Teacha! Magazine

The Magazine for South African Teachers

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Third Term 2018

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Launch Issue

Get started with EdTech - Fundraising Ideas - Leadership Activities

Download 3500+ resources made by South African teachers on the Teacha! Resources Marketplace. You can also share or sell yours! www.teachingresources.co.za

3500+ resources

In this issue

Editor's Letter: The Teachers Who Shape Us 4 5 Ways to start with eLearning (And no budget) 6 eLearning: 7 Principles that make you a better teacher 8 Inspiring Math Students With A South African NGO’s Blended-learning Program 10 Encouraging an Atmosphere of Reading 12 Two tricks for helping struggling readers in Grade 1 14 3 Leadership Development Activities 16 Using games to teach an Additional Language 19 Practical fundraising ideas for your school 20 Selecting media for Visual Arts 22 5 Tips for building positive relationships with your learners 24 Creative ways to get Professional Development going in your school 26 SACE Points Guide Courses & CPTD Activities 27 Techno-Granny Phuti Ragophala 28 The way history is taught in South Africa is ahistorical – and that’s a problem 30 Teachers feel excluded from South Africa’s schools by race and culture 32

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THE TEACHERS WHO SHAPE US In her TED talk, Every Kid needs a Champion, the late Rita Pierson quotes James Comer, saying that no significant learning can take place without a significant relationship. Though she is referring to teaching children in her talk, I believe this also applies to teachers, their teaching practise and the teaching of each other.

When I started teaching at my previous school, the principal walked into my class during my first week. She only observed my lesson for a few minutes and then left again. My heart sank into my boots. What is she going to say about this lesson? Will she notice that I wasn’t prepared as much as I would’ve liked to be? I felt like a fraud that didn’t deserve to teach at that school. I mean, I had only had 6 months of experience prior and had not proven myself yet.

The next day, in passing, she stopped me and told me that she loved the materials I had made and used in the lesson. However,I needed to be careful to not be bound by the computer in one spot, I needed to move around more freely. Immediately I felt validated, I’m doing something right! But I also knew that I could improve something without feeling offended. It was the start of a great principal-teacher relationship and because of her constructive criticism, I respected her.

Since I was quite obsessed with integrating technology in my classroom, I also immediately clicked with the other techgeek-teachers at the school. We shared best practices and ideas and just talked about education in general. We didn’t teach the

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same subjects, but our ideas could work across subjects and across CAPS, and this became more about the way we thought about teaching, rather than what we were teaching. In my subject team, we had veteran teachers who had a wealth of knowledge about teaching my subject. They helped me to understand how to teach the subject, and together we worked on ways to transform our teaching to become more effective, using technology. We learnt from each other.

Though I don’t teach anymore, I am connected with teachers in various groups and Professional Learning Networks (PLNs), such as Teacha! Helpline for South African teachers on Facebook, and the #ZAEdu twitter chat that takes place every month. In safe spaces online I have been told that I need to rethink some of the ideas I have regarding teaching, and seeing others share their experiences has helped me to model their practices and to make it my own. That is why most of the articles in this magazine are written by teachers that I have been introduced to through my PLN and for the future, I invite all teachers to share their ideas with us.

Our collective knowledge and insights as teachers are powerful. I’m not saying that teachers should

all be best buddies at school and hang out on weekends, but rather that we should take the time at school to create relationships where we trust each other enough to learn from each other and to be able to give and take critique in an effective manner. As teachers, we learn more from each other than we would ever do in training sessions or at university. My teaching degree got me the job, but I only truly became a teacher once I stood in front of my own class, learnt from my colleagues on how to become a better teacher and reflected on the mistakes that I had made in class. I’m still learning today.

Please send your contributions, suggestions and letters to editor@teacha.co.za.

Teacha! magazine is a publication for teachers, by teachers and we need your help to keep it going, with fresh ideas, content and inspiration for teachers in South Africa.

Jean Vermeulen

Teacha!

Teacha! is a collaborative effort between South African & international teachers and organisations. We thank the following contributors: Jean Vermeulen - Editor Ali Mills - Subeditor Teachers / Former Teachers: Renate Röhrs Jenna Swano Leyla Norman Mari Buys (Spraakborrel) Mari de Kock - KiddieKuns Francois "Super Teacher" Naude Phuti Ragophala Organisations: Blended Learning Universe Clayton Christensen Institute Green Shoots Die Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging The Conversation Teacha! is published by Onnie Media Pty Ltd. www.onniemedia.com Support South African teachers by advertising on our platforms: jean@onniemedia.com

Teacha! is a hub for South African teachers. Find and sell your original resources in our resources marketplace, engage with your colleagues in the Teacha! Helpline group on Facebook, and find news, resources, teacher tips and inspiration on our website. www.teachingresources.co.za and www.teacha.co.za

RSA Teaching Jobs The leading job board for South African school-related vacancies. Schools can find and post teaching positions on our website. Set up a job alert to receive the newest vacancies in your inbox weekly. Send us your vacancies to jobs@rsateachingjobs.co.za. www.rsateachingjobs.co.za

Images: Freepik, Unsplash or provided.

SACE Points Guide We know how difficult it is to get to grips with the SACE CPTD system. On SACE Points Guide we try to make it easier for you by listing SACE activities all over South Africa. We also try to answer your questions regarding SACE. www.sacepointsguide.co.za

Teacha! Magazine | 5

5 Ways to start with eLearning (And no budget)

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the pressure from all sides to use more technology in your classroom? Do you want to use technology, but you don’t know how or where to start or don’t think you have the budget for it? Here are 5 easy ways to start eLearning.

1 - Speak less

2 - Create an online presence

3 - Get rid of the paper files

You are good in your subject, you know a lot about your subject, there are not enough hours in the day to transfer all the knowledge that you have to the learners in your class. But the fact is, no matter how much you know about your subject or how engaging you are, research has shown that kids only retain a small fraction of things they hear. That might explain why you need to repeat yourself so often.

The fact is as long as you are the one talking, the kids are not really learning.

Technology provides you with a lot of ways to get learners active.

But before you can try any of these ideas, you need to have an online home-base. It serves two purposes, it provides you with a place to post links, documents and other information, while learners can use the platform to interact with both their teacher and each other. It can only be used as a collection point for electronic assignments.

No matter where you and your school are in the process of integrating technology in the classrooms, start to digitize your resources now. Set yourself a target of chucking out all the files by the end of the year, you can use that space better in any The best advice I received was that every time you photocopy anything for your class, you either retype it or scan it at the same time. (Don’t forget to rename and file it as well) Even then we have found that it takes up to two years for most teachers to get just the resources they use every year digitized.

So ask yourself, what can I do to speak less or at least spend less time lecturing to the whole class.

Here are some ideas: 1. Replace verbal instructions with written ones.

2. Ask a learner to explain a concept.

3. Don’t answer questions that have not been asked yet.

4. Rearrange your class so that it is not focussed on the teacher in front.

5. Start creating your own how-to videos that learners can watch in their own time.

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If your school does not have access to an online Learning Management System (LMS) like Google Classroom, or Moodle, you can start with a simple website or a shared folder in Google Drive or Dropbox. The important thing is to start thinking in terms of digital resources.

Most teachers take about 2 years to digitize their resources, but you have to start somewhere.

