Dear Educator,
We welcome you to our first newsletter for 2024, filled with articles, professional development opportunities, teaching tools, and exciting updates about our new products.
For principals and department heads, we have an insightful article addressing the challenge of conflict resolution within schools. As schools can be a hub of diverse personalities, conflicts among staff are inevitable. Thus, as a leader, mediating and facilitating resolution is crucial. Flip to Pg.3 for more details.
With the SGB elections approaching, Macmillan Teacher Campus is proud to present the “A Guide to Survive Your Term in Office!” workshop tailored to equip newly elected SGB teams with essential skills and tools for success. Further information can be found on Pg.5.
Autism, a hidden disability prevalent in many classrooms, presents unique challenges for educators. In the Teacher Talk section, discover strategies to identify and support learners with autism effectively. Also, mark your calendars for the virtual Inclusion Focus Week hosted by MTC in April and September.
Angie Motshega rightly said, “The foundations laid in early learning and the Foundation Phase through play will impact children’s schooling careers up to matric and beyond.” Learn more about play-based learning in this newsletter and explore our new Gr R and ECD Kits in the accompanying brochure. Our IP Solutions for all Coding and Robotics will follow soon.
Gear up for Coding and Robotics! Turn to Pg.14 to delve into the Coding and Robotics curriculum. Excitingly, we’ve launched Solutions for all Coding and Robotics books for the Foundation Phase, comprising a workbook and a comprehensive Teacher’s Guide. With our extensive support, including face-to-face and virtual workshops, webinars and videos, you’re never alone in implementing this innovative curriculum.
We’re also thrilled to highlight one of our standout initiatives from 2023, where the Macmillan team transformed the Shine by Hope Day Centre and Preschool in Katlehong. Read more on Pg. 18
Until the next newsletter.
Regards,
The Macmillan Education Team
A staff complement at school is one big melting pot of different personalities.
In every school there are:
• extroverts who sit and socialise during planning
• introverts who utilise that time to recharge for the rest of the day
• givers, who are frequently eloquently expressive about their beliefs
• those who engage in debates, whose strong will makes them unable to withstand an argument.
Teachers will inevitably get into disagreements with their colleagues given the variety of personalities present. But … it doesn't have to digress into a mud-slinging contest.
Life is full of conflict and conflict can be very healthy. It increases awareness of problems that exist and provides a reason for finding a better way forward. When conflict is valued it encourages an environment where change is seen as positive – a way of making things better. In reality, growth cannot occur without it.
As a principal or departmental head, you will have to deal with disagreements on a frequent basis, and timeously. It is important to always have a paper trail, but it is unnecessary to immediately resort to formal documentation to resolve an issue between staff members, thereby making it a bigger issue than it really is.
It is imperative that you as a leader have your ear to the ground and address conflict between staff members as soon as possible so that it does not escalate. The last thing that is wanted is for disagreements or conflicts to escalate to the point that they affect the learners and their education.
This is by no means saying that you should be a conflict-seeker, but one should seek to resolve and address conflict so that all parties mutually agree with the outcome.
When there is a dispute between teachers, you as a leader should immediately ask how you can assist. Teachers will frequently enter
“To ignore conflict actually gives the conflict power. Sanee Bell in Education Week Teacher ... it is best to listen, process and communicate a message of working together and keeping lines of communication open; not in an email or an immediate move to formal documentation. Todd Franklin in Education Week Teacher Leaders may be tempted to ignore, or look the other way when conflicts occur, but a strong leader recognises the benefit in addressing the needs of their school as they occur.your office to voice their displeasure with another teacher.
You, on the other hand, should never voice your opinions about a situation or a colleague, even if you do have them. Your responsibility as a leader is to listen and not to discredit the individual or add fuel to the flame.
Herewith a suggested way to deal with this: After listening to the details of the conflict, ask the teacher: “What was the response when you told your colleague how you felt?” The reaction you will mostly get is one of shock. They will usually respond by telling you that they haven’t talked to the person, and in most cases, they have no intention of doing so. Most people don’t like addressing the conflict head-on.
Ask yourself the following questions to fully understand and address the conflict in the correct manner:
Who? Who needs to be involved in the discussions?
What? What are the facts and feelings in this conflict?
When? When is an appropriate time to approach the conflict?
Where? Where is a neutral location to talk about the conflict?
Why? Why address this conflict?
