educational transformation in sa: socio-political change, education policies and teachers’ work...

Educational transformation in SA: socio-politicalchange, education policies and teachers’ work

Chris Reddy Dept Curriculum Studies Stellenbosch UniversitSouth Africacpsr@sun.ac.za

Introduction: Educational transformation in

SA: socio-political change Education policies, policy

development, implementation Implications for teachers’ work:

analysisConcluding comments: ecologies

and change processes

BROAD CHANGE PROCESSES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Socio-political change Education policy

changes

New nationalCurriculum:Teachers work

Well documented in literatureDemise of Apartheid:

institutionalised separation of people in terms of constructed race and ethnicity

Majority granted franchise: 1994 election

Social reconstruction and development

Party political slogan, “a better life for all”

Johnston (1997:131) notes that educational policy changes are potentially far reaching, in that the proposals for educational transformation are situated within a broader strategy for national reconstruction and development.

Mickelson et al. (2001:15) write that “financial allocations to schools reflected the ethnic hierarchy of the social system.”

(UNESCO) Statistical Yearbook

(1990:206), they point out that “roughly 12 times as much money was spent per capita on whites’ education compared with Africans’ education. Education for Indians and Coloureds fell between the other two groups.”

Historical disparities Well resourced - Poorly resourced

Social and economic communities: between and within “groups”

Teacher and teacher education: teacher qualifications and certification: variation historical

School site

Informal settlements :Peri- urban areas, employment

High density housing in poverty stricken areas

Informal housing Adjacent to school premises

National curriculum: presumably in the interest of the nation

Systemic change processA key construct of systemic

reform is the assumption that policies will be coherent and aligned (Furnham 1993)

Olson (2002): when all parts are pulling together reform will happen

Datnow and Castellano (2000:777) indicate that teachers are considered by most policymakers and school change experts to be the centrepiece of educational change.

Teacher education and ongoing professional development programmes generally amassed large groups of teachers in auditoriums after school for brief encounters with packaged prescriptions(externally imposed).

In-service: “Official” processes by and large inadequate ,

much like Darling – Hammond (1997:320) description

Themes similar to Williams et al (1997)

Multiple simultaneous innovations

Unfamiliar practices replacing established work patterns

Abbreviated time lines

Political change – policy change Policy not equal to educational

change Essentially a mismatch between

policy intention, practice and outcome (Sayed 2002)

Teachers: Smyth and Shacklock (1998): deliverers of knowledge, testers of learning and pedagogical technicians

LINEAR - MECHANISTIC

Simple linear and causal

ITERATIVE - ORGANIC

Complex and non - linear

AB

A B

Hoban (2002: 22) suggests a complexity view of educational change

Ecological interdependence – non linear complex connections

CONTEXTUALISED EDUCATIONAL CHANGE (Adapted from Hoban 2002:

22)

Teacher deskilling and

intensification of work

Relevant

Historical

realitiesSchool

contexts

ResponsiveSocial

change Contextualised

Authentic

Policy change

Thank you

BROAD CHANGE PROCESSES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Socio-political change Education policy

changes

New nationalCurriculum:Teachers work

Workshops and field trips for teachers

Workshops for teachers

In whose interest?

The children of SA?

Others far away ?