Wits School of Education

Master of Education (M Ed)

(By Coursework and Research Report)

Programme Information
2024

University of the Witwatersrand

Johannesburg
Dear Prospective Student
Welcome to the Wits School of Education

A Master of Education degree opens opportunities for career development,

professional renewal and research in a range of related fields. Education is a
rich, interdisciplinary field that covers school teaching and much more. Current
students and recent graduates include policy analysts, school principals,
fieldworkers in democracy and human rights education, skills development
facilitators and workplace trainers, youth workers, teacher educators, learning
support specialists, curriculum designers, university lecturers, ministers of
religion, journalists with an interest in education, and officials from both
national and provincial education departments.

For the M Ed in coursework (CW) and research report (RR), students select
three courses, of which two are normally selected from the ‘package’ most
closely related to their likely area of research. The third course may be selected
from another package in the School of Education or, subject to approval, from
those offered by other schools in the Faculty of Humanities or in Science
Education. In addition, a course in research design prepares participants for the
research report. The RR comprises half the requirements for the degree.

Students with previous research experience may apply for admission to the MEd
by Dissertation. Candidates for this research Masters Degree may be required to
take one or two courses to deepen their theoretical grounding in their selected
field of research. For more information about MEd by Dissertation, please
contact the coordinator, Dr Preya Pillay, at preya.pillay@wits.ac.za

We look forward to collaborating with you in furthering your studies and

enhancing your professional practice.

Dr P Ramsarup
Masters Programme Coordinator
Thembalethu Building
Tel: 011-717-3076
Presha.ramsarup@wits.ac.za

2
Contents
MEd APPLICATION PROCEDURES ........................................................ 5
M ED REGISTRATION AND M ED PACKAGES .................................... 6
M ED CO-ORDINATOR ............................................................................. 8
ADMINISTRATOR ..................................................................................... 8
PACKAGE CO-ORDINATORS .................................................................. 9
FACILITIES FOR POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS ..................................... 15
COURSE SCHEDULE............................................................................. 19
M ED COURSES (SCHOOL OF EDUCATION) ...................................... 21
COMPULSORY COURSES ...................................................................... 21
M ED OPTIONAL COURSES ACCORDING TO PACKAGES............... 25
APPLIED LANGUAGE AND LITERACY EDUCATION ...................... 25
CURRICULUM STUDIES ........................................................................ 26
CURRICULUM STUDIES: TERTIARY TEACHING ............................. 31
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, POLICY AND SKILLS ...................... 33
EDUC7099: MANAGING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE .......................... 35
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY............................................................ 35
EDUCATION AND WORK ...................................................................... 38
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION ....................................................................... 40
MARANG CENTRE FOR MATHS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
RESEARCH ............................................................................................... 44
SCIENCE EDUCATION STREAM ............................................................. 45
B ED (HONS) MODULES......................................................................... 47
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND OTHER ARRANGEMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF M ED BY COURSEWORK (CW) AND
RESEARCH REPORT (RR) ...................................................................... 48
PROCEDURES RELEVANT TO THE MEd RESEARCH PROPOSAL
.......................................................................................................... 52
POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION AND SUPERVISOR/STUDENT
RELATIONSHIP........................................................................................ 54
PROCEDURES RELEVANT TO M ED RESEARCH REPORT ............. 60
TERM DATES for WSoE ........................................................................ 61

3
PURPOSE OF THIS BOOKLET
This booklet aims to help applicants for the degree of M Ed by
coursework and research report to gain an understanding of the M Ed
courses offered and some key administrative aspects of the degree.

The purpose of this booklet is to provide Masters’ Applicants with

information about academic opportunities at the Wits School of
Education. Applicants are requested to consider carefully which packages
and courses they wish to choose for their M Ed. This isimportant because,
at M Ed level, students should develop a commitment to a particular
academic direction/specialisation, as this commitment affects the kind of
research that students will undertake in the sphere of education, and the
contribution or knowledge attached to making a new contribution in their
workplace or future area of work.

MEd APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Students who apply must have an average of 65% in their previous

academic qualifications. They need to fill in an online application
form and attach the requested documents (including a copy of their
Honours research project or another piece of research writing) and,
in some cases, will be required to come for an interview to discuss the
expectations of the course and the applicant. Some applicants may be
required to write an assessment that gauges their level of academic
understanding and writing. The date and time of the
interview/assessment will be communicated to applicants.

Students who can demonstrate prior learning (Recognition of Prior

Learning (RPL) may apply as special applicants, and students who
are deemed to have an insufficient academic background in the study
of education may be asked to complete concurrently two theory
modules from the Honours programme. Such students will be
informed that registration is subject to compliance with thiscondition
of acceptance.
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M ED REGISTRATION AND M ED PACKAGES

The Master of Education by course work and research report is composed

of coursework and a research report, both of which carry equal weight.

The coursework part of the degree requires the successful completion of

three electives and the Research design course, with an average mark
of 60% to proceed with the research report. Research Design is presented
twice annually. The first offering is during the first semester and is open
to all registered full-time students. The second offering is for part-time
students and takes place in the second semester. Note that attendance is
mandatory for these courses.

The research part of the degree requires the successful completion of a

comparatively small-scale research project and the presentation of a
research report. The usual expectation is that the Research Report will
be within the general domain of the coursework/package chosen, and
there is room for students to conduct research in an area of specialised
interest (e.g. curriculum studies, educational technology, etc.)
At the M Ed level, students should develop a line of specialisation, and
therefore a certain combination of courses will be recommended by the
appropriate package coordinator, as indicated in the groupings of courses
in a later part of this booklet. Although combinations other than these are
possible, depending on the student’s background and interests, students
should locate themselves in one area of specialisation or package. In
practice, this means that, in the first semester of the year, a student should
enrol for a course which is core to the package chosen. Thereafter, the
student continues to study at least one course in that package and can elect
to choose a third course outside the package, usually in the second
semester of the year.

Students may, in certain cases, change their initial choice of courses in

consultation with the M Ed package coordinator. The final choice of
course options should be made and signed by the overall M Ed

5
programme coordinator by the time of registration. Should a student
wish, with the advice of the relevant lecturers, to change his/her choice
of courses after registration, he/she should complete and sign a change of
registration form in the Faculty Office, within the first week of the
semester.

Full-time students: Please note that in terms of the University

Standing Orders, you may not work outside the University unless you
have permission from the appropriate University structure – in this
case, the programme coordinator.

The university standing order defines a full-time candidate as follows:

One who is available to attend and participate in the Graduate
Programme of the Faculty in which he or she is registered;
One who is employed by and has obligations to a structure recognised by
the University as adequate for purposes of the candidate’s research
provided that the candidate can produce acceptable certification from his
or her employer that his or her time will be fully devoted to his or her
approved research or the Graduate Programme of the School. Such a
candidate may be required by the Head of the School to meet additional
requirements, including participation in the work of the School.

Note: A full-time member of staff may not be registered as a full-time

candidate for a higher degree, except with the permission of the Head of
School who will need to satisfy the Graduate Studies Committee that
adequate arrangements have been made for the fulfilment of the duties
of the candidate concerned.
A candidate who does not fulfil the definition of a full-time candidate,
as defined above, will be deemed to be a part-time candidate.

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MASTERS PROGRAMME CO-ORDINATION

M ED CO-ORDINATOR ADMINISTRATOR
Dr P Ramsarup Ms. Cathrine (Nini) Monyane
Masters Programme Coordinator Room A204 Tel: 011-717-3221
Thembalethu Building Cathrine.Monyane@wits.ac.za
Tel: 011-717-3076
Presha.ramsarup@wits.ac.za

FACULTY ENQUIRIES, 2ND FLOOR, CAMPUS CENTRE

Deputy Faculty Registrar: Ayanda Zwane Tel: 011 717 3021

ayanda.zwane@wits.ac.za

Senior Faculty Officer: Faith Herbert Tel: 011 717 3018

faith.herbert@wits.ac.za

Faculty Officer: Madile Ntebe Tel: 011 717 3271

madile.ntebe@wits.ac.za

Faculty Admin Officer: Lebo Mokone Tel: 011 717 3332

Lebo.mokone@wits.ac.za

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PACKAGE CO-ORDINATORS
(Contact coordinators for all course information)

Applied Language and Literacy Education (ALLE)

Dr Ilse Fouche
Room L169 Tel: 011-717-3181 Ilse.Fouche@wits.ac.za

Curriculum and Tertiary Teaching

Lynne Slonimsky
Room L24
Tel: 011-717 3184 lynne.slonimsky@wits.ac.za

Educational Leadership, Policy and Skills

Dr Pinkie Mthembu
Room B163
Tel: 011-717-3012 Pinkie.mthembu@wits.ac.za

Education and Work

Dr Presha Ramsarup
Room WM12,
Tel: 011 717 3364 presha.ramsarup@wits.ac.za

Educational Information and Engineering Technology

Alton Dewa
Tel: 011 717 3337 Email: alton.dewa@wits.ac.za

Inclusive Education
Dr Tanya Bekker
Room L128,
Tel: 011-717-3403 Tanya.Bekker@wits.ac.za

Mathematics and Science Education

Dr Batseba Mofolo-Mbokane
Tel: 717 3411 batseba.mbokane@wits.ac.za

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LIST OF MEd COURSES
Please note that not all courses are on offer every year as they are
subject to demand and availability of staff. Course and package
selection must be approved by the M Ed overall programme
coordinator at the time of registration.