How? How do you move forward?
As a leader, it is your responsibility to mediate and help resolve conflicts between teachers. The most successful mediators:
• are empathetic
• are non-judgemental
• have patience and persistence
• are optimistic
• are trustworthy
• are sharp minded
• are creative
• have good common sense and
• have a good sense of humour.
As long as you have the right rapport with your teachers, you can ensure any disputes are resolved quickly and completely.
References:
https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/dealing-teacher-conflicts-school-advice-former-principal1710.html
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-response-dont-ignore-staff-conflict-in-schools/2018/07
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/conflict-with-coworker
https://study.com/blog/how-to-handle-conflict-with-other-teachers.html
In this interactive ONLINE workshop, we want to help all newlyappointed parents and school members who serve on the School Governing Body to survive their time in office, bring about positive change and create a big impact. Our diverse South African context was taken into consideration when developing the content.
Workshop Content:
Election and co-opting: Learn about the process of elections and co-opting of members
Understanding roles & responsibilities: Gain insight into SGB roles and responsibilities according to provincial and national legislation
Handover procedures: Master handover procedures and checklists for effective governance transitions
Meeting protocol: Understand proper meeting procedures and protocol
Conflict management: Equip yourself with skills to effectively manage conflicts within the SGB. Realistic case studies: Learn from real-life scenarios to enhance your understanding
Each school represented will receive a downloadable FREE TOOLKIT consisting of the following: handover checklists agenda and minute templates policy templates budgets with line items report templates policy framework textbook retrieval templates and many more.
Empower yourself and make a difference in your school community! Book now to secure a spot for your team at a low cost of R2500 per team.
Date: 24 April 2024
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Link: https://forms.gle/uwV62kq9oBm7MViy8
Cost: R2500 (for entire SGB team)
It’s not “just play”: they are skills for life!
Children have the right to play:
• The right of children to play is captured in the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• South Africa is a signatory to this and therefore has the obligation to uphold this. All rights are related and are equally important.
• All children, regardless of their gender, age, nationality and ability are protected by these rights.
• The responsibility of promoting this right is that of any parent or adult who facilitates play for children.
• Adults should ensure the inclusion of all children (even children living with disabilities) and that there is no discrimination on the basis of colour, class, age and gender.
As educators and society we want:
Children form strong and healthy attachments with adults and other children.
Children are good thinkers and communicators, able to use language confidently to listen, reason and speak.
Children have the core general skills – such as self control, memory and perseverance – that are essential tools for living and learning.
To achieve this – a play-based programme involves
Child-initiated activities
An active constructor of knowledge who learns by exploring and discovering
Children develop concrete strategies through their own interests.
Teacher- supported learning
Encourages children's learning by stretching their interactions.
Children who play:
• are socially competent
• can build relationships
• resolve conflict through negotiations with other children
• self-regulate their behaviour
• have self confidence
• can make their own decisions
• release stress
• can concentrate
• are more creative.
A PLAY-BASED PROGRAMME ENCOURAGES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS USING STRATEGIES THAT:
• encourage children to explore the world around them through movement
• allow children to experiment with concrete objects in the classroom
• make use of open-ended questions during morning ring discussion OR story time
• support children to find solutions to everyday problems
• listen to and build children’s thoughts, ideas and interests.
• Creating safe spaces that allow for a range of play opportunities
• Changing play spaces as required
• Providing adequate play materials and toys
• Ensuring children can access the play materials and toys
• A daily programme that includes time for child-initiated as well as adult-directed playful learning activities
• Modelling acceptable behaviour, language and social skills to children
• Scaffolding their learning by guiding their play and showing them the next step
• Empowering children through allowing decision making
• Encouraging and praising children
• Allowing for children to explore, make mistakes and to try again
• Verbalising what children are doing; giving them the language they need to express themselves
• Having conversations with children
• Time for parents to engage children in play at home
• Resources
• Using daily routines as opportunities to develop skills such as problem-solving, decision making, social skills, independence and responsibility.
The Minister of Education launched a ‘Learning though Play Programme’ in 2017. She is quoted from the launch as stating: “The foundations that we lay in early learning and the Foundation Phase through play, will have an impact on the schooling careers of children up to matric and beyond. Play is learning in the early years, and the starting point for future engineers, doctors and teachers, amongst others.”
