Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a vital pedagogical strategy in higher education for engaging student teachers to apply their knowledge and skills in authentic contexts. This paper provides an exploratory case study of an open distance and e-learning university (ODeL) in South Africa, to evaluate the effectiveness of online assessments for…

During the past two decades, curriculum restructuring in South Africa has had some unintended consequences; one of these being the unrealistic demands expected from Life Skills (LS) and Life Orientation (LO) teachers. Physical Education (PE) finds itself within the multi-faceted subject of LS/LO, therefore the teacher, often without requisite…

The chain of progression from teacher education to qualification to classroom instruction and student engagement, and then to learning and achievement, is not as straightforward as often presented. Societal, political and economic pressures create either a positive climate or a stressful one for both teachers and students. Nevertheless it is safe…

In a country like South Africa, as in many other countries around the world, there is an imperative to prepare student teachers for a wide variety of social contexts, as part of breaking the cycle of disadvantage for poor learners. This article explores the challenge of placing student teachers for their field experience in schools that differ…

Interest in teaching practice as an essential component of teacher education is growing. In spite of this, there is a dearth of research investigating students' perceptions of teaching practice evaluations from them as beneficiaries. This qualitative study examines students' perceptions of teaching practice evaluations administered by means of…

We report on the 2008 study by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on teacher retention and attrition in South African public schools, with a focus on North-West Province. Data from the study show that some teachers prefer to leave the teaching profession for promotion posts in non-teaching areas within the education sector, while others…

The issue: college ownership of stock in U.S. corporations that operate in--or have dealings with--South Africa. Students at universities from California to New York are pressuring their administrations to divest themselves of any stock in racist South Africa charging indirect support of such policy. Also discusses the development of shared…

African teachers in general and South Africans in particular face tremendous challenges, several of which are curriculum related. These challenges manifest themselves at various levels and in various areas, that is, from national level to within the classroom. There are various role players who may make a contribution towards overcoming these…