1. Pick one class and commit to posting everything online.

2. Collaborate with your colleagues, if you work together it goes quicker.

Even more important is create an electronic filing system that work for you. Don’t set yourself the impossible task of first sorting out everything that is already on your computer. That is just an excuse to procrastinate. Create a system of folders and a naming convention that make sense to you and order things as you use them. (Everything that is not in the right folder after a year is probably not that important and can be archived or deleted) If you have no idea what folders to create. Just look at the files on your bookcase and recreate it electronically. If that is the system

you have used for years, it is most likely the system that will come naturally to you.

4 - Don’t go at it alone No matter what other people say, teachers know that being a teacher is a full-time job.

There is never enough time for the things you have to do. So don’t try to go at this alone, it is just too hard. Create a professional learning network (PLN) otherwise known as getting on Twitter. Most of my best ideas I have gotten from Twitter, sometimes all you need is 160 characters to inspire you. These days I am also finding a lot of my ideas on Pinterest.

If you can find a recipe for dinner tonight on Pinterest, why not an idea for tomorrow’s lesson. Teachers are amazing when it gets to sharing, you just have to hang out in the right places.

But how do you find the right places? A good place to start is to follow Butterfly Classrooms.

Then look at the people I am following and follow the ones that look interesting to you.

Whenever they retweet/repin something that is interesting, start following that person.

Within weeks you will wonder how you ever managed without your PLN.

5 - Don’t wait for the right time to start Start NOW, TODAY, IMMEDIATELY. If you are going to wait until you have more time, or you have more confidence or you have figured it out, then you are never going to start. There will always be another reason not to start. Choose one thing, one class, one website to try and try it with your classes tomorrow. Change doesn’t happen overnight, it is a process, but it can only happen once you start.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the new learning opportunities that is opening to you and your learners. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t be, Butterfly Classroom is full of tips and step-by-step instructions.

Renate Röhrs

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eLearning: 7 Principles that make you a better teacher

For somebody who has the words “eLearning specialist” on my Business Card, you would be surprised to learn that I hate the phrase eLearning. It makes it sound like you have eLearning and normal learning and that they are in some way different.

There is no such thing as eLearning principles.

The only principles that

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should matter in the class are teaching and learning principles. Having said that, technology made it possible for me to focus more on some of those principles and that has made me a better teacher.

1. Creating better learning experiences More often than not teachers’ approach to

technology integration resembles a solution looking for a problem.

They learn about a new tool or program and then start looking for a place to fit it in. It should be the other way around.

You should start with a problem, a need and then find the tool that will fill that need. Whenever you try a new programme, app or tool, ask yourself, how will this create a better learning experience for the learners? And remember, technology doesn’t automatically equal better learning.

Sometimes you need to make a physical model or draw something by hand to really understand it.

2. Active Learning “The one who does the work does the learning” (Doyle, T 2008) Most of us know from personal experience that the more actively you engage with something, the better you understand it. Technology opens a number of new

opportunities for learners to actively engage with the work they are doing. Instead of just copying down notes, learners can participate in a collaborative task, creating their own products and voicing their opinion.

3. Immediate and individual feedback Reseach has shown that there is a direct link between the time it takes to get feedback and it the effectiveness of the feedback. In an ideal world, learners would receive feedback by the end of each lesson. But it is physically impossible for a teacher to manage that. But with automated marking, like Google Forms and peer feedback, technology can bring us closer to that ideal.

It is inconceivable that in a world where everybody carries a supercomputer in their back pocket, a teacher with a four-year degree still spends their time marking multiple choice questions. If a computer does the marking, you can spend your time giving feedback.

4. An Authentic Audience From personal experience I can tell you that when you know something will be seen or read by a wider audience, you put in more effort. The best way to get learners to engage with their work is to give them an authentic audience. This audience can take different forms, learners can engage with each other's answers, or you can publish their projects to the school community, or even to the broader public via a blog or youtube. Parents are also an awesome audience to involve in learner’s work. The most important aspect of an authentic audience is that it gives every learner a voice, an outlet for their skills.

5. Collaboration Learning is a social process. We engage better with work when we are also engaging with other people and

build on their ideas. Collaboration is no new concept, but technology enables us to create a number of new avenues for collaboration, not just between the students in your class, but also between you and your students or even between students and the broader community. Technology, to a great extent, broke the walls of the classroom down. Learning experiences are no longer limited to what is happening in the class, but can easily be combined with the outside world.

6. Letting go of control Teachers, per definition, are control freaks (it takes one to know one), but one of the most important principles in a technology-infused classroom is that you can’t, and doesn’t need to control everything. Technologyinfused classrooms are all about autonomy and agency. It is no longer necessary that every learner does precisely the same thing at the same time. With Hyperdocs and flipped classes, you can easily diversify, which give you as the teacher the opportunity to really engage with students when and where they need it.

7. Start here, start now.

Your school might not be 1-to-1 yet, you might not have access to all the cool tools you see on the internet or know how to use them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start. Technology-enhanced teaching doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. It is a process that stretches over years, but if you do not make a start somewhere, you will soon find yourself getting further and further behind.

Renate Röhrs, eLearning Specialist, Butterfly Classrooms

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Inspiring Math Students With A South African NGO’s Blended-learning Program Last November, at the 2017 WISE Summit in Doha, Qatar we presented our first white paper on blended learning outside the US, Blended Beyond Borders, and also had the opportunity to meet many great researchers, policy makers, and entrepreneurs making an impact in the global innovative education space.

Among them was Jo Besford, director of the South African nonprofit Green Shoots – an organization making strides to scale blended-learning programs across South Africa.

Green Shoots’ approach Green Shoots was founded in 2012 with a mission to enhance the quality of education through the use of innovative technologies. But the Green Shoots team knew that merely bringing in computers to schools alone wasn’t going to improve student learning. Their

aim is to catalyze and support change from within the system for sustainability and cost effectiveness at scale.

To do so, they developed Maths Curriculum Online (MCO), focused on using data to inform instructional decisions. MCO features weekly quiz-based activities (Brain Quests), standardized School Based Assessments (SBAs) twice per term, and a structured homework system for use outside the classroom (Maths@Home). All content is available in both English and Afrikaans and is aligned to the South African National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for grades 3-9. Schools that use MCO also receive real-time data and analytics, continual professional development, technical support for both hardware and software, and a youth development program in donor funded projects.

Credit: Sonwabo Primary School; Jenny White.

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The framework from a flagship school The Blended Learning Universe had the opportunity to see MCO in-action when we visited Sonwabo Primary School last year. Sonwabo is one of Green Shoots’ flagship schools, having started using MCO in 2013.

Sonwabo’s blended-learning program revolves around MCO, used within a Lab Rotation model.

Students complete Brain Quest exercises in a computer lab twice per week. Teachers use this data from the online program to

interim evaluation of the last two years of program implementation, which shows promising results. The results in this report draw from MCO data, student and teacher surveys, as well as discussion groups and interviews with students, teachers, principals, and district officials.

Green Shoots analyzed a range of outcomes. The first is understanding if MCO contributes to the quality of math teaching.

One such indicator of this outcome is an increase in teachers’ interest in teaching math, which tends to vary among teachers who are not confident in their ability to teach

MCO schools (bearing in mind that most schools only started using MCO in 2016). Green Shoots also collected anecdotal reports of MCO’s impact on learning within schools from six department of education and district officials.

Some officials noted that it was too early to gauge the impact that MCO has on student learning; however, others mentioned that there was a generally positive impact of the online curriculum.