Sources: https://www.education.gov.za/Newsroom/MediaReleases/tabid/347/ctl/Details/mid/7002/ItemID/5532/Default.aspx
Do you perhaps have a Sheldon Cooper in your class? Autism is a pervasive development disability, often referred to as Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). People with autism have difficulties in areas such as communication, social interaction, flexible thinking and sensory processing. Some learners might have more autistic characteristics than others, and some might have more difficulties than others.
It is considered to be an invisible disability because autism does not have a look. It is a neurodevelopmental disability or condition.
Do you have learners showing these characteristics?
You may by now have identified some learners in your class that demonstrate some of these characteristics and you would like to know how to manage them in your class to give them the best possible opportunity to succeed.
Sensory processing
• Autistic people have different sensory processing systems
• Hyper sensitive – Information can be overwhelming – Can lead to a meltdown
• Hypo sensitive – Does not get enough sensory information – Actively seeks out sensory information
Repetative behaviours
• Stims or stimming
• Movements
• Sounds
• Words
• Gestures
• Can be helpful
• Might be harmful
Neuro-motor differences
• Ability to control our movements
• Dyspraxia
• Brain body disconnect
You probably already have an autistic learner in your class. Autistic learners can learn.
Teachers need to be:
• inclusive
• accepting
• supporting
• empowering.
We need to, as far as possible, help our learners to maintain rational thought; it is therefore important to develop a trusting and safe relationship with our learners, while at the same time, teaching regulation skills. It is a fact that learners who feel safe, loved and validated are ready to learn.
Emotional regulation involves four basic emotions, namely: happiness, sadness, fear and anger. However, it is not all that simple, with many more emotions coming into play. Let’s look at a few ways to help reduce any behaviours or dysregulation (Autism South Africa, 2019):
1. Create a Low Arousal environment
• Is it sensory friendly?
• Are you calm?
• Are you consistent?
• Have you reduced visual clutter?
2. Rules and consequences
• Are the rules and consequences clear?
• Are you consistent with the rules and consequences?
• Are they displayed clearly?
• Does everyone understand the rules and consequences?
3. Choices
• Do you allow for choices?
• There is always more than one way to achieve a goal – make the individual feel as though they have some control over their day.
• Making choices is also an important life skill.
• Processing time
o Allow time for processing – don’t overload with too many instructions at once.
Don’t repeat the same instruction over and over – remember the mind-body disconnect, it might take time for the body to do what it is supposed to do.
4. Organisation
• Classroom layout
o Is your classroom organised?
o Do the learners know what happens where?
o Is there a window with a lot of distractions?
o Are the tables and chairs the correct size for the learners?
• Learner specific needs
o Make sure you are catering for each learner’s specific needs – remember that often our learners have more than one specific need.
5. Teaching methods
• What are your teaching methods?
o Explore and learn about other ways to teach.
o Use technology.
o Make learning fun! If you aren’t having fun in your class, your learners are not having fun either.
When should a teacher refer:
There are many signs of autism that one might notice as a teacher. It is also important to remember that a teacher cannot make a diagnosis of autism, or of any other neurodevelopmental condition. However, we can advise when we are concerned about a child.
If a teacher does have concerns, it is important to inform the principal and call a meeting with the parents. From there the concerns can be outlined and referrals to the relevant medical professionals can be made.
The Coding and Robotics Curriculum is essential in introducing our students to new technologies within the educational setting and laying a foundation of knowledge for the Intermediate and Senior Phases in our rapidly evolving technological world.
The Coding and Robotics Curriculum aims to direct and prepare students to solve problems, think critically, work collaboratively and creatively, and function in a digital and information-driven world. It also teaches students how to apply digital and ICT skills and how to transfer these skills to solve problems in their daily lives.
Coding is the method by which we speak with a computer to instruct it on what to perform. Coding is part of the process of computer programming. The computer knows what to do since the program or code is a set of instructions. You can instruct a computer to handle data, make websites or apps, make digital games, and many other amazing digital things, by using computer code.
Robots are devices that are designed to do specific tasks. Robots come in a wide range of designs and are frequently designed to mimic or reproduce human behaviour. A programmable machine that combines engineering, science and technology is a robot.
What are the different content areas in the Coding and Robotics Curriculum for Foundation, Intermediate and Senior Phases?
