Browsing by Author "Scholtz, Zena"

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    Exploring the development of a mentorship programme for teachers through a reflexive democratic practice
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2006-03) Scholtz, Zena; Waghid, Yusef; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.
    This thesis explores the possibility of developing a mentorship programme for teachers through a reflexive democratic practice in order to support student teachers at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (Bellville Campus), when they do their internship in the host schools. It argues that critical dialogue and reflection are at the core of practices that are more democratic and that the development of a mentorship programme within the context of a community of practice holds transformative possibilities for teaching and learning. Aspects of current practice at the schools and at the academy, which may enhance or hinder the development of a reflexive democratic practice, are identified. It is hoped that a critical analysis and reflection of the research findings will contribute to the improvement of the practice teaching experience of the student teachers as well as contribute to the development of an effective mentorship programme.
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    Towards a conceptual framework for the integration of critical thinking into a teacher education curriculum : addressing some of the educational challenges of South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Scholtz, Zena; Waghid, Yusef; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Education Policy Studies.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : There seems to be a general acceptance that the development of critical thinking should be an important aim of higher education. The notion of critical thinking was presented as being particularly pertinent to the transformative goals of the new South African democracy and was included as an essential cross-field requirement in educational policy at both higher education and school level. The purpose of this study is to explore how notions of critical thinking manifest in relation to policy and pedagogy in initial science teacher education. My research methodology is interpretive hermeneutics and my research method entails a conceptual and deconstructive analysis of notions of critical thinking as they are revealed in the literature, dominant South African educational discourse, South African teacher education policy and physical science school curriculum documents. Each subsequent cycle of the analysis results in an expansion of a conceptual framework on notions of critical thinking in relation to science teacher education. Throughout the dissertation I develop insights through an interrogation of the literature, where I search for and formulate constitutive meanings, that is, shared assumptions and understandings of notions of critical thinking. These constitutive meanings serve as indicators that guide my analysis of education policy pertinent to my study. In addition, I identify conceptual gaps by reflecting on how notions of critical thinking may be relevant to the role of the science teacher. Furthermore, my own personal experience as a teacher educator informs my exploration. The study culminates in the development of an elaborated conceptual framework which contains dimensions of critical thinking that hopefully have the potential to inform how science teacher education programmes can operationalise notions of critical thinking in the subject discipline of Physical Science. These dimensions are perspectives on notions of critical thinking which influence the teacher’s conduct, features of critical thinking which are key concepts related to critical thinking, particularly the notion of a reflexive praxis that highlights the teacher’s professional judgement, pedagogical aspects which are likely to promote critical thinking in the classroom, and finally, the pedagogical focus which highlights the epistemological and methodological nature of science. Implications of the elaborated conceptual framework for science teacher education programmes are discussed.