Yesterday, Democratic Alliance Leader Helen Zille, delivered the following speech at the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwyser Unie “Principals Symposium” in Port Elizabeth.

The rights of teachers to strike must be balanced with the rights of learners to learn

What most determines a child’s success in the classroom is not their background, their financial circumstances, the curriculum or the resources of the school (although these things all play a role).

The crucial variable is the quality of the teaching.

You do not need to be an education policy expert to know this.   Many of us in this room probably attended poor schools.  I am one of them.

I grew up in the 1950s in what was then a rural part of Gauteng, and my primary school served the community around the Leeuwkop prison. There were no flush toilets, and I remember how the corrugated iron classrooms were slowly replaced by brick structures.  There were children at that school who were so poor that they arrived barefoot.  That is why shoes were not compulsory in my school, because we did not want to distinguish between people whose families could afford shoes and those who could not. We had two or three grades to each class and two languages in each class.

When I went to high school, my parents sent me to a well known school in Johannesburg. When I got there, it was quite clear that my primary education had been as good as the best schools in Johannesburg. This was because my primary school teachers ensured that we could read, write and calculate at the standards required, despite the relative deprivation in terms of physical resources, and the relative poverty of the community.  When I think back, I believe they were so dedicated because they knew it was their responsibility to educate the community out of poverty.

There are many equally dedicated teachers in South Africa today. Many of them are members of the SAOU. I have seen the difference they make in children’s lives.  Our good teachers in our good schools are doing more than any other professionals to build firm foundations for the new South Africa.

But I have also seen the negative impact of poor teaching and weak school management. When teachers spend as little time in the classroom as possible, don’t get involved in extra-mural activities and don’t care if they finish the curriculum or not, the learners suffer.

And there is still far too little accountability throughout our education system for failing to measure up to global education benchmarks.

This is why, in the Western Cape, we are now introducing performance contracts in order to hold principals and deputy principals accountable for learner outcomes. This will form the basis of a differentiated performance management system.  We are determined to move towards a situation where poor performers are managed out of the system, and excellence is rewarded.  In teaching, more than any other profession, one size does not fit all.

But we know that accountability is a two-way street. This is why the Minister, the Head of Department and senior management have performance contracts which are linked to the targets set in our strategic plan.

Our approach includes greater powers to assess teacher performance against provincial and national standards in the classroom, where it counts. That is the crux of the Western Cape Provincial School Education Amendment Bill which we hope will be passed into law by October.

There are other noteworthy aspects to the bill which, taken together, will help us provide a globally competitive education for more learners in the Western Cape. These include:

• Requiring a minimum core teaching hours every day and every week
• The banning of political activities on school premises during school hours
• Giving more search and seizure powers to schools to stop illegal substances and weapons being brought into schools

Of course, this bill – particularly the provision to assess teacher performance in the classroom – will be controversial.  But we believe it is essential. Furthermore, the good principals and good schools in the province realise that if we have to get to the heart of the problems in our weakest schools, we must understand what is happening (or not happening) inside the classrooms, that everyone is present, punctual and prepared, and that the syllabus is completed in time.

On this note, I should commend the SAOU for limiting its involvement in the strike to defined period and for condemning the violence and intimidation of some strikers.

Like the SAOU, we support the right to strike, but we also believe that rights should be exercised in a way that limits (as much as possible) undermining the rights of innocent parties.  The actions of some union members will undoubtedly mean that many learners will fail their matric, or fail to meet the entrance requirements of tertiary institutions.  This is a tragedy that will have life-long consequences for them and their families.

When it comes to exercising our rights, they are always balanced by our responsibilities and the rights of others. I believe SAOU and some other unions, have found the proper balance in the current industrial action.

It was this balance that the DA’s predecessor – the Democratic Party (DP) – attempted to legislate for back in 1993 in the amendments it proposed to the then Education Labour Relations Act (since superseded by the Labour Relations Act).

In his speech to Parliament, the DP’s Roger Burrows neatly set out the dilemma that teachers face when it comes to industrial action.

I quote:

“The particular position of teachers, their status and position in society, particularly with regard to their conditions of employment, is a very complex one. It is one in which society itself views teachers occasionally as professionals, sometimes as workers and sometimes as servants. The teachers themselves have a similar problem. Some of them view themselves as professionals and some as workers. This is not peculiar to South Africa, and I must make this absolutely clear. Throughout the world the vexed question of teachers and their role of status regarding their conditions of service is one that has raised tensions significantly.”

In his speech, Burrows noted that different countries have approached the rights of teachers to strike differently. Some do not allow teachers to organise at all. In others, staff associations are allowed but not unions. There are also countries which allow only one union.

We reject all these approaches. We believe that teachers should have the right to organize themselves and that this includes the right to strike. And we believe that teachers should have the right to join or form any union they want.

