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Lessons in teaching and learning from Wits School of Education

- By Buhle Zuma

With seven book titles, four PhDs and eight National Research Foundation (NRF) ratings, the Wits School of Education (WSOE) in the Faculty of Humanities is leading the race in responding to the University’s key strategic goals.

The School’s collective achievements in 2011 speak not only of a thriving and dynamic campus fully living its mission – which is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of education – but of a School actively  propelling the University to reach global top-league status.

A celebratory ceremony in October acknowledged the achievements of WSOE staff this year. These achievements included a high number of NRF-rated academics within the Faculty, bringing the total to eight. In addition, the WSOE is the academic home of South Africa’s only A-rated researcher in education, Professor Jill Adler (BSc 1973, MEd 1985, PhD (Education) 1996).

Dr Francine de Clercq (PhD 2011), Dr Rene Ferguson (BA, PDE 1980), Dr Percy Sepeng and Dr Helen Ludlowgraduated with PhDs, responding to the University’s aspiration to swell its teaching and research ranks with PhD-qualified academics.

A proud Head of School, Prof. Ruksana Osman (BA 1984, MEd 1992, PhD (Education) 2003) said the School took great pride in the accomplishments of its members. “These achievements demonstrate that we actively pursue a research approach to our work, furthering our mission to be a leading school of education in the region and continent,” commented Osman.

“Having highly qualified teachers and researchers increases the profile of the School. The Wits 2013 and 2022 strategy is explicit about the need to attract high numbers of postgraduate students. Postgraduate students look for well-established researchers for supervision and mentorship,” she added.

As producers and conveyors of knowledge, the School is staying at the edge of knowledge and research production. Seven academics have successfully published books tackling key issues relating to education in South Africa:

  • Dr Kerryn Dixon (BA 1998, BA Hons, PDE 1999, MEd 2001, PhD 2008) publishedLiteracy, Power and the Schooled Body: Learning in Time and Space.
  • The book by mathematician and Marang Centre Director Prof. Marissa Rollnick (BSc PDE 1972, PhD (Education) 1988) is titled Identifying Potential for Equitable Access to Tertiary Level Science: Digging for Gold
  • Dr Karen Lazar (BA 1983, BA Hons 1984, MA 1988, PhD (Arts) 1996) authored Hemisphere: Inside a stroke
  • Head of Deaf Studies, Dr Lucas Magongwa (BEd 1994, BEd Hons 2004, MEd 2008) authored Exploring deaf students’ experiences in higher education institution: Discovering the experiences of deaf teachers of being students at an institution of higher education in South Africa
  • Senior tutor in the WSOE, Dr Emmanuel Ojo (MEd 2009) produced the title Internationalisation of Higher education in South Africa: A Phenomenographic Study of Students’ Conception at the University of the Witwatersrand
  • Lecturer in Mathematics Education Dr Percy Sepeng produced the book Reality Based reasoning in Mathematics Word Problem Solving

In addition, WSOE senior tutor Gaokgakala Lemmenyane (MA 2011) and administrative officer Matsie Mabesta (MA 2011) completed their Masters degrees.

This article was originally written by Buhle Zuma and published by Wits Communications
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