Teacha! Magazine - Term 4 - 2019

The Magazine for South African Teachers

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Fourth Term 2019

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Volume 2 - Issue 6

Improving Comprehension Thinking About Your Thinking Term Four Survival Guide

In this issue Editor's Letter: Catch the Flipgrid Fever Improving Comprehension How do I Support Learners Who Speak Other Languages?

Thinking About your Thinking Teaching in South Korea Book Review: Great Minds Don’t Think Alike Using a Story-Writing Approach to Create Original Lesson Resources Apathetic Learners An End of Year Survival Guide for Teachers 7 Cheap and Cheerful Ways to Earn SACE Points with Type 1 Activities Inclusive Education: Tips for the classroom Teacher to Teacher: Kennith Booise South Africans Prefer Their Children to be Taught in English Why Having Both Male and Female Teachers is a Good Idea for Schools

Teaching in South Korea - Page 16

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Teacher to Teacher: Kennith Booise - Page 28 Teacha! Magazine | 3

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Follow the leader or be the leader?

I was very fortunate to attend a professional development seminar about research-driven instruction for teachers last term (on a Saturday, of course!). I was amazed by the quality of speakers, the research-backed insights they had, and that for once, the conference was not about technology in education, but exceptional teaching and learning.

Chinezi Chijioke, the co-founder and CEO of the Nova Pioneer schools group, spoke about instructional leadership and the model that these innovative schools follow to develop teachers within their classrooms. What stood out most was that they conduct observations and give meaningful feedback to teachers in a structured manner. Unfortunately most of our schools do not have this luxury and our classes may only be visited for IQMS purposes.

Though we might not have these instructional leaders at our schools, we can also, with a few measures start supporting each other in our schools and play a more active role in our own and our colleagues’ development as teachers.

Sharing is Caring Yes, it is. But being open to sharing your work and opening it up for critique is even more important to your own growth as a teacher as well as the success of your learners. When creating a worksheet, planning a lesson, or setting an assessment - have it checked, not just for the sake of moderation, but also to see how you can improve on it. Run through your lesson idea with an HoD if they have the time or in your next subject meeting plan a lesson together.

Offering Support Instead of waiting for teachers to ask to sit in on your lessons, ask them instead. Request that they make notes about your teaching and ask for critique. Even after you have been teaching for many years, there may be something to improve on. This exercise is two-fold as your colleague can also learn a thing or two in your classroom.

Ask for specific feedback (the content, level of engagement, interaction, etc) and receive comments with open arms.

6 | Teacha! Magazine

Read, Read, Read Twitter is definitely my go-to place for professional development. Follow educationalists, researchers and teachers, but be careful of some EduCelebs who might not always share the most educationally sound ideas and tips. When you find interesting articles, share it with your colleagues - they might roll their eyes about having to read another “interesting” article, but if one person thinks about their practise, it will be a win.

We hope that you will find many ideas and resources to inspire you in this edition of Teacha!

Magazine. Thank you to all of our contributors for taking time out of their busy teaching schedules to write for us and a big thank you to our advertisers who help us to keep the magazine going.

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 South African teachers.

Teacha! is a collaborative effort between South African & international teachers and organisations. We would like to thank the following contributors: Jean Vermeulen - Editor Ali Mills - Subeditor Teachers / Former Teachers: Ali Mills Fiona Beal Ronette Watkins Juffer "My Klaskamer" Kim Konings Emme Scholtz Kennith Booise Dr Nicolas Matthee Stacey Kirk Organisations: 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! Resources 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 websites. www.teacha.co.za

Teacha! 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. www.teacha.co.za

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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 | 7

Catch the Flipgrid Fever Have you been gripped by Flipgrid Fever? You have? So have I! Flipgrid is one of my favourite technology tools to use in the classroom right now. It’s a brilliant, fun, video discussion and social learning tool that can be used as an App or via the Internet. It is a FREE Microsoft tool. Learners love it and you can do so much with it in the classroom. Flipgrid!

That’s the name to remember, if it is something new to you.

image to the right, collects the learners’ replies.

You can set up the audience of the Grid – you can set this up so that only the class can see the grid, OR a wider audience OR the world. You can also set it up so that the learners can’t see each other’s videos. I find that the best part is that you can set a time limit for the response - I like to use anything from 30 secs to 1.5 mins depending on the task. Others can respond to their replies if you wish them to. The videos are downloadable as well.

What is Flipgrid?

Flipgrid is a collection of short videos, made by learners and then collated on a grid created by the teacher. To start the process, the teacher creates a relevant topic at www.flipgrid.com.

The learners then record their responses in short videos, and add selfies with decorations as their video thumbnail. The teacher then approves the videos before they can be shared, and there you have it – a Flipgrid!

How do your learners join a Flipgrid grid?

You can set up Flipgrid so that the class signs in with an email address or even just a code. A good thing to remember about Flipgrid is that there are two profile views - the teacher view and the learner view. This gives the teacher additional abilities and the required privacy.

One of the main reasons that this tool is such a hit is that the children in our classrooms (Generation Z), are so used to a world of smartphones, videos and selfies, that learning using a tool like Flipgrid really appeals to them.

This is a tool that gives them a voice! I found that even the shyest of learners enjoy it as they can add their own viewpoints.

Here are 5 ways in which I have used Flipgrid in my classroom:

Flipgrid has particular terminology - grid, topic, theme, respond, response, reply. Take a look at the example of the Flipgrid grid taken from the Flipgrid website www.flipgrid.com on the next page. You have to admit it does look quite exciting!

How does Flipgrid work?

Basically, as a teacher, you need to set up a Flipgrid account. Once you have done that, you set up a Grid for your learning community or class. A Grid is the name of the canvas you will use to post discussion topics. Your learners will then post short video responses to questions.

The Grid - a sample of which you saw in the 8 | Teacha! Magazine

What can one do with Flipgrid in the classroom?

1. To practise retelling stories.

The class gave a summary of their Grade 7 novel using Flipgrid. They could set an interesting pose as their thumbnail selfie. Some of my other classes read online stories and retold them in Flipgrid.

2. For global projects Although Skype is a wonderful tool for global projects it is not always possible to converse in real time because of time zone differences. This is when Flipgrid does the trick. In our project we had four schools from four different continents giving opinions on different aspects of school life! We set up the grid with an overarching theme ‘Schools around the world’, so that it incorporated 6 different topics to discuss and respond to. My learners loved this project.

3. Our transatlantic slavery project.

The Grade 7 learners were studying

Transatlantic Slavery last term in History, and they created a series of diary entries on Flipgrid, relating to what an anti-slavery activist might have “written” at certain times.

4. Learners reflections My Grade 7s have reflected on their school year.

They mentioned the things they liked about the year and also made suggestions on what they think can be improved.

5. To assess prior knowledge When we started the section on the Transatlantic slave trade in History last term, I wanted to see how much the learners knew about the topic. I asked them to comment on a few set questions which enabled me to assess their prior knowledge.

An idea I would like to try on the next birthday in the class is a ‘Birthday affirmation’ where the learners in twos and threes tell the birthday girl or boy something very encouraging to build up their self-concept, via Flipgrid.

There are just so many possibilities with Flipgrid

- the list is endless. It is a great confidence builder and I find that the shy learners have no option but to participate. Everyone has a voice.

