Promoting lifelong teacher learning in the intermediate phase : a self- study of a head of department.
Date
2013
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Abstract
The purpose of this self-study was to explore how I could learn from my own experiences to
more effectively promote lifelong teacher learning as an Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–6) Head
of Department (HoD) in a primary school. Lifelong teacher learning is treasured in this rapidly
changing world and is also encouraged by the Department of Education through teacher
professional development, which includes organisational learning and change. Wenger’s (1998)
social theory of learning and Kelly’s (2006) socio-cultural perspective on teacher learning are
two complementary theoretical perspectives that helped me understand the concept of teacher
learning in a way that was appropriate for my self-study research. I used a personal history selfstudy
methodology to re-examine myself and my experiences as a lifelong learner, with the aim
of understanding how I can better encourage and promote lifelong teacher learning in my school.
Using this methodology helped me to consider how a deeper understanding of my lived
experiences could enhance my professional practice as a HoD. The strategies that I used to
generate data for my study – journal writing, memory drawing and artefact retrieval – helped me
to remember circumstances, events and people that have made a difference to my experiences of
lifelong learning. These strategies could also be used by other teachers in developing themselves
professionally through lifelong teacher learning. From my personal history narrative, I identified four
key themes in relation to my topic of promoting teachers’ lifelong learning: the value of role
models, the significance of self-motivation, the impact of gender in education and the language
barrier. By exploring my personal history of learning and teaching, I became aware of how
central lifelong learning has been to my personal and professional development. Thus, my
personal history self-study research helped me to become more mindful of the value of teachers’
lifelong learning. Through the study, I became conscious that personal history self-study
methodology is itself a form of lifelong learning that can be a vital tool for teacher development.
Description
M. Ed. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.
Keywords
Teachers--Biography., Educational leadership., Reflective teaching., Teachers--Education (Continuing education), Theses--Education.