Indeed, an official at a district that had been implementing a MCO program for a number of years said that they had seen an 11% increase in grade six results. Green Shoots

Over the past five years, teachers and administrators have realized how helpful a datadriven approach can be: data from MCO helps them to make better pedagogical decisions and plan for their class. inform instruction outside the lab by dividing students into groups based on their level for intervention and focused practice.

Over the past five years, teachers and administrators have realized how helpful a data-driven approach can be: data from MCO helps them to make better pedagogical decisions and plan for their class.

Is the program driving outcomes?

But does the data teachers receive through MCO actually drive outcomes? To find out, in January of 2016, Green Shoots teamed up with Comic Relief, a UK-based charity that aims to tackle inequality through a range of social impact projects. Together the two organizations launched a three-year project, evaluating MCO usage in 32 schools – eight schools in the Northern Cape and 24 in the Western Cape. Additionally, Green Shoots recently completed its own

the subject. However, based on its surveys, 90% of teachers using MCO reported feeling confident in their teaching and 80% reported feeling more enthusiastic about their math classes.

Green Shoots also aimed to measure students’ attitude toward, and engagement in, math. They found that the majority of students (97%) looked at their Brain Quest and SBAs scores after they completed the exercises. Ninety percent of learners set goals for themselves, and over a third (36%) recorded their scores as a means to track progress.

These are albeit incomplete but encouraging indicators that MCO users demonstrate agency and self-efficacy through self-directed learning.

Preliminary academic reports have shown that in MCO schools, from 2015-17, 7% more students passed the Grade 6 Maths Systemic Tests, versus a just 0.9% increase in non-

predicts that the longer a school uses MCO, the greater the impact it has on teaching practices, cultural values, and student academic achievement.

Green Shoots’ approach thus far shows promise. Their holistic model of curriculum, data analysis, professional development, IT support, and youth development is a unique approach that focuses on using technology as a means to drive student and teacher outcomes. We’ll look forward to digging into next year’s final report of the Comic Relief project to better gauge MCO’s long-term impact.

In the meantime, check out our BLU profiles of additional schools adopting blended learning in South Africa here.

Katrina Bushko This article first appeared on Blended Learning Universe: www.blendedlearning.org

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Encouraging an Atmosphere of Reading When asked what their biggest curriculum challenge in the classroom was, most high school English teachers would answer, “Reading” - either their students aren’t reading enough or they are not understanding what they read. We experienced both of these challenges.

with and each received a beautiful, printed invitation to tea. We told them that we had noticed that they were struggling a little with reading, but that we had an idea to help. We showed them the book that we would be reading together and got them really excited about it.

Considering that a little over 8% of the South African population speak English as their home language, it’s unsurprising that so many of our learners struggle with it. In our school, English was a second or even third language for every one of our learners and it showed in all of their subjects.

Come Monday, instead of the original 10 invitees, there were now 17 wanting to come into the newly created library. The original 10 got a little too much joy in telling the others that it was for VIP invitees only. Once they arrived, all we had to do was get them hooked. We all sat around the table in a group and I asked a question that no teacher should ask: "Do you think I'm stupid?"

The English teachers got together and decided on a strategy to start tackling this issue. Being a new school with little experience to draw from, we stuck with what we knew: after school remedial English classes.

After-school remedial English classes were compulsory for those students who we had identified as needing it.

In these lessons, students would complete a few fun activities (at least we thought so) to help them boost their English vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

Unfortunately, it did not work.

The sessions were poorly attended and no amount of punishment seemed to bring the students to attend them. These were the two main problems. 1) What we called it. Even though it was only the teachers who referred to it as “Remedial English” it was definitely uninspiring! To the students, it was “Extra English” and, let’s face it, nobody really wants to go to that. 2) The students who were there, were mostly there out of fear of punishment – which does not make for a conducive learning environment.

So, back to the drawing board we went. In the second term we had a change of tactic. The first thing to go was taking a look at the term "remedial". Instead, we called it “Afternoon Tea”. We identified 10 students to begin

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The students stared for a minute before answering, "No Miss" in hushed tones.

Phew! That hadn't backfired. I picked up an isiXhosa children's reading book and proceeded to read the first few pages. I was terrible - and that's putting it politely.

"Do you still not think I'm stupid? Why not?" and so we started a discussion about how each person has their strengths and that just because you struggled to read, especially in a language that was not your own, does not make you stupid. This seemed to allow the students to relax more. They realized that everyone in the room was in the same boat, but that we were going to improve together.

This was the start of our fabulous tea club. From then on, we only grew. Nowadays we have more students coming in weekly, begging to be a part of this "exclusive club" and volunteers from an organization called Teachers for Africa have joined us, so that we are able to split up into smaller groups.

The formula for each session was simple. We started by getting a cup of tea or coffee and sitting down in groups of 3 with the same book. We took it in turns to read, page by page, discussing the story and vocabulary as we went along. In the last 20 minutes

of each session, we completed some kind of activity together, sometimes it was a comprehension activity. Sometimes it was just a fun activity related to the book - like learning to draw Phineas and Ferb, two characters from the book we were reading at the time. Sometimes we had biscuits or cupcakes. Sometimes we didn't. Either way, we found that this didn't really matter to the students - they were enjoying reading!

During the week, their homework was to read ahead a chapter or two and report back on it the following week. We wanted to create a habit of reading at home with a book the student was interested in.

This worked! Finally, we had student buyin and it kickstarted an improved reading mindset.

The school received donations enabling us to buy more books for the library and we had mobile library boxes, so that age- and level-appropriate books could be available to students in the classroom. With further input from the English teachers, most of our students were now carrying around a book to read. Other teachers were complaining that they were struggling to teach their subject because the students were insisting on reading.

The English teachers were thrilled!

Jenna Swano

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Two tricks for helping struggling readers in Grade 1 Have you tried everything, but little Jack is just not grasping the simple reading of 3 sound words?

Jack knows all the sounds, he can sound out: “c-a-t” but when he says the word, it is “ten”.

According to CAPS, you are now responsible for intervention. The following gives you an idea as to what this intervention should look like.

STEP 1: Practice phonological awareness (PA) skills.

PA is simply the awareness of the sounds that make up spoken language - it doesn’t involve alphabet letters (connecting sounds to print is phonics) •

•

•

•

•

Sound out the syllables by clapping them, making the child aware that words consists of parts. (e.g. win-dow = 2 claps) Identify the first and last sounds of a word (what do you HEAR first in cat?)

Isolate the first sound in LONGER words (s...andwich.

Which word am I saying?)

Isolate the first sound in SHORTER words (c....at. Which word am I saying?)

Blend 3 sounds in context

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•

(I like to r...u...n. Repeat the whole sentence) Blend 3 sounds out of context (r....a....t = ?)

The movement (kinaesthetics) helps the child to focus and remember the sound.

SEE FIGURE 1.

STEP 2: Ready, Steady, READ! Trick # 1: Sound Boxes When you have done the phonological awareness activities in Step 1, you are now ready to tackle READING! Sound Boxes are the perfect tool as they provide a VISUAL prompt that helps the child to become aware of the different sounds in a word.

How to use Sound Boxes • Use the sounds which you have already taught.

• Write a 3 sound word in boxes.

• Put 3 bottle caps (3 different colours) below the boxes.

• Have the child PUSH the caps UP (covering the sound) as he says the sound, one cap at a time.

• Then have the child push the caps together and try to say the whole word (that is blending the sounds together).

Sound Boxes can also be used in Grade R WITHOUT the sounds printed inside.

