Challenges affecting good teaching and learning

Teachers can be agents of change, and have to engage in a positive culture of teaching to influence better learner achievement. As a result, they need to have classroom- focused policies that guide them to improve teaching practice. To create an effective teaching culture, they must be able to identify good instructional practice that will help to improve learner achievement (Black & William, 1998).

When the principal was asked how maths teachers can improve the dismal benchmark results they learned characterised their school, this is the response from one of the teachers,

All I can say, maybe we should come together as numeracy teachers, come up with a strategy how to help the learners. Maybe we might go extra mile, like maybe giving then a lot of homework. Another thing that kills us is homework. Parents don’t assist us. (Maths FG, T1)

However, this answer does not suggest how, through use of different teaching techniques, teachers will be able to improve learning; instead she expects homework and parental involvement to be the solution. There is no reflection of teaching practice, or consideration of exploring different teaching techniques that will enable learners to better understand content knowledge. This kind of response indicates how little the educators understand their responsibility for improving their teaching.

181 Perhaps this is due to teachers’ lack of core knowledge, skills, and exposure to

developments and educational changes, or perhaps it is indicative of a culture that does not foster a sense of responsibility for their work.

Another challenge is the fact that there is minimal time devoted to meetings where teachers discuss possible ways to formulate or identify alternative teaching

techniques. Meetings to discuss learner results seem to happen only once every quarter. The Senior Primary HOD mentioned that to improve teaching, they meet to discuss learner performance. She said that,

And we have meetings once per term, as Intermediate phase [Senior Primary], whereby we meet to discuss the problems and the successes of the phase. And then if we have problems we tackle them there and there with the SBST, which is the school based support team, whereby we refer the school based support team learners with problems to the school based support team, whereby the school based support team will tackle or help the teachers who have children with learning barriers and learning problems. So in the meetings, teachers will come out with the problems they encounter.

If meetings are only held quarterly, there may be too long a wait between them to have teachers resolve some of the challenges they encounter on a daily basis in their classrooms. This would mean that there is limited support for and amongst teachers. Research indicates that in schools where teachers and school leaders work

collaboratively, there is evidence of improved learner performance, and that data is also used to identify areas needing improvement (Pathways to College.Networks, n.d).

At Hope, teachers are supposed to conduct specialised subject teaching. However, many teach subjects they did not specialise in when in teacher training. This could very likely result in a situation where teachers’ lack of insight and proficiency in

182 subject knowledge and teaching skills will disadvantage effective learner

performance. During the interviews, one of the teachers said that,

This goes back to the point that I have mentioned that of being a primary teacher you are supposed to teach all the learning areas. Because some of the [subjects]there is a part which I don’t understand, even myself, I have to ask another teacher to come and help me with the content that I’m supposed to teach. So if the system of if I specialise in literacy, I teach literacy. I concentrate on literacy. Learners were going to improve. Another teacher comes in with like skills, he do that life skill. (Maths FG T3)

Previous teacher training courses for primary teachers prepared teachers to be general practitioners in all subjects. This did not prepare them for the reality, where they have become specialised subject teachers. As a result, teachers lack deep subject

knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of the subject they are expected to teach once they are employed. Despite district teacher development interventions put in place to support and improve teacher knowledge and skills, teachers do not seem to consider these helpful. They are regarded as a waste of time by some of the teachers.

Various other challenges were raised by teachers and school leadership, which they consider to impact on their effectiveness in carrying out teaching tasks, and improving poor learner performance.

7.10.1 Language of learning

The language of learning and teaching is one of the challenges the school faces. The principal explained that,

With the assessment, it comes with some borrowed words, of which sometimes you find it when the teacher has to assess the child. He’s also puzzled by some terminologies which are in, and then you find that the teacher even then, does not know the terminology that is in the paper, and then she has to give the

183 paper, the assessment, the question paper that the child to write. And then that we find it to be a problem a little bit. But we have raised it, I don’t know, because it said we have chosen the language to be [taught] in foundation phase we have chosen Xitsonga as our LOLT, so it is said the policy says we have to carry through with it for four years. Maybe we can change after four years or so. So it’s a bit of barrier on us.

