Introduction

Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG) as the Provincial Teacher Development Institute (PTDI) has a mandate from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to provide capability building programmes and projects. The groups targeted for training include:

• Teachers and Teacher Aides
• Head Office and District Officials
• School Management Teams (SMTs)
• School Governing Bodies (SGBs)
• School – Based ICT Committees
• Representative Council for Learners (RCLs)

Parents In 2014 the province embarked on a project to introduce technology in the classroom. In the 21st century it is expected that South African teachers begin to enhance and extend their existing classroom practices by making use of ICT. This will enable them to make teaching more vibrant and learning more interesting. It will also enable learners to compete in the international arena because modern societies expect them to be able to think critically, solve problems and be creative. While the achievement of this expectation rests, first and foremost, upon the development of a highly qualified and committed teaching corpse (Darling-Hammond, 1995), Subject Advisors are versed with the responsibility of guiding this process. The expectation therefore is that the knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitments of Subject Advisors in this project that can assist and support teachers to shape and inform what is possible for the future generation of learners

Overview

The programme aims at capacitating Subject Advisors to drive and support curriculum delivery through technology-based teaching in the classroom. In other words, their knowledge and role in the curriculum interpretation, delivery and assessment is the basis on which the technology must be utilised in supporting what happens in the classroom. Without this fundamental understanding, the use of digital technology in particular will remain trivial to the successful implementation of the curriculum. It is therefore important that Subject Advisors are well grounded in their understandings of their subjects in the context of the curriculum and how best they can be delivered in any learning context. Schulman (1986) describes theses understandings or knowledge domains as Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). This programme aims at orienting and endorsing what Subject Advisors should do to perform their duties as curriculum specialists in this new digital space.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Clearly understand what role the curriculum specialist / subject advisor plays in the context of ICT
• As a subject specialist, be able to provide the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required to operate in a digital environment
• Provide guidance on how best to support teachers in their delivery of the curriculum using ICT.