Trick # 2 Stretchy Snake Write the whole word on a snake made out of paper and hide it in an envelope. On the right hand side of the snake, a picture of the word should be drawn. Pull the snake out, slowly, and the sounds will become visible one by one.

The child will say the sound as it gradually appears. After the whole word is visible, the child must try to blend it together saying the word.

Then pull the entire snake out so that the child will be able to see the picture and matching word.

SEE FIGURE 2.

I do hope that these tricks will serve you and the Grade 1’s well!

Good luck!

Mari Buys, Speech & Language Therapist

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

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3 Leadership Development Activities

These activities are an extract from the ATKV's Leadership Development Activity Manual.

1. Body Spelling (10 minutes) OUTCOMES: Teamwork, Communication, Leadership.

EQUIPMENT: Large open space. Be sensitive to learners’ skin that may itch from sitting or lying on the grass.

Preferably outside.

GROUP SIZE: More than 25 learners will be a challenge.

Choose a few short words or acronyms in advance. Learners must spell out the words or acronyms with their bodies. Variations can be used, such as the number for the grade the learners are in, or ‘SA’ for South Africa.

2. Faces and War cries (30 minutes) OUTCOMES: Teamwork, Creativity, Communication.

EQUIPMENT: Facepaint (for example, Bostik Face Paint Twisters are easily transportable), one colour per group.

GROUP SIZE: 6 groups work the best; the Bostik pack has 6 tubes of different colours.

Divide the group into smaller groups of +/- 8 to 10 learners per group. Each group has a colour of facepaint.

Faces must be painted and each group must work out a warcry. Next step: The war cry can also be used in the long term, then it can be used throughout that leader’s term. This can strengthen solidarity.

3. Smarties and Straws (20 minutes) OUTCOMES: Persistence, Ice-breaker.

EQUIPMENT: Two plastic containers and a box of Smarties for each group. A straw for each learner. Four cones to serve as beacons; two for the starting point and two for at the end. A rope along the ground can also be used as the starting line or the finish line. Have the start and end points about 10 metres apart.

GROUP SIZE: Two equally sized groups participate against each other. Smaller groups of +/- 8 to 12 learners per group.

Both groups stand at the starting point. Each learner has a straw, and one learner per group picks a Smartie up with the straw and carries it across to the other side. When the learner reaches the finish line, they place the Smartie in the plastic container and then the next learner at the starting line must do the same with their Smartie. If the Smartie falls along the way, the group must start from the beginning.

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A festival of ideas!

Do you sometimes just sit with your head in your hands when it comes to cultivating young leaders in the classroom? The ATKV’s Leadership Development Activity Manual is just for you. You will find activities that help learners communicate better, listen better and much more in this easy guide.

There is also an assortment of games to choose from – whether you have 5 minutes or half an hour to keep the youngsters busy. Some of the games can be played in your classroom, while others are better outside on the sports field.

There is also a list of films with detailed questionnaires that are ideal as practice comprehensions.

The ATKV realises that teachers are very busy and don’t always have the time to think up exciting games. With the ATKV’s Leadership Development Activity Manual, we want to give you the right tools and help make a difference in young people’s lives.

The manual is available in Afrikaans, English and Zulu and can be bought for R100 each. Special packages are also available.

For information or orders contact Annemarie Alberts on 011 919 9066 or send an email to annemariea@atkv.org.za.

The Leadership Development Activity Manual is also available electronically in e-book format on the Lapa website www.lapa.co.za. Go take a look and order our new Leadership Development Activity Manual!

“ATKV-Jeugleiersimposium leer my hoe die ratte van leierskap werk” Vir Thehan van der Merwe was sy matriekjaar een van introspeksie en groot verantwoordelikheid.

Hy was verheug om te hoor dat hy in 2015 die hoofseun van die Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria sou wees en dat die skool hom na die ATKVJeugleiersimposium (einde 2014) sou stuur ter voorbereiding vir die besige jaar wat vir hom sou voorlê.

“Dit was regtig inspirerend,” vertel die 21-jarige wat deesdae besig is met sy B.Com.-graad aan die NoordwesUniversiteit.

“Daar was onder meer sessies met hoofde van verskillende skole en joernaliste. Ek het geleer hoe die ratte van leierskap werk. Dit het my die gereedskap gegee om saam met die skool, onderwysers en die leerlingraad te werk. Ek het ná die tyd uit ’n ander oogpunt na leierskap gekyk en ek het

gevoel ek sal my rol as hoofseun kan volstaan.”

Maar tydens sy matriekjaar gebeur die verskriklike.

Tydens ’n jagnaweek het Thehan in ’n fratsongeluk van ’n bakkie afgeval. Hy het sy ribbes en kakebeen gebreek. Sy skedel was gekraak en vandag het hy nie sig in sy regteroog nie en kan ook nie in sy regteroor hoor nie.

Vir twee maande kon hy nie sy verantwoordelikhede as hoofseun by sy spogskool nakom nie.

“Dit was vir my baie erg om so lank van die skool af weg te wees, maar die ongeluk het my ook belangrike lesse geleer soos om nooit moed op te gee nie.”

Nadat Thehan herstel het en weer sy taak as hoofseun by die skool hervat het, het die ATKV hom genooi om by die Jeugleiersimposium in 2015 as spreker op te tree. “Dit was vir my ’n groot eer. “ ’n Jaar terug was ek een van die leerders en skielik, weens my omstandighede, deel ek my storie en wysheid met ander.”

Dit is vanjaar die 28ste jaar wat die ATKV die Jeugleiersimposium aanbied om toekomstige hoofleiers van skole te brei. Corneels Schabort, ’n dosent aan die Noordwes-Universiteit se departement ingenieurswese, was van 2011 tot 2015 die programleier van die Jeugleier-

simposium en sê dit is ’n positiewe ervaring vir enige jong leier wat dit bywoon.

“Dit is die ideale geleentheid vir jong leiers om kontakte op te bou en as ’t ware ’n netwerk.

“Kundiges uit verskillende velde deel hul wysheid en wenke met die kinders.”

Corneels sê baie van dié kinders wat tydens sy tyd die ATKV-Jeugleiersimposium bygewoon het, dien nou in hul universiteite se studenteraad, asook in hul koshuise se huiskomitees.

“Kinders wat aan die Jeugleiersimposium deelneem, stap daar weg met nuwe energie en selfvertroue om ’n sukses van hulle matriekjaar te maak as leiers van hul skool.”

l l l

Die ATKV-Jeugleiersimposiums vir hoërskoolleerders vind van 10 tot 13 Desember by ATKV-Goudini Spa en ATKV-Buffelspoort plaas.

Inskrywings sluit 2 November en koste is R1395 per leerder wat akkommodasie, etes, aktiwiteite en die kursusmateriaal insluit.

Die ATKV-Jeugleiersimposium is egter nie net vir hoërskole nie.

Hoofleiers van laerskole kan ook inskryf vir die simposium wat by ATKV-Drakensville gehou gaan word. Die sluitingsdatum is 26 Oktober.

Vir meer inligting kontak gerus vir Annemarie Alberts by 011 919 9066 of stuur ’n e-pos aan annemariea@atkv.org.za.

Inskrywingsvorms is op https://www.atkv.org.za/Kunste/Projekte/Jeugprojekte/Jeugleiersimposium beskikbaar.

Plekke moet telefonies bespreek word.

Using games to teach an Additional Language If you want your learners to be engaged in a language lesson, get them active in a game. Games are not just to relieve boredom in a classroom. They can be effective learning tools to help learners retain difficult material. You don’t always need a lot of resources or room to make games work. Simple activities can be turned into games that get learners talking together in the new language, which adds to games’ communicative value.

