The Teacher Internship Collaboration South Africa (TICZA)

The Teacher Internship Collaboration South Africa (TICZA)

The Teacher Internship Collaboration South Africa (TICZA) has emerged as an innovative vehicle that brings together government, academia, the private sector and implementers in order to drive innovation and continuous improvement in the delivery of teacher internship programmes.

Overview of TICZA

The TICZA (Teacher Internship Collaboration South Africa) is a collective impact project designed to support mutually-reinforcing activities across discrete actors in the education sector with varying interests (in extended student-teacher internships).  Collective impact is a methodology designed to address complex problems through the collaborative efforts of multiple stakeholders. In a collective impact process, emphasis is placed on alignment and partnership between government, private and third-sector organisations that work towards shared goals and measure the same things. 

TICZA has recently pivoted towards the goal of Institutionalisation by moving in the direction of demonstrating the extent to, and conditions under which extended student-teacher internships (ESTIs) can be an effective, efficient, and widely used model for teacher Work Integrated Learning (WIL) embedded within Higher-educational institutions (HEIs).

In order to achieve this TICZA is made up of a Convening Group that includes JET Education Services, the Bertha Centre at the University of Cape Town, Bridge Innovation and Trialogue. In addition, the Global Teachers Institute (GTI) played a key role in the conceptualisation of the initiative. Strategic Partners such as teacher unions, NGO Networks, research institutes, Implementing Partners and Beneficiaries complete this partnership.

‘WHY’ TICZA? Put succinctly, extended student-teacher internships are a school-based component to an Initial Teacher Education qualification for student teachers, that is established with the aim of developing well-prepared teachers capable of effective teaching.

It is important to note that TICZA is NOT a particular model of extended student-teacher internships (school-based initiates) and NOT proposing that extended student-teacher internships / school-based teacher education is / should be the ONLY expression of ITE.

Rather, TICZA seeks to determine when and how extended student-teacher internships can enhance the professional pathway to teaching.

Implementation Brief

TRAINING BETTER TEACHERS An implementation brief for improving practice-based initial teacher education

Inputs

  • Strategic Oversight and Advocacy
  • Knowledge Production
  • Platforms for Collaboration
  • Standards, Tools and Resources
  • Sector Capacity Development
  • Monitoring and Evaluation

Implementation

  • Innovate
  • Scale
  • Implement
  • Research and Evaluate
  • Collaborate and Review

Outcomes

  • Knowledgeable teachers who positively influence the education system
  • Improved teacher retention and job satisfaction
  • Reduced teacher shortages in identified areas of need