The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Prof Carisma Nel and Prof Elma Marais

of the Faculty of
Education at the North-West University and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the
Department of Higher Education and Training.

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1. Word of Welcome
Dear Student Teacher

Welcome to the TPED 376/377/378 module. This is your work-integrated learning module (i.e., the
teaching practicum). To complete TPED 376/377/378 successfully, it is compulsory to be placed at a
school and to complete and submit a portfolio of evidence. The practicum experiences enable you, as a
student teacher, to expand and demonstrate the knowledge, skill, and disposition necessary to support
the learning of all learners. The practicum presents a practical, real-world teaching experience in which
you can apply effective teaching practices. This experience is carried out under the close supervision of
a team of Teaching Practice specialists. At the university, you will work under the supervision of the
University Teaching Practice (TP) mentor from the Faculty of Education at the North-West University. At
the school, you will work under the supervision of the Trained School Mentor and/or the School Mentor
Teacher.

The Practicum Handbook for Student Teachers provides concise information that you will require to
complete your portfolio successfully. For a detailed outline of Work-Integrated Learning within the Faculty
of Education, you are required to read the Work-Integrated Learning Manual. We hope that you will find
the manual and handbook useful. Please note that this handbook contains the WIL requirements for
TPED 376/377/378. During the course of the year, you will be required to complete TWO school-based
teaching practicum sessions:

First teaching practicum session: 2 May – 26 May 2023

Second teaching practicum session: 18 July – 11 August 2023.

Kind regards

Work-integrated Learning Team

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2. Portfolio Assessment
The rating scale below is used to assess all embedded signature assessments that make up your
portfolio of evidence. The rating scale is also utilised by inservice teachers as part of the Quality
Management System (QMS); the appraisal system you will be required to comply with when appointed
as a registered teacher.

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 EMBEDDED SIGNATURE
ASSESSMENT 1
Professionalism

Observe the classroom routines for a few days and make notes
on the following aspects:
• How do learners respond in class? (E.g. raising hands,
give a signal or a sign?)
• How do learners enter and exit the classroom?
• How are tardiness and absences handled?
• How much can learners interact with one another?
• How is homework handled?
• How is missed work or make-up work handled?
• What happens when a rule is broken?

Do the following: Task

Classroom routines and
transitions
1. Discuss the matters you observed with your mentor teacher (remember
to take notes during this conversation).

2. Use the data from your observations and the notes from your
discussion with your mentor teacher to answer the following questions as
comprehensively as you can:

• Why are classroom routines important?

• What role does a teacher’s personality play in their routines?
• Do you think that the phase, learner’s age, number of students,
and the subject will influence a teacher’s decisions about the
routines they will follow in their classroom?
• Describe the class’ morning routine.
• What other routines are there in the class?
• How does the teacher manage transitions between periods
and the time before and after break times?
 • Describe the class’ end-of-day routine.

What to include in your portfolio:

• Comprehensive answers to the questions above on classroom

routines and transitions
Comprehensive answers to the questions above on classroom routines
and transitions.

COMPREHENSIVE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ABOVE ON CLASSROOM

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS.
 EMBEDDED SIGNATURE
ASSESSMENT 2
Lesson Design and Preparation

• Observe your mentor teacher’s method of planning.

• Schedule a discussion session with your mentor teacher and talk to
her about how she does planning, what resources she uses, factors
she takes into consideration when planning, and how she uses learner
assessments (e.g., worksheets, informal assessments, quizzes, etc.)
to inform her planning for future planning and instruction.
• Do weekly planning (i.e., one week) for:
• All subjects if placed in the Foundation Phase

