ERIC Number: EJ1179358
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957 7572
EISSN: N/A
Communities of Practice as a Tool for Continuing Professional Development of Technology Teachers' Professional Knowledge
van As, Francois
International Journal of Technology and Design Education, v28 n2 p417-430 Jun 2018
With the introduction of a new school curriculum in South Africa in 1998, Technology as a school subject was introduced for the first time. Implementation by the National Department of Education took place over a very short time frame allowing very little time for adequate training of technology teachers by the provincial departments of education. Teachers were expected to implement technology in schools without being adequately trained. They needed to develop their professional knowledge which comprises school knowledge, subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. This could mainly be done through continuing professional teacher development (CPTD). To address the lack of CPTD opportunities and to develop these teachers' professional knowledge, the Unit for Technology Education at a university in South Africa established a Community of Practice (CoP) as a strategy to develop teachers' professional knowledge in Civil Technology. However, after a number of CoP workshops, and although these CoPs have been designed to serve as a tool for CPTD, we do not know to what extent it succeeds in developing teachers' professional knowledge. The purpose of this article is to determine to what extent the CoP succeeded in developing teachers' professional knowledge. A qualitative study was conducted. Data were collected through the observation of the teachers during the CoPs, open-ended questionnaires and field notes taken during workshop discussions. The main findings were that the teachers gained discipline knowledge and acquired instructional methodology (pedagogy) from which learners may benefit. The presentation and organisation of the CoP influenced the learning of the teachers.
Descriptors: Communities of Practice, Technology Education, Teacher Education, Technology Integration, Technological Literacy, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Professional Continuing Education, Workshops, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Qualitative Research, Observation, Questionnaires
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A