Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase)
In developing the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) as a professional qualification for continuing teacher education for early schooling at the University of KwaZulu-Natal we asked the following: “What are the enabling roles foundation phase teachers need to play in order to reclaim their spac...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of the Free State
2011-12-01
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| Series: | Perspectives in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/1717 |
| _version_ | 1797270898969935872 |
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| author | H. B. Ebrahim D. C. Verbeek J. N. Mashiya |
| author_facet | H. B. Ebrahim D. C. Verbeek J. N. Mashiya |
| author_sort | H. B. Ebrahim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
In developing the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) as a professional qualification for continuing teacher education for early schooling at the University of KwaZulu-Natal we asked the following: “What are the enabling roles foundation phase teachers need to play in order to reclaim their space as agents who significantly influence their professional practice and how can they be assisted to become fully engaged in these roles?” We believe that this focus is timely and critical given the current effect of the discourse of standards and accountability on teacher agency. In this article we present a framework of enabling roles which create opportunities for teacher-students to experience critical reflection, transformatory learning and the development towards stronger agency. A significant implication of the framework is that teachers gain the experience of being part of a community in dialogue instead of a blunt tool for externally imposed curriculum demands. Space is created for both personal direction and the development of practice from within the foundation phase. We are mindful of the fact that, once the course has been completed and the qualification obtained, the lack of personal commitment and institutional pressure to teach in government-sanctioned ways may create slippage and constrain liberating roles. Nonetheless, we feel that, in introducing the roles in the ACT, developmental opportunities for teacher autonomy and transformative professionalism will be created.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:11:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41845b2839364e23a9f07b2e6a5fef5e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0258-2236 2519-593X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:11:35Z |
| publishDate | 2011-12-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Perspectives in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-41845b2839364e23a9f07b2e6a5fef5e2024-03-07T11:18:28ZengUniversity of the Free StatePerspectives in Education0258-22362519-593X2011-12-01294Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase)H. B. Ebrahim0D. C. Verbeek1J. N. Mashiya2University of the Free StateUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal In developing the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) as a professional qualification for continuing teacher education for early schooling at the University of KwaZulu-Natal we asked the following: “What are the enabling roles foundation phase teachers need to play in order to reclaim their space as agents who significantly influence their professional practice and how can they be assisted to become fully engaged in these roles?” We believe that this focus is timely and critical given the current effect of the discourse of standards and accountability on teacher agency. In this article we present a framework of enabling roles which create opportunities for teacher-students to experience critical reflection, transformatory learning and the development towards stronger agency. A significant implication of the framework is that teachers gain the experience of being part of a community in dialogue instead of a blunt tool for externally imposed curriculum demands. Space is created for both personal direction and the development of practice from within the foundation phase. We are mindful of the fact that, once the course has been completed and the qualification obtained, the lack of personal commitment and institutional pressure to teach in government-sanctioned ways may create slippage and constrain liberating roles. Nonetheless, we feel that, in introducing the roles in the ACT, developmental opportunities for teacher autonomy and transformative professionalism will be created. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/1717TeachersFoundation phaseContinuing teacher educationAgencyPerformativityTransformation |
| spellingShingle | H. B. Ebrahim D. C. Verbeek J. N. Mashiya Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase) Perspectives in Education Teachers Foundation phase Continuing teacher education Agency Performativity Transformation |
| title | Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase) |
| title_full | Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase) |
| title_fullStr | Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase) |
| title_short | Enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency: Insights from the Advanced Certificate in Teaching (Foundation Phase) |
| title_sort | enabling roles to reclaim teacher agency insights from the advanced certificate in teaching foundation phase |
| topic | Teachers Foundation phase Continuing teacher education Agency Performativity Transformation |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/1717 |
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