Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Further Education and Training Teaching

Purpose

The Postgraduate Certificate in Further Education and Training Teaching delivers professionally qualified beginner teachers for the FET phase of schooling. The qualification provides teachers with a well-rounded education that equips them with specialised teaching competence in at least two school subjects in the FET phase of schooling. Teachers can choose one school subject in the FET phase and a research project to have a nuanced understanding of the integrated nature of theory and practice in education and the context of the teaching profession in South Africa.

These teachers will support and nurture learning and development in diverse educational contexts and identify and address barriers to learning in the classroom. They will be able to formulate a personal teaching philosophy and critically reflect on their teaching philosophy and how it relates to teaching conduct. The qualification integrates the knowledge mix of disciplinary, pedagogical, practical, and situational learning.

Rationale

The qualification responds to the increasing number of schools that offer full time teaching internships. These are learners who enrol for a teaching qualification through an accredited service provider, as well as schools which employ teachers without a formal teaching qualification. In this context, the target learner is an individual who wants to become a FET teacher, but who, due to geographical and other challenges, is unable to access a contact educational institution. In many cases, schools offering internships assist learners financially with their fees and other costs and teachers can earn a small stipend to support them while they are studying.

Internship schools are well-functioning schools. It is expected of teachers at these schools, to serve as school-based teacher educators. These include mentoring (guidance and coaching), supervision, and assessment of learners. Strong collaboration between the partner schools and this institution are key to the success of this qualification. To develop and strengthen collaboration continued support, and the institution provides professional development of teachers at partner schools through online learning platforms. Suitable pedagogies are selected to promote 21st-century teaching and learning while fully exploiting the affordances of new and emerging technologies.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The Faculty accepts Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as an integral part of education and academic practice. All learning has value, and the Faculty accepts the challenge to assess prior learning and award credit that is aligned to Faculty qualifications to promote lifelong learning. The institution's RPL policy, which directs the Faculty's RPL procedure, recognises prior learning to provide for admission to qualifications, grant advanced placement in qualifications and grant credits for modules on the principles and processes that serve as the basis for faculty-specific RPL practices.

A panel of selected institutional staff members determines, on a one-on-one basis, the competence of prospective learners who apply for RPL. In determining a learner's competence against the relevant Exit Level Outcomes, this panel does one or more of the following:

• Verify the standard/quality of the learner's prior qualifications;
• Assess a portfolio containing examples of the learner's work in the field of education, training and development;
• Observe the learner's performance is authentic and in situ teaching-learning situations and contexts; and
• Conduct one-on-one interviews with learners to discuss the results of the evidence collection process.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Diploma, NQF, Level 6.
• Bachelor Degree, NQF Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 7 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits

• Education Studies and Teaching Studies, 48 Credits.
• Teaching Methodology and Practicum A, 36 Credits.
• Teaching Methodology and Practicum B/Research Report, 36 Credits.

1. Demonstrate a clear theoretical understanding of disciplinary educational knowledge, and an awareness of current issues in the teaching, learning, assessment and support of the adolescent learner, developmentally, cognitively, emotionally and psychologically.
2. Demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of Teaching as a profession, including knowledge of professional conduct and ethics and legal responsibilities, as well as the role of the wider societal context in the education of children.
3. Demonstrate excellent knowledge and skill in teaching and assessing their specialist subject within the school curriculum during practical teaching experiences, as well as awareness of the study of their subject in the world outside schools.
4. Reflect on their own and others' professional practice, and learn to improve their practice by engaging in critical evaluation of recent research and literature linked to their subject specialism.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Provide evidence that they are au fait with adolescent development issues that may affect the learning of the further education and training phase curriculum.
• Describe the fundamental of managing effective environments in South African Schools.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Plan and execute teaching competently in at least one or two FET Phase school subjects.
• Apply knowledge and skills learnt in the coursework relevant for teaching in the FET Phase classroom.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Apply curriculum differentiation in their planning and execution of the curriculum.
• Demonstrate an understanding of subject teaching in the adolescent years of schooling.
• Demonstrate knowledge of different teaching skills for different success grades in the FET Phase in secondary schools.
• Display and apply knowledge of assessment methods and strategies.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Articulate a coherent and theory-driven teaching philosophy that provides evidence of growth and development throughout the study.
• Relate the ethical and professional foundations of teacher professionalism as defined by SACE with the faculty of Education conceptual framework.
• Identify their roles as teachers who are caring, accountable and critically reflective.

Integrated Assessment

The broad assessment strategy of the Faculty assessment policy is

There is a minimum of three summative assessment opportunities per semester module and at least seven summative assessment opportunities per year module. One of these summative assessment opportunities, preferably towards the end of a module, is substantial (such as a written examination, a portfolio or substantial assignment) to ensure that outcomes assessment takes place in an integrated manner. The weighting of the latter assessment opportunity is at least 50% but not more than 60% of the final mark. The curriculum infuses the seven roles of educators. Consequently, assessment tasks in the qualification cover the seven roles.

Formative and summative assessment opportunities are available to learners. Formative assessment supports teaching and learning, provides feedback to the learners, diagnoses the learners' strengths and weaknesses, assists in the planning of future learning and helps to make decisions on the readiness of the learner to do a summative assessment. Summative assessments are to make a judgment about the level of competence of learners about the outcomes of a module. The marks reflect a pass or fail. An assessment analysis is done for each assessment to ensure that all questions are on the correct cognitive level as well as to ensure an appropriate percentage of higher and lower cognitive questions.