Training Grade R teachers to impart visual perceptual skills for early reading
20 Jul 2016Visual Perception is the mind?s ability to interpret or give meaning to what is seen with the eyes (WCED 2006). Grade Reception Phase (R) teachers, of five and six year-old learners, need to impart Visual Perceptual Skills (VPS) during visual training for pre-reading. These prereading activities in Grade R support early reading progress in Grade 1, which is critical for improving basic literacy and numeracy education in South Africa. A quality Grade R programme which can deliver these visual training outcomes depends on a progressive model for effective pre- and in-service professional development of teachers. A model implemented via academic-governmental collaboration. This article seeks to describe and recommend best practices of such professional development. The recommendations are based on an overview of the current Grade R professional development landscape, a brief exposition of the Subject Content Knowledge (SCK) of VPS, a document analysis of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum and, finally, a case study with a discourse analysis involving four Grade R teachers.
| Authors: | Andrich, Christelle, Hill, Margaret A, Steenkamp, Andre |
| Institution: | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
| Keywords: | Website usability, Search engine optimisation, Spamdexing, Teaching writing, Farm schools, Literacy, South Africa, Grade R, Literacy, Teachers' professional development, Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), Visual Perceptual Skills (VPS), South Africa, Teachers, Emerging adults, Help negation behaviour, Student, University, Decolonisation, Transformation, Empowerment, Sustainable education, Sustainable physical sciences learning environments, Meaningful learning, Functional learning, Critical cross-field outcomes, Service-learning projects, Descriptive feedback, Auditing, Critical accounting research, Participatory action research, Education for sustainable development, Green chemistry, Environmental chemistry, Place-based pedagogy, Internet use, Problematic internet use, Internet addiction, Student, Young adult, Tertiary institution, Student support services, Website usability, Search engine optimisation, Spamdexing, Teaching writing, Farm schools, Literacy, South Africa, Grade R, Literacy, Teachers' professional development, Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), Visual Perceptual Skills (VPS), South Africa, Teachers |