How district teacher development centres support teachers’ learning: Case studies in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

This research is based on case studies of seven district teacher development centres (DTDCs) in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The paper describes the perceptions of selected teachers regarding their professional learning and development experiences at these centres. The purpose of the study was to determine the role the centres play in supporting teachers’ learning and development as stipulated in South African government policy. The study employed a qualitative research approach in which semi-structured interviews, observation, document analysis and field notes were used to generate data from six centre managers, two librarians, two ICT specialists and 46 teachers at the centres. Findings from the study indicated that the DTDCs create an ideal opportunity for teachers’ professional learning with the presence of space, computer and science laboratories and libraries. However, the study noted that teachers seldom used these resources and used the centres mainly for professional development activities such as workshops and meetings.  Our analysis concludes that at present, the centres are not supporting the full vision of the policy, and the potential of DTDCs to enhance teacher learning and development remains largely untapped.