Improving continuing professional teacher development in the Foundation Phase: a subject advisor’s self-study.

Abstract

I am a subject advisor in the Foundation Phase (Grades R–3) in the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. For this study, the focus was on my practice and learning as a subject advisor concerning the continuous professional teacher development (CPTD) programmes for teachers conducted by subject advisors. I looked into how I, as a subject advisor, could better support teachers. This study was located within the methodology of self-study of practice, where I used an arts-based self-study approach. Since I was looking at myself in practice, I was the main research participant. The other participants were three other subject advisors and 13 teachers from three different primary schools. Three research questions kept me focused in this study: What are the lived experiences and perspectives of subject advisors in relation to CPTD? What are the lived experiences and perspectives of teachers in relation to continuing professional development? And How might I use insights into subject advisors’ and teachers’ lived experiences and perspectives to improve my understanding and practice of CPTD? I used multiple methods to generate and analyse data, including audio recording of discussions, reflective journal writing, self-portrait drawing, and collage. Throughout my self-study journey, I learnt from a sociocultural theoretical perspective and social constructivism. A sociocultural perspective assisted me in understanding teachers’ and subject advisors’ learning backgrounds. In understanding social constructivism, I discovered that teachers and subject advisors learn better if they interact as they construct knowledge together. Self-study enabled me to change as I had to go deep and examine my own practice and reconstruct my thinking about how I have conducted CPTD. I gained confidence and valuable insights into my practice as I came to understand more about teachers’ and subject advisors’ experiences of CPTD. This thesis demonstrates the power of self-study to facilitate a process of learning, whereby improvement in practice can be achieved as we discern context-appropriate ways of bringing about changes in offering CPTD in challenging circumstances. The study also demonstrates how we can start to value teachers’ voices and input in planning and facilitating CPTD programmes that are more inclusive and participatory, and that address teachers’ genuine concerns.