UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Education
⋄
Becoming a Teacher: Portfolio
Seven Tasks on Professional Teaching Practice — Semester 2 2026
⋄
Module Code: BTE2601
Module Name: Becoming a Teacher
Assignment Type: Portfolio
Due Date: 2 October 2026
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Becoming a Teacher (BTE2601)
at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | BTE2601 Becoming a Teacher — Portfolio
Task 1: The Teacher as a Reflective Practitioner
Teaching is not the transfer of information from a teacher who possesses knowledge to a
learner who lacks it. A defensible teaching philosophy treats learners as active agents who
construct understanding, who need emotionally and physically safe conditions in which to
do so, and who must be pushed beyond recall toward independent thought. This position
draws on constructivist, inclusive and critical traditions in education (Vygotsky, 1978; Freire,
1970; Florian and Black-Hawkins, 2011). It is also disciplined by ongoing reflection: Schön
(1983) argues that professional judgement improves when a practitioner examines the conse-
quences of past actions rather than repeating them unexamined. The three beliefs below, and
the classroom decisions they generate, form the core of that philosophy.
1.1 My three core teaching beliefs
Knowledge is built through active participation
Learners understand a concept more durably when they have argued about it, manipulated it
or applied it than when they have only heard it explained. Vygotsky’s (1978) account of learn-
ing as socially mediated activity, developed through interaction with more knowledgeable
others, supports the view that meaning is built rather than deposited.
Every learner deserves an inclusive classroom
Differences in language, culture, prior knowledge and ability are the normal condition of a
South African classroom, not an exception to be managed. Florian and Black-Hawkins (2011)
reframe inclusive pedagogy as the systematic reduction of barriers to participation for every-
one, rather than a set of separate accommodations made for a few learners.
Education should cultivate autonomy and critical thinking
A learner who can only reproduce what was taught has not yet been educated in the fuller
sense. Freire (1970) calls this transmission model banking education, contrasting it with
problem-posing education, in which learners question, reason and gradually take responsibil-
ity for their own thinking.
Page 1 of 19
, UNISA | BTE2601 Becoming a Teacher — Portfolio
My Teaching
Philosophy
Belief 1: Active Belief 2: Inclusive, Belief 3: Crit-
construction barrier-reduced ical thinking
of knowledge classroom and autonomy
Figure 1: The three core beliefs underpinning classroom practice
1.2 How these beliefs shape my classroom decisions
The belief in active construction changes how a lesson is planned before a single word is
spoken. Rather than opening with exposition, I would open with a task that requires learners
to draw on what they already know, since Vygotsky’s (1978) socially mediated view of learn-
ing holds that understanding is built through use, not exposure alone. In a Grade 9 Natural
Sciences lesson on ecosystems, small groups would receive cards representing producers,
consumers and decomposers, construct a food chain, and predict what happens when one
organism is removed. This turns the lesson into an exercise in reasoning rather than a recita-
tion of definitions.
The belief in inclusion changes how I group learners, select resources and communicate
instructions. Tomlinson’s (2014) work on differentiation treats varied entry points as a re-
quirement of good planning, not a concession made afterward for a struggling minority. For a
difficult concept I would provide a written explanation, a diagram and an oral explanation side
by side, with simplified vocabulary support where needed and an extension task for learners
ready to go further. The goal is different routes to the same standard, not a lowered standard
for some.
Valuing critical thinking changes the kind of question a lesson is built around. Anderson and
Krathwohl’s (2001) revision of Bloom’s taxonomy separates recall from analysis, evaluation,
and creation, and a commitment to learner autonomy has to be visible in which of these a
teacher actually asks for. After a unit on environmental pollution, for instance, learners could
choose between an awareness poster, a small investigation, or a proposed solution to a local
problem. That choice shifts them from answering a question to framing one.
