Introduction

Teaching Practice (ESP 2305) is a compulsory component of the PGDE programme of the OUSL. This component is considered very important by the students and the programme planners as well. It is necessary to obtain a minimum of 40 marks (D grade) for Teaching Practice to qualify for the award of the PGDE. A distinction or a merit award can be obtained only by those who score over 60 marks (B or A grade) for Teaching Practice. It is during Teaching Practice stage I that the students get an opportunity to translate the theory that they have learnt in other courses of the programme into practice and improve their teaching competence.

Teaching Practice commences in the second year of the PGDE programme and it is conducted in two stages as Stage I and Stage II. Stage I of Teaching Practice continues for a period of 10 weeks and during this period the students teach in their own schools under the supervision and guidance of a Master Teacher appointed by the university for the purpose. The Master Teacher supervises teaching of the students and provides guidance and instructions to the students to improve their teaching competence. The Master Teacher evaluates five lessons of each student entrusted to him intermittently during Teaching Practice stage I and submits the mark (scores) to the university at the end of the period for Teaching Practice stage I. The marks submitted thus are treated as Continuous Assessment (CA) marks of the Teaching Practice component. The students who complete Teaching Practice stage I successfully are called for Teaching Practice stage II. At stage II, a student is required to teach two lessons only in an assigned school. These two lessons are evaluated by a lecturer appointed by the university for the purpose. The marks (scores) given by the lecturer for the two lesson evaluated by him are submitted to the university and these marks are considered as final examination marks for Teaching Practice. The final marc (score) and the grade for teaching practice for any student are computed on the basis of CA and Final Examination marks.

Stage I of Teaching Practice is considered more important than Teaching Practice stage II. Not only are the marks students obtain for Teaching Practice stage I considered for CA, but this stage enables students to obtain guidance for improvement of their teaching competence.

Students commencing Stage I of teaching practice have already completed one year of course work in the programme and have studied general and special methods of teaching by way of course material, day school discussions and demonstration lessons. In addition to the above, most of the students have experience in teaching for at least a few years by the time they register for the programme. It is, therefore expected that the students commencing Stage I of Teaching Practice, possess the necessary skills, attitudes, knowledge and attributes to engage in teaching effectively and efficiently, and are capable of performing well continuously from the beginning to the end of Teaching Practice period. In light of the above, the students are expected to show a continuous improvement in their teaching by way of obtaining a higher mark from one lesson to the next, for the lessons evaluated by the Master Teacher. The Master Teacher is expected to provide guidance and advice to the student at the end of each lesson for further improvement.

In evaluating teaching practice, marks are given out of hundred for each lesson. The minimum mark that any student should obtain to qualify for teaching practice stage II is forty. An upward trend in marks (scores) obtained by any student from one lesson to the next is considered as an indication of improvement of teaching competence of that student.

There has been no attempt made so far to investigate whether the above stated outcome is achieved during Teaching Practice Stage I. In other words, no attempt is made so far to estimate the extent to which the students have improved teaching competence during their Stage I of Teaching Practice period. It is, therefore, opportune to undertake this study.

This study attempts to investigate the improvement of teaching competence of students during their Teaching Practice Stage I, by analysing the marks (scores) the students have obtained for the five lessons evaluated by the Master Teachers. An upward trend (observed) in marks (scores) obtained by any student from one lesson to the next, is considered as an improvement of teaching competence of that student.

The study attempts to

i. estimate the improvement of teaching competence shown by students of the PGDE programme during stage I of their Teaching Practice period,

ii. make suggestions, in light of the findings to improve further, the teaching competence of students during Stage I of Teaching Practice period.

Definition of terms

There has been much debate on 'what' teaching is and 'who' a teacher is, throughout human history. Though many have attempted to define and illustrate these concepts very extensively, there is no common agreement on them. According to the Oxford Advanced Dictionary, to teach is 'to give instruction to, or cause to know or able to do, or give lessons' and a 'teacher' is one who teaches. Today many agree that a simple definition like the one given above is not sufficient to define teaching. There is common agreement that teaching is an organised activity carried out by some one capable and professionally equipped to do so to change the behaviour pattern of a person or a group of persons by making him or them understand and develop knowledge, skills and attitudes. The ability to teach effectively and efficiently in the above context is considered as the teaching competence in this study.

Improve is to 'make or become better' and improvement is improving or being improved as given in the Oxford Advanced Dictionary. Therefore improving the ability to teach effectively and efficiently or competently in order to achieve the expected outcomes is considered as the `Improvement of Teaching Competence' in the study.

Review of literature

Literature on the role of the teacher reveals that teacher has to perform many activities both at school and in the society at large. Many researchers (Hoyle, 1969; Dove, 1986; Kirk, 1988; Fernando, 1992; and Wragg et al 2000) have provided sufficient information to support the fact that the role of the teacher is multifaceted and complex.

Among the many activities involved with the role of a teacher 'instruction' or 'teaching' has been considered as the most important activity. Dove (1986) observes that the teacher's main role is to educate and all other responsibilities are peripheral to this core role. Kirk (1988) in listing the activities in the role of a teacher lists the activity - 'to teach assigned classes' on top of all other activities in the list, and indicates that teaching is the key function of a teacher. In reviewing the literature on the role of the teacher, Fernando (1992) observes that teaching is the most important activity performed by a teacher.

