Advanced Certificate in FET Life Sciences Teaching

Purpose

The qualification is intended to

• Strengthen the subject specialisation of practising teachers with a prior qualification in Life Sciences Teaching at a lower level, or to retrain teachers for the teaching of Life Sciences in the FET Phase.
• Enable these teachers to develop disciplinary, pedagogical, practical and situational learning reflexive competences in teaching and learning in the particular subject/phase in the school.

This will be pursued in the curriculum through specialised learning, and the application of specialised knowledge and skills to teaching and learning in the classroom. The qualification is designed to deepen the teachers' subject matter knowledge, general principles and methodology in Life Sciences teaching. As such, teachers will be enabled to develop disciplinary, pedagogical, practical and situational learning reflexive competences in teaching and learning in the FET phase of schooling. Aims such as the following will also be pursued to explore the purpose of the qualification: Fostering self-reflexivity and self-understanding; development of the competences to organise learning among a diverse range of learners in diverse contexts.

The qualification will have a strong professional focus and will address the needs of the following groups of teachers

• Teachers who did not include Life Sciences in their previous professional training but who want to specialise in this field (Retraining in a new teaching subject).
• Teachers who did not specialise in Life Sciences in their prior professional training, but who gained experience in teaching Life Sciences and who want to acquire a professional qualification in Life Sciences teaching (Upgrading).
• Teachers who studied this specialisation in a three-year Diploma in Education or a NPDE, and who want to strengthen their field of study (Upgrading).

Rationale

The institution established itself as a reputable provider of teacher education and training and has trained thousands of teachers via the former National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) and the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE). During the past 12 years, the institution advanced national strategic priorities by providing specialist training to address the need for the upgrading of teacher qualifications and/or unqualified and under-qualified teachers. The NPDE advanced large numbers of practicing teachers' status to REQV13. The latter resulted in a growing number of potential learners who are in need of upgrading to REQV14. The AdvCert (FET Life Sciences Teaching) consequently addresses the requirement of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) for a teaching and learning pathway for teachers in order to advance their careers. The AdvCert (FET Life Sciences Teaching) does not focus on FET education in general, but has a specific aim to improve teachers' knowledge and competencies towards a new subject, or strengthen their subject specialisation.

Extensive consultation with education departments on a national level, as well as a national needs analysis emphasized the shortage of adequately qualified teachers for the FET Life Sciences classroom. Projects undertaken by the institution to address gaps in the knowledge base of FET Life Sciences teachers pointed to a lack in professional capacity among large numbers of teachers who currently are employed to teach FET Life Sciences in the Free State Province and elsewhere. Therefore, the AdvCert (FET Life Sciences Teaching)will not only upgrade the qualification of those teachers who are currently employed in FET Life Sciences positions without adequate training, but also offers specialist education to those teachers who need to strengthen their FET Life Sciences knowledge base. In addition, the qualification also aims to provide retraining to teachers who wish to change their career path, thus widening the pool of teachers who are able to teach this subject.

The AdvCert (FET Life Sciences Teaching) is designed to address the subject specific needs of Life Sciences teachers. In addition to the national prescribed requirements, this curriculum includes additional credits for deepening of content knowledge. This speaks to the evident lack in specific content knowledge among many South African teachers. It is expected that education departments will welcome the delivery of an AdvCert (FET Life Sciences Teaching). However, the envisaged learners' intake will not exceed a total of more than 50 teachers for the first cohort.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The Institutional rules and requirements for RPL apply where the minimum requirements are not met.

Entry Requirement

Admission requirements for the qualification are as follows

• Professional Bachelor of Education.

Or

• An Advanced Diploma in Education.

Or

• A former PGCE.

Or

• Higher Diploma Postgraduate.

Or

• Three year Diploma in Education.

The qualification is comprised of modules at NQF Levels 5 and 6, totalling 120 Credits.

Module at NQF Level 5

• Life Processes in Plants, 8 Credits.