How to get going with Flipgrid Why don’t you give Flipgrid a try, if it is something that is new to you! Go to www. flipgrid.com and add all your learners’ email addresses. Then create a Grid and try at this activity with your class. Have a class review the top 5 things they learnt in class the previous week.

If you still feel you don’t know enough to get started, then try this free 1 hour course by Holly Clark, an ex-teacher and now Education Strategist from California. She offers a free, one-hour online course for teachers. This could really get you started and informed. It is called ‘Mastering Flipgrid in 5 Easy Steps’ http://bit. ly/2LzLfTK. Very soon, you’ll find out, like I did, that you have caught the Flipgrid Fever!

Fiona Beal Teacha! Magazine | 9

Improving Comprehension I have been teaching for just less than five years now – which is not anything impressive by a long shot - but I do like to think that I have learned a thing or two during my time in language teaching. Teaching language is my absolute favourite, but it can frustrate me to no end to see how learners lose out on easy marks – especially when it comes to reading and understanding of text!

Today I would like to break the long-standing myth that learners cannot prepare for comprehension tests. If you feel that your world has suddenly been turned upside down, no need to panic - this article is going to guide you, together with parents and learner,s to improve comprehension of texts.

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5 basic ideas that you can implement in your class to help learners improve on their comprehension skills, and ultimately improve their marks: 1. Read, read and read again Reading the text is probably the most obvious piece of advice that you can possibly give someone that is completing a comprehension.

Obvious yes, but there just so happens to be a bit more to it than simply reading a passage. As the name implies, learners are required to show their understanding and not dazzle us with their fluent reading skills. For this reason, it is important to read the text at least three times to ensure that every aspect of the passage is clear and that nothing was missed or wrongly interpreted. Not only is it vital to read the text, but the questions

as well. I am quite sure that I have used more than a hundred red pens over the years, underlining parts of a question to indicate that it has been misread.

Another part of reading is looking at the mark allocation. The mark allocation often provides valuable information relating to what is expected in the answer. For example: A one mark question may only require a short response whereas a higher marked question will need an explanation as well.

area is to practice it – something that can easily be done in one of the many activity books found online or in most bookstores.

Taking note to read, read and read again will, therefore, ensure that learners don’t lose unnecessary marks along the way.

5. Storytime Storytime does not always have to apply to reading of a book. Parents and students are normally quite surprised when I ask the learners to prepare for a comprehension by listening to the radio or watching television with their parents.

I quite enjoy “Help Your Kids With English” by Carol Vorderman as it breaks down the key concepts and structure of language in a very straightforward manner.

4. Spelling Learners should be encouraged to use their own words, however, often times the reading passage Something as simple as underlining a word when it contains words that the students should rather is asked to circle, can end up being the difference choose to use in their answers. I am not talking about quoting words from the text here, but between a pass, fail or a distinction. Answering rather making learners aware of the vocabulary in full sentences is another headache that all already found in the text. Seeing as the words are educators battle with daily. already typed out, spelt correctly and moderated to frustrating detail, why not make use of what “All questions should be answered in full sentences unless stated otherwise”, sound familiar? Well, it is found right in front of you? Comprehension is about understandin. Misusing a word that you should, because it is most probably printed at the needn’t have used is an unnecessary mistake that top of every language question paper that I have will lose you marks. ever seen.

2. Know your lingo The curriculum requires that assessments be made up of different levels of questioning to ensure that there is a variety in challenging, as well as easily achievable questions. Be on the lookout for words like: name, explain, list, describe, etc. as each of these words require a specific response.

The different keywords in questioning can also relate to the various levels of questioning – i.e.

When asked to explain or describe something, the question is likely to be out of a minimum of 2 marks. If learners are aware of these keywords, they will know how to better answer the specific questions.

3. “Let’s eat grandma” versus “Let’s eat, grandma” I am sure that most people have sat in a classroom with this example neatly laminated and pinned up against the wall - ready to be referred to when someone forgets to add that all-important punctuation mark. Once again, it sounds selfevident to put a full stop at the end of a sentence or to start a new sentence with a capital letter, however, these basics are often forgotten by our learners too. The only true way to improve in this

There can be a bit more to TV than just mindlessly sitting through an episode of a program that happens to be on. The key to getting the full benefit of “the TV or Radio Comprehension” is asking questions about what the learner has seen or heard, or what the thoughts on the program is or what they think the story is about.

Ask questions during and after the program: What colour shirt was he wearing? Who is his best friend?

Why did that happen? How do you think he felt?

Name some of the items he used. Explain what happened here. How could it have ended differently?

Your children may get annoyed with you at firstas bombarding them with questions and pausing or rewinding to point something out is not the norm when zombing in front of the television- but I assure you, they will get used to it in time.

If interrogation works for the law enforcement, why shouldn’t it work for us?

Ronette Watkins Teacha! Magazine | 11

How do I support learners who speak other languages?

In our modern world, families often move to different countries for work, opportunities or even for traumatic reasons.

Whatever the reasons may be, we often encounter learners who do not speak the school’s language of learning tuition (LOLT). It can be a daunting experience for learners and teachers alike. However, with the support from parents and the school community, as well as time, patience and empathy – steady progress can be made.

Here are a few tips and tricks that I have found helpful when bridging the language gap in the classroom.

1.

Connect face to face with families – as it is easier to communicate in this way than in writing. When typing emails or writing short notes, make sure to keep the message short and concise.

This will help ensure that the reader understands what is being said.

2. Ensure that the learner is surrounded with peers that enjoy sharing. A way to expose the new learner to the new language of tuition is to ensure that the learner has a few peers to listen and 12 | Teacha! Magazine

talk to. Basic questions and the subsequent interactions (e.g. “May I borrow your ruler?”) can help the newcomer to learn through experience.

3. Try to have regular routines and expectations – basic routines such as greeting the class, requesting the class to open their books and to write the date are but a few to mention. Initially, it would be beneficial to talk a lot about what the requirements for assignments are and to then demonstrate the necessary actions, checking in on the learner throughout the day. Show examples in books and try to incorporate illustrations, graphic organisers and pictures as often as possible.

4. Ask the class to help label items such as furniture and stationary. Have a peer join the new learner to explore the classroom and to talk about these labels. This will expose the newcomer to the basic vocabulary and to language associated with it (e.g. Would you like a drink of water? I can take a sip of water from this cup, bottle, etc.). The learner can then

be encouraged to reference these labels in future essays or various written assignments.

5. Use familiar children’s stories (such as The Three Little Pigs) to create a familiar starting point to discuss pictures and concepts.

Include nursery rhymes or songs to sing and illustrate in a notebook. Provide the lyrics of songs to read whilst singing them. If you often use video clips (e.g. from YouTube), turn the closed captioning (subtitle) function on when possible.

6. Provide a variety of books to read. Depending on the age of the learner, one can have a variety of illustrated dictionaries, illustrated bilingual dictionaries or simpler readers at hand.

Provide the learner with a list of new words to review – in flash card format. Start with word families and sight words. Have the learner draw illustrations for the respective words or try to use the new words in descriptive sentences (orally or in writing). As soon as the learner has mastered a word, add the flash card

to a notebook to create a compilation of words to review and use in spelling tests.

