Onderwyskunde: vakwetenskap in die spanningsveld tussen teorie en praktyk

Inaugural lecture--Faculty of Education, Rand Afrikaans University, 7 May 1981@@Since its inception the Faculty of Education at the Rand Afrikaans University has maintained the idea that teacher training should not be purely theoretical. In order to facilitate a predominantly inductive methodology a Department of Teaching Science was established. The function of this Department is inter alia to pay attention to the theory and practice of the school preparation of student teachers. A model has been developed which can be represented as follows: Academic subject 1 + Academic subject 2 + Education School subjects ~ Teaching Science - School practice - Subject Didactics (method) Teaching Science is thus seen to be a focal point in the total training programme, closely aligned to Subject Didactics (method). The parameters of the discipline Teaching Science are represented in the following figure: TEACHING SCIENCE - PRACTICE -professionalism - Institute practieum -Guided practicum -structure of a lesson Lesson design -In the institute -lesson procedure Media studies -At a school -lesson analysis Lesson observation -curriculum theory Lesson analysis -observation instruments Micro-teaching -interaction-analysis Interaction-analysis -instruments for training -the school as environment School practicum -the teacher -Guided observation· -discipline and authority -Teaching practiceFlexibility training, inter alia through the means of micro-teaching situations, forms, a focal point in the training programme. Micro-teaching, however, constitutes only one of several modalities employed in the total training strategy. Being a competent teacher requires inter alia to be able to handle a complex body of didactic skills. Training in and refining of these skills are achieved by means of a sound theoretic schooling augmented by an extensive practicum. The school practicum is based on those teaching experiences that cannot be provided in the institute practicum. The guided practicum is conducted according to two models. In one instance pupils come to the university after school to do their homework under the supervision of students who in turn are supervised by lecturers. In some instances actual teaching is done by the students. This is often required in subjects like Mathematics, Science and English. The students also go out to schools, not for normal teaching practice, but to do actual hard-core teaching in schools (eg Coloured schools) that experience an acute shortage in teaching staff. Here students get direct teaching experience in a situation which helps them to learn to come to grips with the real issues of teaching. The divergent experiences should in the end be integrated to become a unitary teaching experience to the students. In order to facilitate this, a Department of Teaching Science (Practical Didactics, Instructional Science) takes the responsibility of the entire theory and practice of preparing student teachers for the practical side of the profession they are going to follow. I a~ privileged to have been appointed in this newly instituted chair of Teaching SCience (Onderwyskunde) and will be engaged in the practical pedagogicdidactic training of future teachers. If my efforts in this regard leads to teachers being more flexible in their application of appropriate teaching skills and being able to handle the classroom situation more adequately, I should feel my endeavours more than justified.