Education

7. The WCED does have a comprehensive programme of teacher professional development. These initiatives are to ensure that teachers implement the stated curriculum as effectively as possible to ensure that all learners attain the learning objectives. It is also aimed at continuously enhancing the pedagogical competence of all teachers. 

The WCED offered various professional development opportunities to all schools and all teachers across the Province during 2013/14. These included; curriculum related training interventions for all phases and all subject areas; school management training; ICT related training; specific skills development; HIV and lifeskills; and many other developmental interventions were provided at circuit, district and provincial level.

The number of formal developmental interventions reported to the ETDP SETA for the year was 254 interventions reaching 12 852 individuals.  These interventions included, interventions by the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI), which facilitated 34 intensive two week developmental interventions in Mathematics, Languages, Natural Sciences, Technology, Economic and Management Sciences as well as school management and leadership, reaching over 1 600 teachers from across the province. 

The CTLI also presented 9 shorter seminars and conferences on topics such as reading, writing, mathematics and school management, reaching 1 090 teachers.

The WCED also availed bursaries to 108 teachers to study the Advanced Certificate in Education at three local universities.

(b)    While the teacher support initiatives of the WCED in terms of curriculum implementation and related assessment practices included all schools and all teachers, another key priority is the continued professional development of all teachers based on specific systemic and personal needs.  So while all teachers were orientated to implement the new CAPS curriculum, attention was also given to specific needs that are closely linked to increased learner performance. 

The following are examples of teacher professional development in the GET Phase:

1)    WCED Provincial Literacy and Numeracy Intervention – Phase 3, Cycle 2

This intervention began in 2009. It provides deep / intensive content and methodology training in Literacy and Numeracy (aligned to CAPS).  It takes place in June/ July each year and is followed up by on-site school support over the subsequent 4 school terms.  This intervention has targeted 252 primary schools so far with Phase 4 commencing in June this year. The intervention trained 1821 Languages teachers and 1604 Mathematics teachers.  It supported the following teachers in the schools:

•   In the FP: all Grade 1 – 3 teachers attend, and all Learning Support teachers

•   In the IP: those Grade 4 to 6 teachers who teach Language and/or Mathematics

2)    English as First Additional Language

The training had an emphasis on strengthening the English language as learners move into English LOLT from Grade 4.  In 2014 all Afrikaans LOLT primary schools were targeted. (The previous year all isiXhosa LOLT schools were targeted).  An estimated 5 000 teachers attended the training.  The targeted teachers were:

•   In the FP: all Grade 1 – 3 teachers

•   In the IP: those Grade 4 to 6 teachers who teach English FAL

3)    Grade R CAPS

This training is offered annually to all new Grade R practitioners / teachers in all Public schools and independent community-based schools. The training in 2014 was conducted in 3 districts involving approximately 180 schools with an attendance of 215 Grade R practitioners.

 

The following table illustrates other professional teacher development initiatives for teachers in the Intermediate and Senior Phases:

 

 

SUBJECT	TOPIC	TEACHERS	SCHOOLS	DURATION	NOTES
Creative Arts	1. Visual Art, Dance, Drama, Music   2. Foundation Phase Visual Art   3. Performing arts	± 90 lead teachers     900 – 1000 in follow up   100 teachers   112 lead teachers	90 schools	1½ day       2h per art form	On formal assessment     July/Aug     Oct
Social Sciences	Oral history Gr 9	± 60	± 30	1 day	Saturday
Technology	1 Electricity kits; 2 Graphic communication	110	90	3h	In all 8 districts
Natural Sciences	Nano-technology   Indigenous Knowledge Systems	80     38 Gr 7-9
Life Orientation	Physical Education kit training	18 lead teachers – 2 per distr.	16	1½ day	Friday afternoon & Saturday
EMS	1 Entrepruneur- ship & Economics Gr 7   2 Accounting for Gr 8 & 9	64 teachers       60 teachers	± 60       ± 55	5 days       3 days

In the FET band the professional development programmes generally deal with:

• Content upskilling in new sections in CAPS
• Assessment strategies relating to School-based Assessment
• Management of the Practical Assessment Tasks (PAT)
• Teaching methodology and
• Integration of ICTs in lesson presentation.

The workshops were conducted for teachers who were identified by Subject Advisors and where the subject had a low performance/pass rate in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination.  The attached document provides the detail about the type of subject training, the number of schools and teachers involved, when it took place, as well as, the impact based on examination evidence.

2. Exact measuring of the qualitative impact of training alone is virtually impossible as training is only part of a whole set of interventions by various role-players within the WCED and support initiatives which are focussed on improving the quality of learning and teaching in the classroom.  Analysis of the systemic testing results, matric performance and the ANA results of the Western Cape provide some evidence indicating that our teacher professional development initiatives are contributing positively to enhancing quality teaching and learning.

In the case of CTLI courses, pre- and post tests are used to determine the impact of the specific course on individual teachers.  The results predominantly confirm improvement in both content knowledge and teaching methodology.  In 2010, the JET Education Services (The Joint Education Trust) conducted a very intensive 12 month impact assessment of the CTLI and concluded that: “All schools that sent teachers to CTLI experienced more improvement on their systemic test results than schools that had not received training.”

The success of the CTLI interventions is recognised nationally resulting in DBE encouraging all provinces to establish similar teacher development institutes.