There are some lovely resources available online.

Free websites such as Epic (www.getepic.com) has various books available in audiobooks and will highlight words as a recorded voice reads the text. When doing basic research, choose Simple English on Wikipedia and activate Read&Write for Google Chrome. Listening to someone else read whilst the learner follows, exposes the newcomer to the correct pronunciation of unfamiliar words.

7. Write descriptive sentences for pictures in books. When the new learner is able to compose short sentences, he or she can write descriptive sentences for pictures in books or even make a voice recording of these sentences if the written task is still too advanced. Transcribe the recordings and use it as reading material or have the learner access the Voice Typing function on Google Docs (a dictation function).

8. Find readers on different levels. Doing this can allow the learner to attempt reading books on various levels – from simple books (to build his or her confidence) to more advanced material.

Books on similar topics can also enhance the child’s background knowledge to act as stepping-stones to the next book or topic.

9. Make use of Translation apps.

If your school has access to iPads or computers, one could access Google Translate or translating apps such as Speak and Translate to support the communication process.

10. Allow for some wandering.

Find opportunities for the newcomer to visit parts of the school and to engage in conversation with staff. Send him or her on errands with a friend (e.g. to take the daily attendance information to the office) to create opportunities to practice conversational skills.

11. Encourage the new learner to join extramural activities or to join the aftercare program.

A lot of experience is gained through more informal interactions with peers.

12. Discuss the learners’ specific needs. Connect with the Head of the Department or the principal regarding assessments. Review the National Policy Pertaining to The Programme And Promotion Requirements Of The National Curriculum Statement Grades R – 12 (E.g. Chapter 2, Point 4) and discuss the requirements for the specific learner with the departmental advisors.

Where will your learner fit in and are there specific accommodations available?

13. Lastly, maintain a good sense of humour. There will be many moments of frustration, but a good laugh can lighten the tension and gives one the boost needed to try again.

Juffer "My Klaskamer" is a remedial teacher. Her blog www.myklaskamer.com is the go-to portal for South African Foundation Phase teachers and parents.

Teacha! Magazine | 13

Thinking About Your Thinking Metacognition is a scientific term that simply means “thinking about your thinking”, and refers to the concept of being critical of your own thoughts.

In the context of this article, metacognition specifically refers to thinking about your learning.

It may sound obvious and seem that we naturally think about what we are thinking, but in reality, it is a skill that we need to acquire and develop.

John Hattie, an important educational researcher, found a strong correlation between the skill and use of metacognitive strategies and student achievement. His study is based on more than 1200 metastudies (studies that group and analyse large quantities of related research), suffice it to say that the research sample is comprehensive. The fact that metacognition and the related strategies consistently showed a strong correlation to student achievement only emphasizes its importance in learning environments.

Metacognition in the classroom Matthew Rhodes[1] from Colorado State University tells the story of one of his students approaching him after an exam, very disappointed in her marks. He mentions that she was very confident before the exam, sure that she has mastered the format of the exam and the content she had to study. She thought she only needed to focus on a few key points and then the exam would be relatively easy. At the end of the day, the mark for the exam was far below the mark she anticipated. Rhodes reflects on this situation and mentions that this is a student engaging in metacognition. By theoretically reflecting on this example, Rhodes then explores many of the key categories of understanding the role of metacognition, touching on important concepts such as control and monitoring as he goes along.

Theory is extremely important in understanding any process or phenomenon, even more so when

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complex processes such as learning is involved.

But the theory will have to wait for another day as this article discusses some of the practical implications for the classroom as identified in the work of Rhodes: 1. American Idol and metacognitive awareness Rhodes mentions that the popular TV show, American Idol (or any other variant of the show), can serve as a very effective tool for teaching metacognition. The idea is to show students remarkably poor auditions for these shows. Other than finding the video very amusing students will be primed for a lesson in metacognition. These cringe-worthy auditions serve as a fantastic basis to open up the question “Is it important for individuals to have accurate knowledge of their own skills and abilities?”

2. Predicting exam performance Asking students to predict their performance allows them to make metacognitive judgments that can be reflected on in the context of the actual performance. When you hand students back their exams or tests, they can then reflect on the judgment they made earlier. Did they do better than they anticipated, or did they do much worse? These reflections open valuable discussions on a variety of levels to eventually lead the student to make better predictions in the future. It might be that they used the wrong methods or did not understand some of the concepts, and reflecting on this helps them perform better in the future.

3. Delayed testing Students can easily fall into the metacognitive trap of thinking that they know their work very well right after a cramming session. As we already know, this is an illusion and very little

of that knowledge is committed to long-term memory. When students fall into this trap, they can easily be led to believe that cramming is an effective strategy for studying. To help them develop the metacognitive skills and insight, have them write a short quiz right after new work was discussed in class and then have them write another quiz on the work a week later. Students should notice that they are activating their long-term memory and actively recalling the information. This should prove a good basis for understanding and judging their levels of knowledge.

It is evident that the implementation of metacognitive strategies in your classroom or learning environment does not take lots of money or effort. Simply reflecting on something as simple as a 3-minute YouTube video can do the trick. Rhodes concludes his article by saying:

expectation. Experiencing this discrepancy can be an important teaching moment and one that is well informed by research and in metacognition.

Beyond the classroom, metacognition is critical in many areas of life, from assessments of our own health (“Should I go to the doctor?”), to understanding relationships (“Does this person like me?”), to evaluating our own skills (“Am I good enough to get the lead in this play?”). Accordingly, understanding metacognition provides a framework for better understanding of many of life’s decisions.”

If you would like to learn more about metacognitive strategies for your classroom or think that your school or students can benefit from this knowledge, consider enrolling for either the Learning Hacks or Brain-based Teaching for Learning courses from ITSI - as listed on Teacha! SACE Points Guide..

Dr Nicolas Matthee “Metacognition fascinates students. Anecdotally, many students report having the experience described in the scenario that opened this article: feeling certain of being well prepared for an exam only to receive a score that disconfirms that

All Rhodes references in this article refers to Rhodes, M.G. 2019. Metacognition. Teaching of Psychology 46(2), 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628319834381 [1]

Teaching English in South Korea In February 2017, the beginning of the northern hemisphere’s springtime and a new upcoming academic year, I started a new adventure as a “Guest English Teacher” in South Korea. I arrived in Korea without much prior knowledge about the country, culture and of course their famous (well it wasn’t to me) pop-culture.

I chose to apply for the EPIK program (English program in Korea) which places you as an EFL (English as a foreign language)/ ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher in their public-school system. Other very popular destinations for South Africans to teach abroad include Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and China. Each country has their own set of advantages and disadvantages, but I guarantee you that becoming an English teacher in any of these places will be a lifechanging, eye-opening and confidence-boosting adventure of a lifetime.

Every person has their own reasons for wanting to work or teach abroad. I had worked abroad a few times before going to Korea with jobs ranging from waitressing and housekeeping to care work.

I always enjoyed my adventures and saved some 16 | Teacha! Magazine

money, but this time I felt like I wanted to secure work abroad doing a job that required a degree and that would challenge and develop me in new ways.

Out of all the fantastic options of places to teach, people always ask me why I chose Korea. I will answer this question honestly and say that I chose Korea because of the salary, benefits and security that the EPIK program could offer me.