This is why we do not agree with SADTU’s attempt to destroy the other unions. We strongly oppose SADTU’s proposal to amend the constitution of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) to increase the threshold from 50,000 members to 100,000.  We believe this is a transparent attempt by the union to stop the exodus of its members, who are increasingly disillusioned with the tone, style and management of their organization.

In this regard, it is important to note that, according to Western Cape Education Department statistics – only a third of SADTU members in the Western Cape have actually gone on strike.

It is obvious that many unionised teachers – whether they are SADTU, NAPTOSA or SAOU – take their responsibilities as seriously as their rights.

In his speech to Parliament back in 1993, Roger Burrows made the point that even in countries where the teacher’s right to strike is recognised, there are often limitations on this right. Noting the illegal conduct of some union members in a strike at that time, he argued that South Africa needed to include some limitations on the right of teachers to strike. As he said:

“We need to make quite sure that if we in this Parliament are going to give teachers the right to strike legally, we must hedge it around with sufficient conditions to ensure that parents, more than anybody else, are at least consulted, at least brought into the entire process of striking. I say this because, with all due respect, it is not simply a situation between the State as employer, and the teacher as employee. It involves children, not factory goods or commercial services.”

I am pleased to announce here today that the DA’s team in the national Parliament has begun drafting a Private Members Bill to amend the Labour Relations Act to codify the conduct of teachers who go on strike. The limitations that we will propose are – in fact – already largely followed by the responsible unions. We believe that, given the universal condemnation of the behaviour of some strikers, the time is now ripe to enforce the ethos of responsibility and accountability in this sphere as well.

Our Private Members Bill will propose a number of measures, including:

• That the right of teachers to strike is subject to the condition that a core service is rendered. It will stipulate the minimum number of ‘skeleton’ hours that teachers must complete during a strike.
• That strikes can only legally take place after consultation and agreement between government, unions and school governing bodies (in other words parents) concerning the conduct of the strike and the treatment of the pupils during the strike period.
• The imposition of severe penalties on unions (in addition to legal action taken against individuals) if their members engage in violence, looting, vandalism and intimidation.

We believe that these three measures will go a long way to restoring some balance between the rights of teachers to strike and the rights of learners to learn.

I look forward to engaging with you further on this proposal, as well as our plan to turn education around in the Western Cape, which is the one province where we can turn our words into actions because the voters made this decision.

This is an awesome responsibility, because we have to set the benchmark, and develop the strategy to demonstrate that excellence is not only possible in our education system, but essential.  Our country’s prospects, and the prospects of all our children, depend on it.

Thank you for the enormous role the SAOU is playing in this process.  I hope that within five years, we will all see the positive difference.

Download the full speech (English version)
Download the full speech (Afrikaans version)

HowStuffWorks, a creation by the Discovery Channel, is the award-winning source of credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works. Founded by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain in 1998, the site is an online resource for millions of people of all ages.

From car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between, HowStuffWorks has it covered. No topic is too big or too small for their editorial staff to unmask, or for you to understand. In addition to comprehensive articles, the helpful graphics and informative videos walk you through every topic clearly, simply and objectively. Their premise is simple: Demystify the world and do it in a simple, clear-cut way that anyone can understand.

The site is particularly helpful for science, biology, geography and history teachers.

Click here to visit HowStuffWorks.

With the increase of internet usage by children at home and at school, teachers should ensure that steps are taken to protect learners from all types of online risks that can pose a serious threat information and data stored on computers.

The free GetSmarter Guide to Online Safety includes advice on all types of online risks, and offers plenty of practical advice on keeping yourself and your data even more secure.

5 More Tips to Online Safety

1. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A stranger wouldn’t really give you large sums of money for a little help, and it’s impossible to win a lottery without ever entering it. Ignore emails like these completely.
2. Keep your passwords safe, change them often and make sure they are very hard to guess. Don’t use your name, birthdate, pet’s name or any other obvious piece of information.
3. Never agree to meet someone you met on the internet in real life without having friends present and being in a public space. In fact, it is best to avoid these meetings altogether.
4. Make sure that your computer has good antivirus and firewall programs installed to prevent hackers getting access to your data and viruses infecting your computer.
5. When making any online payments by credit card, ensure that you are using a reputable vendor and that you enter your details on a secure site. To see if a site is secure, look for “https” at the beginning of the web address (instead of the usual “http”), and look for the little lock icon on your browser – a closed lock indicates a secure site.

Want to learn more about the Internet?

Click here to read about the University of Cape Town Internet Super-User course. This course teaches students to harness the power of the internet and use its tools to its full potential.

This ultra cool science periodic table is great for a quick summary for each element. Clicking on an element in the periodic table gives you background information about the element as you can see in the screenshot below. It’s an excellent, interactive way of helping learners both remember and understand the elements. Click here to open.

