IMPROVING COURSEWORK AND PRACTICUM FOR A BETTER INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA

  • Peter Chomba Manchishi, Prof. Department of Languages and Social Science Education in the School of Education, University of Zambia
  • Madalitso K. Banja, Dr Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education, University of Zambia
Keywords: Initial Teacher Education, Mentor, Teacher Education, Teacher Training, Student Teachers, Practicum

Abstract

The article aims at proposing the improvement of initial teacher education in Africa. The authors used desk research to put together the arguments contained in this article. The main proposals of the chapter are two-fold. Firstly, the article proposes expansion of the teacher education coursework to include action research, African knowledge systems and intercultural education. Secondly, the article proposes a versatile practicum for initial teacher education. The practicum must be used for assessment and for professional development and teaching purposes. This chapter concludes that to produce the teacher of the 21st century, teacher preparation programmes must focus on active intellectual engagement by which teachers are equipped with requisite professional knowledge and skills. This agrees with the constructivist teaching/learning theory and participatory teaching methods, which advocate for active participation by students in the learning process. In this theory, learners are supposed to take charge of their learning through inquiry or discovery. To concretise this knowledge and skills acquisition through the practicum, the authors recommend for Zambia and indeed Africa, the school-based model. This preference for the school-based model is anchored on the fact that it is a much better model because, by attaching students to schools right from the first year of the programme, they will have adequate time for combining theory and practice and for developing correct professional dispositions.

Author Biographies

Peter Chomba Manchishi, Prof., Department of Languages and Social Science Education in the School of Education, University of Zambia
Peter C. Manchishi is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Zambia where he has been teaching French Teaching Methods, Assessment in Language Teaching and Educational Research Methods since 1994 when he joined the University of Zambia. His research interests are in teacher and foreign language education. He has published several books, book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals. His recent publication was a co-authored article titled ‘Instructional Strategies used by Teachers in Multilingual Classes to Help Non-speakers of the Language of Instruction Learn Initial Reading Skills in Zambia,’ in the International Multilingual Research Journal-Routledge.
Madalitso K. Banja, Dr, Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education, University of Zambia
Madalitso Khulupilika Banja is a Senior Lecturer and Teacher Educator at the University of Zambia, in the Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology of Education from the University of Zambia. Banja’s recent publication is: Support Systems for Newly Qualified Teachers in Africa: Policies, Practices, Challenges and Future Trends (2022) In addition, Banja has written several other books, chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Published
2024-01-11
How to Cite
Manchishi, P., & Banja, M. (2024). IMPROVING COURSEWORK AND PRACTICUM FOR A BETTER INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA. ZANGO: Zambian Journal of Contemporary Issues, 37(2), 20-34. Retrieved from https://library.unza.zm/index.php/ZJOCI/article/view/1143