The difference between the spoken language and the written language, in particular for material designed in the Gauteng Primary Literacy and Mathematics Strategy (GPLMS) for under-performing schools, is raised as a serious problem, with little impact on learner performance. When asked about the problems they raised regarding the language used in these materials, there were very definite answers. The questions asked included: “Who writes additional learners materials?”; “Which dialect is chosen and how different is the dialect used for developing the GPLMS materials from other written books used for Tsonga language?”; “How the dialect differs to the spoken Tsonga language?” Answers to these questions did not indicate that the special materials designed to help teachers improve learner performance were helpful.

7.10.2 Curriculum and assessment

Curriculum changes within a short space of time are another example of a challenge experienced by teachers. These changes, due to change in government systems over the years, seem to have had a negative impact on teachers’ confidence about what and how to teach and assess. Teachers feel left out because their knowledge and skills are tested to the limit. They consider the teacher development efforts intended to expose teachers to be too brief, with little impact on preparation needed by teachers for what to do in the classroom. From responses of some the teachers there is sense of feeling overwhelmed by the different ways they have to assess and keep data.

184 I can say, that since we started, we used to assess learners on our own,

marking their work and giving them marks. Now assessment is the learner has to assess himself, and the group has to assess themselves, and you as a

teacher has to assess a group, a learner, so I think it’s like a lot of work for a teacher. Since assessment is a long process, it is not like in the olden days. Because you’ve got to record the learners’ assessment, the individual, the group, and what the learner he, himself or herself has assessed him. And you’ve got to assess the whole group, each group in a class, you see? (Senior Primary HOD)

This response presents an assumption that there is a gap between the old and the new curriculum, since teachers find it hard to adjust to expected new assessment strategies. What this means is that teachers need support to learn and understand the purposes for the use of different assessment techniques in order to help learners achieve. It would be necessary for teachers to be exposed to models such as the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001), so that they are able to integrate various levels of cognitive questioning that will engage learners in oral and written classroom tasks, in

preparation for benchmark ANA tests and examinations. Lack of exposure to the use of different levels of cognitive questions can have a serious impact on learner

performance.

7.10.3 Large classes

Although Hope is a small school, compared to the other schools that participated in this research, the challenge of large classes was raised as a concern. They mentioned that because there is only one classroom for each grade, they experience large classes. When asked what support teachers need to improve teaching and to enhance effective learning, the teachers’ responses indicated that they find large classes are a barrier to effective teaching. One of the teachers in the maths focus groups said that,

185 Overcrowding [is a problem] in our classrooms. Like in my class, I’ve got more than 40 learners, and most of them they are like five and a half years old. (Language FG, T3)

Teachers feel that if they were to give learners individual support, learner

performance would improve. In addition, teachers think that if the department can provide schools with additional personnel to provide support to teachers, which is a practice that is seen to benefit schools, they will be able to improve learner

achievement. Because learners do not perform at the expected level, teachers think that additional support will provide an opportunity for teachers, or the support person, to assist struggling learners.

Considering the size of the school, it is difficult to understand why large classes are raised as a problem that impedes effective teaching Hope. Instead of these teachers finding alternative ways to improve teaching and learning, they look for relief by blaming other factors. However, the underperforming status of the school will remain as long as teachers do not take responsibility for improving teaching practice.

7.10.4 Poor teacher work ethic

Based on observation and what some of the teachers said, the work ethic for some of the teachers at Hope is of concern. There is complacency in the school regarding the existing state of affairs. To complain that the use of different assessment methods to promote learning is a “lot of work” raises questions about the level of dedication these teachers have to their profession. Although the culture of teaching differs based on availability of resources, levels o f teacher training, and other factors affecting