LEADING AND MANAGING TEACHER DEVELOPMENT LET S KISS AND

LEADING AND MANAGING TEACHER DEVELOPMENT LET’S KISS AND MAKE UP

Preview n n n n n South Africa’s Crisis in Education & the Causes The National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU) The Teacher Development Summit The New, Strengthened, Integrated Plan for Teacher Development Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) A Critique of the Proposals An Alternative Model Conclusion Questions and discussion

South Africa’s Education Crisis n n n 1 in 10 white pupils achieves an A aggregate in the senior certificate examinations compared with only 1 in 1000 black pupils; Only 30% of pupils who start Grade 1 obtain a senior certificate, but only 1 in 29 of these is a black pupil; Only 5% of those who start Grade 1 enter higher education; South Africa is ranked 137 th out of 139 countries based on the quality of mathematics and science education; South Africa is ranked 125 th out of 139 countries based on the quality of primary school education; Roughly 75% of SA’s unemployed are blacks under the age of 35, and most of these are unemployable, except as unskilled labourers.

Causes of the Crisis n n n n Too little teaching taking place; Teachers lack subject knowledge; Teachers lack pedagogical skills; Principals neglect instructional leadership; Parents neglect their responsibilities; Schools lack basic resources; External stakeholders are not used optimally.

The Major Cause of the Crisis n n “Poor quality teaching is the key reason why the education system is failing. ” (Financial Mail, 8 Sept, 2006) “Underachievement can be ascribed to the lower quality of teachers in the mainly black townships. ” (Prof. Servaas van der Berg, Cape Argus, 12 May, 2008) “The greatest obstacle to transforming the education system is the lack of accountability for teachers. ” (Prof. Jonathan Jansen, The Times, 13 Sept, 2007) “Our main problem is the thousands of teachers in the system for whom we have absolutely no evidence of their competence to teach. ” (Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Financial Mail, 8 Sept, 2006)

NEEDU n n In 2008 then Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, established a Ministerial Committee (chaired by Prof. Jonathan Jansen) to advise her on the establishment of a National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU). The committee presented its findings on 17 April 2009. It listed 14 key findings, inter alia: n n n There is broad recognition of the crisis in education and the limitations of existing evaluation instruments to, in themselves, remedy the situation; There is widespread consensus on the need for stronger accountability measures alongside developmental support to be introduced into the school system; The existing system for evaluation and appraisal faces a growing credibility crisis because of the functional breakdown between school/teacher evaluation and developmental follow-through actions to effectively address problems identified.

The Teacher Development Summit June-July 2009 n It identified the following challenges, inter alia: n n The system is unable to meaningfully identify and address teacher development needs; Teachers lack access to meaningful, quality, relevant education and development opportunities; There is an unco-ordinated approach to teacher development; Funding mechanisms for teacher development are inefficient.

“The New, Strengthened, Integrated Plan for Teacher Development” n The Draft Plan (dated 9 July 2010) envisages the gradual establishment of a 3 -tiered, co-ordinated Teacher Education and Development (TED) system, which will look something like this:

The Professor’s invention for peeling potatoes

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) n Besides all of the above structures, the Plan also envisages the formation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) comprising two or more teachers from a single school or a cluster of schools who will meet regularly to participate in a variety of professional development activities, including: n n Learning to engage with evidence-based assessments; Participating in curriculum orientation activities; Learning to use curriculum support materials; Learning from video recordings and training materials.

SACE’s CPTD n n n The Plan is aligned with the Continuing Professional Teacher Development system (CPTD) currently being piloted by the South African Council of Educators (SACE). Once CPTD is approved, every teacher in SA will have to participate in this system in order to remain registered with SACE. A teacher has to be registered with SACE in order to teach in SA.

CPTD in a (Large) Nutshell n n n Each teacher will compile a Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) according to SACE guidelines. Each teacher will sign up with SACE and will be provided with a personal PD points scorecard that will be kept by SACE will allocate professional development (PD) points for each recognised PD activity according to an approved schedule of points.

n n n Each teacher will be expected to achieve 150 PD points on the scorecard in every three-year cycle. SACE will issue a Certificate of Achievement to each teacher who achieves the target number of PD points within the three years. External service providers will have to apply to SACE to be officially approved and to have their courses, workshops, etc. officially endorsed.

3 Types of PD Activity n n Type 1: Activities initiated by the teacher Reported to SACE by the teacher Type 2: Activities initiated by the school Reported to SACE by the principal Type 3: Activities initiated externally Reported to SACE by the provider Teachers will have to accumulate points for all three types of activity and will record the points in their PDPs.

Critique of the Proposals: Positives n n Consultation with a wide variety of role players about current problems; A renewed commitment to teacher development by major education role players; The intention to establish Professional Learning Communities (PLCs); SACE’s compulsory CPTD system, which (although flawed) will at least force teachers to take professional development more seriously.

Critique of the Proposals: Negatives n n n Instead of heeding teachers’ calls for a more streamlined system, the working groups and task teams have designed a system that is generally far more complex; “The New, Strengthened, Integrated Plan for Teacher Development” proposes a top-heavy, three-tiered bureaucratic structure to manage teacher development; SACE’s CPTD-MS proposes a highly complicated points system, to be centrally managed on-line by SACE; SACE’s CPTD-MS will require service providers to be approved and to have each of their PD activities endorsed, which is an onerous requirement, likely to cause great resentment; A wonderful opportunity to introduce a more effective model for managing teacher development could be lost.

A Simpler, Decentralised Model n n n The model that I propose makes the teacher, his/her immediate senior and the principal accountable for managing professional development. It entrusts district officials with monitoring and evaluating each school’s management of PD. It should make it easier for teachers to identify their professional development needs. It makes classroom practice the major focus for Post Level 1 teachers. This simple, decentralised model is far less complex and cumbersome than the centralised model currently being piloted.

TEACHER PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL (TPA) n n n PS 1: TEACHING ABILITY n Subject knowledge n Use of resources n Presentation skills n Learner engagement and behaviour PS 2: ADMINISTRATION n Lesson planning n Time management n File management n Routine administrative duties PS 3: ASSESSMENT n Quality of assessments n Variety of assessments n Feedback to learners n Record keeping

n PS 4: INVOLVEMENT OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM n Extra-curricular and co-curricular activities n Pastoral care n Human relations n Professional development POST LEVEL 2 ONLY n n PS 5: PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP n Motivation and team building n Communication n Monitoring and evaluation n Provision of professional development PS 6: ORGANISATIONAL EFFICIENCY & EFFECTIVENESS n Accountability/responsibility n Resource management and utilisation n Record keeping n Initiative

The Challenge Facing Those Tasked with Leading and Managing Teacher Development n n “Education is about relationships. And aspirations. We understand the difference education can make, and have hopes for how education can transform society, create good citizens, raise levels of skill, ensure opportunities, employment and advance for individuals and society as a whole. ” “We all know the difference that a single good teacher can make… The classroom, and the magic that happens at that coalface of interaction between pupil and teacher, is the starting point for all else in education. ”

n “If we don’t get it right – in the classrooms, with teachers – what we are doing is reinforcing inequalities, and smashing the hopes and dreams of the post-democratic generation. We cannot continue betraying generation after generation of young people. ” - Graeme Bloch, author of The Toxic Mix, in an article entitled How Does SA become a Learning Nation? (Cape Times, 16 March, 2009)

The End Thank You