All candidates must complete two compulsory courses AND three

electives to qualify for the M.Ed. by coursework degree. Thecompulsory
courses across the Master in Education degree are:

EDUC7030A: Research Design

EDUC7031A: Research Report
Research Design Coordinator: Dr Ramsarup and Dr Hewlett

In addition, each candidate must complete and pass three electives: two
selected from any one of the following packages, and the third chosen
from any of the remaining packages:

Curriculum Studies Package

EDUC7013A Issues in Curriculum (Core course)

EDUC7091A Assessment in Schooling and Higher Education
EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy
EDUC7040A Studies in Pedagogy
EDUC7030A Research Design
EDUC7031A Research Report
Package co-ordinator: Lynne Slonimsky

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Educational Leadership, Policy and Skills Package

EDUC7015A Issues in Education Policy

EDUC7096A Issues in Education Leadership and Management
EDUC7095A Leadership and Management of Teaching and Learning
EDUC7099A Managing Educational Change
EDUC7030A Research Design
EDUC7031A Research Report
Package co-ordinator: Pinkie Mthembu

Education and Work

EDUC7133A Knowledge and Work

EDUC7131A Education, Skills, and Development
EDUC7140A Economic Concepts for Research in Education, Skill
Formation and Work
EDUC7030A Research Design
EDUC7031A Research Report
Package co-ordinator: Presha Ramsarup

Educational Technology Package

EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy

EDUC7097A Studies in the Field of Educational Technology
EDUC7098A Design and Development of Online Learning
EDUC7030A Research Design
EDUC7031A Research Report
Package co-ordinator: Alton Dewa

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Inclusive Education Package

EDUC7068A Inclusive Education: conceptions, issues and strategies1

EDUC7108A Studies in Inclusive Education1
EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy
EDUC7062A Education and the social order
EDUC7141A Transformative Practices in Teaching and Education
Research
EDUC7030A Research Design
EDUC7031A Research Report
Package co-ordinator: Tanya Bekker
1 All
Inclusive Education students must register for the core Inclusive Education courses: EDUC
7068A and EDUC 7108A. Then select one of either EDUC 7029A or EDUC 7062A or EDUC
7141A. EDUC 7030A and EDUC 7031A are compulsory MED courses.

Mathematics Education Package

EDUC7094A The Learning and Teaching of Mathematics

EDUC7136A Curriculum issues in Mathematics Education
SCED7017A: Current issues in Mathematics Education (CiME).
EDUC7136A Curriculum Issues in Mathematics Education
SCED7030A Teaching and Learning of Algebra
Package co-ordinator:
Dr Batseba Mofolo-Mbokane

Science Education Package

EDUC7033A The Learning and Teaching of Science
EDUC7143A Current issues in Science Education
Students will be advised to select the third option from other packages on offer within
the programme and this option must not clash with these Science modules.
Package co-ordinator: Caleb Mandikonza

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Tertiary Teaching Package
(See under Curriculum Studies: Tertiary Teaching for details of
courses)
EDUC7101A Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Core course)2
EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy
EDUC7091A Assessment in Schooling and Higher Education
EDUC7030A Research Design3
EDUC7031A Research Report

And 2 electives:
EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy [Sem 1]
EDUC7091A Assessment in Schooling and Higher Education [Sem 2]
Students could choose a third course from other Master’s packages or from other
Masters courses in the faculty of Humanities. The choice of the third course will
be based on the candidate’s area of specialization and interests. Tertiary
Education students should discuss possible options with Ms Slonimsky.

* Students with a post-graduate research in the Humanities and Social Sciences may be
exempted from attendance from the research design course. Please discuss with the course
coordinator first, to confirm eligibility for exemption from this course.
Package co-ordinator: Lynne Slonimsky

Applied Language and Literacy Education

EDUC7115A Paradigms and Methods in Applied Studies

EDUC7119A Critical Literacy, New Literacy Studies and
Multi-literacies
EDUC7122A Language and Assessment
EDUC7123A Language Policy and Planning
EDUC7030A Research Design
EDUC7031A Research Report

Package co-ordinator: Ilse Fouche

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Optional third course for all packages (subject to the consent of M.Ed.
Coordinator for your area of specialization.

EDUC7141A Transformative Practices in Teaching and Education

Research

Students accepted with the proviso that they will do one or two of the
Hon modules

Please note:
Students who do not have a strong background in education can be
accepted into the Masters programme on a part time basis if they also
follow concurrently one or both of the following two Hons modules:

EDUC4005A Educational Theory: Research and Enquiry 1

EDUC4006A Educational Theory: Research and Enquiry 2

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FACILITIES FOR POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS

HAROLD HOLMES LIBRARY / EDUCATION LIBRARY

The Education Library is situated on the Education Campus and supports

the teaching, learning and research of Wits Education. It also provides
special room facilities for all postgraduate students

Library Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 08h00-21h30
Wednesday 09h00-21h00
Friday 08h00-17h00
Saturday 09h00-13h00

April, mid-year and year-end breaks

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 08h00-17h00
Wednesday 09h00-17h00
Saturday Closed

Education Librarian:
Tel: 011 717-3240

The Education Library incorporates a strong collection of educational

material, posters and audio-visual media which is available to students.

In addition, with two main libraries and ten divisional libraries to choose
from, students have access to a wealth of information. State-of- the-art
computerisation enhances information retrieval. The Wartenweiler
Library on the East Campus has the University’s main collection of
books. The William Cullen Library houses reference material,
government publications, theses, historical papers and periodicals.

14
THE WITS SCHOOL OF EDUCATION [WSoE] WRITING
CENTRE

The Wits School of Education Writing Centre is a satellite of the main

Wits campus Writing Centre and was established in 2010 to give
undergraduate and postgraduate Education students support with their
academic writing. The Centre employs several senior Education students
who are trained to work with students on an individual basis to develop
their writing confidence and proficiency. Students who attend the Writing
Centre receive individualised attention regarding their conceptualisation,
organisation and expression of ideas.

Because of the smaller size of the WSoE campus, we have expanded to

run several workshops on academic writing. These sessions provide
strategies for tackling all aspects of research reading and writing to meet
academic task requirements.

If you would like to make an appointment with a writing consultant,

please visit the Centre which is open from 13h00 to 17h00, Monday
to Friday. You need to bring a draft of the assignment or chapter you
are working on. If you are a postgraduate student, you will be
matched with a postgraduate writing consultant.

Venue: First-floor WSoE Harold Holmes Library

COMPULSORY ORIENTATION SESSIONS

M Ed students will be required to attend a few orientation sessions to

assist them to understand the academic culture, learning demands,
plagiarism policy and procedures in existence at Wits University. There
will be three or four compulsory sessions, led by the Library and Writing
Centre personnel, scheduled usually on Friday afternoons in the first
semester of the academic year.

15
COMPUTER FACILITIES

The university has several walk-in centres with computer equipment for
the use of students. To gain access to these facilities students must register
with the Computer Centre through Wits Education. Students make use of
these facilities to access email and develop word- processing and
presentation skills necessary for academic work. The Postgraduate
Computer Laboratory on the Education Campus is located in Room 105,
Boyce Block.

M ED TIMETABLE

Class sessions are usually scheduled between 16h00 –18h00 as follows:

Coursework Options: Mondays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. In

exceptional cases, classes may run on Wednesday evenings.
Research Design: Fridays

Note: Days and times of class meetings are subject to change depending
on the course and availability of the course presenter. In caseof change,
students will be informed by the course presenter.

Full-time students are expected to do all three-course options, the

research design and the research report in their first year of registration.

Part-time students normally have to do the three-course options and the

research design course in their first year (2-course options in Semester
1, then the 3rd core course and Research Design in Semester 2). In the
second year of registration, part-time students do their Research Report.

