TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM DESIGNING: THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTING UNIVERSITY CURRICULA TO SECONDARY SCHOOL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS CONTEXTS

Abstract

This article is based on teacher education curriculum designing theoretical approaches supported by a mixed method study that was conducted on a final year cohort of student teachers at a university in Zambia. The study arose out of a concern that the researcher observed that although student teachers on the English language Bachelor of Arts with Education programme spent four strenuous years of study, they did not seem to acquire the required skills and knowledge that were vital for teaching. Blending teacher education curriculum designing theory and empirical data from a real study, the article argues for a university curriculum that is connected to secondary school knowledge and skills contexts.