Dictogloss Select a fun text that contains vocabulary and grammar structures that learners are learning or are already familiar with. It should be about a paragraph long. Tell your learners to put down their pencils and to concentrate because they need to listen closely.

Then read the text, and, next, ask learners to write down as much as they can recall. Put learners into small groups or pairs, and ask them to share what they wrote and to try to reconstruct the text. They should write down a new copy of as much of the text as they can.

If learners need help, you could read the text more than once (no writing allowed while listening), or

you can put some comprehension questions up on the board (or ask them aloud). Teams then submit their reconstructions to you, and you select a winner. The team with the draft that is the closest to the original text wins.

board. Write a topic at the top of the board. Learners have to write down a word related to the topic and then pass the marker or chalk to another person on their team, who then writes a new word related to the topic.

Story Prediction

You can require them to write a certain number of words, or you could set a time limit and see which team got the most words. A team gets a point for each correct word. If you can’t read a word, or it’s not spelled correctly, it does not earn a point.

Put learners into small groups or pairs. Read a short story to them, but don’t read all of it at once. Read just a few lines, and then tell learners to predict what comes next in the story. They should talk to their partners or group members to come up with a prediction. They can tell their predictions out loud, or write them on the board. Then when you read the rest of the story, they can see if they got their predictions were right. The satisfaction of being right makes this activity engaging.

You could also do this as a vocabulary predicting exercise where learners guess the next words in the story.

Board Race

Word Race Write about three to five sentences down. Use a different color for each sentence. Make copies for each team that you will have in the class. Remember to use different colors when you print the copies or write them out. Cut each sentence up, dividing between words. Put each sentence into a separate container, like a cup or hat. Each team races to put their sentences in the right order. The team that has all of the words in the right order wins the game.

Divide your class into two, three, or four teams, depending on the size of your class. One person from each team comes to the

Teacha! Magazine | 19

Practical fundraising ideas for your school

Fundraising is becoming increasingly important for schools in these harsh economic times. More schools are finding it progressively difficult to balance their budget. Organising fundraising events can be extremely challenging, time consuming and often a stressful responsibility that the majority of teachers are expected to participate in. Asking people to hand over their hard-earned money to the school is a daunting task which is not something that one is trained for as a teaching student at university.

Parents can easily become disgruntled if they are continuously harassed to fork out money for fundraising events.

Here are some of the more traditional fundraising activities that have proven to be successful for many schools: The bake sale One of the easiest ways of making money is to sell products to the community. Many schools have bake sales and sell baked goods during break time. Unfortunately the downside of this strategy is that the ingredients need to be bought or sponsored. This carries the risk of your bake sale not making any profit and could even result in a loss.

Charging a fee as entrance to a school event Many schools raise money by charging entrance to events.

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Sporting events or school plays are ideal events to charge an entrance fee. This is a tried-andtested method that works. Schools often also charge a fee per car that parks on the school grounds.

Unfortunately this strategy can easily exclude some members of the community if they cannot afford the entrance fee. It is quite unfair to exclude parents on this basis, preventing them from supporting their child who is participating in the event.

The donation list I know my parents absolutely hated it when I brought home a donation list. In this strategy the school gives a donation listing to each and every child with the expectation for them to find donors. They would either have to

go door-to-door or harass family members in an attempt to get their lists filled. This often results in parents taking these lists to work and compromising relationships with their colleagues in an attempt to save face at school. This strategy has a lot more downside to it than the benefit that the school receives.

Having a child going from doorto-door in the community can be unsafe and you run the risk of the community becoming saturated very quickly if all the children from the same school who live in the same neighbourhood target the same households. It also could create some awkward situations at workplace for the parents. Imagine how difficult it could be to say no to a co-worker, especially when you have in the past given money to another colleague who approached them with a donation list.

The school dance One of the favourites of every school is to host a school dance.

In this way the children have fun, you raise money because of the entrance fee and you also get to sell snacks and beverages at the tuck shop. This is normally very successful, however, some may become demotivated if asked to be the chaperones at these dances.

Under normal circumstances it is extremely difficult to deal with teenagers. Now imagine dealing with a group of teenagers on a sugar high, dancing with their peers and being guided by their hormonal urges. Have you tried reasoning with a teenager in this state? It is nearly impossible!

Coordinate fundraising events with the calendar Make sure that you link your fundraiser to school events and

other notable events on the annual calendar. If your school is hosting an event, especially one where there are other communities drawn to your school, you have to jump at the opportunity to include a fundraising element. Time your fundraiser to the annual calendar.

Use days like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s day to arrange events that could generate income for the school.

The art auction Run a competition where every child (or at least one per class) creates an art work and auction the art pieces off to parents and other community members. The art piece that fetches the highest price at the auction wins a prize. The element of competition between parents can provide for some entertainment as the audience witness them frantically try to outbid each other.

This strategy won’t necessarily work for all schools in all instances, but a variation on the theme could be successful for your school.

The Fun Run One type of event that is becoming ever more popular is that of fun runs. Your school is a great place to host a fun run because of the large sport fields that can be turned into an obstacle course. You can even use the community around the school to host the fun run. Of course there is a lot of organisation that goes into this event but there is opportunity to make a lot of money for the school.

community who can buy directly from the school. Nothing precludes you from creating your own online store for the school. The benefit of using an online store is that you can take pre-orders of products and in this way ensure that you don't over-invest in the initial cost of the product and you know exactly what it will cost you to produce a product that your community would want to buy from you. An example of things that you could sell in a store like this would be school merchandise like sports bags with the school logo, supporters t-shirts and water bottles. The possibilities are endless. You could even sell school uniform in the store.

Social Media The last fundraising strategy might be labour-intensive, but if managed correctly you would be able to raise a lot of funds for your school. Start by having a greater social media presence by creating a YouTube channel, a Facebook and an Instagram page for your school. By engaging your school community on social media, you create a greater sense of community and invoke excitement around your fundraising activities but you can also get people to sponsor your episodes or social media posts and entice businesses to advertise directly to the parents.

Businesses would pay a premium to have access to the parents as an audience.

All that is left for you to do is pick any one of these strategies and try it out!

Your own online store Another trend that is becoming more popular is selling things online. You can advertise products such as old computers, desks, and other equipment online and reach more people from a broader

Francois Naude, YouTuber on Super Teacher Solutions & Lecturer, Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg

Teacha! Magazine | 21

Selecting media for Visual Arts When Presenting Visual Arts, start with a selection of suitable art resources. With the wide array of different products available, the choice in what to buy can become overwhelming - especially on a restrained budget. What is the difference between tempera paint and water paint? Why have oil pastels and wax crayons?

What brand product will be the best value for money?

make a visible mark on paper will bring along frustration to a child trying to draw. In the end, they will either accidently break the supply or give up entirely.

If perhaps the art technique was wax resistant, the crayon might not transfer enough wax to the paper and not provide enough resistance when the water paint is applied.

Here is a list to help guide you with the selection of art media for your class.

C) Always look for non-toxic, child friendly art supplies

A) Keep it basic and keep it fun When I started researching to purchase resources for Visual Arts, I was surprisingly bewildered with the selection of items on the market. As a novice Art teacher, I bought and experimented with a variety of different products and brands. Some were successful and others were a waste of time and money. Through this process what I have learned is that children do not need a whole art shop full of supplies to create great art, it is however important to expose learners to a variety of art media without overwhelming them - the goal is to provide the opportunity for children to experiment and master the selected art media offered. For example, if you select a tempera paint project, allow the learners to complete the art piece over the course of two weeks (which is the total of one hour each week). Once the art piece is completed, move on to the next art media type, e.g wax resist and water paint.

