Qualification Overview

Purpose:

The purpose of this qualification is to provide graduates with a well-rounded education that will enable them to become academically and professionally qualified beginner teachers in the Intermediate Phase. The Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase Teaching Degree aims to equip teachers with the following skills and competencies:

• Acquiring an integrated knowledge base.
• Demonstrating applied competence, commitment, and responsibility as teachers.
• Understanding subject/discipline knowledge.
• Applying pedagogical content knowledge.
• Developing self-reflexivity and self-understanding for professional work ethics.
• Being active citizens who can respond to and initiate change.
• Organising learning for diverse learners in diverse contexts.

Upon completion, teachers will be able to:

• Manage and administer learning environments effectively.
• Support learners in sensitive, stimulating, democratic, and well-organised ways.
• Create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the Intermediate Phase classroom.
• Select, use, and adjust teaching and learning strategies to meet the needs of specific target groups and contexts.
• Utilise teaching and learning understanding for critical discussion, analysis, and reflection on classroom practice.
• Monitor and assess learner progress and achievement in the Intermediate Phase.

Rationale:

The redesign of the initial teacher education qualifications was necessitated by the implementation of the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) in January 2009 and the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (15 July 2011). This redesign aimed to incorporate the competencies expected of newly qualified teachers.

The Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (2011) mandated the redesign of these qualifications to go beyond a compliance-driven curriculum implementation to focus on producing professional teachers capable of interpreting, designing, and implementing curricula.

The goal is to redesign initial teacher education qualifications to address the complexities of education in South Africa within a theoretical framework and a curriculum perspective. Graduates will be eligible to register with The South African Council for Educators (SACE) to enter the teaching profession in South Africa.