Teaching Practice Monitoring and Supervision Experiences towards Improving Pre-Service Teacher Training in Tanzania: A Case Study of Mwenge Catholic University

Abstract

Teaching and learning in secondary schools worldwide has been influenced by many factors, among them being the qualification of teachers and their professional knowledge and skills. Teacher education has continued to become an area of concern when looking for teacher competence and efficiency in schools at all levels as it is seen to have influence the teacher practices and performance. This study therefore is aimed at finding out on how monitoring and supervision of teaching practice can improve pre-service teacher training in Tanzania. The main focus was on one university that offers a special Block Teaching Practice (BTP) that involves strong monitoring mechanism and supervision to enhance teacher trainees' professional competence. The population of this study included 200 monitors and 85 academic staff was used where by 23 monitors and 45 university academic staff was selected as a sample through simple random sampling technique. The data was collected though focus group discussion and questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed through descriptive statistics into percentage and frequencies and the qualitative patterns were organized into themes and tallied to form texts and narratives, quotes and descriptions. The findings show that monitoring and supervision during the practical training form the basis for effective pre-service teacher Education. Both monitors and supervisors are equally important in molding teacher trainees' competence and professional knowledge in preparing qualified future teachers. The study recommends that other colleges and universities offering Pre-service teacher training to adapt the monitoring mechanism to improve teacher trainees' ability to experience multiple benefits through various mentors. The study concludes that effective monitoring and supervision of teaching practice can be reliable mechanisms for improving pre-service teacher training.