Teachers are on a technological front line – school children are becoming ever more adept at using the web for everything from socialising to doing their homework, and are beginning to resist what they consider “old fashioned” teaching methods. Teachers must find a way to engage them on their own terms, but often lack the web skills and experience to do so effectively.

The solution is to get a comprehensive web education. GetSmarter’s UCT Internet Super-User course gives you just that: the 10-week, part-time online course presented throughout South Africa and abroad teaches web novices how to use a wide variety of web tools and tricks. The course has proven extremely popular with teachers, who make up 25% of all students. Dr Pam Miller, a CAT teacher at Pinelands High School, found the learning model excellent; she took the course to explore the learning delivery model and found elements like the quiz and forums excellent. Debs Sanders, a teacher at St Benedict’s School, was equally impressed and learned a great deal through her contributions to the course’s interactive online forum.

Imagine if you could use cellphones for instant, dynamic classroom teaching. What if you could create interactive online quizzes for learners to test their knowledge on, or post video lectures for the times when you are ill or away from class? While these ideas may seem far-fetched, they are rapidly becoming the norm in the developed world – and the UCT Internet Super-User course will teach you to implement them. Here are some reasons why you should incorporate the internet into your curriculum plan.

1. There’s so much information out there already. The web holds a wealth of interesting, educational material on every subject imaginable – tools like Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia, or the Khan Academy, a site with thousands of educational videos (www.khanacademy.org). If you can tap into these sources, not only will you improve your own lesson plans, you can assign these materials as extra readings for learners to explore.
2. It makes learning more engaging for pupils. The web is an unparalleled interactive and fun learning platform. Watching videos, socialising with friends and writing blog posts can all be turned into educational opportunities. Even the cellphone is a powerful learning tool. Imagine the impact on a class about social studies if learners were to get live SMS responses to demographic questions from their parents and friends.
3. There are many excellent learning tools available online. The web isn’t just a wild and dangerous place; there are spaces where children can learn and explore safely. There are also many free and useful teaching tools, like online communities, quiz creation tools and forums, that you can harness to make learning seem more like fun and less like work. They also make your life much easier – an online quiz can instantly grade learners’ results; how long would it take for you to do the same?

10% discount for Teacher’s Monthly readers …

GetSmarter is offering all Teacher’s Monthly readers a 10% discount off the course fee. All you need to do is enter the “Teacher’s Monthly” in the promotional code section when registering.

The University of Cape Town Internet Super-User course is a 10-week part-time presented online available to all South Africans and international students. The course will teach you the practical skills to use the internet effectively which will translate into a competitive advantage in your professional life and will become vital as the internet plays and increasingly important role in out daily lives. Get ahead by learning to use these tools like the professionals: Google, Skype, Wikipedia, Google Earth, Facebook, Twitter, PayPal, eBay, Ustream, Mozy, blogs, mobile technology and many more.

For more information on the course contact Karin on +27 21 685 4775 or Karin@getsmarter.co.za. Alternatively, visit www.getsmarter.co.za.

A great video showing traditional teaching methods. Yawn.

In my opinion, teaching is one of the most demanding and difficult of all jobs. The internet is making things a little easier though. We’ve searched the web high and low to find some useful online applications and resources that integrate well into the school environment. If you’re a tech savvy teacher, you’ll most likely find some of these tools to be really useful.

Having said that, there are many online applications out there, but not all are completely suited for South African teachers. This list comprises the apps and resources that we feel our teachers could benefit from …

