FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Assignment No 1

Name ELESTINA SHAMUDZARIRA

Programme BACHELOR OF EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

AND DEVELOPMENT

Module title & Code PARENTING

Tutor/Lecturer MS K.L MOUPO

Due Date 01/03/2019

Student no 01171898312

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Stakeholders in education should enforce all practicing teachers to undergo teaching practise
observation and training sessions so as to provide the students with an opportunity to apply
their theoretical knowledge and skills in practice and enable the student teacher to design,
carry out and evaluate the teaching methods of his/her own sector and to cooperate with other
parties and students relating to teaching practise. One of the aims is also that the student will
be able to understand his/her role in the larger whole of the profession and in the extended
operational environment of the school. An important goal is to learn how to develop and
advance one’s competence in development. The famous quote “practice makes perfect”
certainly contains a lot of truth. However, the opinions on what proportion of practice should
be involved in teacher preparation vary. Similarly, the extent of teaching practice experienced
by future teachers depends on particularities of individual education programmes.

Teachers’ beliefs, practices and attitudes are important for understanding and improving
educational processes. They are closely linked to teachers’ strategies for coping with
challenges in their daily professional life and to their general well-being, and they shape
students’ learning environment and influence student motivation and achievement.
Furthermore, they can be expected to mediate the effects of job-related policies such as
changes in curricula for teachers’ initial education or professional development on student
learning. Teaching practice so important for a student of an education programme or for any
future teacher regardless his or her professional background. The theoretical knowledge, high
level of professional mastery or scholarship does not necessarily mean that a person will
become a good and effective teacher. The essence of being an effective teacher lies in
knowing what to do to foster pupils´ learning and being able to do it says (Kyriacou, 2001, p.
1) Theoretical foundations for building teaching skills are provided in lectures and seminars
but the actual acquisition of the skills, with regard to their nature, should certainly be a matter
of methodically controlled practice and not of trial and error performance during teaching
itself. Kyriacou (2001) emphasizes three important elements of teaching skills knowledge,
decision-making, and action. But in his concept, knowledge is not restricted to theoretical
knowledge of the subject matter but it also comprises of knowledge about the pupils,
curriculum, teaching methods, the influence on teaching and learning of other factors, and
knowledge about the teacher’s own teaching skills. Acquisition of the skills is a process

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between knowing what to do and being able to do it. Controlled practice accompanied with
appropriate professional feedback can help get over difficulties and move towards mastery.

The extent, content, and benefit of teaching practice vary in dependence on a type of teacher
training programme. The aim of this practice is to confirm student’s motivation for the
studies and gain initial experience of school environment. Students acquaint themselves with
the life of the school and basic school documentation. They observe development of
cognitive processes of children, establish their teaching portfolio, and acquire direct
experience in cooperation with other teachers and school management. Teaching practice also
enables the student teacher to take active part in lesson planning and material preparation,
assistance to individual pupils, analysis of pedagogical experience. In initial stages of teacher
training, students benefit especially from observation. Observation of an experienced teacher
can stimulate your own ideas about your teaching. It may do this simply by acting as a model,
either good or bad, observation is stimulating because of the creative tension caused by trying
to match your own decision making about teaching with the decisions you infer your
colleague. Great teachers help create great students. In fact, research shows that an
inspiring and informed teacher is the most important school-related factor
influencing student achievement, so it is critical for stakeholders to pay close
attention to how they train and support new educators. The best teacher-preparation
programs emphasize subject-matter mastery and provide many opportunities for
student teachers to spend time in real classrooms under the supervision of an
experienced mentor. Just as professionals in medicine, architecture, and law have
opportunities to learn through examining case studies, learning best practices, and
participating in internships, exemplary teacher-preparation programs allow teacher
candidates the time to apply their learning of theory in the context of teaching in a
real classroom. Teacher training includes a student teaching (teaching practice) as part of
college coursework. The number of weeks for this training depends on school and state
requirements. Teaching practice follows the gradual release of responsibility (“You do, we
do, I do”) model with a trained mentor teacher supervisor. This also allows the student
teacher to experience all the responsibilities of being a teacher. Student teachers develop
lesson plans and a variety of assessments that measure student learning. Student teachers
correct homework, tests, and performance-based assessments. There may be different
opportunities for communicating with families to strengthen the school-home connection.
Placing the student teacher in the classroom allows for important hands-on training in

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classroom dynamics and classroom management. Another benefit of teaching practice or
observation session is the network of professionals that a teacher will meet during the
session. Student teaching offers an opportunity to gather recommendations from these
professionals for use in job applications. Many schools hire their student teachers, while
student teachers are not paid during the internship, the benefits of this hands-on training are
incalculable. The success of this kind of training lies in the program’s systematic procedures.
These must be a way to evaluate the readiness of teacher candidates to progress in the
program and to enter the teaching profession.

Many studies have described aspects of teaching practice which are related to effective
classroom learning and student outcomes (Brophy and Good, 1986; Wang, Haertel and
Walberg, 1993). Close monitoring, adequate pacing and classroom management as well as
clarity of presentation, well-structured lessons and informative and encouraging feedback
known as key aspects of direct instruction have generally been shown to have a positive
impact on student achievement. This is not enough, however; while the teacher provides
learning opportunities, these must be recognized and utilized by the student to be effective.
Motivation, goals and outcomes have to be taken into account as well. Therefore, the
framework of instructional quality is broader than the direct instruction described above. To
be a student teacher or to have practice teaching is an integral and important part of all
teacher training programs. It is a practical and hands-on type of work that will really prepare
and train would be teacher in the real battle field of teaching that is why it is highly valued
compared the other courses during the training of future teachers.

No evidence suggests that, by itself, possessing content knowledge is enough to be an

effective teacher.” (Berry, 2001 as cited by Kaplan & Owings, 2003, p. 9) Although the
proportion of practice differs and is subject of broad debate, it is still an essential part of
teacher preparation which should not be underestimated. It is a program where the
prospective teacher will obtain exposure and firsthand experience in all aspects of teaching. It
is in the student teaching where they will be challenged in knowing themselves better in
understanding the nature and aspirations of their students, an acquiring the basic teaching
skills in making a critical analysis of the various problems related in teaching, in keeping
themselves abreast current trends and practices in their field of specialization, and many
others.

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REFERENCES

1. Bailey, K.M. (2006) language teacher supervision. A case-based approach. New York
Cambridge press

2. Böhmová, K. (2008, May 19). Novela zákona prinasi zlepšení postavení

pedagogických pracovníků. Retrived March 18, 2009 from the Ministry of Education,
Youth and Sports

3. Donaldson, S. I., Ensher, E. A., & Grant-Vallone, E. J. (2000). Longitudinal

examination of mentoring relationships on organizational commitment and citizenship
behavior. Journal of Career Development, 26, 233 – 249.

4. Kaplan, L. S., & Owings, W. A. (2003). Teacher Quality, Teaching Quality and
School Improvement. Bloomington: Phi Delta Kappa Intl Inc

5. Kyriacou, Ch. (2001). Essential teaching skills (2nd ed.). Cheltenham: Nelson
Thornes.

6. Miettinen, R. (2000) The concept of experiential learning and John Dewey’s theory of
reflective thought and action. International Journal of Lifelong Education, Volume
19(1), p. 54-72

7. Wai-Packard, B. Definition of mentoring. Retrieved March 11, 2009, from American

Association for the Advancement of Science Web site,

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