OR
• Weekly planning for a Grade R programme (Foundation Phase)
OR
• Two subjects (Intermediate and Senior and FET Phase)
• This planning can be on your own (must be checked by your MT) or
co-planned with your MT.
• Use your lesson wheel/ generic NWU lesson plan and complete the
following sections of your lesson design for TWO subjects (two day
programmes if you are placed in a Grade R classroom within the
Foundation Phase):
• Context (Type of school, location, resources, etc.)
• Learners (Who are they? What are their strengths, needs,
interests, etc.)
• Aims/Objectives (Use CAPS to identify theme and topic,
Formulate the purpose of the lesson, Identify the Content;
Language skills to be taken into account)
• SMART task
• Assessment (Criteria for SMART task, Cognitive level, Purpose,
tool, method, instrument)
• Learning Activities
• Teaching Activities
• Two lesson plans total
• Write a critical reflection (2 pages) on what you have learnt about
lesson design and planning up to this point, considering that you have
 been participating in teaching practice for two semesters already.
Discuss specifically the progress from terms 1 and 2 to terms 3 and 4.

What to include in your Portfolio of Evidence

• A copy of your weekly planning for the phase in which you are
registered.
• Copy of your planning for your TWO lessons, only focussing on:
• Context (Type of school, location, resources, etc.)
• Learners (Who are they? What are their strengths, needs,
interests, etc.)
• Aims/Objectives (Use CAPS to identify theme and topic,
Formulate the purpose of the lesson, Identify the Content;
Language skills to be taken into account)
• SMART task / NWU generic lesson plan structure
• Assessment
• Learning activities
• Teaching activities
• Submit your critical reflection on lesson design and teaching practice
experience.
 EMBEDDED SIGNATURE
ASSESSMENT 3
Instruction
Do the following:

• Teach on your own or co-teach with your mentor (the mentor

teacher will inform you) for three consecutive lessons (i.e., for
the subject that you are placed for. See CAPS/ATP for sequence
of lessons) (Same activity as semester 1, for the third and fourth
term). Your mentor teacher will probably not allow you to teach
three full days on your own. Please note that the idea is that you
get experience to teach a particular subject on consecutive days,
for example if you did a maths lesson on Monday, you should
follow up with the maths on Tuesday and if possible, Wednesday
(or whichever day the next lesson may follow) so that you can
learn to adapt, adjust and revise as necessary based on how the
learners were responding, engaging and comprehending what was
being taught.

• Write a critical reflection on your co-teaching OR your teaching

alone, and how you experienced it; what worked well, what didn’t,
etc. Include the reflection on your mentor teacher’s feedback of
your lesson. The mentor teacher assessment is included for one of
the lessons you present – see mentor teacher report made
available as separate document on eFundi.
What to include in your Portfolio of Evidence

• The three lesson plans for the lessons that were presented. One of
the lessons may be from ESA1, but two unique lessons need to be
co-taught.
• A critical reflection on your teaching experience and what you
learnt from teaching for consecutive days. Include reflection on
your mentor teacher’s feedback.
 SUBMISSION LINK
___________________________________________________________________

DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2023

WORKBOOK LINK:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=8YZNsbqDE0unArXAIxuTN
5QhxmvXvkBMl6GslxHPCMRUM1ZEWkZYOUxFVTlTMzBEUTEyNlhXRlU2VC4u
TEACHING PRACTICE DOCUMENTS LINK:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=8YZNsbqDE0unArXAIxuTN
_Xi722CMMBBqoEodLiBV09UOElORzlWNE0wSjJGUlRRQVlRUFNFMDZQWS4u

DEADLINES:
The forms will open on the 11th of August and close on the 18th of August (midnight of
the 18th). No late submissions accepted.

RULES AND GUIDELINES:

For workbooks: A SINGLE FILE UPLOAD ONLY. See TPED eFundi page for videos
on how to combine files into single file.
No resubmission. The form will immediately indicate if your submission was
successful. It is cloud-based – immediate and secured.
Requests for resubmission will be denied. No additional opportunities as with the first
semester. No late submission will be accepted.
No workbooks will be accepted via email.
Use your student Microsoft Office 365 email and eFundi password to log in –
studentnumber@mynwu.ac.za.
DO NOT USE your Gmail accounts (@g.nwu) – IT WILL NOT WORK.
If your password does not work – contact eFundi/IT support services.
Try different browsers and devices if you fail to log in. If your login fails, it is most likely
due to YOUR browser being signed into a different account name already.