Speaker
Please indicate whether<br>this abstract may be<br>published online<br>(Yes / No)
yes
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?
yes
Abstract content <br> (Max 300 words)<br><a href="http://events.saip.org.za/getFile.py/access?resId=0&materialId=0&confId=34" target="_blank">Formatting &<br>Special chars</a>
Since the mid-nineties South African schools have been in a state of education reform. At the centre of the reform was the establishment of the comprehensive curriculum project named Curriculum 2005. Deficiencies associated with the Curriculum 2005 resulted in the promulgation of the National Curriculum Statement in 2008. Curriculum reform as required by the National Curriculum Statement for Grade 10-12 physical sciences teachers implied that teachers have a deep understanding of the highly structured content knowledge as well as the pedagogical content knowledge to transform the content for effective teaching. However, every research has indicated that teachers found the curriculum challenging and that they were concerned that they did not have the necessary skills to deal with the content. The South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) in its draft document “Strategic Plan on the enhancement of Physics Training in South Africa” recommends that Physics Departments at South African Universities play a more active role in teacher training. This paper reports on the University of the Western Cape Physics Department Physics for teachers’ program to help address the curriculum challenges teachers face in terms of content and pedagogical content knowledge. An overview of the program as well as teachers' experiences of the program will be presented and discussed.
Level for award<br> (Hons, MSc, <br> PhD, N/A)?
no
Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> award (Yes / No)?
no