I cannot claim to have a deep passion for teaching kids the English language, but I craved to at least try the experience. From researching online, it came to my attention that the EPIK program was a fantastic launching point in an ESL career, because you don’t have to have teaching experience and they provide you with training and support. I had a friend who had taught through EPIK for three years and had saved money as well as had a wonderfully fulfilling time.That was exactly what I was looking for in an experience. I took her recommendation to heart and delved into the application process.

The education system in Korea is extremely

different to ours in South Africa. Kids are expected to study continuously in almost every waking hour. It is completely normal for children to attend public school until the afternoon and then go straight to a private academy afterwards until nine at night, with possibly a taekwondo lesson in between. There is also a clear hierarchal system amongst staff (as in any work environment in Korea). Unlike in South Africa where it is more democratic, things are not up for discussion or debate in Korean schools. What the principal says, goes and no one will speak up even if every other staff member is unhappy with the situation. The principal even has to give permission to Korean teachers if they want to travel overseas during the school holidays. This can be quite an adjustment for a westernized teacher coming into the system. But for the most part, EPIK teachers are respected, acknowledged as culturally different and mostly uninvolved in the bureaucratic aspect of the school.

The kids are often tired and see English class as a rest or relief period from all their other high pressure subjects. Because of this, ESL teachers need to incorporate a lot of games in their learning, so that classes are fun for both the teachers and the students. In elementary school, worksheets are mostly discouraged as the focus should be on speaking and listening. As a completely inexperienced teacher, I found the first month a busy one, full of learning how to plan lessons and how to approach teaching English to a group of learners who could hardly say more than “hello”. Luckily there is a website available with multitudes of fantastic resources and games

in the classroom. EPIK teachers will always teach with a co-teacher. This can take on many styles - sometimes the co-teacher will teach half the class and you are required to teach the other half, other times the co-teacher just facilitates whilst you lead the class. At times, believe-itor-not, a co-teacher will teach just about the whole class and you may be allowed to sneak in one activity. Theoretically, the first two options are the ideal situations and the most effective for learning. But you cannot choose how your assigned co-teacher will want to teach and this often leaves you feeling rather powerless.

It’s a challenge to coordinate with another teacher; oftentimes a person who has a much lower English level than is ideal. Sometimes it can be incredibly boring to not be the driving force behind the lesson or it can be incredibly frustrating to feel like the teaching is ineffective.

I think that teaching English in Korea is almost incomparable to teaching in South Africa. The autonomy in the classroom is not there, the subject matter and entire education system is completely different and the personal responsibility is not as apparent. EPIK teachers have relatively no admin, and for me, I almost didn’t feel part of my school. As much as this sounds like an easy, stress free environment, it can take its toll. Teachers can become frustrated with feeling like they’re not really contributing or being effective and there aren’t a lot of pathways to change that. The way you end up being required to teach is luckof-the-draw and depends on your school and

"I know that teaching in Korea gave me a new perspective on how hard teachers in South Africa work." that quickly became central to planning my lesson lessons in Korea. I opted for a mixture of making use of these online resources (and adapting them accordingly) and making my own.

I found that as long as I had a structured, wellthought-out approach to learning and plenty of back up activities , the class would be a success.

It might seem an impossible feat to teach English to students who can hardly speak a word of English. Teaching in Korea requires a lot of hand gestures and patience, but you are also not alone

the co-teachers you work with. I know that teaching in Korea gave me a new perspective on how hard teachers in South Africa work.

Lesson planning outside of classroom time is a huge component of teaching and incredibly time-consuming. I don’t think I fully understood that before I became an ESL teacher. In Korea, teachers are looked upon in a really high regard and paid accordingly. I think South Africa should learn from that, as teachers hold the future of our country in their classrooms and should be respected and compensated appropriately.

Teacha! Magazine | 17

My teaching experience aside, Korea was an absolutely fascinating country to live in for a year (and many people stay much longer). South Korea was annihilated in the Korea-Japan war and through major investments into education, they transformed their economy. When the Asian financial crisis hit in 1997, Korea received a financial bailout. But through donation of civilians’ personal and family gold to the government, the ultimate patriotic and collectivist act, the Korean people saved their economy and became the first country that was a recipient of aid, to provide aid in 2009. They have invested heavily in education and all public schools are well kept and free of charge, including textbooks and the most delicious and wholesome school lunch you can imagine. Koreans are innovative and creative. Living in a country with virtually no crime illuminates a new level of respect and comfort. An effective public transport system, delicious and healthy food and quirky shops and entertainment everywhere you go, what’s not to love about an experience like this?

You don’t have to be passionate about English, kids, nor teaching to benefit from this experience.

But to teach to the best of your ability, give your all to the students and positively represent your country while you are there is your ethical responsibility. If you don’t like children, you aren’t adaptable or culturally sensitive or you are solely looking for cash incentives without responsibility

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and pride in your work, then maybe this path is not for you. The kids are wonderful, cute and quirky and want nothing more than to say hello to you and have the opportunity to interact with a foreigner. A smile and gentle encouragement goes a long way in an ESL classroom and making an effort to teach effectively and grow as a teacher is the way to make the experience worth it Life in Korea is comfortable and interesting. It’s easy to make friends and you will be close to fantastic holiday destinations for those school holiday trips. I lived a fantastic lifestyle and managed to travel to Latin America for 6 months after my Korean teaching adventure (low budget travel, of course). Another one of my friends didn’t save a cent but came home with a bulging suitcase of clothes, a few kilograms of extra weight and an enviable talent for noraebang (translated as singing room, aka karaoke).

Teaching in Korea wasn’t entirely stimulating for me, but it taught me what it takes to be a good teacher. The country is a walking representation of how education can transform a nation and the disposable income was a luxury that few South Africans have experienced. I loved my adventure in Korea, and I would do it all over again - in fact maybe I will very soon.

Kim Konings

Book Review:

Great minds don’t think alike “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its life believing that it is stupid” – Albert Einstein In a world where so much of our school system is focused on getting our children to fit inside the box and collectively swim upstream, we as teachers and parents tend to forget sometimes about those who, no matter how hard they try, will always swim against the current. Those young minds that hold all sorts of greatness - but because of how they are forced to think, act and learn, that greatness remains unlocked… untapped… and unrecognised.

Enter the bestselling children’s novel “Fish in a tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt which tells the story of Ally, a young girl who sees the world through mind movies and colourful pictures but whose struggles with reading has become a self-defining feature in her life. Until she meets Mr Daniels…THAT inspired, enthusiastic, caring and supportive teacher whose input helps to unlock a world of possibilities against a backdrop of impossibilities and labels. Along the way, Ally discovers that her dyslexia is not something to be ashamed of and that in fact, it makes her smarter.