If the supply does not state that it is non-toxic on the label, look for the ‘ACMI AP’ seal. ACMI stands for ‘The Art and Creative Materials Institute, Inc.’ The ACMI provide the certification that a product is either nontoxic or provides the consumer with the appropriate health warning label. Remember that when picking products for your class, select products with the AP seal: ‘Conforms to ASTM D 4236’ (https://www.acmiart. org/).

List of basic Visual Art supplies The supplies listed below are merely a starting point, there are so many wonderful items that can be added once you have obtained your basic art supplies.

• • • • •

B) Buy the best quality art supply that you or your school can afford This can be problematic because not all schools have an art supply budget or parental contribution.

Therefore, when selecting an art supply or media, use the financial resources at your disposal to select the best student quality product that you can afford.

The quality of the art media really does impact not only the final project but also the process. For example, a ‘hard’ crumbling wax crayon that does not effectively

22 | Teacha! Magazine

• • • • • •

A selection of Tempera paint with paint brushes A set of 12 Water paint colours (cakes of paint) Oil pastels (set of 16’s) Thick wax crayons (11mm x 100mm or thicker) Polystyrene trays used for paint pallets (remember to never use polystyrene that has previously contained meat products) Plastic cups to hold the water 160gsm or 240gsm Cardstock in A4 and A3 White Arts and crafts glue, glue sticks and child-safe scissors Sharpies - Black permanent markers and fibre tip pens (koki’s) Clay Recycling material

For younger children, I prefer to not introduce colouring pencils, grey pencil and erasers. The nib of the pencils is too fine. Drawing with a pencil does not encourage children to draw large enough. Instead, start by drawing directly onto the paper using oil pastels, wax crayons or paint loaded on a paintbrush.

About KiddieKuns (A note from the author) KiddieKuns started as the passion project to instill creativity into children from a young age.

I am a qualified Foundation Phase teacher with a passion for children’s art, I have been teaching art to children for the past 4 years. My research focus is on the presentation of Visual Arts in the Foundation Phase classroom. KiddieKuns aims to help and support the Foundation Phase teacher in the presentation of Visual Arts by providing lessons that correlate in with the South African Life Skills theme. Lessons also includes the use of a variety of art media, art techniques and the theory of art elements in a fun and interactive way. Visit my store, KiddieKuns, on Teacha! to have a look at the lessons. Teachers are also welcome to join the Visual Art Facebook group: Classroom art ideas for kids.

Teacha! Magazine | 23

5 Tips for building positive relationships with your learners To have a successful year with your class, you want to create a solid foundation from the very first day. That foundation paves the way to having good relationships with each learner so that they can learn as much as possible. A teacher’s relationship with a learner has a tremendous impact on how much learners achieve throughout the year.

Create a Safe Classroom.

Learners should know that they are safe in the classroom. No idea will be laughed at, and learners will be respectful of each other’s individual characteristics and personalities.

When learners know they can speak freely in the classroom, they are more likely to want to participate in class discussions and in group work. This can contribute greatly to their learning throughout the year.

and being willing to always learn.

When you follow up with them when you don’t know an answer, it builds trust because you said you would do something, and then you actually did it.

Get to Know Your Learners

Offer Praise Avoid giving your learners praise for being smart or good. Instead, offer them praise specifically on what they do well. For example, you might say, “That was a really nice strategy to use in that situation.” When you make positive comments on what your learners are doing, then it shows that you care about them.

Be Authentic, and Keep Your Promises

Listen to your learners when they talk to you about their fears and concerns. What do they like doing outside of class? If they don’t offer the information, ask them. You could do this in a class discussion or perhaps in a survey at the beginning of the year. Talk to them about what interests them, and reveal yourself to them as well.

The more authentic you are about your own life, the more learners are likely to reveal themselves to you.

Build a Collaborative Classroom

When you make a mistake, let your learners know. When you don’t know an answer, tell them, and say you’ll get back to them after you do some research. And then follow up with the answer.

When you admit to being human and making mistakes, it shows them that you aren’t using your position of authority to just enjoy wielding power in the classroom. You are not any better or worse than they are, and it gives them confidence to take risks and be open about their failings.

When you continue to try, you set a positive example in not giving up

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Encourage your learners to work together on project-based activities that get them learning about topics they’re interested in. Ask them what they want to learn about, and then incorporate that into the lessons that you teach. Engage them in what they’re interested in already, and you will probably find that they are more likely to retain the other lessons you teach within the context of those topics.

In the end, building relationships with learners comes down to the golden rule of treating them how you want to be treated: with respect.

9 – 10 October 2018 Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

AFRICA’S LARGEST EDTECH CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION Empowering learning through technology

6 TRACKS OF CONTENT 150 SPEAKERS 500 DELEGATES 3500 ATTENDEES

Title Sponsor:

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Creative ways to get Professional Development going in your school (or with a group of keen Teachers) Every teacher has to get CPTD points, but reading another book about education or completing an online class alone may make some teachers feel out of the loop, disconnected from their peers. Here are some ways you can get the professional development going at your school to help everyone earn their CPTD points in an engaging way.

Teach Each Other Talk with the teachers in your school about what areas they feel like they could use some professional development in. Narrow down the top two or three. Identify experts in your school who could speak on these topics. For example, is there an official or teacher in the school who can address the negative school culture impacts of bullying? When teachers teach each other, they are learning from people they know and trust, and the school is using its own resources to further develop its teaching practice.

Host a Book Group A group of teachers in your school who are interested in learning more about a particular

26 | Teacha! Magazine

subject could read a book about it together.

Then you can meet to discuss the book and to decide on action steps each teacher can take to improve their teaching as a result.

Offer to Mentor or Coach Other Teachers If your school doesn’t offer a formal mentorship and coaching program, suggest it to the school officials. There may be new teachers who are not sure of how to handle their classrooms at the beginning of their careers, and there may be veteran teachers who want to learn a new skill from another teacher (whether new or veteran). Mentorship and coaching helps everyone improve their teaching practice, and it qualifies as a legitimate PD activity.

Organise a Conference Get experts to speak at your school (including in-house experts) on topics that are of collective interest to the teachers there. For example, if math teachers want to know how to better use a new curriculum, seek out the publisher or a teacher from another school who has successfully used it before. Create a day- or two-long conference where teachers don’t have to travel too far to learn.

Lead a Community Project If you see a need in your school community, spearhead an effort to fill it. This counts as a PD activity. You might work to find school supplies that can be donated to the learners most in-need at your school for example.

You might contact local businesses for sponsorship of individual learners.

SACE Points Guide Courses & CPTD Activities Via Afrika Digital Education Academy

ITSI

The Academy offers 72 two-hour sessions of Android or Windows tablet-based training across eight courses. The sessions are aimed at Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced tablet users so as an Educator you are sure to find a session at your level that will start you on your way to digital education excellence. Via Afrika is proud to be associated with SACE. The Via Afrika Digital Education Academy’s two-hour courses has been endorsed by SACE and allocated 5 PD points on successful completion of the session and its assessment.

E-learning for Educators is endorsed by SACE and comprises of 15 Modules. In these modules participants will receive guidance in the philosophy, theory and implementation of e-learning in an educational context.