16
 RESEARCH SEMINARS

There are weekly seminars in which visiting scholars, postgraduatestudents and staff of Wits Education present their
research work for discussion. The seminars are usually held at lunchtime. Full time M Ed students should schedule
their time so that they can attend these seminars on a regular basis.
COURSE SCHEDULE
(Note: courses are offered subject to demand)

COURSES RUNNING IN 2024

Note: Full-time [F/T] and second-year part-time [P/T] students will do their Research Design course [EDUC7030] in the first semester and part-time
first-year students will do EDUC7030 in the second semester.

FIRST Curriculum Education Educational Tertiary Educational Inclusive Maths Science Applied Language
SEMESTER Studies and Work Technology Teaching Leadership, Education Education Education and Literacy
Policy and Education
Skills

EDUC 7030A EDUC7013A EDUC7140A EDUC7029A EDUC7029A EDUC7096A EDUC7068A EDUC7094A EDUC7033A EDUC7115A
Research Issues in Economic Psychology Psychologyand Issues in Inclusive The earning and A: Science Paradigms &
Design (for Curriculum Concepts for and Pedagogy Educational Education, Teaching of Education Methods in Applied
most F/T (core course) Research in Pedagogy Leadership & conceptions, Mathematics (Learning and Language Studies
and 2nd year Education, Skill Management issues and Teaching
P/T Formation and strategies Science
students) Work Theories)

EDUC7029A EDUC7131A EDUC7097A EDUC7015A EDUC7029A EDUC7143A EDUC7122A

Psychology Education, skills Studies in the Issues in Psychology Current issues in Language and
and and Field of Education and Science Assessment
Pedagogy Development Educational Policy Pedagogy Education
technology
 SECONDSEMESTER
SECOND Curriculum Education Education Tertiary Educational, Inclusive Maths Science Applied
SEMESTER Studies and Work Technolog Teaching Leadership, Education Education Education Languageand
y Policy and Literacy
Skills Education

EDUC 7030A EDUC7040A EDUC7133A EDUC7098A EDUC7091A EDUC7095A EDUC7108A SCED7017A EDUC7137A EDUC7119A
Research Studies in Knowledge A Design and Assessment in Leadership & Studies in A Current issues Subject Matter Critical Literacy,
Design (for Pedagogy and Work Development Schooling and Management Inclusive in Mathematics Knowledge for New Literacy
most 1st year of Online Higher of Teaching Education Education TeachingScience. Studies and
P/T students) Learning Education and Learning (CiME).
Multi- literacies

EDUC7091A EDUC 7099A EDUC7062A Select a course EDUC7123A

Assessment Managing A Education from any of the Language-in-
In Schooling Educational And the other package Education
and Higher Change Social order offerings Policy and
Education Planning

Optional module for all packages subject to consent of package coordinator

EDUC7141A EDUC7141A EDUC7141A
Transformative Transformative Transformative
Practices in Practices in Practices in
Teaching Teaching and Teaching and
and Education Education
Education Research Research
Research

20
M ED COURSES (SCHOOL OF EDUCATION)

COMPULSORY COURSES

EDUC7030A RESEARCH DESIGN

Note: Full-time [F/T] and second-year part-time [P/T] students will do
their Research Design course [EDUC7030A] in the first semester and
part-time first-year students will do EDUC7030A in the second
semester.

Offered in both the first and second semesters: Fridays 16h00 –18h00

This course aims to consider some of the initial stages involved in producing
a Master’s research report. Producing a research proposal is an important
first step, and the course will take students through different stages in
addressing this - formulating a question, conducting a literature review,
developing a research design and some preliminary engagement with data
collection and analysis. The focus is on establishing coherence between the
different facets of the research design. This will support students in the
writing of their research proposal (not to exceed 4000words) that will form
the basis for the preparation of the M Ed Research Report.

Students will be introduced to various methods for conducting research, how

to plan and execute an educational research study (e.g. how to identify and
state a research problem, how to review literature, how to collect relevant
data, how to organize, process, analyse and interpret data), and how to
formally report research findings. Students will also familiarizethemselves
with some of the major philosophical and epistemological assumptions that
inform these research methods and techniques.

21
Students will be exposed to:
 literature that discusses different approaches to research
(different theoretical frameworks, different methodologies).
 examples of papers presenting research findings using different
methodologies.
 opportunities to experience aspects of different research
methodologies in class exercises.
By the end of the course, students are expected to:
 Master the basic concepts, strategies, procedures and techniques
applied in various forms of educational research.
 Review select literature in a field of study.
 Master the fundamentals of doing educational research: knowing
how to ask questions, how to design and proceed through a
research project, how to collect data, what is important to look
for in data, and, most importantly, identifying a question of
interest to them.
 Conceptualize, plan, research, outline and write a detailed, well-
argued, clear and persuasive research proposal.
In preparing their research proposals, students must conceptualize, write and
present their work in a scholarly manner. More specifically students should
be able to:
 Formulate research questions adequately.
 Make use of empirical evidence in their argumentation.
 Express ideas (their own or others') clearly and correctly.
 Discover and make effective use of the library and on-line
resources, i.e., select, organize, evaluate, and make use of
relevant information.
 Present an argument clearly, logically, and persuasively.
 Make use of an appropriate structure and format in the
presentation.
 Integrate theory and evidence effectively.

22
  Show evidence of original thinking or creative contribution, i.e.
engage critically with the views and writings contained in the
sources.
 Make use of conventional style and referencing rules effectively.

Course attendance is compulsory, and a register will be taken in all

sessions (whether face-to-face or online).

Important notice regarding the examination of the Research Design course

The examination for EDUC7031A (Research Design) will be described in

the course outline, which is due on the date and time set by the course and
programme coordinator.

Developing out of the research plans formulated in Research Design

EDUC7030A, students undertake the research proposed and write it up as
a Research Report. The choice of topic may be limited by the availability
of suitable supervisors within the Faculty of Humanities.

23
EDUC7031A: RESEARCH REPORT

The Research Report constitutes half the requirement for the degree of M Ed
by coursework and research report. It involves a comparatively small- scale
research project in the sphere of education. Its major goal is the production
of a report of approximately 25 000 words (maximum) on a topic firmly
located in the area of concentration of the course package. There are
important rules regarding deadlines, extensions for the research report, and
you are referred to two booklets in this regard: From Application to
Graduation, and Expectations for Post-Graduate Research. In particular,
please note:

Submission of the research report is one year after initial registration,

usually 15 February. On application, a one month’s unpaid extension may
be granted by the faculty. Beyond this, extensions cannot be granted, and
students will have to reregister for research report and pay the full year’s
fees. There is also a fee penalty for reregistration for years beyond the
normal registration + 2 years.

Students are reminded to register for “awaiting examiners” in the year in

which they submit the research report.

Information about the student/supervisor relationship is given in the later

part of this booklet.

24
 M ED OPTIONAL COURSES ACCORDING TO
PACKAGES

APPLIED LANGUAGE AND LITERACY EDUCATION

Coordinator: Dr Ilse Fouche, Room L169, Tel 011-717-3181

Email: Ilse.Fouche@wits.ac.za

FIRST SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7115A: PARADIGMS AND METHODS IN APPLIED

LANGUAGE STUDIES
The focus of this module is on theories and research in the field of language
acquisition (e.g., Behaviourist, Nativist, Sociocultural), sociolinguistics
(variation and standards), and the implications of theories and research
findings for shifting paradigms on language teaching and learning as well as
for current language curricula and policy.

EDUC7122A: LANGUAGE AND ASSESSMENT

This programme focuses on honing students’ skills in assessment for and of
learning whilst engaging critically with the debate on assessment issues. It
provides opportunities for students to apply theoretical knowledge attained to
formative and summative assessments of reading, visual literacy, literature,
and grammar. It also introduces students to multimodal assessment and
washback in assessment.

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SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7119A: CRITICAL LITERACY, NEW LITERACY

STUDIES AND MULTILITERACIES
This module explores literacy as a social and cultural practice embedded in
social contexts and the different literacies needed in the changing
communication landscapes of the contemporary world. The critical literacy
component of the module is interested in the relationship between language
and power and in the way all discourse is positioned in the struggle to
represent (re-present) different versions of the world as legitimate.

EDUC7123A: LANGUAGE-IN EDUCATION AND POLICY

AND PLANNING
The focus of this course is on advanced topics on the politics of language,
policy imperatives and planning stages, which include status, corpus, and
acquisition planning. With the complex and fluid nature of multilingual
encounters in the 21st century classrooms, the language-in-education policy
sessions will draw on post-method paradigms to review current practices and
to address complex multilingualism. Students will be introduced to key
concepts that include trans-languaging, poly-languaging, metro- languaging,
dialect, harmonization, standardization, prestige planning, reading and
writing literacy planning, language attitudes and beliefs.