Having to work that much harder to achieve what comes relatively easier to most, Ally gains a profound confidence and develops an inspiring resilience that earns her the respect and admiration of so many around her. In Mr Daniel’s words, she learns to have “GRIT”. It is a heartwarming story of a young girl’s journey from self-doubt to self-acceptance, from struggle to triumph and from invisible to INVINCIBLE! Ironically, I was given this book by a young girl in my class last year, a girl who in so many ways reminds me of Ally. She had given it to me with a card that read “Dear Mrs Kirk, this book is about an amazing teacher, and I think that you are an amazing teacher”. Touched by her heartfelt words, I thanked her for the book and promised

to give it a read. Little did I know that what I would get out of it as a teacher would leave a lasting imprint on my heart and a window into the world of what it is like for so many of the children I teach. Feeling like an outsider looking in, a wave of responsibility washed over me as I found myself drawn to the relationship between Ally and Mr Daniels. A relationship built on a genuine desire to make a difference and a genuine response to want to be helped. The power of words became a resounding theme throughout, as I was reminded of just how much of an impact our words as teachers can have on the impressionable young hearts who fill the seats of our classrooms.

The book is filled with nuggets of wisdom on every page, one of which really got me thinking; “And I think of words. The power they have.

How they can be moved around like a wand – sometimes for good, like how Mr Daniels uses them. How he makes kids like me and Oliver feel better about ourselves. And how words can also be used for bad. To hurt. My Grandpa used to say to be careful with eggs and words, because they can never be fixed. The older I get, the more I realize how smart my grandpa was.” – Ally Every day, we have the power to inspire or to deter, to build up or to break down, to show interest or turn a blind eye, to define an identity or to encourage self-definition. Ally’s journey to self-acceptance was not once defined by the pressure to fit in but rather the encouragement to stand out. As teachers and parents, this will in all likelihood mean that we need to learn to loosen the reigns and allow our children to colour outside of the lines and to seek alternative means of unlocking potential. Not every great mind thinks alike, so why force it to?

Review by Stacey Kirk

Teacha! Magazine | 19

Using a story-writing approach to create original lesson resources

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Original resources - they may take time, effort, planning and work to set up, but they can be an amazing material for learners to use at school or at home. In my opinion, definitely an effort worth making!

As a teacher one never has enough time for marking, planning, extra-mural activities and even balancing home and school-life. Setting up worksheets is not a top priority anymore and we use what we have - year after year, despite the changes in planning.

As the reader, I would like to inspire you to create new resources and worksheets and see the value in them whilst integrating themes and weaving work together.

This all starts with planning and having the knowledge of what your class needs to cover within the week.

As I love to teach language, one of the things I decided to do for my class, is to write my own stories using the list of phonics words for the week. I often link a Home Language story to the weeks Life Skills theme. Once I have written the theme-related story (including the 10 phonics words) I decide on four or five new words to teach the learners (which the learners can find within the story). It is important to consider the grade you are working with and what the curriculum says about the different reading materials they need to be introduced to. It is not necessary to write a new story every week, as you can make use of other texts such as recipes, lists, paragraphs, letters, poems, songs etc.

Once the story is written I set up a comprehension of the story. The comprehension includes questions about the content, as well as some language-based questions and questions testing their knowledge of their phonics words – overall, this text will test their understanding.

The language questions correlate with the specific language aspects that must be covered for the week. For example: Ask the learners to find four verbs in the story or write a sentence in past tense. I find that this is a great place to start because all learners like a story and if you write your own, you can make it relatable to your grade, class or theme. At this stage, I would have taught the learners the new phonics words so they are able to recognize them in the story. For

the older grades, it is quite fun for the learners to make use of dictionaries and find the four or five new words, sharing the meaning whilst doing so.

I would usually have the story printed on an A4 page which I then placed on the board alongside their phonics words and new words for the week.

Then every learner had a story in front of them with the comprehension. You would not have to physically give each learner a worksheet, as you can also choose to write the questions on the board.

I have made use of the story writing approach in Home Language, Additional Language and Mathematics. It is a great way for learners to see how many things one can take away from a short story. Not only are you able to integrate with other subjects, you are also able to help learners link knowledge from seemingly unrelated information together.

Again, it is important to note that it all comes down to your planning and what is expected of you to cover for the week. The Maths stories, I usually correlate with the Life Skills theme for the week. I like to choose an adventure story with Maths, using the learners’ names in my class as the characters in the story, I try to make a shy learner to be the bravest or smartest in the story.

Usually the characters go on an adventure and then have to solve Mathematical problems along the way – which they absolutely love.

I find this to be a gentle way to start a lesson for a learner who might feel nervous about Maths. Pictures are fun to add to the story and I often have even drawn my own. The younger the learners are especially enthralled with the aesthetics of these stories, which certainly helps them to go along on the “adventure”. In the older grades, you can get the learners in the class to draw pictures to add to the story.

Anyone can write or tell a story and through this approach I hope you can even inspire your learners to tell and write their own stories. Let your creative minds start working! Yes, it takes effort but it makes work fun and relatable to your learners.

Emme Scholtz

Teacha! Magazine | 21

Apathetic Learners In the teaching profession, we are taught and told to never label a class as the “naughty” class. Once a class has been “named”, it is a rarity that their label will change. Labels tend to stick. So, why is it that it seems okay to label a learner as being lazy or apathetic?

As teachers, we deal with so many different individuals in front of us each and every day.

We have so much going on with deadlines to meet, curriculum to get through, intervention with learners who are struggling academically and then on the other side of the spectrum challenging stronger learners in our class. This is the norm. Another norm often over-looked (both mistakenly or on purpose), is the apathetic learner. Every class tends to have that one learner who does not care to do well, or doesn’t even care to pick up a pen.

This kind of learner is the one who generally makes me, as the teacher, feel like a failure.

My first instinct is to ignore them, punish them or even to stop trying – why must I spend all my energy attempting to make my lessons more interesting just to find that we have landed back at square one again.

But Why? Why are some learners apathetic?

Here are a few reasons that a quick google search will tell you: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Content is not presented in a relevant manner.

The learners have a fear of failure.

The classroom is not seen as a safe space.

Adults do not always treat learners with dignity and respect.

5. The learners have low self-esteem.

6. The classroom has a lack of academic tools enabling our learners to be successful.

7. Peer pressure or to be seen as ‘cool’ affects their behaviour 8. Learners have learning problems.

9. Learners have a lack of a challenge.

10. They have a desire for attention.

11. Learners are in emotional distress.

12. It is the learners’ way of expressing anger.

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Reading this list lead to a real epiphany for me.

Before looking into it, I took it personally - when certain learners did not have their workbooks or were not interested in my subject, I assumed I was the reason. This list gave me insight into identifying what the various “named” learners were going through.

I then made a conscious decision to change my mindset. I started by trying to connect with these learners on a personal level and then slowlybut-surely, we began to build a relationship.

This was as basic as asking them questions to find out what they were interested in. But often I found that the basic questions could even be challenging to ask learners who disrespected my rules and put no effort in. On the occasion I found that I was talking to myself – at times, having a “conversation” was like pulling teeth. But as I started to thank them for the smallest effort (I did not attribute success to ability, but rather effort) I felt a small shift. I appreciated every small step and showed the learner that I cared whether they were to progress or not – whether it was the fact that they opened their textbook, or if they happened to read four lines out of Hamlet – they were praised. Not epically praised – but the learners received a pat on the back without feeling looked down upon. It wasn’t always much, but it was something.

Many apathetic learners need the opportunity to build on mistakes or to redo and revise. This too can be quite difficult, but as teachers, we need to separate effort from achievement when grading.