Wijeratne (1989) in her study, notes that though teaching can take place any where and at any time, the place assigned for teaching the younger generation in the formal way is the school. Therefore teaching at school, especially at classroom level needs to be the focus when considering the 'teaching' of teachers and their teaching competence.

The traditional notion of teaching or instruction is to 'impart knowledge'. According to Wijeratne (1989) the above notion of teaching is valid even today. But imparting knowledge in the traditional way is not sufficient at present because society has become complex and knowledge has increased tremendously due to advancements in Science and Technology. Kirk (1988) observes that methods of imparting knowledge and understanding have changed enormously at present making the task of teaching also multifaceted and complex. Wragg et al (2000) also note that teaching in the twenty firsttwenty-first century is bound to be multifaceted.

The observation by Fernando (1992) that 'a teacher has to communicate knowledge in a manner that helps students to develop both desire and ability to learn, for which purpose he needs to diagnose the learning needs of the students, assess their educational progress and help them to achieve the best of which a student is capable,' shows the multifacetedness and complexity of the classroom teaching performed by teachers.

A teacher is expected to perform teaching in the most effective and efficient way in order to achieve the expected outcomes. According to Medley and Shannon (1998) effectiveness of a teacher depends on how well the teacher performs on the job and how well the teacher performs on the job depends on how competent the teacher is. Wijeratne (1989) notes that a teacher needs to know and learn how to perform teaching in the most effective manner.

Studies by many, like Wijetunge (1980); Dove (1986); Wijeratne (1989); Fernando (1992) have identified areas relevant to effective teaching, in which teachers need to develop knowledge and understanding, skills, attitudes and qualities in themselves in order to become effective teachers. Teachers who have developed such attributes can be considered as teachers who have developed teaching competence.

Wragg et al (2000) point out that teachers need a wide range of subject knowledge and a large repetoire of professional skills to teach and to be effective teachers. According to them, a teacher needs to know and understand the ever changing content of the subjects, and topics being taught, as well as be able to manage a class, explain clearly, ask intelligent and appropriate questions and monitor and assess learning. Further they note that a good teacher needs to be keen and enthusiastic, well organised, firm but fair, stimulating, know the stuff well and interested in the welfare of the children.

Hilliard (1971) identified that it is through teacher education and training that a teacher develops the knowledge and understanding, skills, attitudes and qualities he/she requires to perform his/her activities, especially teaching, well. Teacher Education is therefore a must for every teacher and according to Wijeratne (1989) the ultimate aim of teacher education is to guarantee effective teaching. It is evident that in all initial teacher education programmes including those for graduate teachers, there is a practical component which attempts to develop/improve teaching competence of the students who follow the programme.

According to Peretz (1998) the curriculum of any teacher education programme is based on four components. They are

a. Subject matter studies

b. Foundation of education studies

c. Professional studies and

d. Practicum (Supervised Practice)

Out of these, the practicum is the most favourably viewed component of the programme. Tisher (1990) notes that school experience is viewed by the trainees as extremely important, practical and satisfying component of pre-service education because trainees believe that they gain a lot from it and that it is the most realistic aspect of the course. They believe that school experience helps them to reduce their anxiety about teaching and foster their practical teaching skills.

Studies by Appleberry (1976) Haring and Nelson (1980) Eltis (1991) also reveal that teachers consider Teaching Practice as the most important beneficial component in a teacher education programme because as Zeichner (1986) points out, it is the practicum that provides them with a significant occasion for acquiring new knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Gunawardena (1996) comments that, overall, researchers consider Teaching Practice to be the mechanism for applying the knowledge they have gained through a teacher education programme and has highlighted the importance of Teaching Practice in developing the teaching competence of students.

White (1998) considers Teaching Practice as a 'rite of passage' for teachers. This component is organized in different ways in institutions. The time devoted for Teaching Practice also varies greatly from institution to institution. Ben – Peretz (1998) notes that there is a growing tendency to increase field based experiences. Furlong et al (1988) have noted four different levels of the Practicum; they are, level (a) Direct practice (teaching practice in schools), level (b) Indirect Practice (training conducted in classes or workshops in teacher education institutions) level (c) Practical principles (study of practical principles of practice) level (d) Disciplinary theory. The students in Traditional Teacher Education programmes engage in levels b, c, d before they are introduced to level (a)(Direct practice).
It is expected that the students develop/improve their teaching competence during teaching practice period. The students who perform well continuously during the teaching practice period can be considered as those who have mastered the art of teaching and are going to be future effective and efficient teachers.
Methodology

The study used the documentary survey method. The documents indicating marks obtained by the students for the lessons, evaluated by the Master Teachers and submitted to the department were surveyed to collect data. The batch of students (Sinhala medium) numbering 423, who performed Teaching Practice stage I in 1998/1999 academic year was taken as the population of the study. An attempt was made to select a sample of 102 students on a stratified random sampling basis. That was to select six students from each of the seventeen districts excluding northern and eastern provinces. But Polonnaruwa district had only five students doing Teaching Practice stage I, therefore all five of them were selected for the sample. The sample therefore contained only 101 students from the seventeen districts.
