"The purpose of the paper is to argue for the need to reconfigure the training of Bachelor of Education Degree student teachers as a strategy to empower them in dealing with the changed reality in secondary schools. The purpose is achieved by looking at the relevancy of the education or training offered to undergraduate teacher trainee students at universities in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa regarding learner behavioural problems being experienced in secondary schools. The paper was guided by a situated learning theory. The paper adopted a qualitative approach and a case study design. The study purposively selected 3 universities, 9 lecturers and 15 teacher trainees as participants. Data were collected through use of interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic frames were used to analyse data that were discussed concurrently with the findings. The study established a mismatch between how the teachers’ training and actual reality in schools as a challenge that needs to be addressed. The implication drawn is that failure to move with speed to reconfigure the training of initial teacher education increases frustration and tension between teachers and learners. The paper concludes that the current way of training of teachers lacks reality of how teacher trainees should deal with learner behavioural problems in schools. Universities should redesign an initial teacher education programme that capacitates teacher trainees to handle and speak to the current generation of secondary school learners."
In this study, we aimed to explore the extent of the digital divide at three quintile 1 secondary schools in Sedibeng West, Gauteng, South Africa. The rapid diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the education sector along with others in societies around the globe. Technology, and, in particular, the internet, has affected, for instance, the ways in which learners communicate with teachers, learn, and work. With the advent of the internet, teaching and learning is no longer confined to classrooms. However, the digital divide, exposed by the closing of schools because of Covid-19 has now become more apparent. We collected data from 48 teachers and 3 school principals through focus group discussions and in-depth face-to-face interviews, respectively. We conclude that the three schools whose principals we interviewed, suffer from the inadequacy of ICT that creates digital, information, and knowledge divides between schools of different quintiles. Furthermore, these schools cannot run online classes during school closures related to Covid-19. We recommend training teachers and learners on how to use technology in teaching and learning since this would help to overcome difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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