Call for submission for a special issue: Volume 6
Editors of the special issue
Prof Jessica Norah Aguti, Busitema University, Kampala, Uganda https://people.busitema.ac.ug/staff/academic-staff/jessica-norah-aguti
Dr Tony Lelliott, South African Institute for Distance Education, Saide
Dr Samuel Siminyu, Makerere University, Kamapala
https://cees.mak.ac.ug/personnel/samuel-ndeda-siminyu/
Proposed topic: A paradigm shift towards innovative, resilient and transformative teacher education
As far back as 2010, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) identified the crucial role that teacher education plays in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (UNESCO, 2010). Over the past decade, the need for sufficient, well-trained teachers has become even more imperative, especially in the light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and other global socioeconomic disruptors like climate change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Davis, 2016). Innovation is a very important trait that newly trained pre-service teachers and current in-service teachers need. The conditions in which educators at elementary, secondary, tertiary and professional training levels teach, especially on the African continent, are not always ideal – in fact, they are often very challenging. Teachers therefore need to be innovative so that they can find ways to ensure that their students can learn as effectively as possible. This calls for a paradigm shift in teacher education. Teacher educators therefore need to promote the concept of resilience in their students so that they can thrive in any given context. Young people in the 21st century need new skills to ensure that they can succeed in their lives and occupations. Teacher education therefore needs to be transformative to ensure that students have acquired skills as critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. To be successful within teacher education, innovation, resilience and transformation require a paradigm shift in teacher educators’ thinking. These educators need to replace their usual way of thinking with a new and different way of thinking to ensure that teacher education can truly excel over the next decades. It takes future-ready teachers to train future-ready, lifelong learners, who are equipped with 21st-century skills and are prepared to survive and thrive by localising lessons from global human experiences.
Sub-themes
- Transformative innovations in teacher education: The new normal with regard to what it takes to produce resilient teachers; the lasting benefits of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher education in Africa; transformative pedagogy for the teacher educator; and innovative approaches to assessment for distance learning.
- Learner support in distance teacher education with regard to promoting collaborative learning; feedback strategies for online teacher education; and maintaining teaching and social presences in online environments.
- Management, administration and quality assurance in distance teacher education with regard to continuous teacher professional development; assuring quality in curriculum development and pedagogy; managing quality in distance teacher education; the 21st-century teacher trainer; and re-tooling in-service teachers.
- Technology in distance teacher education with regard to technology trends in distance teacher education (including Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality); innovative instructional design for teacher education; using technology to promote access, affordability and inclusivity; technology-enhanced learner support; using open educational resources (OER) in teacher education and development; and the future of online and blended learning in teacher education.
Types of manuscripts sought
The Special Issue seeks contributions that are stimulating, address challenging difficulties and possible solutions, and are well researched, showcasing innovative teaching and learning practices with evidence of results (e.g. preliminary). It is also interested in articles that focus on moving from practice to theory – a gap in the field of distance education.
Proposal for manuscripts
Send a proposal for a manuscript to tetflemanager@up.ac.za
The proposal should include:
- The title
- A brief abstract (maximum word count of 300 words, including between four and six keywords): The abstract should focus on the main content of the research (rationale, conceptual or theoretical framework, design and methodology, findings and conclusion). Authors are also requested to visit the TETFLE website for examples of article abstracts.
- The author’s name(s), affiliation(s) and contact details
Manuscript submission instructions
If an abstract is accepted, manuscripts for this Special Issue must be submitted through the TETFLE online submission system.
When submitting a manuscript, please include a note in the ‘Comments’ field that you wish it to be considered for the Special Issue of TETFLE on “A paradigm shift towards innovative, resilient and transformative teacher education”.
Carefully review the Author Guidelines and Submission Preparation Checklist and prepare your manuscript accordingly.
Information about the peer review process and criteria is also available at https://upjournals.up.ac.za/index.php/tetfle/peer-review-process.
The applicable Publication Fee can also be found here https://upjournals.up.ac.za/index.php/tetfle/publication-fee
Planned publication date
Timeline:
Submission of abstracts call
15 June 2023
Closing date of abstract submission
15 September 2023
Feedback on submitted abstracts
Latest 30 September 2023
Manuscript submission closing date
15 February 2024
Accepted manuscripts will be published
July 2024
Additional information
This call for papers is also open to presenters of papers at the 2023 DETA Conference that will be hosted by the University of Pretoria in conjunction with Saide (https://www.saide.org.za/), Makerere University and Busitema University, Uganda. Articles should pertain to the conference theme, “A paradigm shift towards innovative, resilient and transformative teacher education” and the subthemes (https://www.up.ac.za/cf-deta2023/article/3099975/theme-and-sub-theme), as well as to the focus of the journal. Details can be accessed on the journal website (https://upjournals.up.ac.za/index.php/tetfle/index).
References
Davis, N. (2016, January 19). What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution? World Economic Forum. https://alejandroarbelaez.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-is-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-WEF.pdf.
UNESCO (2010). The central role of education in the Millennium Development Goals. Paris. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
