Education, Training and Development - Schooling
This Advanced Certificate is primarily vocationally-oriented and focused to equip teachers with understanding of general educational principles as well as focused knowledge and skills for teaching in the Senior Phase. In general, an Advanced Certificate will enable teachers to develop a sound knowledge base for teaching a particular subject and/or phase, as well as develop the ability to apply their knowledge and skills to classroom teaching, while equipping them to undertake more specialised and intensive learning. The Advanced Certificate will enable teachers to develop pedagogical learning and situational learning as well as specialised disciplinary, pedagogical and practical learning. In addition, all teachers are expected to be Information and Communications Technology (ICT) competent. Teachers who enter into the programme without ICT competence will be required to take an additional 12 Credits at Level 5, so as to develop this competence. Lastly, all graduates of this qualification will be equipped with knowledge about inclusive education and provided with the skills to identify and address barriers to learning, as well as with knowledge in curriculum differentiation to address the needs of individual learners within a grade.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) expects practising teachers to focus on both personal and professional development throughout their careers, and to enhance their teaching practices continuously in order to provide quality education to all learners. Yet, according to the DBE, it has been found that a large number of currently practising teachers have insufficient subject knowledge and insufficient pedagogical skill while others have lost interest in the subjects they are currently teaching and would prefer to teach a different subject or a different school phase. The Advanced Certificate is available as a qualification for the retraining of professionally qualified teachers to teach in a different phase and/or subjects. In specific approved cases, the Advanced Certificate can also be used to develop new role specialisations for teachers where it is necessary for learning to begin at Level 6. The Advanced Certificate in Senior Phase Teaching will offer teachers opportunities for Continuous Professional Development (CPD), enable teachers to deepen and broaden their subject knowledge and improve their current teaching skills and qualifications. It also offers teachers the opportunity to be retrained to teach a new subject or in a new school phase, giving new impetus to their teaching careers. Finally, the Advanced Certificate with its specific vocational focus adheres to market-related requirements and will be offered via the open distance learning mode of delivery. This qualification will satisfy the need of the country for more Senior Phase teachers who will be better qualified and motivated.
This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.