South Africa and Namibia, two countries building young democracies, face the task of transforming their public education systems to support the values articulated in their new constitutions. This article describes a project designed to incorporate these values into schools. A group of 50 Namibian teachers, who were enrolled in the author's…

A large-scale, school-based inservice project was mounted to improve the language skills of elementary school teachers in Soweto, South Africa, who were to begin using English as the language of instruction. Methods used to train the teachers, teachers' attitudes toward the project, and the project's effects on children are discussed. (PP)

Traces the lifecycle of the Primary Science Programme (PSP), 1983-99, a representative South African nongovernmental organization. Shows how the social and economic environment shaped PSP development and demise. Highlights tensions between quality versus quantity, subject versus holistic focus, and participatory versus authoritarian management…

Describes the development of a computer-based interactive videodisc (CBIVD) that was used to present inservice education to high school math teachers in South Africa. The role of the instructor during inservice classes is emphasized, courseware is described, and results of formative evaluation are discussed. (11 references) (LRW)

Describes the work of PETRA (Primary Teaching in Rural Areas), an aid-funded project that was set up to improve the standards of English language teaching in black primary schools in rural areas in South Africa. Focuses on the first phase of the project, during which teachers attended an inservice training course leading to an externally-validated…

This article arises from a broader study that investigates mathematics teacher learning in relation to teachers' participation in a two-year In-Service Education and Training (INSET) programme, structured to enhance participation in a community of practice, in the context of current South African curriculum change. The broader study focused on…

This global literature review examines 47 refereed journal articles dealing with the initial and ongoing professional development of teachers during 1987-1997. Professional development is defined as a self-actualized, self-motivated, proactive approach to teacher education that centers on the growth of teachers in affective, collaborative, and…

This article reviews the impact of broader policy change and practices on in-service teacher education (INSET) in the Limpopo province. The author argues that name changes from INSET to staff development to continuous teacher professional development or continuous professional development to capacity building and training tend to generalise…

This paper surveys the past, present and future of teacher training in South Africa, in the context of the educational and societal reconstruction of South Africa. Before the twentieth century the bulk of the country's teachers were imported from Europe. In the twentieth century first a teacher-pupil system, then a system of teachers' training…

The challenges to teacher educators in sub-Saharan Africa are acute. This paper describes how the Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) consortium is working within institutional and national policy systems to support school-based teacher professional development. The TESSA consortium (13 African institutions and 5 international…

This booklet contains the materials required to conduct a 2-day popular education workshop to teach community educators ways of overcoming the racial, educational and cultural, and language and literacy barriers to active participation in adult education that are commonly faced by Black adults in South Africa. Presented first is background…

Ethnographic study describes the professional development of seven unlicensed or nonqualified teachers involved in a community teacher education project in two informal settlement community schools near Johannesburg, South Africa. Data from observations and interviews highlight the teachers' initiative in pursuing their own professional…

This publication, designed for a worldwide readership, contains articles, notes, and book reviews pertaining to educational theories and practices. While the body of the articles are in English, overviews are given in German and French. French and German books are reviewed in their native language; English and other language books are reviewed in…

An analysis of the quality of South Africa's distance education for inservice teachers examines curricula dealing with educational theory, noting the narrow view of education theory generally presented. Interviews, course analysis, and data from the South African Institute for Distance Education indicate that the programs do not consider the…

Fifteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented on professional education and practical training. They include: "Essential and Professional Education of Physics Teachers in Poland" (Kazimierz A. Badziag); "Vocational Teaching at a Distance: The New Zealand Perspective" (Dave…