1. Book Glutton
   A great application for English teachers. It allows users to read books over the web and and annotate and discuss books in an online community forum.
2. SchoolRack
   Allows you to create a free classroom website or educational blog to communicate with your learners and parents outside of your classroom.
3. AVG
   Most teachers don’t realise just how dangerous and prevalent computer viruses are. AVG is a free, downloadable virus scanner for your laptop or personal computer.
4. BrainHoney
   Move over Moodle, there’s a new player buzzing around. Whether you just want to supplement class room instruction with online content or jump right into offering online courses or a complete virtual school, BrainHoney’s online solution is quick and cost effective.
5. ClassMarker
   The ClassMarker online testing website is a professional, easy to use, online quiz maker that marks your tests and quizzes for you.
6. CreateDebate
   An integrated and dynamic virtual learning environment that will stoke the discussion and participation in your classroom.
7. Curriki
   This wiki-based online application is used by teachers to share educational ideas and coursework. Great for teachers stumped on ideas for activities, this application has a stock of lesson plans, handouts and study guides.
8. Edmodo
   A secure social platform for teachers and students to micro-blog and share files, events, documents, assignments and grades.
9. Edublogs
   An academic micro-blogging platform created with WordPress-powered blogs. Teachers can include class publications and newsletters, online discussions, allowing student blogs and adding multimedia. This free application also suggests tips on how educators can integrate blogs into their coursework.
10. Engrade
    A free set of web-based tools for educators allowing them to manage their classes online while providing parents and students with 24/7 real-time online access.
11. DOC Cop
    Allows teachers to catch plagiarizing learners through software that cross-checks online and offline sources.
12. Footnote.com
    A history teacher’s dream app, with more than 60 million original historical documents to peruse through. Very useful for general world history.
13. Gmail
    Looking for a secure, free e-mail account? Gmail is your answer.
14. Periodic Table of the Elements
    This online periodic table of elements is great for science teachers. When you toggle through the elements, users can essential facts such as atomic number, symbol and weight.
15. Lesson Planner Advanced
    Created by teachers, this tool helps teachers deliver great lectures with digital resources. Throw away the pencil and paper, this online lesson plan grid serves as an amazing tool for teachers to create lesson plans in one place.
16. Mindomo
    One of the most effective ways to organise information and critically think is to visually draw out your thoughts. This web-based mind mapping software helps you do just that.
17. MyStudiyo
    A web app that serves as a portal for online tests and quizzes. Users simply have to add content to quiz templates and create a customized quiz for your audience.
18. Remember The Milk
    Organising your personal and professional life can be a daily struggle, but applications like “Remember the Milk” can ease your pain. This online list management application allows users to create many different lists, schedule tasks, sync lists to email and instant messaging and generate time estimates on projects.
19. SchoolTool
    A free online bookkeeping resource for school management. The application delivers organisation tools for grading, scheduling, attendance, learning assessment and report card generation.
20. SparkNotes
    Helps students learn and practice basic skills, write a paper, study for a test and achieve their academic goals. From summaries of classics like The Scarlet Letter and To Kill A Mockingbird, to Science guides, teachers can utilise this resource for supplementary learning.

Want to see your online app or resource reviewed here? Contact us.

The Foundation for Professional Development’s (FPD) vision is to build a better society through education and development and the best place to start is with the foundation of society – our teachers – developing their ability to manage classrooms and inspire them with the latest international teaching methodologies.  However, professional development programmes are not always feasible for teachers given their busy, demanding days in the classroom and the negative impact on learners’ performance if they take time off from school. FPD, an accredited private higher education institute in South Africa, has recently partnered with Hibernia College in Ireland, the largest online teacher development institution in Europe, to provide a solution for teachers. From 1 August 2010, FPD will offer on-line, flexible professional development courses for teachers that can be accessed from the comfort of their homes.

Each short course runs for 20 hours of on-line contact time facilitated by an expert in the subject area and can be completed within a three month period. At R900 per course, prices are reasonable for the local market. Courses range from the latest in Maths and English teaching methodologies for primary schools to practical applications of ICT, such as interactive whiteboards, in the classroom.  Special needs education techniques, early childhood education approaches and the prevention of bullying in classrooms are further examples of some of the short courses on offer.

FPD specialises in management, clinical and education professional development programmes, having trained over 100,000 professionals to date across 15 countries in Africa. FPD CEO, Dr Gustaaf Wolvaardt, sees the FPD partnership with Hibernia College as a great asset for South African teachers. “Combining FPD’s practical learning approach with Hibernia’s teacher development expertise will offer the South African education sector a compelling professional development opportunity.”

Mr David Wylde, ex-head of St Stithians and currently heading the Principals programme for Penreach believes that Ireland primary school teachers are some of the best in the world and hopes that these short courses will bring some of the UK best practices to our country. When asked what he thought of the FPD/Hibernia course offering, he quips: “Sign me up”.

To find out more information or register for the FPD/Hibernia short courses, visit FPD’s website at www.hiberniacollege.net. For further information, contact Joanne Brink at 012 816 9000.

South Africa’s school-orientated social networking site, Obami.com, has added a new feature to its offering that promises to boost educators and students’ productivity, while providing for a more streamlined process for the setting, submission and assessment of school assignments.

The new feature, aptly named ‘My Assignments’, allows teachers to obtain, generate and share worksheets, tests, revision papers, exams and questionnaires electronically; and on the other end of the scale, allows students to complete and submit their assignments through the same platform.

This, says Barbara Mallinson, founder of the social networking site that is offered free to schools, for all intents and purposes extends Obami into the realm of eLearning.

“And, as with all the functionality we’ve built for Obami thus far, ‘My Assignments’ is intended to supplement the already rich interactive two-way educational experience currently available through the platform.”

Mallinson says a number of interesting and innovative refinements have been integrated in the ‘My Assignments’ feature and that these make a huge difference to the overall functioning of Obami.

“For example,” she says, “depending on the assignment settings selected by the teacher, learners have the ability to save work that they have begun, or complete and submit their work in one session, making it perfect for homework, but also for tests and exam assessments.