26
CURRICULUM STUDIES

Coordinator: Lynne Slonimsky, Room L24, Tel 011 717-3184

Email: lynne.slonimsky@wits.ac.za

Curriculum studies is a dynamic and multidisciplinary field of inquiry. The

courses offered in this package enable the development of powerful
conceptual resources for understanding and researching different facets of
curriculum and their implications for educational policy and practice.
The package is designed for people with experience in schools or other
educational settings who are interested in developing their ability to work
at the intersection of theory and practice around issues of: curriculum,
teaching, learning, assessment, teacher education, and school reform. The
package is also suitable for postgraduates in Social Science who are
interested in pursuing research in the field of education. (Students in this
category who have not previously studied in the field of education may be
required to complete one or two modules at an honours level as well).

In addition to preparing students for researching curriculum policy and

implementation, the Curriculum Studies package enables the development
of expertise in analysing teaching practices, creating and analysing
assessment tasks, promoting student learning and developing curricular
materials. Graduates of the program can be more reflective about the
implications of different models of curriculum for promoting societal and
personal empowerment. They are also enabled to be reflexive about theuse
of different approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment and to
provide leadership in teacher development and curriculum practices.

Any combination of three of the courses on offer in this package will prepare
you for diverse kinds of work in the field of curriculum and professional
practices at different levels of the education system. Educators located in
schools, VET and NGOs, government officials and researchers in education
all find the courses very generative for analysing relationships between
curriculum policy and implementation.

27
FIRST SEMESTER OPTIONS:
EDUC7013A Issues in Curriculum
EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy

SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS:

EDUC7091A Assessment in Schooling and Higher Education
EDUC7040A Studies in Pedagogy
FIRST SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7013A: ISSUES IN CURRICULUM (Core course)

The course aims to introduce and ground students in multiple theories of the
relationship between curriculum and society from modern and post- modern
perspectives. Both dominant and less dominant perspectives will be
analysed bearing in mind South Africa’s context in Africa and in the world.
The focus is theory, general principles, and concepts that may be used to
understand any curriculum including South African curriculum statements.
This will enable theoretically informed research of any aspect of the
curriculum, such as curriculum change, curriculum policy, curriculum
practice, etc. An inter-disciplinary approach will be taken enabling students
to get a sense of curriculum research from a range of disciplinary
standpoints.

The course is suitable for educators working in schools, in tertiary education

institutions, NGOs and other sites. Students will be required to read and do
presentations and complete several small tasks and an extended project. The
project is designed to enable mastery of key conceptual tools developed in
the course and deeper engagement with their own areas of curriculum
interest.

28
EDUC7029A: PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGY
This pedagogy course is premised on psychological theories of learning. The
contemporary terrain of the study of learning produces various, often highly
contentious, accounts of the generative relationships between mind, brain,
and cultural artefacts and practices. These theories and researchtraditions
have implications for the way we understand issues in curriculum and
pedagogy. This course aims to develop students' understanding of learning,
using a history of ideas and focused study of key contemporary debates and
research perspectives in the field. It will provide a foundation for further
study in relation to issues such as school and academic learning, pedagogy,
assessment, and the integration of ICTs in education.

SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7091A ASSESSMENT IN SCHOOLING AND HIGHER

EDUCATION
‘Assessment’ is a field of study that engages one intellectually and
emotionally; in some way or another, every one of us has had a happy and
a sad experience of assessment. As a notion, assessment is complex, and the
way it should be used in learning and teaching as well as its general value
for education is contested.

The central question of the course is:

Given that assessment is required to respond to the societal challenges of

preparing learners for a knowledge society while addressing imbalances and
inequalities inherited from apartheid, and given the tension between
standardised assessments and formative assessment, how can teachers and
higher education lecturers think about, use and create assessment processes
and tasks in such a way as to enable student learning and better results?

The course introduces educators to key debates in and research on

assessment. Some of the questions we will raise are:

29
• In what ways has assessment reproduced social inequalities? How can
assessment be used for empowering students’ learning? What tensions
arise from governments’ need to standardise assessment? What is the
value of schooling that assessment needs to capture?
• What needs to be considered in the process of designing valid and reliable
assessments – for standardised as well as formative assessment? What
conceptual and pedagogical problems are involved in making criteria
explicit?
• How can summative and formative systems of assessment be aligned to
support student learning?

The course situates its discussion within the new developments in

assessment in schooling and in higher education institutions.

EDUC7040: STUDIES IN PEDAGOGY

Studies in Pedagogy is an interdisciplinary course which aims to introduce
you to principles, concepts, and methods for describing and analyzing
pedagogic practices in formal educational settings. We develop principled
ways of analyzing pedagogic practices in different contexts and settings, to
describe what knowledge is made available to learners and how it is made
available. We ask what kinds of knowledge should be taught in what ways,
considering who our learners are and the social contexts in which we work
in South African schooling. We explore questions about the transformation
of education and consciousness, powerful knowledge, decolonization,
learner identities and learner-centred pedagogy, in the service of reducing
inequalities in South Africa.

This course is not a course on how to teach your subject to your students.
However, throughout the course, we will work with the conceptual resources
developed to reflect on examples from sections of your subject curriculum,
so the course should offer you ways of thinking systematically about what
is happening in your classrooms and offer you an imagination for other ways
of teaching and learning in your classrooms.

30
This course can form part of the Psychology, Curriculum, Inclusive
Education, Mathematics, Science and Technology Education packages.

EDUC7141A: TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES IN

TEACHING AND EDUCATION RESEARCH
This course explores interventionist and arts-based methods for
transforming educational practice and research. Students engage in critical
debates about educational practices by exploring a range of transformative
pedagogies as a means to engage with the cultural complexities that
characterise post-conflict society. Through analysing case studies and
participating in field work, students experience pedagogical encountersthat
foreground their becoming-with thinking-making-doing practices. Such
encounters contribute to the development of a critical framework for
research-creation that attends to the “in(tensions)” of doing work in a
decolonial context.

CURRICULUM STUDIES: TERTIARY TEACHING

Coordinator: Lynne Slonimsky, Room L24, Tel: (011) 717-3184.
Email: lynne.slonimsky@wits.ac.za

This package is designed for educators who are currently lecturing, tutoring,
or developing curricula for academic disciplines or fields in a tertiary
education institution or have had extensive experience in these activities. It
is not designed for students who wish to pursue a career in higher education
at some point in the future, or for people currently involved in administrative
posts in higher education.

It is preferable that students have completed a Postgraduate Diploma in

Education for Higher Education -PGDE (H.E) or equivalent. However, we
may consider applicants who meet the criteria stipulated above.

The programme is situated in the fields of Curriculum Studies and the

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) which are dynamic and
31
multidisciplinary fields of inquiry. The courses offer powerful conceptual
resources for describing, analysing and researching facets of course design,
teaching, learning and assessment in higher education.

The programme is offered on a part-time basis over two years. Students are
required to complete three courses, a research design course, and a research
report. Most students complete two courses in their first year (one in each
semester) and the third course and research in the second year.

Students with a background in postgraduate research in the Humanities

and social sciences must register for the research design course as they are
required to complete a research proposal but may apply for exemption from
course work activities.

FIRST SEMESTER COURSES:

EDUC7029A Psychology and Pedagogy

SECOND SEMESTER COURSE:

EDUC 7101A Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Core Course) *

EDUC7091A Assessment in Schooling and Higher Education
EDUC7141A Transformative Practices in Teaching and Education
Research

Tertiary Education students may elect to commence their M.Ed studies in

the first or the second semester.

EDUC 7101A: SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING*

This course is grounded in the emerging field of the Scholarship of Teaching
and Learning (SOTL). The course deals with critical concepts and
theoretical analyses of issues pertinent to the scholarship of teaching and
learning from disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.

The overall aim of this course is to develop conceptual resources for

32
theorizing and researching teaching and learning in higher education.
Concepts, theories and research explored in the course can also enable
participants to describe, analyse and critique aspects of their own and others’
practices and, through this process, to open new possibilities for practice in
higher education.

* This course will not be offered in 2024. Students should register for this
course in 2025

33
EDUC7029A: PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGY
See the full description above under curriculum studies entry.

Tertiary Education students should complete this course in the first

semester of their first year of study.

EDUC7091A: ASSESSMENT IN SCHOOLING AND

HIGHER EDUCATION
See the full description above.

