Teacher Educators’ Competences for Promoting Social Innovations in Teacher Education: School of Education, Makerere University

Abstract

Social innovation education has the capacity to promote sustainable approaches that improve society through positive change. It aims at developing qualities for positive change in students such as knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable them to become socially and ethically intelligent innovators, leaders and communicators. Contemporary social issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, and population require an education that addresses and provides solutions to the needs of society. Critical social theory and critical learning theory were used in this study. A critical pedagogy that questions assumptions, identity, and social agency was particularly useful. Ten teacher educators and six teacher trainees participated in this purely qualitative research. Two focus group interview schedules for students and interviews for the teacher trainers were conducted to generate data. The Teacher Trainers’ understanding of the concept of social innovations and how it influences the education offered for teacher education was explored. Results show that Teacher Educators have some idea of social innovations but have found it difficult to change to new pedagogies due to lack of a conducive teaching environment. Rigid secondary school curriculum also influences approaches to training teachers. There is the resistance of teacher educators and teacher trainees to change. The students really have no idea of what social innovation in education is. Some of the recommendations are to retool teacher educators and restructure the teacher education curriculum.