“Further making life easier for teachers, the feature’s assessment functionality can be enabled so that auto-marking of assignments can take place. This not only saves teachers’ time, but also affords them an immediate indication of a learner’s progress through course materials,” she adds.

From a workflow perspective, Mallinson says ‘My Assignments’ slots in neatly, alongside the other major applications within Obami and as such, once a teacher has set an assignment, it is automatically added to the learner’s list of “Due Assignments” which appears on their home page.

“This means that ‘My Assignments’ also functions like a virtual homework diary, allowing parents and learners alike to track homework tasks, and overall performance results too,” she adds.

“As is the case with Obami’s entire offering, learners engage with this tool in an environment that stimulates communication and collaboration, and there’s the option to set tasks that are to be completed individually, or in groups.

“Parents will also appreciate that ‘My Assignments’ now provides them with a quick report of their child’s performance at school, and drilling deeper, on-demand access to marks and comments made by teachers.

“More importantly, it allows for planning of upcoming tests, assignments and examinations, making the work flow more manageable for learners, teachers and parents alike,” Mallinson adds.

“Overall, we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with Obami so far and feel that this new feature takes us strongly into the realm of eLearning enablement.

“Teachers, learners and their parents can rest assured there are more compelling features in the pipeline, since it’s rewarding to see the education space benefiting from our innovations,” she concludes.

There is much confusion about the actual changes to the school curriculum in 2011 and beyond. I for one am happy to be referring to “learning areas” as “subjects” again! Here is the official statement from the Department of Basic Education concerning the changes taking place to the curriculum. Share it with your colleagues who may still be in the dark.

Department of Basic Education – Curriculum Changes 2010 and beyond (click to download)

I found this letter to the editor this morning while reading through the Cape Times. I consider it a follow up to my previous article, You’re a teacher. Deal with it.

The following letter was written by RM Dugmore.

I write this as an ex-teacher and headmaster of 40 years’ experience, whose family has been involved with education for many years. A recent comment in one of the newspapers that the dropping of OBE was not a cure-all has prompted me to write in support.

While acknowledging the inequalities in education, one has at the same time to give credit to the role played by dedicated teachers. Apart from the hard work in the classroom, true teachers willingly participate in helping to organise sport and cultural activities.

It seems to me that many teachers today are in it for all the wrong reasons. I know certain schools where teachers are late for class, who take their time finishing takeaways over break. They fraternise with their pupils, use “stress” as an excuse for staying away and do little to prepare their charges for final examinations.

Yet these teachers draw the same salaries as their conscientious colleagues.

The argument that some schools get results because of the facilities their pupils enjoy is not true. What about the outstanding results achieved by some very poor schools? What do they have in common with more successful schools? Dedicated teachers!

The staff at these poorer schools generally have a competent, dedicated principal and a staff who turn up on time and help coach weaker pupils in the afternoon or even over weekends.

We now have pupils (why learners?) returning to school after a ridiculously long break to find teachers (why educators?) preparing to go on strike.

This at a time when we are told 1GOAL – education – and coinciding with the appeal on Madiba’s birthday to sacrifice their spare time!

I believe there are some 100 days to go before the exams come round. This is usually the reason why lazy teachers and lazy pupils choose to strike.

Anything to drum up an excuse for the poor exam results which will inevitably follow.

What do YOU think? Add your comments below.

MySchool, South Africa’s biggest community support and fundraising programme, has recently committed to a partnership with EvaluNet. Soon the GetAhead range of educational software will be made available to MySchool supporters throughout South Africa at an exclusive discount, plus it will benefit the MySchool community programme.

This partnership will assist EvaluNet in distributing its educational software to more school children than ever before. With the help of MySchool, EvaluNet will also be doing projects to assist children in under-resourced areas to have access to a great learning tool, thus benefitting more communities in need.

GetAhead is educational software that children use at home to help learn and revise their schoolwork.

Visit the MySchool website.
Visit the EvaluNet website.
Visit the GetAhead website.

By Morag Venter
Morag Venter taught high school English for 20 years and is a former head of English and senior marker for Senior Certificate. She is co-compiler of two current Grade 12 literature anthologies.

Many years ago I decided something had to be done about the scrappy, incomplete and useless literature notebooks belonging to my weaker pupils.  Every year it was the same story.  The year would start off well: logical, legible notes would be written in the first two, or maybe three, pages but gradually, as books were left at home or someone was absent or the day was hot and I was boring, the notes descended into chaos.  Pages mysteriously came loose (the attached page having been used for Maths or History or a heart-rending love letter!), printed notes fluttered out whenever a page was turned  and, when exams arrived, all the pupil had to study from was a collection of dog-eared pages in no particular order.  Not a promising situation, especially as there is no textbook to refer to.

