A professional development programme for grade R teachers : a focus on phonological awareness

Abstract

Professional development is considered an essential mechanism for deepening teachers' content knowledge and developing their teaching practices. As a result, professional development could be a cornerstone of systemic reform efforts designed to increase teachers' capacity to teach to high standards. Professional development refers to those programmes, activities and experiences where teachers review, renew and change their attitudes, skills and knowledge. However, most professional development programmes currently available to teachers, still consist of the one-shot workshop model for professional development. This is in contrast to what is suggested by research-based literature. According to the literature, effective professional development programmes make provision in their design for the following aspects, namely: the participants in the programme (the "who"), the relevant knowledge and skills taught during the programme (the "what"), and lastly the models and techniques that will be utilised during the programme (the "how"). Addressing these aspects in professional development programmes ensures that the attitude, motivation and context of the participants are taken into account. Furthermore, that the content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and learner knowledge of teachers are taught through the best interactive and integrated activities as part of effective professional development models and techniques, that are on-going over time and provide follow-up support. To affect change in the participants' attitude, skills, knowledge and practice, which is the aim of any professional development programmes, it is important that these aspects are addressed. Significant research and professional development efforts during the past several decades have focused on increasing scholarly and pedagogical knowledge about the nature and relevance of phonological awareness for children's early literacy development (e.g. , National Reading Panel, 2000; Lenigan, Burgess, Anthony & Baker, 1998). Despite these concerted efforts, many early childhood educators, particularly those providing child care and preschool education, are lacking in a sophisticated understanding of phonological awareness and of how to promote its development appropriately in young children (Dickinson & Brady, 2005; Moats & Foorman, 2003; Zill & Resnick, 2006). As a result, opportunities are missed for supporting the emergent literacy development of many children, particularly those from backgrounds that make them at risk for reading difficulties. In order to teach phonological awareness skills effectively within the Grade R classroom, it is essential that the Grade R teachers have the relevant content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and learner knowledge to teach phonological awareness skills daily, explicitly and systematically in small groups. This study analysed Grade R teachers' content knowledge and teaching practices relating to phonological awareness, as well as the "who", the "what" and the "how" of professional development programmes currently available to Grade R teachers within the Sunshine District in the North West Province. The results revealed striking gaps in the content knowledge relating to phonological awareness of the participating Grade R teachers and that phonological awareness skills are taught haphazardly within the relevant Grade R classrooms. The results further reflected that the professional development programmes available to the participating teachers are lacking in aspects such as providing follow-up support, encouraging collaboration, being on-going over time and taking the context of the participants into account