Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Further Education and Training Teaching

Purpose

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Further Education and Training Teaching (PGCE in FET Teaching), is one year professional teaching qualification "caps" an undergraduate Degree or an approved Diploma (MRTEQ, 2011) aims to develop graduates as competent, professional teachers who are committed to the enhancement of education in diverse high schools in South Africa and beyond. As such the qualification aims to provide learner teachers with the required knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance teaching and learning in two school subjects (two FET subjects).

It is thus of paramount importance to ensure that future teachers are enabled with the requisite skills, knowledge, values and attitudes to attend fully to the needs of learners, and the overall goals of education, including to help build a better, socially just society in which its citizens can live a decent life. South Africa needs teachers who are responsible, accountable and highly motivated to teach their subjects-teachers who are empowered to not only apply theory to and in practice, but to critically reflect on the suitability and appropriateness of specific approaches, strategies and techniques within diverse learning contexts-teachers who can educate the 21st Century Learner.

Rationale

The current challenges in education in South Africa (SA) are well documented, as is the poor performance of learners in critical learning areas. The legacy of apartheid education and history still prevails in schools, and this affects educational contexts and the people who participate in it.

The outcome of National Reviews of Teacher Education programmes that took place in 2007/8, captured in the Report on the National Review of Academic and Professional Programmes in Education (Soudien & Menon, 2010), highlighted that there is a need for the re-design of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) qualifications. The various recommendations from those reviews and this report have informed the new 'Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications' (MRTEQ) Policy (2011). All of these policy recommendations have been taken into account in the re-curriculation of the PGCE qualification that is being submitted for accreditation.

The newly curriculated Postgraduate Certificate (PGCE) qualification will replace the current PGCE (31830) on the PQM and will aim to address the increasing need for properly qualified FET Phase teachers, as is evident in the past and expected annual increases in applications and admissions.

The primary employer of teachers, the Department of Basic Education, emphasise in their publication, Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realization of Schooling 2025 (Department of Basic Education, 2011), the need for new teachers to be nurtured at university level, to enable well qualified young teachers to enter into teaching in the school sector. As such, the PGCE will play an important role to realise this need of the Department of Basic Education.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

In the event that an applicant does not meet the stipulated minimum admission requirements, such an applicant will be considered for admission through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) on presentation of evidence of learning and or experience. The RPL will be applied in accordance with the institution's Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning.

The applicant will be required to document their evidence of knowledge and skills in a Portfolio of Evidence which will be evaluated by a team of academic staff led by the Head of Department. The department may in addition conduct interviews and assess to determine whether the applicant has the sufficient and appropriate competences and experience. The RPL implementation will use a triangulated verification approach using inter alia any academic records, portfolios and interviews.

The outcome of the RPL application process and a recommendation from the Head of Department will be presented to the Faculty Management Committee (FMC) for final decision. The resolution of the FMC will be communicated to the applicant.

Entry Requirements

• An approved 360 credit Diploma, Level 6.

Or

• An approved Bachelor's Degree, Level 7 or 8 which should include sufficient disciplinary learning in appropriate academic fields. These academic fields should relate to the school subject teaching specialisation (Department of Higher Education and Training-MRTEQ, 2015, p. 28).

This qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules at Levels 5 and 7 totalling 126 Credits.

Compulsory Modules at Level 5: 6 Credits

• English LOLT (Language of Learning and Teaching), 0 Credits.
• Afrikaans LOLT (Language of Learning and Teaching), 0 Credits.
• IsiXhosa Conversational, 6 Credits.

Compulsory Modules at Level 7: 72 Credits

• Educational Foundations for PGCE Students, 44 Credits.
• Professional School Based Practice [Child level], 28 Credits.

Elective Modules at Level 7: 48 Credits (Choose two modules)

• Method of FET Accounting, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Afrikaans Home Language, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Afrikaans First Additional Language, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Agriculture Management Practices, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Agriculture Science, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Business Studies, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Computer Applications Technology, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Economics Method, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Electrical Technology, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET English First Additional Language, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET English Home Language, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Geography, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET History, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Information Technology, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Life Orientation, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Life Sciences, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Mathematical Literacy, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Mathematics, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Physical Sciences, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Tourism, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET Visual Arts, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET isiXhosa Home Language, 24 Credits.
• Method of FET isiXhosa First Additional Language, 24 Credits.