And yet these pupils were not trying to be difficult.  They generally participated in class, knew the bones of the plot and could offer some amazing insights at times.  I realised that many of them were just not academically disciplined or gifted enough to organise their books logically to ensure that they were user-friendly.  Many of the pupils simply started each entry on a new page – usually undated and without a heading!  If one asked them to add in information on a topic one had previously discussed, most of them fudged the issue and simply scribbled something somewhere on a blank centimetre of space – just to suggest that they were trying to be co-operative – but hadn’t a clue where the item should be placed.

What to do?  There simply wasn’t time to check the books often enough – and to follow up meaningfully was becoming a nightmare!  And all that checking and nagging meant that periods often became battlegrounds instead of opportunities to discuss and experience new ideas.

After much reading and thinking I decided that I had to spend more time with the pupils formatting these books.  To do so, I had to make sure that I knew the play or novel thoroughly before starting to teach it.  More than ever, I needed to plan the questions I wanted to set on each act/chapter as well as the issues I wanted to highlight in advance so that my strategy was clear.  (Really what I was doing was drafting the Lesson Plans and Assessment Standards although nobody used those terms in those days!)

Our first lesson was an extremely practical one.  At that stage everyone still had a pen, a ruler, a pencil and even had a notebook!  So we could work together.

I insisted on a separate book for each setwork.  No-one was allowed to do a novel from one end and poetry from the other!

Then we proceeded to allocate pages. All they had to do was to pencil in the appropriate heading at the appropriate place.  I didn’t have time to wait for those who enjoy decorating each page with coloured kokis!  That could be done at home, if they wished to do so. Although I issued a written explanation of what we were going to do, I found it useful to walk them through the procedure.  The time spent was recouped later as we did not have to wait while the pupils paged endlessly through to find the right page – everyone knew exactly where their neighbour’s page would be!

For the novel or a play, I allocated the first page(s) to Background.  This was where we would collect comments on historical details/ setting/purpose (e.g. What Golding aimed to discuss in Lord of the Flies.  What is a fable?, etc). Most of this was information I would provide.

Thereafter, we allocated a double page to each Main Character and a single page to supporting characters.  The page(s) was divided into columns: Physical description, Background details, Character – and a separate column where we would accumulate evidence of where these character traits became apparent. At this stage the names are meaningless to the class but already they are interacting with the characters and learning to spell the names correctly.  The lesson is therefore not merely administrative. I also squeezed in a half-column on the role or significance of this character to the development of the plot or theme (eg foil, representing the educated, thoughtful type of person, etc) although this would be completed only after we had read and discussed the whole book.

More double pages were allocated to key themes and images – it is up to you whether you label these initially or simply leave the pages blank to be used when the themes emerge. And the rest of the workbook could be used for short questions and essays.  Only the back two pages were reserved.  These we used for important vocabulary items – words which were essential to their understanding of the text.

As we began to study the book, we spent time transferring information to the appropriate pages and columns.  Pupils needed only to write down the relevant word or phrase in the column, although we generally included a page reference under Character so we could justify our choice of adjective. This activity might be during class – when one needed a change of pace or activity – or at home where this action might serve to indicate that they had read the required pages or listened in class.  Sometimes this was done individually, sometimes as a group.  One could vary this considerably using timed sessions or getting different groups to do different research for the class.  The rigid structure of the notebook does not necessitate a rigid lesson structure.  It merely helps the pupils to be organised.

I found this made my life much easier.  I could check the books more speedily, picking up at a glance who had included too little information and whose work was too sloppy to be acceptable. Group discussions became more meaningful as the individuals had something concrete to contribute.  Pupils could also assess each others’ work more easily.  A pupil who was absent could catch up something of what they had missed. The pupils learnt to distinguish between character and appearance, something weaker pupils struggle to do.  And when we begin to write setwork essays, the necessary information was readily available so I could focus attention on the skills of writing.  Because each pupil had written down their own descriptors and highlighted the proofs they felt most valuable, these essays were still very individualistic – and there was no danger of producing ‘model answers’ which the pupils simply learn off by heart.  Moreover, because filling in the columns had required active involvement with the text, the pupils had developed some insight which enabled them to write about the text more confidently.

Eventually, I used this method for my top class as well.  I found that they appreciated being able to focus on the argument and the insight, rather than on the organisation of their notes.  There is no foolproof method, but this strategy vastly improved the quality of the notebooks.  I knew that almost everything the pupils needed to use for studying was in a ‘findable place’. And more importantly, although their style and their argument might be somewhat inadequate, at least they could show the examiner that they knew what was going on.

Perhaps you too will find it useful.

Originally published on Teaching English Today.