In the Draft Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) the subject Coding and Robotics has been organised into five strands or digital skills and knowledge content areas in the Foundation Phase, and four strands in the Intermediate and Senior Phases. These content areas are:
When delivering the Coding and Robotics Curriculum, two teaching methodologies should be used: Computational Thinking (namely decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithm) and the Engineering Design Process (investigate, design, make, evaluate and communicate).
In Computational Thinking, issues are expressed and solutions are discovered in a form that a computer can understand and carry out. The following steps are included in the dynamic process known as Computational Thinking:
A
A
The Engineering Design Process is referred to in the curriculum as the subject’s backbone and should be utilised to organise the delivery of all learning objectives.
Learners should be presented with a problem, need or opportunity as a beginning point for the process.
To tackle the problem, we use the Engineering Design Process:
There
4 learning about the contexts of the issue
4 investigating current products with regard to important design elements
4 doing practical testing to comprehend certain aspects of the subject matter
4 judging the suitability of a product.
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Ignite curiosity. Empower 21st century learners!
The Solutions for all Coding and Robotics series aims to spark curiosity in young learners for coding and robotics, essential skills in today's tech-focused world.
Workbooks
Tailored for the next generation of tech enthusiasts, the Workbook combines engaging content, hands-on activities, and real-world applications to make learning exciting.
A comprehensive Teacher’s Guide offers clear step-bystep instructions for each lesson, eliminating the need for additional lesson plans. It also boosts novice teachers' confidence in delivering this new subject.
Our Coding and Robotics solutions aren't just limited to textbooks. With dedicated teacher support through workshops, webinars, and online teaching tips, you'll feel confident implementing the curriculum using our Solutions for All Coding and Robotics series, guiding your learners through the exciting world of technology effectively.
Unlock the full potential of your learners’ minds using these powerful tools designed for educators.
Transform writing lessons with MTC’s Writing Process Wheel! Empower yourself to guide your learners seamlessly through the writing journey. English Literature Wheel
Strategies to teach different genres in your language classroom. Exposure to different literature genres enriches the learning experience, offering a well-rounded education that goes beyond basic language skills.
Play is not just a pastime; it’s a powerful tool for fostering children’s physical, intellectual and social development.
Macmillan has an extensive range of kits for Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Grade R classrooms.
Don’t miss the opportunity to transform your classroom into a vibrant learning hub through play.
With ubbu you learn how to code through game-based lessons. Learn how to build games and narratives and to code your own world!
Our age-adapted curriculum is designed for children between 6 and 12 years old, and every one of our lessons aligns with both multidisciplinary, STEAM elements and at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal so that students work on their Citizenship Skills too!
Empower young minds through games and coding, fostering problem-solving, mindful citizenship, and a passion for learning. For families & schools, ubbu offers boundless educational opportunities, preparing learners with 21st-century skills.
Improved the digital literacy, in the areas of STEAM, of more than 250k users
Our students have improved their math grades by 17%
Our users have interacted with more than 40M activities related to the UN SDG’s
NO COMPUTER SCIENCE BACKGROUND REQUIRED We guide teachers through the entire computer science curriculum
ANALYTICS & CONTROL Monitor student progress and tailor lessons with precision
ADAPTIVE CURRICULUM Computer science lessons aligned with international standards
TEACHER SUPPORT ubbu Academy offers webinars and materials for educators
COMPREHENSIVE LESSON PLANS Everything you need for effective teaching ENGAGING LEARNING Explore ubbu World, a favourite among students
In the heart of Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, the Shine By Hope Day Centre and Pre-School stands as a beacon of care for both children and senior citizens. Founded by the dedicated Portia Diboke, a proud local and mother of four, this centre plays a vital role in the community.
The initial state of the centre before renovations
Macmillan recently contributed to the uplifting narrative of Shine By Hope through its 180 Days of Giving Initiative. The initiative included a much-needed renovation to the centre’s infrastructure, breathing new life into the building. This not only enhances the physical environment but also sends a powerful message of support and investment in the wellbeing of the community.
Our contractors hard at work
As part of their commitment to education, Macmillan also generously donated stationery and school bags to the Grade R class.
Team Macmillan showed up in numbers to lend a helping hand
ECD & Grade R
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John Catt educational titles now available at Macmillan Education
John Catt’s educational titles are now available from Macmillan Education. John Catt is a leading publisher of books, directories and educational guides specifically aimed at forward-thinking schools. Click here to view the
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