Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers
A specialised multi-pronged approach is necessary in order for environmental and sustainability content knowledge to be integrated into the Science curriculum. This underscores the need for Science teachers to be innovative in their teaching, and to be supported through professional development. Th...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Environmental Association of Southern Africa
2016-12-01
|
| Series: | Southern African Journal of Environmental Education |
| Online Access: | https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/152735 |
| _version_ | 1811296631713169408 |
|---|---|
| author | Ronicka Mudaly Raeesa Ismail |
| author_facet | Ronicka Mudaly Raeesa Ismail |
| author_sort | Ronicka Mudaly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A specialised multi-pronged approach is necessary in order for environmental and sustainability content knowledge to be integrated into the Science curriculum. This underscores the need for Science teachers to be innovative in their teaching, and to be supported through professional development. This study aims to explore how professional development at a tertiary institution can be used to support practising Science teachers in curriculum innovation when they teach environmental and sustainability education in the new Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum. A qualitative approach is adopted in this interpretivist study. The sample comprises ten purposefully selected Science teachers who registered for a Bachelor of Education Honours programme. Drawing on constructs from the Zone of Feasible Innovation (ZFI), which is related to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), practising Science teachers’ engagement in curriculum innovation in environmental and sustainability education is analysed. Data were generated using reflective journals, lesson plans, and interviews. The findings suggest that teachers experience challenges related to ‘the how’ and ‘the what’ of implementation of environmental education concepts enshrined in the CAPS document. Insights into teacher agency (in terms of content knowledge, teaching strategies and assessment) which catalysed teacher transformation, are presented. The implications of the findings will be significant for education department officials involved in teacher professional development, teacher education institutions, and school teachers themselves. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:51:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-88a3418de2ab4f4b8759baa3a7522cf5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2411-5959 2411-5959 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:51:28Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | Environmental Association of Southern Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Southern African Journal of Environmental Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-88a3418de2ab4f4b8759baa3a7522cf52022-12-22T02:59:46ZengEnvironmental Association of Southern AfricaSouthern African Journal of Environmental Education2411-59592411-59592016-12-01326686Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science TeachersRonicka Mudaly 0Raeesa Ismail1University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaA specialised multi-pronged approach is necessary in order for environmental and sustainability content knowledge to be integrated into the Science curriculum. This underscores the need for Science teachers to be innovative in their teaching, and to be supported through professional development. This study aims to explore how professional development at a tertiary institution can be used to support practising Science teachers in curriculum innovation when they teach environmental and sustainability education in the new Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum. A qualitative approach is adopted in this interpretivist study. The sample comprises ten purposefully selected Science teachers who registered for a Bachelor of Education Honours programme. Drawing on constructs from the Zone of Feasible Innovation (ZFI), which is related to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), practising Science teachers’ engagement in curriculum innovation in environmental and sustainability education is analysed. Data were generated using reflective journals, lesson plans, and interviews. The findings suggest that teachers experience challenges related to ‘the how’ and ‘the what’ of implementation of environmental education concepts enshrined in the CAPS document. Insights into teacher agency (in terms of content knowledge, teaching strategies and assessment) which catalysed teacher transformation, are presented. The implications of the findings will be significant for education department officials involved in teacher professional development, teacher education institutions, and school teachers themselves.https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/152735 |
| spellingShingle | Ronicka Mudaly Raeesa Ismail Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers Southern African Journal of Environmental Education |
| title | Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers |
| title_full | Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers |
| title_fullStr | Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers |
| title_short | Professional Development in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Voices, Practices and Reflections of Science Teachers |
| title_sort | professional development in environmental and sustainability education voices practices and reflections of science teachers |
| url | https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/152735 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ronickamudaly professionaldevelopmentinenvironmentalandsustainabilityeducationvoicespracticesandreflectionsofscienceteachers AT raeesaismail professionaldevelopmentinenvironmentalandsustainabilityeducationvoicespracticesandreflectionsofscienceteachers |