Content area
Full text
ABSTRACT
The phenomenological study on which this article is based inquired into Grade 9 Technology teachers' professional development through workshops on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as well as their training needs. The workshops took place in Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Data were gathered from two groups of teachers who attended the workshops on two different days, but who were trained in the same way and were subsequently conveniently selected to participate in the study. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with these teachers and the workshop facilitator was also interviewed. The training manual was scrutinised, the facilitation of the workshops was observed and a follow-up visit was done at two schools where the workshop participants taught. The findings revealed that while the teachers felt that the workshops developed them, such training did not fully meet their needs or expand their PCK repertoires. This study will inform the Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy (MSTA), which is tasked with offering in-service training to subject teachers in the province, about whether the workshops meet the needs of the attendees, thereby possibly necessitating a review of the training.
Keywords: teachers' needs, pedagogical content knowledge, teacher development, Technology, workshops
1.BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The study on which this article is based explored the professional development of Technology teachers regarding their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and related needs. PCK, which is an amalgamation of pedagogy and content (what and how), concerns the knowledge of teaching (Shing, Saat & Loke, 2015). PCK is a specific form of knowledge required by teachers that involves the transformation of subject matter knowledge in the context of facilitating learners' understanding (Shulman, 1987). It is about effective teacher preparation in which the teacher understands what is to be learnt and taught (Shulman, 1987). PCK consists of seven elements, including knowledge of a) the subject matter, b) pedagogical content, c) general pedagogy, d) the curriculum, e) learners and their characteristics, f) educational contexts and g) educational aims, purposes and values.
The scarcity of research into the professional development of Technology teachers in South Africa is what motivated this study. Also, Technology (as it is known locally, but also known as Technology Education or Design and Technology in other contexts) was only introduced for the first time...