For face-to-face training of a group of a minimum of 20 teachers, we will come to your school. Online training can be done in the comfort of your home or classroom.

For more information regarding Via Afrika's courses visit http://viaafrika.com/academy/

These modules provide a solid elearning foundation for 21st century educators. During the training sessions, theoretical information is tied to educational philosophies and blended learning practices. This theoretical foundation is supplemented with practical computer and tablet skills, while also teaching participants how to use specific apps, office tools and presentation software to create multimedia lessons that will inspire students.

For more information regarding ITSI's training programmes visit www,it.si/training

For SACE CPTD advice, activities and more, visit www.sacepointsguide.co.za

Teacha! Magazine | 27

Techno-Granny Phuti Ragophala We spoke to Phuti Ragophala, a Global Teacher Prize nominee, about her career as a teacher and what advice she has for South African teachers.

I grew in the very remote community of Bochum, now known as Senwabarwana, in the ‘60's.

During those days we had only nurses, teachers, and policemen as role models. As such, my mom became my role model as she was one of the first nurses that time, and my father an ordinary labourer in Johannesburg.

After completing matric, I applied to train as a nurse. The call to become a nurse never came. My parents sent me to training college with the little money they had in their pockets. I trained as a teacher and came back as permanent qualified teacher.

I was placed permanently at Pula Madibogo Primary as a teacher until I became the principal. I spent 34 years teaching and managing the school. It seemed I was always waiting to become a nurse in the department of education, but I lived each and every moment of my teaching career with the goal of improving my learners lives.

In general, my experience as a teacher in South Africa was not that good. Firstly, the salary does not compensate for the unsafe work environment and the heavy load teachers carry. Teachers are severely underappreciated throughout the country. It used to be common to put teachers on probation for 10 years, and this further contributed to low morale. Advisors also were often

28 | Teacha! Magazine

unavailable to help teachers with curriculum or other issues because they said they didn’t have the cars to travel.

low expectations set for them, and they did not rise any higher.

Parents would blame teachers and principals for discipline issues.

Additionally, physical and human resources are a large problem.

There were classes at the school I was at that had 80 learners to one teacher. We had 1,400 learners and only 20 classrooms and 34 teachers. Another problem was the late (and inconsistent) delivery of food, and financial support was often late in coming.

Furthermore, lack of security caused problems because you could not keep computers or valuables at the school safely.

One major challenge was discipline.

Code of conduct policies made no difference in the issue. Bad behavior affected learner’s passing marks, which were low. Learners had very

Despite these obstacles, my colleagues and I worked together to help our school survive and thrive. One action we took was to engage NGOs to train teachers in skills like technology. We also engaged former learners to help support needy learners financially.

Additionally, we registered girls in need with potential and leadership skills to attend the Oprah Winfrey

Leadership Academy for Girls.

To inspire learners, we did career dress-up days, and engaged people with different careers to visit the school once a term.

We also erected a large school garden to feed the needy and engaged unemployed parents to render service and get a stipend for their children’s school needs and for food at home. We also employed male parents to secure the school against vandalism day and at night.

If I were the minister of education, I would enact tougher disciplinary measures. For example, learners who are troublesome can study at home under the supervision of parents if they are unable to attend class harmoniously with their classmates.

through the then MASTEC and NGOs like COZA CARES, Microsoft in Education, and SchoolNet, and I haven’t looked back since.

I realized how things are moving from manual to digital, and I immediately realized that schools must also move in this direction.

Additionally, if learners do not pass, they would be offered the opportunity to learn manual skills that will help them develop a trade.

I would also equip schools with workshop areas to support these efforts.

My teachers needed laptops and projectors to present their information to learners and parents.

They were encouraged to join global educators. They can now more effectively collaborate with other teachers online, use YouTube, websites, online dictionaries, blogs, and Facebook to further improve teaching and learning.

To help solve the discipline problem, we encouraged parents to manage their children’s behaviour.

Parents became liable for repair of school property damaged by their children. We also engaged SAPS and social workers for illdisciplined learners.

I would also partner with the Department of Transport to train grade 12 learners in K53 in life skills. They would be able to use YouTube driving lessons to help them get their certificates and driver’s licenses to make it easier to access jobs.

In an effort to boost academic performance, I started a spelling bee competition, and we partnered with both national and international schools to form reading clubs to foster growth and a love of reading in the country.

Furthermore, I would encourage each class between grades 10 and 12 to play chess as a subject in life skills to equip them with problemsolving skills and use Minecraft in class to further improve their ability to think of creative solutions.

Through extramural activities, we were able to keep learners productively busy and to unearth hidden talents. With a computer lab, we were able to further develop learners’ skills in both academic and life pursuits, and to train teachers to effectively utilise technology in the classroom.

I would also encourage the development of a curriculum with objectives aligned to the United Nations’ SDGs so that learners become job creators rather than job seekers.

These innovative ideas kept my colleagues and me going because they were changing lives of community members and needy learners. We used education to change lives for the better. With team spirit and hard work, we achieved significant results.

Education would also become compulsory through grade 12, and we would introduce and legalise home schooling for those who are ill and cannot leave their homes or who are unable to be part of a classroom environment for behavioural reasons.

On “Technology Fridays,” learners were able to use computers to do their homework. We only had 22 computers for 1,400 learners, so this was an exciting day. Teachers are gradually beginning to incorporate technology into their teaching.

My advice to other teachers is that the digital era has come. We are teaching the digital generation, and we need to empower ourselves accordingly to avoid offering boring lessons to learners. We are in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Age is not a problem. I'm over 60 but still empowering myself and learning how to enhance teaching and learning through technology tools. Teachers are known to be life-long learners.

You don't have to wait for the Department of Education to train you. Empower yourself. I know that technology tools will not replace teachers. But teachers without technology skills will be replaced by those who have these skills.

Regarding technology, I used it to improve teaching and learning in a number of ways. I caught the technology bug in my late 30’s

Teacha! Magazine | 29

The way history is taught in South Africa is ahistorical – and that’s a problem History may soon be a compulsory school subject until Grade 12 in South Africa. A task team established by the country’s minister of basic education made this bold recommendation in a report released in early June.

The task team credits history education with three grand tasks.

The first is developing critical thinking skills, particularly those relating to “evidence” and the unique concepts necessary to becoming an academic historian.

The second is to develop identity, with a focus on pan-Africanism and nation building. The third is about social cohesion: the ability to transcend racial, class and ethnic barriers by recognising the problem of prejudice and the issues facing a multi-cultural society.

If history is taught correctly, the report argues, school-leavers should become capable of dealing with educational, social and political problems.

The task team isn’t unique in its position. It draws on decades of post-conflict literature which has argued that history education is important for memory and identity formation. Since history education equals social cohesion, the logic follows that more history education will equal more social cohesion.

The problem is that history education as it’s currently delivered may not achieve the desired outcomes. My ongoing fieldwork involves observing four racially diverse Grade 9 history classes in Cape Town, with

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learners who represent a range of social and economic statuses.

The observations are taking place over the course of the academic year, interspersed by longitudinal interviews with the teachers and learners.

human rights, racism and legal discrimination. It explores some of the turning points in the history of apartheid: the Sharpeville massacre, the Langa march, the Soweto uprising, and the release of Nelson Mandela.

The findings suggest that even when students are knowledgeable about historical events, they struggle to explain how these events shape contemporary society.

