A Critical Review on Whether the Use of a Teaching Practicum Observation Form Promotes Learner-Centred Approaches: A Case of Mzuzu University Teaching Practicum

Abstract

The study argues that student-teachers on teaching practicum (TP) find it hard to implement learner-centred activities through the challenges of some written remarks (comments) by supervisors on the observation form (tool). In addition the assessment (score) as shown on the observation form correlates with learner-centred activities as well. This study wanted to establish whether the observation form matches well with activities of PDSI-ASEI using this as an indicator of learner-centred strategy. A random sample of 50 observation forms were used to find out the supervisors' remarks and an observation of 35 lessons during the third and second visits to schools using a check list of items containing some ratings as very often, often, rarely and never. In addition, a semi-structure interview followed using the same student-teacher. The study has shown that supervisors remarks contribute to student-teachers challenges in implementing learner-centred citing that the remarks are brief and their meanings could not be established. In some cases, the supervisors' remarks are not expressed very well for the student-teacher to comprehend elements of learner-centred. However, some students do value these remarks and take them to incorporate in their practices while others disregard such remarks based on the way how supervisors have framed them. Further the study reveals that the observation form and activities of PDSI-ASEI model agrees on several items except very few of them requiring a review of the tool.