Learning to become a teacher: student teachers’ experiences and perceptions of a one-year initial teacher education programme

ABSTRACT

The study’s research question was how a one-year initial teacher education (ITE) programme could equip prospective teachers for present needs and local challenges and the demands of a fast-changing world. To this end the study explored the perceptions and experiences of student teachers who were enrolled in an ITE programme for secondary school education at a metropolitan university in South Africa. Data were generated via focus-group interviews, reflective journals, individual interviews, and questionnaires. The findings are that the student teachers developed beginner knowledge for practice, grasped the significance of reflective practice, developed a basic understanding of the complexities of teaching, and felt ill-equipped to employ a basic repertoire of pedagogical skills/tools. The implications of the study propose that a one-year ITE programme would benefit from having a sharp focus. Supporting pre-service teachers towards developing adaptive expertise in relation to becoming “learning specialists” is proposed as an organising framework for a one-year teacher preparation programme.

KEYWORDS:

• Pre-service teacher preparation
• post graduate certificate in education
• teacher learning
• adaptive expertise

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah Gravett

Sarah Gravett is a Professor of Education and Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Her initial postdoctoral research included transformative learning, dialogic teaching and the design of learning environments in higher and adult education. In recent years, as part of her interest in higher education, her research has focused mainly on design of learning environments for teacher preparation. She views her involvement in establishing a school at UJ’s Soweto campus as the most gratifying achievement of her career. The school was established to serve the education needs of young children, to serve as a learning site for the education of teachers and as an education laboratory. Research emanating from this initiative includes innovative work on teacher education.

Rika Kroon

Rika Kroon is a deputy principal at Rhenish Girls’ High School in the Western Cape, South Africa. Her PhD in Education focussed on teacher education.