I understand that rubrics and memorandums do not have marks for effort, but try to find a system that can reward a learner for trying. This can lead to motivating them and encouraging small improvements. Once you have a relationship with the learner you can ask them for commitment and continue to then celebrate achievements. If a child feels that you are on their side and you are trying to help them, they will put in the effort for you. Pulling them aside or even talking to them after school will help the child to care a bit more if they can see the bigger picture and how your subject will help them.

It is important that when you are building this relationship, you are honest, genuine and reassuring. Try and establish trust with your learners. Make the learners believe that they matter more than the content. I know this seems time concerning - but if a learner feels safe, their behaviour or attitude towards the world will change.

• • • • •

Be open to feedback.

Give genuine compliments.

Get-to-know-you sessions.

Focus groups.

Random acts of kindness.

Sometimes a learner may refuse to work and it becomes a power struggle for control. Try to find a way that an apathetic learner can have some type of ‘job’ in your class. Something as basic as handing out the books or operating the projector.

Being the official “timer” for orals seems to be a sought after job as the learners feel as if they are in control.

Other ways of dealing with apathetic learners include: • • • •

Challenging the learner respectfully.

Involving the learners in decision making.

Asking the class for opinions.

Offering the learner real world choices.

Another easy error to make as a teacher is to assume. I assumed that, as the majority of my class preferred auditory learners, that this was the best was to teach. As a teacher with little free time, it also didn’t hurt that this type of learning required less input prior to the lessons - preferred to learn in this manner. I always felt that PowerPoints took time and my learners would take longer to engage with the content. One day one of my learners asked whether he could see a video explanation of the topic. I first thought that he just wanted to waste time but upon second thought, I realised that I did not cater to visual and tactile learning methods in my class.

By changing my teaching practise and adding in that little bit of extra effort each day, I was able to have a wider reach within my classroom. This especially affected the “named” learners – as the change-up added interest to the lesson.

These are just a few thoughts and tools that have helped to motivate and understand the apathetic learner. It is not always easy to put in the effort when you feel like they do not care. I have had success with the majority of my learners, but have had to take baby steps along the way, as the answer for one child is not necessarily the answer to another. In the long run, when you see the change, I can assure you, the trouble is worth the reward.

Adrienne Goslett

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An End of Year Survival Guide for Teachers Term 4 has just started, and as we approach the last stretch of the school year, teachers all over South Africa can feel the exhaustion seeping into their bones. You’re tired, your students are tired, and everyone is generally just waiting for the school year to be over. How do you manage to stay on top of things and keep the educational wheels turning when your mind and body are aching for rest? It’s time to slow things down, teachers.

HERE’S YOUR TERM 4 SURVIVAL GUIDE: Keep it simple You need to be smart about where you’re investing your already depleted time and energy.

Cut the fat from your classes – creating and organizing over-the-top lessons are going to sap the energy out of you, so save the ornate PowerPoint presentations and complex group activities for next year. Your lessons should instead be as simple and as direct as possible.

What is the easiest (yet still effective) route to take to achieve the goal of this lesson?

Put your foot down You are 100% entitled to say “no”. If you’re asked to help organise or chaperone an extra activity, meeting, or event, and your plate is already full, politely refuse. If the principal insists, use this strategy: “I have w, x, and y on my plate already.

I can do z, but only if one (or more) of the other tasks is passed on to someone else.” That way your workload stays the same, and the head can see that you’re open to compromise.

Have a plan of action As the saying goes; a failure to plan is a plan to fail! Plan as much in advance as possible and stick to it. Disorganisation only makes you frantic, frazzled and more stressed. When you’re already feeling burnt out you want less stress, not more.

Have a timeline and due dates for lessons, homework, tests, and grading. Keep track of the 24 | Teacha! Magazine

dates of extracurriculars, meetings, and PTA events.

Pick your battles We don’t always get along with our colleagues.

Don’t rise to the bait or pick sides in staffroom politics. It will only add to your exhaustion and take up brain space. Take everything with a pinch of salt and move on. Of course, if a particular coworker gets out of hand and it’s too much for you to ignore, either sit down with them and have a mature conversation or bring it up with management. Develop an I-will-not-be-ruffled attitude.

Have a grading party If you just can’t set aside the time to grade papers little by little, throw a grading party for yourself and some of your favourite colleagues to get it all done in one go. Order a pizza, maybe bring out a bottle of wine, and settle down for a good long grading session. It’s easier to get it done when the group is just as focused as you want to be, so be selective about who you invite. A group setting also means you can pick the brain of fellow colleagues, or share a student’s silly answer and have a good giggle.

Classroom behaviour and discipline Students are particularly rowdy this time of year, and while we can’t control their excitement for the holidays, we can offer them calm and routine when they enter our classrooms. Irritability and erratic behaviour from us teachers will only add fuel to the fire. Take deep breaths, slow down your reactions, and try to maintain perspective.

With these survival tips in your arsenal, you will be well prepared to take on term 4 and everything it throws at you. Don’t forget about self-care outside of the classroom – hobbies, exercise, and downtime will do wonders for your stress levels.

Have a happy term, teachers!

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7 Cheap and Cheerful Ways to Earn SACE Points with Type 1 Activities We can all agree that continued professional development is important to keep us at the top of our game. According to SACE, “Teachers need to continuously renew their commitment to their profession, to express their pride in its ideals of service, their dedication to our children’s development and their determination to contribute to a just and thriving nation. That is professional development.”

That’s all well and good, but earning 150 Professional Development Points every three years can become an expensive task. There are actually many free or cheap options for earning SACE points.

There are 3 different categories of activities you can do to earn CPTD points. In this blog, we are going to focus on how to earn points through type 1 activities.

These are activities that are initiated by a teacher to address his / her needs. A bonus with type 1 activities is that they do not need to be submitted and moderated by SACE. Teachers are simply required to report on the activity in their Professional Development Portfolio.

So, let’s look closer at type 1 activities, specifically ones that are quick, easy and light on the pocket.

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1. Reeeeeead You can earn a nice 12 points by simply reading some educational articles. These don’t have to be heavy, academic articles.

These can be education related magazines or blogs, like this one you’re reading right now.

To score these points, you need to record the article’s author, publication and date, and provide a short description of what it’s about. This is an awesome FREE way to earn a decent amount of points.

2. Earn points at home There is an easier way to earn SACE points than attending workshops on a Saturday morning or after school. You can earn points in the comfort of your own home through various online platforms.

Participating in online professional development activities can score you 8 points a year.

3. Mark Matric papers Are you a matric teacher? We have great news for you. You automatically earn 5 points a year by being appointed as a matric marker. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.

4. Attend educational meetings Attending meetings is another free and easy way to rack up points. This can earn up a

maximum of 15 points per CPTD cycle. Examples of meetings that fall into type 1 are teacher union meetings and meetings with other government departments.

Remember, anything that is initiated by the education department falls under types 2 or 3.

5. Start a project You can earn 10 points per year by initiating your own community or school project that learners or teachers can get involved in. This can be as simple as starting a study group or gardening project.

6. Be a mentor Mentoring and coaching other teachers is something we often do. Well, the great news is that you can earn CPTD points for this. You just need to ensure that you have proof of your sessions.

Coaching can be done for other teachers or even student teachers.

