educational transformation in sa: socio-political change, education policies and teachers’ work...
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Educational transformation in SA: socio-politicalchange, education policies and teachers’ work
Chris Reddy Dept Curriculum Studies Stellenbosch UniversitSouth [email protected]
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 ?