EDUC7141A: TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES IN

TEACHING AND EDUCATION RESEARCH

See the full description under Curriculum Studies entry on page 31 above.

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, POLICY AND SKILLS

Coordinator: Dr Pinkie Mthembu, Room B163, Tel 011 717-3012,
Pinkie.Mthembu@wits.ac.za

The Division of Educational Leadership, Policy and Skills (ELPS) is a

dynamic centre of teaching and research in the field. It is interested in
developing students’ knowledge, analysis, research skills and evidence,
which will allow them to engage productively with contemporary policy and
leadership issues in the African region.

If students want to understand - and pursue a career in - education policy and

change analysis, organizational leadership and research – this package opens
up new professional opportunities for influencing policies and leadership
practices in a way that impact positively on the school system. Graduates
will gain the capacity to become effective agents who can participate in, and
manage, initiatives involving policy and practice that promote better quality,
effectiveness, and social justice in the education system.

34
This ELPS package offers two strands: Leadership and Policy courses.

Leadership Policy
Issues in Education Leadership Managing Educational Change
and Management
Managing Educational Change Issues in Education Policy
Leadership and Management of
Teaching and Learning

FIRST SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7096A: ISSUES IN EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AND

MANAGEMENT
This course introduces students to paradigms, theories, approaches, concepts
and contemporary issues in the field of educational leadership and
management. The course explores educational leadership issues withinthe
local, national and international context, with a specific focus on school
leadership effects on student learning, the impact of leadership on
organizations, management of systems, understanding organizational
structure and its impact on the effectiveness of the organization. The course
also explores the impact of culture on schools as organizations.

EDUC7015A: ISSUES IN EDUCATION POLICY

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts, knowledge and
skills needed to analyze and evaluate educational policy reforms in the
national and global context. It starts by examining how to understand the
relationships between the main policy stakeholders in education in the
current context of globalization (namely, multilateral agencies, national
government/state, civil society) and how their agendas and influences play
an important role in the development and implementation of education
policies. It then focuses on various contemporary policy reforms designed
to improve the quality of the education system in South Africa and other
SADC countries and examines the challenges of the policy processes by
using different theoretical lenses.

35
SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7095A: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

OF TEACHINGAND LEARNING
This course focuses on the roles of management and leadership of teaching
and learning in learning organizations. It considers leadership in curriculum
planning, development, implementation and evaluation at school and
classroom levels and the implications of these for leadership and
management structures and systems in the school. The role of the Principal
as an 'instructional' leader within the context of distributed leadership will
be introduced and analysed, as well as issues on managing the learning
environment and quality assurance processes including internal and
external assessment, monitoring and evaluation ofprogrammes, systems
and structures.

EDUC7099: MANAGING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

Education around the world is currently facing a range of changes
including demographic shifts, policy reform, and alterations to working
conditions in schools and other education sites. Change has also come
about because of community pressures and expectations, turnover in
school and district leadership, and broader societal transitions. Over the
past four decades, a research field has emerged that investigates these
changes and attempts to understand the dynamics and possibilities of
change.

36
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Coordinator: Alton Dewa (PhD-Wits), Tel: 011 717 3337

Email: alton.dewa@wits.ac.za
This is a programme of study about the educational integration of
technology – in particular, modern digital technologies – and the design of
online learning programmes in teaching and learning. The programme is
designed to explore how to pedagogically design and develop instructional
digital materials by following learning theories and instructional design
principles to address the realities of human learning and cognition in a
variety of contexts. The programme is also closely associated with a
developing research programme in the field of educational technology, one
which is now concerned with the pedagogic integration of ICTs in schools
and with the nature of learning in hypertext environments. Participates
develop research abilities, knowledge and skills of people involved in
education and training practices. It ranges across the psychological,
sociological, and philosophical grounds, and one of its important aims is to
develop your skills as a designer of educational materials.

The programme requires that you have established computer and digital
literacy regarding word processing, spreadsheet programmes, digital
presentation programmes, the Internet and the like. However, it is not a
technology course, nor one that focuses on the technical aspects of ICTs -
it is a course of study in educational theory and research, and the
implications of knowledge generated in these fields for teaching and
learning practices. Participants have the opportunity to master the theory and
instructional design principles required in the design and implementation of
emerging digital learning technologies, i.e. learning to engage in teaching
using digital technologies and the design & development of digital learning
materials. The package includes the following courses:

37
FIRST SEMESTER MODULES

EDUC7029A: PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGY

The contemporary terrain of the study of learning produces various, often
highly contentious, accounts of the generative relationships between mind,
brain, and cultural artefacts and practices. These theories and research
traditions all have implications for the way we understand issues in
curriculum and pedagogy. This course aims to develop students'
understanding of learning, by means of a history of ideas and focused study
of key contemporary debates and research perspectives in the field.

It will provide a foundation for further study in relation to issues such as

school and academic learning, pedagogy, assessment, and the integration of
ICTs in education.

EDUC7097A: STUDIES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATIONAL

TECHNOLOGY
The course is designed to provide a broad, critical, high-level foundation
for research and practice in relation to Educational Technology in general
and eLearning and the pedagogic integration of ICTs, from a sociological,
philosophical and pedagogical perspective. It comprises the philosophical,
social, and technological study of prominent contemporary issues in the field
of Educational Technology. Major concerns will be with the nature of
Educational Technology, Globalization and the location of educational
technology in this regard; the ‘Digital Divide’ in education; the
transformation of culture in the digItal age and the pedagogies of
Educational Technologies. The politics, policies and practices of
Educational Technology will also come under scrutiny.

38
SECOND SEMESTER MODULE

EDUC7098A: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ON-LINE

LEARNING
The course aims to develop critical, grounded knowledge and skills in the
development of online pedagogies and learning materials. It spans a range
of perspectives on learning management systems and the publication of
digital education resources and seeks to develop expertise in the areaknown
variously as instructional design, learning design, or online materials
development.

Students may do this course only if they have completed EDUC7029

Psychology and Pedagogy.

39
EDUCATION AND WORK

Coordinator: Dr Presha Ramsarup, Room WM12, Tel: 011 717 3364

presha.ramsarup@wits.ac.za

This package is aimed at people interested in improving their insight into

education and the economy, education and social and economic
development, and education and the world of work. The package will be of
particular interest to researchers interested in these areas, as well as people
with experience or interest in working in colleges, conducting or organizing
workplace-based training, NGOs, SETAs, development organizations, or
other educational settings, who are interested in the complex intersection of
theory and practice around education/work relationships in policy, training,
and workplaces. The courses offered in this package enable the development
of powerful conceptual resources, focused on policy and implementation, as
well as theoretical analysis and research, and will contribute to career
development of researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy workers.

FIRST SEMESTER MODULES

EDUC7131A: EDUCATION, SKILLS, AND DEVELOPMENT

This course will introduce learners to the main debates about the role of
education and skills in economic and social development. It will explore the
relationship between education, state formation, and patterns of economic
growth and social development, as well as relationships between education
systems and labour markets, and education and work. It will introduce a
range of concepts from the social and political sciences, with a focus on
development literature, that assist the understanding and analysis of the
relationship between education, learning, and international development in
low- and middle-income countries, as well as a critical interrogation of the
role of education in the development of what are now rich countries.

40
EDUC7140A: ECONOMIC CONCEPTS FOR RESEARCH IN
EDUCATION, SKILL FORMATION AND
WORK
This course introduces students to critical debates in two key aspects of
economic theory: development economics and labour market economics.
Theories about economic development are crucial to understanding debates
and theorisation of the role of education in economic and social
development. Theories about how labour markets operate are crucial to
understanding how education interacts with labour markets, and the different
ways in which education and qualifications are valued by and used in labour
markets – the economic returns to education. Key concepts include the
labour process, labour power, and the reserve army of labour; Human
Capital Theory and alternative theories about the role of education in labour
markets; industrialisation, industrial policy, development, and
deindustrialisation; historical political economy of the South African labour
market during apartheid and today; contemporary issues in labour markets
including the national minimum wage, gender, labour markets, and
informality.

SECOND SEMESTER MODULES

EDUC7133A: KNOWLEDGE AND WORK

This course aims to develop a critical understanding of how forms of work
organisation impact an understanding of what constitutes socially useful
knowledge, why learning should be valued, and where and how knowledge
production and learning take place. It will critically consider arguments
about the ‘knowledge society’, and the idea that society has entered a new
era where knowledge and learning are at the heart of the production process
and of global competitiveness, as are new technologies for generating and
disseminating knowledge and information. Will most workers need to
become more continuous learners in a new knowledge- based economy or
will much of their learning be ignored or devalued in relation to their
41
work? Will most workers need to become more continuouslearners in a new
knowledge-based economy or will much of their learning be ignored or
devalued in relation to their work? The course will also critically consider
the history of education, skills, and work in South Africa. The course will
introduce key concepts with which to think about education and work:
division of labour; the labour process; the labour market; different
conceptions of ‘skill’; and different conceptions of knowledge.