Press release from Wally Smith of NAPTOSA

The ELRC and consortiums involved in the Teacher Laptop Initiative (TLI) have agreed that it is necessary to hold a roll out launch of the TLI so as to increase teachers’ awareness of the TLI. Due to the delays in rolling out the TLI many teachers have lost interest in the project.

It was initially proposed that a roll-out launch would take place provincially, however, for a number reasons, that will not be possible. A national Roll Out Launch  has been arranged for 15 July 2010 and will take place in Pretoria.

Other strategies that are in the pipeline to renew and heighten teachers’ awareness of the TLI and to provide detail on the various computer packages available include:

• Coverage of the ‘roll-out launch’ by e-tv; and other media;
• A special insert in “The Teacher” (Mail and Guardian);
• Adverts in the national press;
• A website dedicated to the TLI: www.teacher-laptop.co.za. It is expected that this website will be operative from 17 July 2010.

The following process applies when a laptop is purchased:

1. The PED identifies and informs teachers who qualify for the TLI;
2. A written notification from the PED is issued to the teacher;
3. The teacher approaches any accredited supplier at an authorised outlet as identified by the supplier. This will be indicated on www.teacher-laptop.co.za and or the consortium can be contacted in this regard;
4. The teacher has the choice of comparing the different packages offered by the different suppliers;
5. The notification letter is presented to the accredited service provider;
6. The legitimacy of the letter and the identity of the teacher is validated on the Central Registry;
7. Once the teacher chooses a package that will suit his / her needs, the teacher and accredited service provide enter into an agreement;
8. The service provider issues the teacher with a certificate of purchase that contains all the information of the package. Everything from serial numbers to connectivity is captured. The certificate is accompanied by a unique number that that will be verified on the Central Registry;
9. The certificate serves as proof of purchase and will be used to activate the teacher’s email account. It will further be forwarded to the PED to enable the allowance and the monthly stop order for the repayments to be activated;
10. The teacher will be required to sign a Code of Conduct.

Health Warning: Teachers must wait for official notification from their PED informing them that they qualify for the TLI before they purchase a laptop.

Training of Educators: The ‘strategic partners’, viz Symantec, Adobe, Cisco Systems, Intel, Microsoft and Dimension Date will be meeting early next week at the ELRC to discuss a programme for the training of teachers in the use of the laptops and software.

After 6 soccer filled weeks you may be ready for Physics, Food, Penguins and a passion for science!

From the 18 – 19 July, versatile Physics Professor, Peter Barham of Bristol University UK, renowned for delivering edutaining demonstrations in restaurants, bars, lecture halls and classrooms, will visit the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre.

Winner of the 2003 Kelvin Medal (Institute of Physics), the 1997 Sci-Art prize and the 1999 Institute of Physics Prize for the promotion of Public Awareness of Physics, Prof. Barham will be performing the following Science Demonstrations at Sci-Bono:

• Sunday, 18 July, 14:30 – 15:30 pm, GET SCIENCE LICKED – The physics of ice-cream
  A family science show demonstrating several different ways to make ice-cream.  Audience members will get to taste the home-made ice-cream while learning about the formation of ice-crystals and the laws of thermodynamics. The show is suitable for all ages.
• Monday 19 July, 11:30 am and 14:30 pm, A PASSION FOR PENGUINS
  Sharing his love for penguins, Prof. Barham helps school learners to understand the role of research in conservation and the need to develop non-invasive techniques for studying the endangered African penguin. This lecture demonstration is aimed at Grade 4 – 9 school learners.
• Monday 19 July, 19:00 – 20:30 pm, THE SCIENCE OF TASTE AND FLAVOUR
  What makes some foods taste really good together while other pairings are just plain disgusting? In an interactive lecture, Prof. Barham demonstrates how science can help us in the kitchen. Suitable for ages 15 and up.

To make booking or to find out more email speaktoascientist@sci-bono.co.za or call Refilwe Pico at 011 639 8448.

About ICDL South Africa

The ICDL is the international standard in computer skills certification – available in 148 countries, in 36 languages, with almost 10 million Candidates registered worldwide.  Contact us to find a registered ICDL Centre in your area, or to find out how your school/organisation can offer this international certification to your learners, staff and community.

Our contact details …

www.icdl.org.za
info@icdl.org.za

Tel: 086 123 ICDL / 021 671 1070
Fax: 021 674 1805

Venue: Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Newtown, Johannesburg
Date: 24 June – 4 July

The 4th annual Africa on Screen Film Festival opens at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on Thursday evening 24 June with the première of the soccer documentary ‘The team that never played’. A collaboration between Australia and South Africa, the film revisits the collision of race, sport and politics through the lives of three very different men and their struggle to end Apartheid. In celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, this years’ Film Festival includes a Soccer Film Festival at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre 25 – 27 June and 2 – 4 July.

