discussed, and analysed. In short, the success of the Data Informed Practice Improvement Project (DIPIP) in changing classroom practice and learners’ behaviour is attributed to the combined effects of teachers’ active participation in discussions, the existence of an established network of peer/colleague support, and support received from principals and district officials, even after the programme. Harrison (2005: 261) claims that “peer discussion and deliberation is a fundamental feature of professional sense making and an instigator of professional learning”. This assumes that these components need to be considered when designing new teacher development programmes.

Wenger (1998) also highlights the importance of a community of practice in which people can learn through their collective involvement. Previous work done by the researcher on an ACE reskilling programme revealed that teachers learnt a great deal through collaborations with colleagues (Nel, 2012: 152). By exchanging knowledge/information and by sharing experiences/skills, teachers developed (Harrison, 2005: 261) in terms of confidence and classroom practice, as well as assessment practices and facilitation skills. The observations need to be taken into account when developing professional development programmes. Franke (2001: 685) also argues that “teachers need time to develop relationships with others that

49 they can talk with in ways that meet their needs and push their thinking”. Teachers in rural areas lack these kinds of opportunities to form relationships where they can assist each other. This will not only help them end their working in isolation but will also give them the opportunity to learn about each other’s practice (De Clercq & Phiri, 2013: 79). This can create opportunities where teachers can observe one another and share skills and knowledge on what works and what does not (McKinsey & Company, 2007: 31).

The preliminary results of the UNVEMLASHI research project “demonstrate that an appropriate teacher development programme results in changes in teacher classroom practice and learner behaviour” (Onwu & Mogari, 2004: 176). This is because “the only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction” (McKinsey & Company, 2007: 26). This is in line with Garet et al.’s (2001: 935) claim that “sustained and intensive professional development is more likely to have an impact … than a shorter professional development”. It remains to be established whether the teacher development programme under investigation is effective enough to have an impact on the professional development of the participants, and whether this impact can be sustained.

Indeed, Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, and Yoon (2001: 917) claim that, despite the vast amount of literature on professional development, relatively little systemic research has been conducted to assess the effects of professional development on teaching improvement or student outcomes. Thus, the researcher agrees with Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, and Gallagher (2007) that, in the past, insufficient attention was paid to the outcomes of professional development, although they are central to a programme evaluation (Luneta, 2013: 106). This is because the emphasis was more on the evaluation of teachers’ satisfaction with their professional development experiences. This is evident in evaluation reports on professional development programmes run in South Africa. As a matter of fact, one of the major initiatives aimed at improving Mathematics and Science education through a PD component, the Dinaledi Programme, has revealed gaps, after 10 years of existence.

Thus, more recent studies have directed their attention to the complex link between the design of professional development programmes, teachers’ learning as a result

50 of their exposure to these programmes, and the subsequent changes in classrooms (Penuel et al, 2007:923). Countries like Finland, Korea, and Singapore – which have recorded a significant improvement in their students’ achievements – attribute it to their investment in teacher preparation and development (Darling-Hammond, 2010: 194). This clearly suggests that teacher development initiatives have the potential to change South Africa’s current situation for the better. It suffices to note that the abovementioned states are First World countries. Therefore, one wonders if their educational research outcomes can be directly compared to those of South Africa which is a Third World country whose curriculum is ever changing and whose teacher component is significantly less qualified to teach Mathematics.