Education sciences
Jonathan Jansen
For those who choose a professional field of study such as education, the transition to university is nearly always exciting. Someone who decides on the noble profession of teaching must prepare him- or herself for two lives. The first is that of the lecture room, where lecturers will teach you new theories, different teaching methods, new ways of assessing learners with learning problems, ways in which the computer can be used to facilitate teaching at school, as well as several new changes with regard to teaching. The other life is the one in schools. More and more universities currently require students-teachers to spend more time in schools and less in lecture rooms.
Other than in the case of students registering for other degrees, you are judged by two communities: the academic community (or the staff of the university), as well as the teaching community (or the staff of schools). Student-teachers therefore have a special challenge, because you have to find ways to meet the requirements of both communities. Let us look at a few examples.
lecturers want to know how well you understand the teaching assignment; teachers want to know how well you can teach;
lecturers want to know if you have read widely about their subject; teachers want the assurance that you will be able to handle a class full of energetic children;
lecturers want to know if you have mastered the theoretical principles of assessment; teachers want proof that you can design a multiple choice questionnaire for mathematics.
These differences shouldn’t be over-emphasised, especially since good teachers as well as good lecturers feel strongly about these matters; the fact of the matter is that a bubbling busy classroom demands different things from professional people than the relative calm atmosphere of the lecture room.
Student-teachers are typically inclined towards the practice. You often hear them say: “Just show me how to teach and forget all these theories”. But teaching is much more than the patching together of techniques; it is a profession where insight into what you do, why you do it, as well as which alternatives you could have chosen, are aspects that distinguish the very complex action called teaching from other simple manual labour. For first-year students the most important aspect in this regard is to understand that theory and practice, university and school, lecturer and teacher are all important facets of the experience in its entirety during which someone becomes a professional teacher.
The personality and characteristics of a teacher
Students who decide on studying teaching are special: they learn to make a difference in the lives of children; they are idealistic about the potential of all children; they have a passion for what they do. Those who decide on teaching like to explain things to others. Nearly all teaching students that I know, can still remember how they lined up their dolls or action figures against a wall to “teach them”. That includes teaching everything, from personal behaviour to basic mathematics. Those who decide on teaching often have first-hand experience of the joy of teaching Sunday school classes or teaching basic survival skills to young boys in a Scout group. Those who decide on teaching love to manage people and plan events; they like to listen to others and give advice. Those who decide on teaching flourish more than anything on the excitement of personal interaction with young people and treasure the opportunities where they can lead and inspire.
Routes to a teaching qualification
You can become a teacher with nearly any combination of high school subjects. Those who want to become high school teachers must present at least three school subjects in matric (for example Life Sciences, English or History). The school subjects of those who want to teach in primary school will determine their electives, depending on what grades they are planning to teach. One of the most important pieces of paper what will determine your future, is your grade 12 certificate with exemption (or endorsement). Contact tertiary institutions in good time, before making the wrong decisions with regard to school subjects; since it is a decision that can influence your future for ever.
There are two main routes to becoming a teacher. You can do a four-year degree (called Bachelors in Education (BEd)), during which you get advanced training in your teaching subjects or learning areas (for example Geography or Mathematics) but can combine this training with education theory, where you get to learn more about educational objectives, theories and principles, as well as courses in methodology where you learn how to teach.
You can also complete your first degree in any other faculty (for example a BComm or a Bachelors in Economic and Management Sciences), and then do a one year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). During this course the focus falls mainly on theories and methodology courses.
How do you decide between BEd and PGCE? It is a personal choice. Students who decide on BEd are usually sure that they want to become teachers, while PGCE students often decide on another degree and only later realise that they want to add a teaching diploma to their qualifications.
Career opportunities
Several education graduates prefer to teach in public schools. Nowadays however, an ever growing number of teachers with degrees in education start their own businesses. Students in the Early Child Education and Foundation phase start their own preschool centres where they act as business managers as well as preschool leaders and teachers. Several teachers are also very suitable for the education sector, due to their teaching and training skills and often work as training specialists in the private sector (for example in banking or in computer companies). Education graduates of the 21st century are very mobile and some choose to spend some time teaching elsewhere (for example the United Kingdom), but most of them return home after they have gained some international experience.
In short: Although most graduates prefer to teach in public schools for the whole of their careers, teachers are now, more than ever, suitable for nearly any job that entails giving training. South African teachers are also highly in demand in other countries. Lastly, several teachers find the academic context so interesting that they prefer to keep on studying long after they have obtained their first degree. For example, they obtain an honours degree, a master’s degree and finally a doctoral degree and create the possibility of a job at a university.
The most important thing that you can learn on your road to becoming a teacher is to never, ever lose the connection to the most important calling that a person can choose. Never allow anybody to cloud your calling!