42
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Coordinator: Dr Tanya Bekker, Room L128, Tel 011-717-3403,

Tanya.Bekker@wits.ac.za

This package is designed for teachers, school leaders and managers, district
and department officials and others who are concerned to understand and
address exclusionary pressures and promote support for learning, access,
participation and belonging of diverse learners in schools.

EDUC 7068A Inclusive Education: conceptions, issues and strategies

(semester One) AND EDUC 7108A Studies in Inclusive Education
(Semester Two) are core courses for the Inclusive Education package and
must be taken along with one additional selection in either Semester One or
Two.

FIRST SEMESTER MODULES

EDUC7068A: INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, CONCEPTIONS,

ISSUES AND STRATEGIES
The course examines the provenance of inclusion as an educational ideal,
the range of principled arguments offered in its support, and the complex
relationships between inclusive principles, social policy and the conditions
and possibilities for inclusive practice. Human rights and issues of
enablement, social justice and equity lie at the heart of the educational ideal.
Barriers to its realization lie in the empirical, domain of systems, structures,
practices and their key agents. The course thus proceeds from a critical
overview of the changing discourse of inclusion and exclusion toan in-
depth comparative examination of selected local and international policies
and research to develop an understanding of the conditions required for
inclusive education.

This course aims to provide students with a set of conceptual tools and some
insight into key debates in the field, which will support access to other
literature in the field. To achieve this, we will take up four propositions for
43
approaching inclusive education for the future. These propositions are
presented as prompts for debate, application, or rejectionas we consider
what it will take to dismantle established and evolving forms of exclusion in
education. The course has a strong, though notexclusive focus on inclusive
education in South Africa and attempts to engage with a range of theoretical
perspectives found in the field. As a result of engaging in this course,
students should be able to use developing knowledge and skills to interrogate
inclusive practice in schools and other educational contexts and be able to
begin researching aspects of inclusive education.

EDUC7029A: PSYCHOLOGY AND PEDAGOGY

The contemporary terrain of the study of learning produces various, often
highly contentious, accounts of the generative relationships between mind,
brain, and cultural artefacts and practices. In education that aims to be
inclusive (and that in the past sought exclusion), different theories oflearning
have had a massive influence on the way disabilities have been conceived of
and provided for in the classroom over time. Students who enrol for this
course from within the Inclusion package will be able to pursue a reading
and writing programme focused on the relationship between learning,
pedagogic and disability. The course consists of a history of ideas and a
focused study of key contemporary debates and research perspectives in
the field.

SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7108A: STUDIES IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

This course exposes students to various theoretical and conceptual
contestations in the field of disability studies (in education) and inclusive
education. The course proceeds from the premise that while inclusive
education is not necessarily only about disability, children and young people
with disabilities are usually the most marginalised and excluded in education
systems around the world. Different theoretical lenses on disability are
explored, with a critical interrogation of how these might enable or constrain
inclusion, emancipation, and transformation ineducation. These theoretical
approaches then form the basis for engagement with contested concepts,
diagnoses, and practices in the field of inclusive education.
44
The course begins with a critical engagement with the various theories of
disability that have informed education over the years. With this foundation,
students will then be invited to consider issues and concerns that are debated
in the field of inclusive education, like whether disability classification
serves purposes of socially just education, and whether there are ‘special
pedagogies’ for ‘special children’.

EDUC7062A: EDUCATION AND THE SOCIAL ORDER

The global world is currently characterised by increasing conflicts and
opposing world views, threatening peaceful and productive relationships
across different cultures. In many respects, it is these dynamics of
contemporary societies that have led many to describe these current times as
being also characterized by a “politics of difference” and/or a “politicsof
identity” With this in mind, this course focuses on understanding the
constitutive dimensions of the current global political economy, theories
about diversity and theories on the problematics around democratic
participation and citizenship in such contemporary contexts. Teachers,
policy makers and other key decision-makers in the field of education, in
particular, will find this course useful and will develop a critical awareness
of the issues that could empower them in the development of their
competences to engage with such current challenges in theoretically
informed ways.

The course focuses on three key areas, namely the characteristics of

postmodernity and the “politics of difference and identity”; diversity and
democratic citizenship.

In the first part of the course, the theoretical focus is on understanding the
development and features of the postmodern condition. It will include
coverage of the global political economy and an understanding of how and
why the “politics of difference” and “identity” seem to predominate in
current times.

The second part of the course aims to problematize diversity using the lens
of feminist theory. Contemporary cases of social injustice, oppression,
45
marginalisation and exclusion, drawing on various feminist theorists, will
receive attention. Questions to be addressed include: what perspective does
feminist theory give us on issues in the social order such as oppression,
discrimination, and marginalization? How does feminist theory view
religion and gender, rape, including ‘corrective’ or ‘lesbophobic rape’,
conceptions of marriage and family, and sexual orientation?

In the third part of the course, the focus is on issues related to democratic
participation and citizenship in current contexts. It will include coverage of
theories of democracy, citizenship, and participation. As a point of
departure, it shows that democracy does not rest on homogenizing models
of identity. Given this setting, it offers a substantial notion of citizenship in
the context of the diversity of a pluralistic democratic society. To this end,
public reasoning by free and unconstrained citizens is required for
participation in post-modern democratic societies. Furthermore, ways in
which current social orders are challenged to ensure an inclusive and
democratic citizenry within the context of global order will receivespecific
attention.

EDUC7141A: TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES IN

TEACHING AND EDUCATION RESEARCH
This course explores interventionist and arts-based methods for
transforming educational practice and research. Students engage in critical
debates about educational practices through exploring a range of
transformative pedagogies as a means to engage with the cultural
complexities that characterize post-conflict society. Through analysing case
studies and participating in field work, students experience pedagogical
encounters that foreground their becoming-with thinking- making-doing
practices. Such encounters contribute to the development of a critical
framework for research-creation that attends to the “in(tensions)” of doing
work in a decolonial context.

46
MARANG CENTRE FOR MATHS AND SCIENCE
EDUCATION RESEARCH
Coordinator: Dr Batseba Mofolo-Mbokane, Tel: 717 3411
Email: batseba.mbokane@wits.ac.za

Mathematics Education Stream

Under certain circumstances, students may be permitted to enrol for two or
more courses in mathematics or science education in the Faculty of Science.
The M Ed with a focus on Science or Mathematics Education aims to
cultivate critical thinkers and develop an awareness of the current problems
and issues in mathematics and science education, and promote discussion on
ways of addressing these problems in the Southern African context. A
sample of courses is listed below. (For a selection of courses see the Faculty
of Science course booklet.)

FIRST SEMESTER OPTIONS

EDUC7094A: THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF

MATHEMATICS
The course deals with understanding and researching mathematics
classrooms. We cover major theories of learning, including cognitive,
constructivist, socio-cultural and situative theories. We explore the
implications of these theories for what counts as mathematical knowledge in
the classroom and for pedagogy. We also look at ways of researching
teaching and learning in South African mathematics classrooms, looking
particularly at teacher-learner interaction, including teacher questioning and
learner participation. All of this is underscored by the need to promote equity
and excellence in mathematics learning in South Africa.

47
SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS

SCED7017A: Current issues in Mathematics Education (CiME).

CiME is a master’s course developed by the Division of Mathematics
Education at Wits School of Education. The CiME course includes three
modules: ICT in Mathematics Education (IME), Mathematical Modelling
and Applications (MMA), and Mathematics Teacher Practices (MTP).

SCIENCE EDUCATION STREAM

Coordinator: Caleb Mandikonza

FIRSTSEMESTEROPTIONS
EDUC7033A: The Teaching and Learning of Science
This course deals with past and current developments in theories on the
learning and teaching of science including personal social and situative
theories; It also looks at the philosophy of science and science education
with an emphasis on relationships between learning theories and the
generation of knowledge. These ideas are linked to how they may inform
research in science classrooms in the context of the need for equity and
sound practice in science learning. Finally, we examine the implications
these theories have for the nature of classroom scientific knowledge and its
pedagogy.

