Conceptualising a framework for digitally transforming teacher education in the South African context

Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic may have been subdued, online learning has come to stay not only because of
its numerous advantages but because the digitised global trend continues to unravel. This necessitated a project
aimed at understanding how a School of Education (SoE) in South Africa prepares future teachers for the
digitised classroom. Since then, diverse aspects of the digital pedagogical practices in the Bachelor of Education
programme have been investigated including the digital curricular readiness of the SoE, its e-textbook
capabilities, and academics’ and students’ experiences of digital pedagogy. In this paper, we draw from these
empirical findings to conceptualise a framework for shaping educational futures. We employ the Technological,
Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge and Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition models
to explain the requirements for the digital transformation of teacher education in South Africa. We used a
qualitative case study research design to conceptualise an Active Digital Pedagogies framework that academics
can employ to develop student teachers for the future workplace. The framework contributes access to quality
education for all by guiding policy directions at classroom, institutional, and national higher education system
levels.