Abstract
From time to time, education has suffered a setback as a result of major
disruptions. Some were epidemiological such as the current COVID-19 being
experienced. Seismological events such as earthquakes shake the foundations
of nations rendering schooling impractical in the ordinary sense. Other
ideological factors include situations when a compelling ideological conviction grips the consciousness of a nation or nations causing ripples in the system
and requiring a recalibration of the meanings and purposes, content and
methods of education. In the global South, and especially in post-colonial
nations such as South Africa, we face a triple cocktail of major disruptions, in
the form of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), decolonisation and the
COVID-19 pandemic. This confluence of major disruptions in Africa’s higher
education spaces at the same time can trigger major changes some of which
could have undesirable consequences for both the institutions and the
societies they serve.
This book, the second in the series, brings together empirical evidence in
the teacher education contexts demonstrating the capacity, challenges,
contradictions and conundrums faced in teacher training in South Africa as
they respond, prepare for and adjust to the imperatives of the 4IR. The book
brings together gilt-edged theoretical thinking and empirical evidence around
the discourses of the 4IR and their application in teacher education contexts.
In this chapter, the focus is on a critical examination of the discourse of the
4IR, discussing its ontological and epistemological foundations and reflecting
on how these intersect with contextual realities of teacher education in South
Africa. The chapter is conceptualised as offering a broad-based foundation
for reflecting the affordances and constraints of integrating the ideas of the
4IR in teacher education.