Professional development of science teachers:the A-team hybrid ecology of learning practice

Abstract

Professional development interventions in South Africa do not always address teachers’ needs or necessarily result in better realisation of outcomes in science. South African teachers’ learning of science and their emerging science pedagogy need urgent attention and this issue can be addressed through focused continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) programmes. The University of Johannesburg launched a unique CPTD project named the A-team project – Excelling in Science Education in October 2010. This project focused mainly on developing the science teachers’ inquiry-based teaching approaches, advancing scientific process skills and enriching their pedagogical content knowledge in CAPS themes. The aim of this longitudinal empirical qualitative study was to introduce both primary and secondary school teachers to new (and exciting) science experiences in hybrid ecology of learning practice. In this intervention the hybrid group of science teachers experienced a wide range of different activities. As the project progressed, we tapped into the overwhelming social capital resources of scientists, professors and the Natural Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences teachers themselves sharing a wealth of experience and information. The findings of this study revealed that hands-on activities in real laboratories not only improved the science teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge but also motivated teachers to include inquiry-based teaching strategies in their classroom practices