Beyond the Garden of Eden: deep teacher professional development.
Date
2009
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis.
Abstract
Becoming a professional teacher is falsely understood to be a simple process: usually
consisting of a transference of skills to execute classroom pedagogy or classroom
management. This article begins by exploring the many forces which influence the
curriculum of teacher education in higher education, signaling the complexity of the
practice of teaching and the expected roles of teachers within a charged socio-political,
ideological as well as educational research arena. It offers a definition of the scope
of deep teacher professional development which embraces the complexities of these
forces. It particularly addresses the theoretical underpinning that could inform the
design and delivery of Initial Professional Education of Teacher (IPET) higher education
curricula. The article draws on the experiences of enacting a reconceptualized teacher
education curriculum at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Faculty of Education showing
the translation of these theoretical conceptions within a curriculum geared towards deep
professional learning.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Samuel, M. 2009. Beyond the Garden of Eden: deep teacher professional development. SAJHE, 23(4) 737-759.