48
SECOND SEMESTER OPTIONS
EDUC7143A: Current issues in Science Education
This course explores Science Education in South Africa and the world from
the perspective of current and contemporary issues. The course is developed
by taking cognizance that education has to respond toeducational issues that
are prevailing in a constantly dynamic world and educationally prepare the
society for future changes. To this end, it focuses on pedagogic and content
concerns on techno-scientific issues including Remote / Online teaching and
learning; STEM; ICT; Education for Sustainable Development;
Decolonisation; socio-cultural and socio- scientific issues. Participants will
look at how education can be better structured and implemented to respond
to prevailing issues as well as howit can prepare educators for changes in
the future. The course offers students with a variety of lenses of looking into
education which potentially widen their horizons on the different and
interacting facets ofthe educational field. In so doing the course seeks to
develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and technological
pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) for a more rounded citizenry in
educational practice and research.

SECOND SEMESTER:

Additional third elective course for all packages (Subject to the consent
of the MEd coordinator for your area of specialisation.)

49
EDUC7141A: Transformative Practices in Teaching and
Education Research
This course explores interventionist and arts-based methods for
transforming educational practice and research. Students engage in critical
debates about educational practices by exploring a range of transformative
pedagogies as a means to engage with the cultural complexities that
characterize a post-conflict society. Through analysing case studies and
participating in field work, students experience pedagogical encountersthat
foreground their becoming-with thinking-making-doing practices. Such
encounters contribute to the development of a critical framework for
research-creation that attends to the “in(tensions)” of doing work in a
decolonial context.

B ED (HONS) MODULES

FIRST SEMESTER

EDUC4129: EDUCATIONAL THEORY: RESEARCH AND

ENQUIRY I

Course Coordinator: Dr Ramsarup, Tel.011 717 3076

SECOND SEMESTER

EDUC4130: EDUCATIONAL THEORY: RESEARCH AND

ENQUIRY II

Course Coordinator: Dr Ramsarup, Tel.011 717 3076

50
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND OTHER
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF M ED BY
COURSEWORK (CW) AND RESEARCH REPORT (RR)

STUDY EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

The study programme for full-time and part-time students is guided by the
following:

(1) Full-time students will complete their course options, Research Design
and, if possible, the Research Report within one year following registration.
A full-time student who is required to complete part of the B Ed (Hons) will
do so concurrently.

(2) Part-time students will complete their course options and Research
Design in the first year of registration. In the second year of study, students
will complete the Research Report.

(3) A part-time student who is required to complete Educational Theory

courses EDUC4005 and EDUC4006 will be registered as an occasional
student while he/she completes these. This may take place in the year before
registration as an M Ed student.

Depending on how fast students work, it is recommended that students take

between five and eight hours to prepare properly for a single M Ed seminar
class. In addition, as study and research at the Masters level require
independent thinking and work, students should be prepared to spend a
significant part of their time reading independently, outside of the prescribed
reading for seminars and essays. Students need to do the
preliminary/recommended readings in the chosen courses.

Each M Ed course outline will mention the various assignments that students
must complete (and their assessment criteria) as well as what makes up the
Due Performance (DP) requirements, which include students

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attending at least 80% of classes/seminars as well as submitting course
assignments on the due date specified in the course outline.

ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATIONS OF MED COURSES,

INCLUDING DEFERMENT

Candidates must obtain at least 45% for each year mark component and the
examination for each course.

Repetition of a failed course is normally not allowed. In exceptional

circumstances, at the discretion of the Chair of the Graduate Studies sub-
Committee in Education, a student may be allowed to repeat a maximum
of one course.

Course results will be communicated to students after the exam is written.

Provisional examination results are the results of the course presenters
which have not yet been marked by an external examiner. Unconfirmed
results of course are results which have not yet been confirmed by the School
Board of Examiners which usually sits early in December.

Submission Requirements for Examination equivalents

Examination Equivalents are to be submitted on the date and time

stipulated. An examination attendance register is to be completed by the
student upon submission of her/his Examination Equivalent script and
a student card must be presented for identification.

No examination equivalent scripts will be accepted by academic staff.

Support staff in charge of accepting examination equivalents will not accept
these examinations after the stipulated date and time. If there is an
exceptional reason why a student is unable to hand in his/her examination
equivalent on time, he/she is required to apply for a deferred examination by
submitting the appropriate form together with all supporting documents to
the Faculty Office. Forms must be submitted within 3 days of the
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examination (preferably earlier). Deferred examinations can only be granted
by the Assistant Dean (postgraduate) or her/his delegate. If the deferred
examination is granted, the student will be notified of the date of the deferred
examination.

Note: Examination equivalents may not be discussed with anyone, nor be

edited or proofread by anyone except the student. A declaration to this effect
is to accompany submissions.

M ED COURSE: QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURES

The Wits School of Education is committed to quality teaching and learning

and relies on various quality assurance processes to ensure that all
postgraduate courses benefit from some forms of evaluation every time they
are offered. The presenters of M Ed courses are expected to chooseone
form of evaluation for each course they offer (whether peer evaluation and/or
student evaluation) which shall be administered and processed by an
objective outsider.

STUDENT GRIEVANCES PROCEDURE

Students are requested to follow the normal institutional grievances

procedures when encountering problems or when wanting to report
complaints about aspects of their courses or with presenters of their courses.
These procedures are as follows:

The first step is for the student to bring these issues directly to the attention
of the presenter(s). Where a student feels uneasy about doing so, for some
legitimate reason, he/she then has the responsibility of reporting the matter
to his/her M Ed package coordinator. Thereafter, if he/she feels there is no
satisfactory progress, to the M Ed overall programme coordinator. The
programme coordinator will assure the student of the confidentiality of
his/her issues while addressing these in an appropriate professional manner
and will come back to the student with appropriate solutions or
recommendations.
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CONDITIONS OF AWARDING THE DEGREE WITH
DISTINCTION

To achieve a distinction in the M Ed degree, students need to achieve an

aggregate of at least 75% for the coursework component of the M Ed AND
at least 75% for the research report. These marks cannot be combined to give
an ‘overall’ result of 75% (e.g. 80% for the coursework and 70% for the
research report).
PROCEDURES RELEVANT TO THE MEd RESEARCH
PROPOSAL

GENERAL PRINCIPLE
The formal assessment for the Research Design course is the successful
completion of the MEd Research Proposal.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

1. The Research Proposal, which should not exceed 4000 words, is

submitted to the Faculty Office, second floor, Administration Building,
Education Campus on the date set by the presenter of the research design
course. Proposals finished earlier may be submitted before that date.
2. Two hard copies and one electronic copy of the Proposal must be
submitted to the Faculty Office. (It is the student’s responsibility to ensure
that these are identical)
3. If revisions of the proposal are required by the external examiner, these
should be made within two weeks and two hardcopies submitted to the
Faculty Office.
4. A student whose research proposal was failed by the external examiner
will be excluded from the MEd.

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DEFERRED EXAMINATIONS OF RESEARCH PROPOSALS
The Research Proposal, which is due in 6 months for full-time students and
on the date and time set by the course and programme coordinator for part-
time students. Extensions on the proposals cannot be granted. In unforeseen
or unusual circumstances, as with any other examination, an application can
be made for a deferment. This application must be made by the student, in
writing by email, giving full details of the reason for the request, and must
be accompanied by motivation from the supervisor to the programme
coordinator: Dr Presha Ramsarup, Presha.ramsarup@wits.ac.za. Except in
the case of medical emergencies (which should be certified by a medical
practitioner), the application for deferment should be submitted two weeks
before the proposal submission dates. Students will be informed in writing
if their application for deferment has been successful, and, if successful a
deferred date will be given. Failure to submit on the due date, or on the
deferred date (if granted) will result in a FABS (Failure – absent) result
being recorded.

ETHICS APPROVAL
An ethics application must be submitted to the Wits School of Education’s
Research Ethics Committee for clearance. The Wits School of Education’s
Research Ethics Committee is part of the University’s Ethics Committee and
its purpose is to ensure that the rights of the research participants being
researched are protected. It is illegal for students to begin their research
without ethics approval.

All applications need to clarify whether the research participants can be

considered ‘vulnerable’ populations, if the intended research may be
‘invasive’ and if it can potentially cause ‘harm’. ‘Vulnerable’ populations
refer mainly to those people who are below the age of 18 years old, and
“invasive” research refers to research which administers tests that could
affect a person’s body or health, the performance of surgery of some sort or
the administration of medication. Included in the Committee’s
considerations is whether the proposed research will cause ‘harm’ to the
research subjects. You are referred to the booklet “From application to
graduation for more details in this regard.

