Creating Educational Foundations in Developing Countries: Knowledge Challenges for the Tertiary Education of Secondary S
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Creating Educational Foundations in Developing Countries: Knowledge Challenges for the Tertiary Education of Secondary School Teachers in Malawi Dixie Maluwa-Banda and Samson MacJessie-Mbewe Chancellor College, University of Malawi, PO Box 280, Zomba, Malawi. E-mail: [email protected]
Teacher education is an essential part of the teacher development process that deals with the art of acquiring knowledge, attitudes, and skills for the teaching profession. This paper discusses the creation of an educational foundations (EDF) knowledge base and the challenges for the tertiary education of secondary school teachers, using the University of Malawi’s Faculty of Education as a case study. The University’s EDF courses are broadly conceived fields of study, the content of which is drawn from various academic social science disciplines. Challenges include a heavy reliance on cross-cultural borrowing, a lack of indigenous textbooks, and inappropriate teaching and learning strategies in the delivery of course content. In order to address these issues, the authors propose the following measures: a comprehensive curriculum review, the strengthening of information technology resources, and the establishment of professional associations that can network throughout the South African Development Community and African Union regions. Higher Education Policy (2005) 18, 257–263. doi:10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300087 Keywords: education; foundations; knowledge; teacher education; curriculum review; networking
Introduction Teacher development is a process that deals with the art of acquiring and enhancing knowledge, and cultivating the appropriate attitudes and skills for learning and teaching in a professional manner. Different training and support is needed at different points on the development continuum. The education that teachers receive has the potential to make a difference to students’ learning and therefore warrants careful attention (Shulman, 1987). In Malawi, prospective secondary school teachers in all tertiary training institutions receive three main streams of input: educational foundations (EDF), methodological studies, and the academic content for their specialized teaching areas (Maluwa-Banda, 2004).
Dixie Maluwa-Banda and Samson MacJessie-Mbewe Educational Foundations in Malawi
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The purpose of this article is to discuss the creation of an EDF knowledge base and the challenges for the tertiary education of secondary school teachers in Malawi (a developing country in Africa), using the University of Malawi’s Faculty of Education as a case study. The article is divided into three sections. The first section foregrounds the article and presents the ethos behind the EDF courses that form part of teacher training at the University of Malawi. The second section examines critical challenges to the successful transfer of the knowledge content of the EDF courses. The last section concludes with some recommendations.
The University of Malawi and Teacher Training The University of Malawi was established in 1964. Chancellor
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