The Soccer Film Festival complements the newly launched Science of Soccer Exhibition. R20 entry for adults and R10 entry for children offers all visitors an opportunity to explore the 11 “hands-on, feet-on, minds-on” exhibits in the world’s first completely Soccer themed Science Exhibition.  The visit includes an opportunity to view the 42 Lego stadia built by Gauteng learners, discover the links between Football and culture in the Is the ball round? Soccer lounge and provides access to two free daily screenings of the Africa on Screen Soccer Film Festival.  The soccer films will be shown in the Sci-Bono auditorium at 11:30 and 14:30.  Please see below the schedule and details.

The Africa on Screen Film festival boasts over 30 films including features, documentaries and shorts, with free screenings at Museum Africa, Sci-Bono and Arts on Main.

For more information on Africa on Screen:

Email: lara@redflag.co.za

Tel: 011 447 8283

About Maskew Miller Longman

Maskew Miller Longman aims to provide teachers with a complete solution to their educational needs. We publish material which meets the latest curriculum and assessment needs for all school grades. Our books are learner-friendly and visually stimulating and we trial our courses with practising teachers to ensure they meet teachers’ needs.

We provide extensive and co-ordinated teacher support: our qualified teacher trainers offer free product training to the nine provincial Departments of Education in South Africa.

Under the Kagiso, Phumelela and Maskew Miller Longman (MML) imprints, we publish reading materials, and literature including poetry, novels, folklore, short stories and drama in all of South Africa’s official languages. We also offer a wide variety of dictionaries and suitable resource and reference materials, as well as an extensive range of imported materials for learners, teachers and libraries.

Our range includes many exciting new e-Learning products.

Our contact details …

www.mml.co.za
customerservices@mml.co.za

Tel: 021 532 6000
Fax: 021 531 4049

About PhotoNote

PhotoNote – Optimising the integration of business through technology

Our Mission: To be the predominant supplier of office equipment products at competitive prices, whilst providing unquestionable levels of service excellence and ultimately reducing our clients’ office equipment costs.

At PhotoNote  we offer a wide range of innovative, high quality office equipment solutions designed to maximise your business’ productivity – ranging from photocopiers to digital fax machines to PBX’s to interactive whiteboards. Our Technical Division provides reliable support and back-up.

A Niche in Education

Since its establishment in 1995, PhotoNote has grown considerably and with its comprehensive services and awareness of school requirements, has proudly become the largest office equipment supplier to schools in the KwaZulu-Natal region. PhotoNote provides schools with a total solution – not only can we provide the latest technology and sound advice on printing / copying contracts, but we can offer all of this in a complete finance package.

We believe that without our strong client relationships based on loyalty, honesty, and trust, we would not be the successful business we are today. We are grateful to the schools for their support and in return we continuously contribute towards education in various ways, including:

• Debutante Balls
• School Magazines
• Sponsored Days
• Principals’ Conferences
• S.A.P.A Conferences
• Secretaries’ Gala’s
• Sponsored sporting Equipment

Our Products

PhotoNote Toshiba – TOSHIBA is one of the largest corporations in the world and a recognized leader in the field of digital multifunctional black and colour copiers and fax machines. We offer the following Toshiba products:

• Digital Monochrome Photocopiers
• Digital Colour Photocopiers
• Digital Fax Machines
• Notebook / Laptop Computers
• Data Projectors
• Telephone Switchboards – PBX’s

Photonote Olivetti – OLIVETTI has always distinguished itself in its ability to combine dedication to technological innovation with a strong commitment to culture and art as well as product quality and design. We have a wide and diverse range of Olivetti Monochrome and Colour photocopiers available and whatever your requirements, we can provide you with an Olivetti copier to meet your specific needs.

Digital Printers – At Digital Printers, we want to help you meet your business objectives by offering you the most comprehensive range of RISO digital printers, full colour laser printers and genuine RISO consumables available in South Africa. We are the leading supplier of RISO products in SA and we have chosen RISO for good reason.

Interactive Technologies – Combining the ease of use of a traditional whiteboard with all the functionality and versatility of a computer the interactive whiteboard will transform the way you share information with others. Simply connect the whiteboard and a multimedia projector to your computer, and it immediately becomes a giant, fully interactive touch screen. Schools, tertiary institutions and businesses choose the interactive whiteboard because it helps to energise lectures and motivate learners.

Quantum Surveillance – CCTV is currently the most cost effective business management tool available to Businesses, Schools, Tertiary and Government Institutions. By Quantum Surveillance installing a correctly designed CCTV solution, you can manage and control your business with complete confidence.
Our existing clients boast that productivity has increased substantially, staff intimidation has been eliminated, stock and petty theft have been reduced, all whilst increasing general security.

Our contact details …

www.photonote.co.za
kevin@photonote.co.za

Tel: 086 011 0086
Fax: 031 583 8529