7. Join a book club You can earn 12 points a year by being involved in an educational book club that covers at least 4 books per year. To score these points, you need to record the article’s author, publication and date, and provide a short description of what it’s about.

This article originally appeared on SACE Points Guide - now on teacha.co.za

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS DISCIPLINE IN THE CLASSROOM Half Day Workshop

Understand what positive classroom discipline is about Recognise the meaning of ‘discipline’ and ‘punishment’ Learn how to design a classroom discipline plan Realise the importance of character development and instilling values in maintaining positive discipline Develop strategies to manage learner behaviour in a positive way For more information or to make a booking: Salome Chepape | Email: mtc@macmillaneducation.co.za | Tel: 011 731Teacha!

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Teacher to Teacher:

Kennith Booise This edition’s teacher of the term was brought to our attention by a class parent who insisted that the world know a little more about their child’s teacher. We, at Teacha! Magazine completely agree.

Mr Kennith Booise is a Life Orientation teacher at Weltevrede Secondary School in Wellington. But he is so much more than just an LO teacher. He has committed to his community by volunteering as a HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse and marriage counselor. On top of this, he also helps out with mentoring, life coaching and motivational speaking. As well as presenting parent workshops and youth development.

What led you to the teaching profession?

My choice in choosing teaching as a calling and a professional career was influenced by my parents. My father (Standard 6 then) and mother (Sub A then) had to leave school young to work in order to support their families. My father, from a small town named Saron, worked on a farm and later on in Cape Town, he met my mother, got married and was the first ordained Evangelist of the United Reformed Church Immanuel, Paarl after he expressed his desires to God to work for Him fulltime, starting with a salary of R200 per month and four children to feed.

My mother also worked on a farm and later on as a servant for respected white families. My father was assigned for the spiritual wellbeing of the Noorder Paarl community, working on farms with people of all colours. Witnessing and seeing how my father and my mother (both not fully skilled, no professional training, low literacy levels, the little knowledge that they had) worked with people and seeing how they influenced their lives and how people changed and respected them, inspired me so much that I decided, that the same 28 | Teacha! Magazine

wisdom they had, I will use to my advantage in my teaching and that is, to TEACH and REACH the heart of a human being.

My parents are my Life coaches and their exemplary examples become my LIVING GUIDE. Sadly, they have both passed on, my mother the 3 October and my father 5 December 2018 after being together for 62 years and through my teaching I will always honour their names and like them, do things not to be praised, but to exercise the freedom to live by your own convictions and accept the choice to create happiness for yourself.

Do you feel like teachers are valued in our country, and if not, what keeps you going?

To answer this question, it’s a yes and a no.

Educators feel they are not valued for their roles and contribution in shaping society. Their primary role is to teach, to deliver a curriculum and to equip learners with skills in aiding them to take control of their lives and be responsible for their own future. Why do I say no? A teacher is blamed if a learner can’t read or write. If a learner is ill disciplined, it is expected of a teacher to discipline a child. If a learner gets into a fight, the argument is, schools should be a place where learners feel safe and protected, but no one protects the teacher. If a learner is not successful, teachers didn’t do their work properly, or will even be asked, what you did to help the learner?

This question leads to frustration, it demoralizes teachers and can the lack of support to address the wellbeing of teachers leads to stress and

expertise leaving the profession. I think most teachers feel valued and appreciated when their employer has a sincere interest in them as a person and not a persal number.

Have your lessons or approach to teaching changed over the years? How so?

Yes, it has to. We are part of the technology era - a challenging generation (kids); a younger parent generation (where one often comes across parents who wants to be more of a buddy to their children ), globalization, social websites, a multicultural society, sport and the World Bank (it’s all about how much money), demoralization, politics and where the norm has become acceptable. All of these can become so confusing for adolescents, so I make sure to incorporate it in daily lessons to let them see that we are influenced at a micro and macro level.

As educators we need to acknowledge change, that the family structure has change and we as teachers have the responsibility to introduce all of these to our learners (a world that we as adults create) and this world we should present to them in a respectful and responsible manner, so that they will make a responsible, informed choice to make sense of the world we represent to them through our lessons, our approaches and methodologies.

I believe, in Life Orientation, its more than just delivering the curriculum, it’s about reaching the individual in the class through your lessons, keeping in mind, we are partly responsible for shaping a child’s destiny and it is how we interact with learners through our lessons, enabling them who to become. It is evident that in preparing our youth (learners) as citizens (the self-in-society) for an ever-changing world, Education must have human, moral and spiritual values (principles) – LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION and COUNSELING, at its heart and the resulting expression of them as its aim.

Through this, Education may lay the foundation of a respectful, just and harmonious society.

What advice would you share with people who are interested in becoming teachers?

Working with people can be challenging and rewarding - keeping in mind, you work with

different personalities, people with different beliefs, perceptions, values and backgrounds, cultures. Accompanying my parents to church and their various meetings in the community, I learnt the following through observing them: They loved what they were doing; they experienced it and they expressed it. For them, doing God’s work, could be fun and they made sure to find joy in the little things along the way.

Above all, is to be true to yourself and your calling. If someone decides to become a teacher, you need to think about your destiny, who you are and why you are on this planet. If you find that answer in exercising that choice, you are here to give of yourself to others. As I always say to my learners, don’t be a drop, become the ocean that gives life and let live, be a torch and shines brightly in a world that’s becoming darker and darker, by letting your torch shine brightly, you stand for faith, hope, courage and love in a world that is so in need of it.

What advice do you have for teachers that are still new to the job?

We need to keep in mind, that when we look at our learners we need to look at them the way we look at our own kids or family members.

Those, like our own kids, have dreams too and they have abilities. They struggle like most adolescents do, trying to make sense of the world as presented to them and trying to figure out where to fit in and figure out if they are going to make it. But most of all, they look at us for hope.

My advice to my colleagues will be to improve the quality of your thinking, if we improve the quality of our thinking, we will be able to deal with life challenges in an optimistic way, so that we be healthier and happier and not falling in a trap of doubt and despair and feel that you may be failing yourself and those entrusted into your care. Set time aside for yourself and never let go of your values, it is our values that are the compass that is guiding us to our ultimate destiny. Never stop believing in yourself, you have abilities, you have power … but the challenge is, to keep growing.

Ali Mills

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South Africans prefer their children to be taught in English English is only one of 11 official languages spoken in South Africa. It’s currently the preferred language of education and is used in many of the nation’s schools. But most children entering the education system are not native English speakers and many are still in the process of learning English by the time they arrive at school.

The main language of instruction in education influences academic and career progress. Oral language proficiency is a foundational skill that’s required to develop the ability to read which in turn is required, together with writing, for all types of learning.

Language use in schools has been a focus in both national and international research. It is largely agreed that learners should be taught in their home language. However, many countries continue to promote English instruction including Kenya, India, and South Africa.

The conflict between what is being implemented in schools and what is recommended by the available research remains unresolved.

There is a strong body of work that shows that learning problems can develop if the language in which a child has oral proficiency is not the same as the language of instruction.

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As a result, policymakers in most countries now recommend home language instruction for the first years of education after which a gradual transition to another language can be made.

But the policy won’t succeed unless there is buy-in from the general public. In designing and implementing education language policy, it’s therefore necessary to understand peoples’ preferences.

