Developing a culture of collaboration and learning among natural science teachers as a continuous professional development approach in a province in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the views of natural science teachers on their culture of collaboration and learning as a continuous professional development approach. It included the support received from their school leadership. The data were collected in a large province in South Africa by means of interviews and a questionnaire. Findings indicate contradictory results between interviews and questionnaires. The interviews reveal that many of the teachers did not collaborate with their colleagues while in the questionnaires they claim that they did. Also evident is that though some teachers do collaborate, the culture of learning is not formalised and not frequent. Further, there were shortfalls regarding the support provided by the school leadership. Thus, the author argues that collaboration has the potential to provide teachers with opportunities for professional growth within a school environment, thereby ultimately increasing their confidence in their teaching abilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Collaboration
• teachers’ learning
• natural science
• primary schools
• South Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. In South Africa, science education in grades 4–9 is referred to as ‘natural science’.

2. In this article, ‘collaboration’ is used to refer to a systematic process that allows the teachers to work together to analyse and improve instructional performance and student learning (Williams 2010). It includes cooperation between individuals and among a group.

3. ‘Rainbow nation’ is a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-apartheid South Africa, which is multiracial and multi-cultural.

4. The South African education system comprises the Department of Basic Education at the apex, responsible for developing policies, and for maintaining and supporting the South African school education system. Then there are Provincial Departments of Education, which are heads of the school districts responsible for policy implementation, and then school districts, circuits and schools.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bongani D. Bantwini

Bongani D. Bantwini is a research professor in the Faculty of Education at the North West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa. His research focuses on science education, science education curriculum reforms and issues, professional development of science teachers, teaching and learning of science education, school districts and officials, and other issues in primary schooling.