Taken together, these three beliefs mean that a lesson is not judged only by whether the syl-
labus content was covered. It is also judged by whether learners participated, whether the
barriers facing different learners were actually reduced, and whether learners left able to
Page 2 of 19
College of Education
⋄
Becoming a Teacher: Portfolio
Seven Tasks on Professional Teaching Practice — Semester 2 2026
⋄
Module Code: BTE2601
Module Name: Becoming a Teacher
Assignment Type: Portfolio
Due Date: 2 October 2026
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Becoming a Teacher (BTE2601)
at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | BTE2601 Becoming a Teacher — Portfolio
Task 1: The Teacher as a Reflective Practitioner
Teaching is not the transfer of information from a teacher who possesses knowledge to a
learner who lacks it. A defensible teaching philosophy treats learners as active agents who
construct understanding, who need emotionally and physically safe conditions in which to
do so, and who must be pushed beyond recall toward independent thought. This position
draws on constructivist, inclusive and critical traditions in education (Vygotsky, 1978; Freire,
1970; Florian and Black-Hawkins, 2011). It is also disciplined by ongoing reflection: Schön
(1983) argues that professional judgement improves when a practitioner examines the conse-
quences of past actions rather than repeating them unexamined. The three beliefs below, and
the classroom decisions they generate, form the core of that philosophy.
1.1 My three core teaching beliefs
Knowledge is built through active participation
Learners understand a concept more durably when they have argued about it, manipulated it
or applied it than when they have only heard it explained. Vygotsky’s (1978) account of learn-
ing as socially mediated activity, developed through interaction with more knowledgeable
others, supports the view that meaning is built rather than deposited.
Every learner deserves an inclusive classroom
Differences in language, culture, prior knowledge and ability are the normal condition of a
South African classroom, not an exception to be managed. Florian and Black-Hawkins (2011)
reframe inclusive pedagogy as the systematic reduction of barriers to participation for every-
one, rather than a set of separate accommodations made for a few learners.
Education should cultivate autonomy and critical thinking
A learner who can only reproduce what was taught has not yet been educated in the fuller
sense. Freire (1970) calls this transmission model banking education, contrasting it with
problem-posing education, in which learners question, reason and gradually take responsibil-
ity for their own thinking.
Page 1 of 19
, UNISA | BTE2601 Becoming a Teacher — Portfolio
My Teaching
Philosophy
Belief 1: Active Belief 2: Inclusive, Belief 3: Crit-
construction barrier-reduced ical thinking
of knowledge classroom and autonomy
Figure 1: The three core beliefs underpinning classroom practice
1.2 How these beliefs shape my classroom decisions
The belief in active construction changes how a lesson is planned before a single word is
spoken. Rather than opening with exposition, I would open with a task that requires learners
to draw on what they already know, since Vygotsky’s (1978) socially mediated view of learn-
ing holds that understanding is built through use, not exposure alone. In a Grade 9 Natural
Sciences lesson on ecosystems, small groups would receive cards representing producers,
consumers and decomposers, construct a food chain, and predict what happens when one
organism is removed. This turns the lesson into an exercise in reasoning rather than a recita-
tion of definitions.
The belief in inclusion changes how I group learners, select resources and communicate
instructions. Tomlinson’s (2014) work on differentiation treats varied entry points as a re-
quirement of good planning, not a concession made afterward for a struggling minority. For a
difficult concept I would provide a written explanation, a diagram and an oral explanation side
by side, with simplified vocabulary support where needed and an extension task for learners
ready to go further. The goal is different routes to the same standard, not a lowered standard
for some.
Valuing critical thinking changes the kind of question a lesson is built around. Anderson and
Krathwohl’s (2001) revision of Bloom’s taxonomy separates recall from analysis, evaluation,
and creation, and a commitment to learner autonomy has to be visible in which of these a
teacher actually asks for. After a unit on environmental pollution, for instance, learners could
choose between an awareness poster, a small investigation, or a proposed solution to a local
problem. That choice shifts them from answering a question to framing one.
Taken together, these three beliefs mean that a lesson is not judged only by whether the syl-
labus content was covered. It is also judged by whether learners participated, whether the
barriers facing different learners were actually reduced, and whether learners left able to
Page 2 of 19