1.Critically engage with disciplinary educational knowledge literature and discourses related to philosophy, sociology, history of education, psychology, politics and economics from an educational perspective in social responsible humanising ways.

1. Demonstrate the ability to organise, design, plan and implement systematic and effective teaching, learning and assessment in different educational contexts in a humanising manner pertaining to national school curriculum specifications at school based level.
2. Demonstrate sound methodological and subject specific curriculum knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to facilitate effective teaching, learning and assessment in school related subjects in a humanising manner by coherently integrating educational theory, curriculum theory, subject discipline knowledge, teaching strategies and self-identity.
3. Demonstrate the ability to teach effectively in English as Language of Learning and Teaching [LOLT].
4. Demonstrate conversational competence in IsiXhosa.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Identify and discuss the disciplinary knowledge in the educational perspective related to the 21st century learners and their development in social contexts by embracing a humanising pedagogy.
• Critically reflect on these knowledge aspects and apply them in a classroom context.
• Critically reflect on the impacts of the knowledge aspects on the teaching practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Articulate knowledge of learner needs and use this knowledge to cater for diversity and inclusivity in order to promote social justice.
• Plan lessons, select and design appropriate teaching strategies and determine sequencing and pace according to learners' needs.
• Apply a range of methods of communication to effectively mediate learning.
• Effectively implement ICT for teaching and learning.
• Design reliable and varied assessment strategies, including interpretation of assessment results in order to improve teaching and learning.
• Using a portfolio of evidence to evaluate the reflective and reflexive engagement in their practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Teach effectively in English as Language of Learning and Teaching [LOLT].

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Converse at a conversational level in isiXhosa.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment in the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) serves a variety of functions

Formative diagnostic assessment: aids to enhance learning by giving PGCE learners the opportunity to develop the curriculum's knowledge, skills, attitudes and awareness linked to the profession. It is acknowledged that critical to successful formative assessment is feedback which forms the basis for self-reflexive professional development. Further, formative assessment assists to ascertain whether students have a solid understanding and in instances where this is not the case, to assist to plan for interventions in order to serve a remediation purpose.

Summative assessment: serves the purpose to inform decisions about PGCE learners' achievements for purposes of, for examinationple, promotion and graduation. Learners are encouraged to submit draft summative assignments to obtain feedback in order to improve their work before submitting the assignment for formal assessment.

Integration of assessment: The Professional School-Based Learning Experience module (school-based learning) requires learners to apply integration in order to develop evidence-based portfolios that reflect the earner's professional engagement in educational contexts. A learner could be required to present and defend his/her portfolio through either a presentation and/or interview, including in the presence of the external moderator. The requirements for this portfolio will be stipulated in the Professional Learning Guide. LOLT will be assessed as part of Work-Integrated Learning while in schools. Support will be provided to learners not sufficiently proficient and they will be re-assessed during the course of the PGCE year.

Baseline, formative, diagnostic and summative assessment will be used within the PGCE, as well as the integration of assessment in praxis. The formative assessment opportunities refer to informal class discussions, class tests, online activities, hand-in or submission of a first draft of an assignment, etc. It is therefore envisaged that learners will have had an opportunity to provide a draft assignment for formative feedback before a summative mark is allocated. The provision of constructive feedback to learners is also important for future assessment tasks, as it affords opportunities to learn from past assignments.

Assessment findings should also be provided in general to learners as a whole group by providing them with what was noticed in general. This could assist learners to learn from generalities.

In order to ensure quality, fairness, reliability and consistency, assessment tasks of learners will be moderated internally on a continuous basis by a module coordinator. An external moderator will also be used to further enhance the quality process. External moderators are appointed for a period of three years for a specific module and after the three year cycle, a new external moderator is appointed.

As all PGCE modules are continuous assessment only, a wide range of assessment activities will be used, for examinationple:

• Assignments.
• Tests.
• Projects.
• Presentations.
• Case studies.
• Role play.
• Posters.
• Electronic projects.
• Reflections.
• Journal writing.
• Lesson planning.
• Group assignments
• Online assessments.
• School based lesson presentation.
• Capstone portfolio.