We set out to find out what these are in South Africa. We examined public attitudes towards main language of instruction at different levels in the South African education system. Preferences for language of instruction at different stages of education was examined for the period 2003–2016 and this allowed us to map any changes in attitude.

We found that a majority of the population favoured English as the language of instruction at all levels of education. It is clear that people are unaware of the benefits of home language instruction and may resist efforts to promote the teaching of African languages in South African schools.

The research We used data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey

for this study. The survey series is nationally representative and is used to track public attitudes on important social and political issues. The series is administered by the Human Sciences Research Council and has been conducted annually since 2003.

In each round of the survey, people were asked: “What do you think should be the main language of instruction in: (1) grade 1–3; (2) grade 4–9; (3) grade 10–12; and (4) higher education?”

In 2003 about half (55%) of the population preferred English as the language of instruction against about two-fifths (41%) selected home language at the foundation phase (grades 1-3).

Thirteen years later popular support for English as the language of instruction during the foundational phase had gone up to 65% – the highest level since polling began. The most recent survey, the results of which have not yet been published, found little change in 2018.

The preference for English extended into later years of education too. In fact, we found that the number of people supporting English rose the higher up the education ladder went. In other words, the more advanced the phase of

education the smaller the share of the public supporting options other than English.

resources are devoted to helping teachers educate learners in English.

There was remarkably little variation in attitudes for the last decade indicating the durability of these preferences. And over the ten years attitudes among South Africa’s population groups remained very similar.

The disparity in resources could, in turn, reinforce the view that English is superior to African languages.

The best way forward A preference for English over home language may be motivated by economic concerns. Research has shown that English proficiency in South Africa is linked to socioeconomic advancement.

Another reason for the popularity of English as a language of instruction could be the general lack of school resources and training required for educators to teach in many of the country’s African languages. When compared to other languages, greater

What next We believe that post-colonial education policies should nurture multilingualism and promote all languages. This will require a well-resourced programme to overcome common misconceptions about the alleged inferiority of African languages. The development of compelling teaching materials for African languages is required as well as educating teachers on how to use such materials. Although there may be opposition from some, learners will ultimately benefit from such a programme.

The government is moving in this direction. The Department

of Basic Education recently launched the Incremental Implementation of African Languages programme which aims to strengthen the teaching of African languages in South African schools.

The goal is to reach 3,558 public schools across all grades by 2029.

But, as our research shows, South African policymakers must convince the public to support home languages as the main language of instruction if the programme is going to succeed.

Steven Gordon, Senior research specialist, Human Sciences Research Council and Jaqueline Harvey, Researcher, Human Sciences Research Council This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Read the original article.

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Why having both male and female teachers is a good idea for schools In South Africa, one in five teachers in the foundation phase – roughly from ages 6 to 9 – is male. This is consistent with a global trend that see men being more likely to teach adolescents than young children.

A lack of male teachers for young children has become the focus of a growing body of research internationally.

Typically, this research has examined the experiences of male educators and explanations for their absence.

This work has appeared amid a global gender equity movement and adjacent to calls for greater female representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and in senior managerial positions.

In South Africa, research focusing on male teachers has emerged alongside recent calls to increase the involvement of men in the lives of young children. Around 43% of children under the age of 5 live without a biological father. Here, young children’s observations of men as caring are particularly limited.

To date, our research has considered how experiences of childhood are shaped by gender, sexuality, race, class and culture, and affected by poverty, violence, and the spread of HIV. In addition, we’ve investigated how interactions and 32 | Teacha! Magazine

relationships between teachers and students are shaped by gender and behaviour.

Together, this work has contributed to understanding child development and the social forces that construct and reinforce “traditional” views of masculinity and femininity.

In our most recent research, we explored how masculinity is constructed and perceived by female and male teachers in the early years of schooling.

To better understand why few men teach in the early years of schooling, we investigated the experiences of male teachers and how they were perceived by their female colleagues.

In doing so, we came to better understand why men might avoid this work, but also the reasons why schools should include both female and male teachers.

Stereotypes For men to choose to work as teachers of children in the early years of schooling, they must first overcome gender barriers.

For example, gender expectations and stereotypes strongly influence why men shy away from teaching – with teaching often viewed as “women’s work” and associated with the care and nurturing of young children. Consequently,

men who teach young children may have their masculinity questioned or scrutinised, and not be seen as “real men”.

Teaching young children, however, requires a balance of stereotypically feminine and masculine traits: the teacher must be caring, yet authoritative, a listener, and a leader. Schools also benefit when teachers reflect the interests, needs and backgrounds of their students.

One important way this can be done is by including both male and female teachers.

To understand how men are perceived in the teaching profession, we spoke to male teachers and their female colleagues.

Our research found that there were conflicting accounts of men’s roles. Some teachers welcomed men, and others strongly condemned associations between men and young children.

Those that thought that men were important in children’s lives connected men with stereotypical male roles.

They reported an expectation that male teachers should display traditional masculine traits, and be “sportsmen” and “disciplinarians”.

In this way, male teachers were seen as socially acceptable

when their behaviour conformed with pre-existing ideas of men: reproducing the dominant notions of masculine power that position men as being more suitable for management positions.

On a more progressive note, some of our findings show support for male teachers who can show children caring and non-violent ways of being a man. The need for such male teachers stems from a wider societal problem in South Africa.

Why gender diversity matters In a recent announcement capturing global attention, the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, described the rates of violence against women and children as being similar to a country at war; announcing an emergency action plan to deal with genderbased violence.

As gender scholars, we are greatly concerned about how existing gendered perceptions about men may affect perceptions of male teachers too: particularly if men are uniformly positioned as bad.

The fact is that male teachers can provide a source of hope.

Indeed, men are not a single group of perpetrators, and some care for children deeply.

In our recent collaboration with researchers in Australia, and focusing on a shortage of male teachers in both countries, we identified additional reasons why teacher gender diversity is important for children, for classrooms, for schools, and for society.

For young children, male teachers can contribute to children’s gender knowledge.

This may be particularly important for some children — allowing them to observe men who are non-violent and whose interactions with women are positive. For other children, male teachers may increase their understanding of how to interact with adults who are different to themselves — promoting positive relationships between men and young children.

For schools, having a diverse workforce of teachers in foundation phase can also enhance decision making processes. People from different backgrounds may see the same problem in different ways, leading to innovative solutions. Workforce diversity has also been linked to improved performance and job satisfaction.

Diversity The presence of male teachers in the early year of

schooling may help promote gender equitable versions of masculinity. By working in roles that are typically viewed as being more appropriate for women, men can break down the polarised differences that foster gender inequalities.

Much remains to be done in creating a diverse workforce — one which recognises men and women outside of gender stereotypes.

But in South Africa there is little policy imperative in addressing the missing men in the early years of schooling.

For communities to promote positive representations of men, including men at this schooling phase, the focus must be on creating gender harmony and peace.

Deevia Bhana, Professor Gender and Childhood Sexuality, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Kevin F. McGrath, Affiliated Research Scientist, Department of Education Research, Macquarie University; Penny Van Bergen, Associate Professor in Educational Psychology and Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching, Macquarie University, and Shaaista Moosa, Post-doctoral research fellow, University of KwaZulu-Natal This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Teacha! Magazine | 33

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