Elective Modules at NQF Level 5

• Introduction to ICT (to be taken in either Semester 1 or Semester 2), (6) Credits.
• Subject content module: Life at molecular, cellular and tissue level, 16 Credits.
• ICT in the Sciences/ Technology Classroom I, 3 Credits.
• Subject content module: Life Processes in Animals, 8 Credits.
• Diversity, Change and Continuity, 8 Credits.
• ICT in the Sciences/ Technology Classroom II, 3 Credits.
• Subject content module: Environmental Studies, 8 Credits.

Modules at NQF Level 6

• Education Studies I in The individual in Education Context, 8 Credits.
• Teaching Life Sciences I. (Life at Molecular -cellular and tissue level I), 16 Credits.
• Teaching Life Sciences II, (Life at Molecular -cellular and tissue level II), 8 Credits.
• Teaching Life Sciences III, (Diversity, Change and Continuity), 16 Credits.
• Classroom Management in Sciences/Technology, 8 Credits.
• Professional Practice in the Classroom, 8 Credits.
• Teaching Life Sciences IV (Plants), 16 Credits.
• Teaching Life Sciences V, (Animals), 16 Credits.
• Education Studies II in Managing Diversity in the learning context, 8 Credits.
• Teaching and Learning in Education Context, 8 Credits.
• Teaching Life Sciences VI, (Environmental Studies), 8 Credits.

Total: 120 (excluding additional 24 Credits for elective content modules and 12 Credits for ICT).

1. Demonstrate practical competence in selecting, designing, planning, implementing and evaluating, appropriate, and effective projects, procedures and/or programmes.
2. Demonstrate ability to apply appropriate and adaptable professional skills and judgment, in a variety of contexts of practice.
3. Set, and aspire to achieve, high standards in practice, and ongoing professional improvement.
4. Demonstrate capacity to critically analyse relevant materials, resources and practices, in the light of a conceptual understanding of their area of special study.
5. Demonstrate the ability to justify particular choices in their area of special study in the light of understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the area of special study.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Areas where learning is required are identified.
• The most suitable situation/environment for learning is constructed.
• Learning within diverse education contexts is facilitated.
• Working with colleagues and the broader community in an independent way is demonstrated.
• Change in the broader education context and society is contributed and acted on.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Concepts, principles and procedures relevant to FET Life Sciences Teaching are applied.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Own subject competence are transformed into conceptual learning experiences.
• Professional practice based on an integrated knowledge base is reflected on.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Teaching strategies and assessment approaches are demonstrated.
• The application of ICT skills to FET Life Sciences Teaching is applied.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Principles and practices of effective teaching and learning are demonstrated.
• Acting with integrity by maintaining the highest level of professional work ethics is demonstrated.

Integrated Assessment

Applied competence will be demonstrated through a variety of formative assessment methods. Summative assessment will be examinations. Various assessment activities that are constructively aligned to the programme and module outcomes; and teaching and learning activities will seek to integrate theory and practice. Assessment will be in line with the University's Assessment Policy assessment.

Assessment is seen as central to the teaching and learning process, providing both formative and summative assessment opportunities as well as requiring an element of holistic, integrated assessment in line with the overall purpose of the qualification. Integrated assessment gives an opportunity to the learners to demonstrate their achievement holistically across the exit-level outcomes of the programme.

Each module has a specific assessment strategy that complies with the institutional rules and policies regarding assessment and examination. The teachers' competence in the modules will be assessed through assignments and tests as well as examinations, or examination equivalent tasks. The type of assessment will however depend on the nature of the module and/or the lecturers involved in the module. Continuous assessment activities in the AdvCert (FET Life Sciences Teaching) will include tests, assignments, projects, lesson presentations, posters, presentations; critique of lessons; group assignments, portfolios and practical work.

Assessment of experiential learning (if applicable)

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is integrated in the teaching modules and includes opportunities for learning from practice and learning in practice. It is expected that the students will be able to carry out activities in their classrooms and reflect critically on their own practice. Practical assessment activities, assignments and a reflective journal forms part of all the modules with the aim to develop the students' sense of agency as teachers.