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Your supervisor will take you through these considerations and will help you
complete the online application. You should make yourself familiar with the
deadlines set for applications and start early! Please note that all MDISS and
Honors students have ethics classes. You are invited to that class and we
communicate to students and supervisors as soon as the class is opened.
Students use Ulwazi independently like they do with their normal classes
(Ms Matsie Mabeta and Dr Abdulhamid Guides them through all ethics
processes and load all documents on Ulwazi). Ms Matsie Mabeta is the
School Ethics administrator, in Room A206 (Tel: 011 717-3416) on the
Education Campus.

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POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION AND SUPERVISOR/STUDENT
RELATIONSHIP
Students registered for Research Design will be allocated a supervisor three
weeks into the course at the latest, according to their research topic and after
consultation with the Heads of the Division of their chosenpackage and/or
their package coordinator. Packages will guide students as to the kinds of
viable research topics.

It is important to understand that the research project is not a structured

taught course but requires supervisors and students to assume their
respective roles and responsibilities in these endeavours. Therefore, a
statement of principles guiding this relationship has been drawn up and
should be signed by the student and supervisor and appended to their
research proposal when it is submitted. It is a good idea for both students
and supervisors to read and discuss this document during their first meeting.
This is reproduced at the end of this booklet, will be handed out in the
Research Design course and is available electronically from the Faculty
Office and the M Ed coordinator.

To understand more fully what is involved in postgraduate research

supervision, a book entitled Expectations for postgraduate research: aguide
for students and supervisors is available for students and supervisors from
the Faculty Office, second floor, Administration Building, Wits Education
Campus). This booklet will also be handed out at the M Ed orientation at the
beginning of the year.

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES FOR POSTGRADUATE

SUPERVISION
In a context of academic freedom and within a framework of individual
autonomy and the pursuit of knowledge, this statement is written in the belief
that there should be a reciprocal relationship and mutual accountability
between supervisor and student. This form is available from the faculty
office and must be signed and submitted with the research proposal and
research report.
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THE SUPERVISOR AND THE STUDENT

1. Will establish agreed roles and clear processes to be maintained by

both parties. In the case of joint supervision, everybody’s roleneeds
to be clarified.

2. Will meet regularly and as frequently as is reasonable to ensure

steady progress towards the completion of the proposal, research
report, dissertation, or thesis. This time varies but the normal
minimum requirement for face-to-face contact spread across each
year of registration is 10 contact hours for an Honours project, 15
contact hours for a Master by research report and 24 contact hours
for a Master by Dissertation and a PhD.

3. Will keep appointments, be punctual and respond timeously to

messages.

4. Will keep one another informed of any planned vacations or

absences as well as changes in his or her personal circumstances that
might impact the work schedule. Unplanned absences or delays
should be discussed as soon as possible, and arrangements should be
made, to catch up on lost time.

5. Will ensure that research on animal or human subjects is conducted

according to the procedures and the requirements of the relevant
University Ethics committee.

6. Will together complete progress reports on the research project, as

requested by each Faculty Graduate Studies Committee.

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THE SUPERVISOR

1. Undertakes to guide the student’s research project in relation to the

design and scope of the project, the relevant literature and information
sources, research methods and techniques and methods of data analysis.

2. Has a responsibility to be accessible to the students.

3. Will be prepared for the meeting with the student. This includes being
up to date on the latest work in his/her area of expertise.

4. Will expect written work as jointly agreed and will return that work with
constructive criticism within a timeframe (a suggestion of two to four
weeks) jointly agreed upon at the outset of the research.

5. Will provide advice that can help the student to improve his/her writing.
This may include referrals for language training and academic writing.
The supervisor will guide technical aspects of writing such as
referencing as well as discipline-specific requirements. Detailed
correction of drafts and instruction in aspects of language and style are
not the responsibility of the supervisor.

6. Will support the student in the production of a research report,

dissertation, or thesis. Provision should be allowed for adequate,
mutually respectful, discussion around recommendations made.

7. Will assist with the construction of a written schedule which outlines the
expected completion dates of successive stages of the work.

8. Will ensure the student has the opportunity to present work at

postgraduate/ staff seminars/national/international conferences as
appropriate.

9. Will assist with the publication of research articles as appropriate.

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10. Will discuss the ownership of research conducted by the student under
the University guidelines and rules on intellectual property, co-
authorship and copyright.

11. Will ensure that the research is conducted in accordance with the
University’s policy on plagiarism.

12. Will ensure that the student is made aware in writing of the inadequacy
of progress and/or of any work where the standard is below par.
Acceptability will be according to criteria previously supplied to the
student.

13. Has a duty to refuse to allow the submission of sub-standard work for
examination, regardless of the circumstances. If the student chooses to
submit without the consent of the supervisor, then this should be clearly
recorded, and the appropriate procedures followed.

THE STUDENT

1. Undertakes to work independently under the guidance of the

supervisor. This includes reading widely to ensure that the literature
pertinent to his/her chosen topic has been identified and consulted.

2. Is obliged to make appointments to see the supervisor and will

arrange meeting times well in advance.

3. Will think carefully about how to get the maximum benefit from
these contact sessions by planning what he/she wants in these
sessions.

4. Should submit written work for discussion with the supervisor well
in advance of a scheduled meeting. The kind and frequency of

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 written work should be agreed upon with the supervisor at the
outset of the research.

5. Written work that is submitted should be relatively free from basic

spelling mistakes, incorrect punctuation and grammatical errors.
Responsibility for the accuracy of language, the overall structure and
the coherence of the final research report, dissertation or thesis rests
with the student.

6. Undertakes to heed the advice given by the supervisor and to engage

in discussion around suggestions made. Ultimately the student has to
take responsibility for the quality and presentation of the work.

7. Should strive, within reasonable bounds, to maintain a focus on

his/her research area and to work within the agreed time schedule.

8. Will prepare material for presentations at seminars and conferences.

9. Undertakes to submit papers for publication.

10. Agrees to honour agreements about ownership of the research and in

accordance with the University’s guidelines and rules in relation to
co-authorship, copyright and intellectual property.

11. Will ensure that the work contains no instances of plagiarism and
that all citations are properly referenced and that the list of references
is accurate, complete, and consistent.

12. Agrees to work in accordance with the criteria of acceptability as

supplied by the supervisor.

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 13. Undertakes not to place the supervisor under undue pressure to
submit work for examination until the supervisor is satisfied that it
has reached an acceptable level of quality.

We confirm that we have read and understood the Statement of Principles

for Postgraduate Supervision statement and agree to be guided by its
principles for as long as we continue to work together.

Name of student: (in CAPITALS) ………………………………………

Student number: …………………………………………………………

Student’s signature: ………………………………………………………

Name of supervisor: ………………………………………………………

Supervisor’s signature: ……………………………………………………

The broad area of study is: ………………………………………………

The provisional submission date is: ………………………………………

Degree: ……………………………………………………………………

School: ….…………………………………………………………………

Faculty: ……………………………………………………………………

Date:.………………………………………………………………………

Specific agreements pertaining to ownership and joint publication,

funding, may be attached and signed

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GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES.
It should be acknowledged that during the research that both students and
supervisors can feel aggrieved. In this event, these matters should be dealt
with as swiftly as possible by the parties involved and, if necessary, the
appropriate Postgraduate Coordinators and Committees. There is, in
addition, a University Grievance Policy to help guide deliberations.

PROCEDURES RELEVANT TO M ED RESEARCH REPORT

RESEARCH REPORT SUBMISSION

1. For a full-time student, registering for the first time in 2024, the
date of submission of the Research Report is 15 February 2025.
2. For a part-time student, registering RR for the first time in 2024, the
date of submission of the Research Report is 15 February 2026.
3. If a student requires an extension, the supervisor will have to
motivate it on behalf of the student.
4. Three bound copies and one identical electronic copy are submitted
to the Faculty Officer for examination.
5. If corrections are required by the examiners, they must be made to
the satisfaction of the Graduate Studies sub-committee in Education,
and two further unbound copies and an electronic version of the final
Research Report (or Dissertation) will have tobe submitted to the
Faculty Officer.
6. To cover the cost of the electronic version, which is kept in Wits
archives, the student is required to pay a fee.

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Note: Students who have not completed their Research Report at the
end of an academic year have two options:

1) If students and supervisors feel the need to apply for an

extension of one month, they should both motivate it to the
programme coordinator six weeks before the formal deadline
of mid-February

2) If students and supervisors feel the report will not be completed

by mid-March of the next year, students will be asked to re-
register for Research Report Extension. The fee is that for the
whole year, irrespective of the time in the academic year by
which the report will be completed.

TERM DATES for WSoE

The postgraduate lectures start on Monday,
12 February 2024. Other dates will be announced in
due course.

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