In South African schools, teachers have heavy teaching loads and little free time. They can ill-afford to spend periods away from their schools Additionally, studies have shown that collegial staff development and peer coaching have more influence on teachers’ pedagogical practices than training removed from their school context.
For these reasons, the In-service Teacher Education programme has developed a model which takes its lead from the needs of the teachers and the school while developing key workshops in collaboration with the KZN Department of Education.
Engagement in and subsequent implementation of learning involves:
- offering professional workhops in response to provincial Department and school requests at schools and education hubs
- ensuring school management teams and other staff members attend workshops and work together
- facilitating learning within groups of colleagues - thereby developing professional learning communities
- cascading workshop skills and knowledge to peers post-workshop
Professional Development Topics
The KICP team strives to meet the needs of schools and teachers, tailoring material for each specific school. Teacher Professional Development packages cover a wide range of topics aimed at best classroom and school practice:
- Digital Teaching and Learning Basics
As technology advances, schools can harness digital opportunities to add value to classrooms and become more efficient and collaborative in their work. Learning how to use Google Docs, Calendar, and Sheets can radically change planning, test setting and record keeping. The use of Google Slides opens opportunities for audio-visual aspects to be included in lesson presentations, changing the experience of learning. This workshop integrates artificial intelligence (AI) into other online (and offline) word processing applications, therefore empowering teachers to use AI to enhance their teaching and learning practices.
- Working with Others
Key to schools being healthy, productive teaching and learning spaces are the ways in which staff teams work together. Understanding stages of organisational change and multi-generational teams can impact the way in which staff collaborate and leadership is exercised. The workshops are based on the belief that teams work best when members draw on each others’ strengths and experience to innovate and resolve conflict.
- Discipline
Managing discipline in a school has always been crucial in ensuring that learning can happen in a safe, productive space. A disciplined macro-environment (where routine, structure, and security are maintained) pre-emptively creates a school culture where the priorities of education are obvious and upkept. A disciplined micro-environment is found in classrooms where teachers use non-invasive methods to ensure that learners are engaged and participating fully. This workshop introduces teachers to non-invasive classroom managament techniques and policies on upholding high standards of discipline throughout the school environment.