The chapters emphasise the causes and consequences of historical moments. Students are taught to understand not only the apartheid regime’s human rights abuses, but also the nature of the resistance to that regime – which after a long struggle led to democracy in South Africa. However, the textbook’s lessons on apartheid end with the “historic” election of 1994.

History education needs a more explicit focus on historical consciousness if students are to become capable of dealing with South Africa’s social problems.

This focus would help students to construct a relationship between past events and present-day reality so they can understand why we are the way we are.

Textbook tales Developing historical consciousness would require a shift from what’s currently happening. Take for instance the contents of the Platinum Social Science Learner’s Book, which is prescribed for Grade 9 history pupils in South Africa.

The history discussed in this textbook touches upon a number of important subjects including

That election is undoubtedly an achievement worth celebrating.

But the implication in the textbook is that when apartheid ended in 1994, so did the poverty, racism, discrimination and violence that were aspects of the apartheid regime. There is absolutely no discussion of the lasting impacts of apartheid, or any link between South Africa’s current problems and its recent past.

This means is that it is often left up to individual teachers to make those links between the past and the present. Unsurprisingly, the teachers that I observe construct an historical consciousness in very

diverse ways even though they are all teaching the same set of historically accurate events.

For example, one teacher explained to his racially homogeneous class that their lack of diversity was a direct result of apartheid. Another compared the fascist approaches of Nazi Germany to that of the apartheid state and placed them both firmly in the past.

This is not a judgement on the historical consciousness these teachers present. But it’s worth interrogating the diverse contemporary meanings that are being created around historical events when historical consciousness is absent from the curriculum.

Students’ views Even more interesting were the responses of the pupils, who are all around 14 years old, as they explained how they saw the relationship between past and present.

A number of students had a good understanding of apartheid events.

But the only way they could explain the country’s continued racialised wealth discrepancy was to state that black South Africans were lazy.

Many did not draw upon structural or historical explanations when interpreting their own social reality.

One Xhosa-speaking black student who lives in a shack argued that apartheid had no lasting effects – because the white family whose home his mother cleans often speak to him kindly. Most of the students that I interviewed believed that the colonisation of South Africa was ultimately a positive thing because now we have “clothes, food and technology”. None of the students of any race believed that white people had any historic responsibility to address past wrongs.

These students were neither stupid nor ill-informed. So how should we make sense of their responses?

Perhaps this is what social cohesion looks like in 2018. For the most part they were not angry about the past, because they don’t see the past as

having a particular impact on their present lives. The past is a lesson to learn from, not something which stands in their way.

The question, though, is whether they are capable of dealing with educational, social and political problems if they view these problems as ahistorical. And if we discover that they can’t, then maybe we need to include some historical consciousness in the South African history curriculum before we make more of it compulsory.

Natasha Robinson, PhD Candidate and research consultant, University of Oxford This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here: https:// theconversation.com/the-wayhistory-is-taught-in-southafrica-is-ahistorical-and-thats-aproblem-97869

History textbooks suggest that in 1994 when formal apartheid and racial exclusion ended, so did prejudice and racism.

United Nations Photo/Flickr

Teacha! Magazine | 31

Teachers feel excluded from South Africa’s schools by race and culture Teachers from different backgrounds and cultures are important for pupils’ learning Emotions ran high at a high school south of Johannesburg in 2017 when the largely coloured community rejected the appointment of a black principal. A group of black teachers were also removed from the school because coloured parents didn’t want them there.

example of the many types of exclusion teachers face regularly.

The problem is that debates about exclusion focus almost exclusively on the experiences of learners as they try to overcome barriers of race, culture, gender, sexuality, class, disability and language.

The apartheid system delineated people using racial categories – white, black, Indian and coloured – and these continue to influence post-apartheid South African society.

This high school’s story is just one

Yet teachers also have difficulties around inclusion, participation and belonging in post-apartheid schools. Many have migrated from historically black to historically white schools because these tend to be better resourced, classes are

32 | Teacha! Magazine

smaller, safer school environments, more learning support services and in some cases higher salaries.

But being employed by a school doesn’t automatically guarantee inclusion. A study I conducted with my colleague Professor Yusef Waghid showed that even when black teachers are hired at historically white schools, they have to deal with constant questions about their “competence” and whether their work is in line with a school’s stated “standards”.

Education experts argue that the

term “standards” is often used to justify profoundly racialised conceptions of a diametrically opposed “white competence” and “black incompetence”.

The ongoing exclusion of particular teachers from schools – whether on the basis of race, religion, culture, or sexuality – has serious implications for learners as well as the curriculum. On the one hand, learners do not encounter the lifeworlds of diverse teachers. On the other hand, learners from minority groups struggle to find points of resonance. This leaves them with no option but to assimilate into the dominant way of thinking and being.

Learners benefit from being exposed to multiple and unfamiliar teacher identities. They begin to experience those they previously might not have encountered.

They enter life-worlds which they otherwise might not have known.

It’s time that policymakers paid serious attention to the problem of teacher exclusion.

Teachers feel excluded One of the people involved in our study – a black woman – was appointed as a maths teacher at a school that taught predominantly coloured children. She was only allowed to teach Mathematical Literacy (a subject that involves basic problem-solving). The school said this was because she required “mentoring”, even though she was qualified and had prior experience as a maths teacher.

Another participant in our study, a South African of Indian descent, was appointed at a school of mostly white learners. He faced continuous complaints from parents whose children apparently couldn’t

understand his accent. The teacher left the school after only 10 months.

His decision was prompted by the principal asking whether he would be taking leave to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid. The principal had seemingly failed to realise that he was in fact not Muslim, but a practising Hindu.

But these issues aren’t being addressed. Perhaps one of the reasons is that South Africans are preoccupied with trying to adhere to what can be measured in an employment equity framework as set out in the country’s laws.

As American political theorist and feminist Marion Iris Young, however, points out these frameworks don’t necessarily equate to inclusive processes of recognition, participation or respect. Teachers might be employed at a particular school but their presence doesn’t equal participation.

Humans are caught up in a world of perception and cannot extricate ourselves from it. Consequently, in a country whose history is so marred by racism and colonialism, many South Africans can’t imagine that a “black” teacher is a “competent” teacher anymore than they can imagine that they might be able to learn from a teacher with an “Indian” accent.

What’s needed is a different way of looking at the world. Schools offer spaces where learners can be exposed to difference and diversity through employing teachers from across racial, cultural and religious lines. Policy is insufficient in cultivating these spaces. The onus rests on both school leadership and governance structures to realise their responsibility in preparing learners for what it means to

participate in a pluralist society. One way of cultivating a more inclusive and diverse school environment for learners is through including diverse teachers.

Solutions Tackling teacher exclusion can create an environment where teachers and learners remain conscious that there’s more to know and more to include. This is because the exclusion of any individual or group within a teaching space is, in fact, a shutting down of the imagination and uncertainty.

Exclusion instils a smaller world. It promotes sameness, and defuses dissonance. It diminishes people’s capacity for critical engagement.

Beyond government taking action to remedy the situation, teachers also need to assert their authority and contest historical apartheidera images of power through race and culture or ethnicity. It’s only through questioning that others can be drawn into deliberative engagements and debates. This affirms people’s presence and is an opportunity to see them as they are.

South Africa’s classrooms will be better places if these perceptions begin to shift.

Nuraan Davids, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education, Stellenbosch University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here: https:// theconversation.com/teachersfeel-excluded-from-southafricas-schools-by-race-andculture-95156

Teacha! Magazine | 33

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