Classroom readiness of open and distance learning student teachers: can they step out "in style"?

Abstract

I believe that tuition, community engagement and research complement one another, and that is why my research is motivated by observing communities of practice. I agree with authors like Vygotsky, Grundy and Killen, who acknowledge both intended and unintended learning, and who view a curriculum as a social construct. It is all about context. A combination of training and practical experience led to my intense interest in how open and distance learning (known as ODL) student teachers experience their studies. I was specifically interested in the challenges that confront them – what these are, how students attempt to deal with them and how lecturers can support them in dealing with these challenges. My school visits, including personal observations, student enquiries and assessment of student teachers in the classroom, all led me to my niche area, namely, teacher training in an ODL community of practice. The objective of my research is to recommend changes to the teaching approaches that are used in an ODL environment and to do this using a community of practice by means of which students’ voices, needs and experiences can be revealed.