How many schools would spend R20,000 upgrading the cricket pitch and then not appoint a coach for the team? So why do schools spend R20,000 on software and then not appoint a coach or even a team? The groundsman takes care of the pitch, but does not necessarily coach the team, in the same way that the IT Administrator oversees the computer room, but does not necessarily drive the software. So who uses, implements and grows the use of this investment? I suggest forming a “Software” team …

“Kamp Staaldraad” took the country by storm and received heavy criticism. While I am not advocating such drastic measures, I am intending to make a point – invest in your investment and it will work harder for you.

“Kamp Staaldraad” was implemented as part of the Springbok’s training/team building. Aimed at maximising a Nations’ invest in their chosen team. The result – plus a few other strategies? A world class team.

“Kamp Komputer-Kamer” could achieve maximum use of a school’s investment the following way:

1. Appoint a team of teachers (perhaps a representative from each grade/learning area) to meet once a week in the computer room.
2. This forms part of their extra-mural activities. While the teachers are in the computer room, it is available for learners to do research, remedial or homework tasks.
3. The teachers use this time to familiarise themselves with the software available and plan ways to implement it into their teaching.
4. They coordinate and educate the other members of staff and delegate various tasks to assist with this. Sharing is caring, especially when all will benefit.

The result: Maximum use of resources, integration between IT and curriculum. Value and  not volume from your software.

So why wait? Choose a team and get cracking!

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.

We were finding it a dull read. I’m not saying it is a dull book, (for those of you who haven’t read it, it isn’t badly written) but I don’t think it was suited to grab the attention of 18 year old boys living in the year 2004. Not only was it a dull read, but the whole classroom environment was dull. We were sitting in a bland classroom that had one lonely poster on the wall which had probably been left behind by the previous inhabitant judging by its faded appearance and dated look.

I almost think my teacher agreed with me as he half-heartedly defended why we were reading the book. There were so many other topics and themes we could be reading about that would engage us, I thought as I drifted off into a daydream and  began developing a vision in my head of a utopian classroom that looked something like this:

Before entering the classroom there is a thought provoking message on the door that changes on a daily basis, perhaps an interesting quote or breathtaking image. Something to set the tone and get some inspiration flowing.  As I enter the room, there is an explosion of colour as creative and interesting posters and murals adorned the walls and ceiling. The carpeted floor requires we leave our shoes at the entrance – one wouldn’t want to get mud on a pristine Persian rug now would you? The teacher, a leggy, blond, former swimsuit model strolls in (remember this an 18 year olds’ fantasy) and tells us she’s got some extremely relevant and interesting books to choose from for our set work. “This one’s about a drug addicts struggle to get clean and be accepted into society, and this one’s about the lives of the teenage children of New York’s rich and successful, purrs Ms McKenzie as she glances over at me and gives me an inviting wink.

Ok, so it’s a pretty far-fetched vision, but I was and still am convinced that if teachers can find more ways of relating to their target market then we’ll see an improvement in interest and therefore results. There is a big gap between teachers and learners, now more-so than ever. The things that interest children and teenagers now are very different to what they were as little as 5 years ago. I believe teachers should embrace this and tap into what makes the youth tick. Embrace technology and social trends and incorporate them into what you teach this generation to whom the words chip, boot, window and apple have completely different meanings to what they did to the previous generation.

Think like a business. You’re a teacher. Your ‘product’ is knowledge. Your ‘target market’ is your learners. In advertising, a business will do whatever it needs to do in order to make it’s product appealing to the target market. So package your knowledge enticingly. Make it colourful, and start thinking like a business.

Here are some more words that have taken on a completely new meaning thanks to technology. Use them in their new context to your class to “wow!” your learners.

Not very long time ago, I had attended a cluster meeting of all Life Science teachers in our district. Top officials in this learning area came together to try and find out how performance could  be improved in this particular subject. Their starting point was to make a detailed analysis of the district performance, and as they went about in this analysis they found out that there were schools which performed well in aspects where the whole province fared poorly. They consulted the responsible teachers and questioned them how they got it right, when others were struggling or failing. Bingo! There it was! The teachers studied the learners’ interests and tried to develop ways in which they could incorporate their presentations into those interests. One was rap music. They shared the content with learners and instructed them to use concepts, processes and terms as lyrics of the song they would rap about. Teachers on the other hand searched for melodies they could download from YouTube to make it more fun for learners. Did the learners rap and learn the lyrics? Come exam time, the entire experience was bliss for them. Something that is conventionally boring was given a touch of their own style and genre.

It was not just music, singing and composing only, but there were also fields of interest like dancing. The old Afrikaans folk dance called sakkie-sakkie (presently known as the sokkie dance), was also one of the fascinating ways in which the concepts of DNA molecules could be taught to learners, including how the double strand of such a molecule unzips and zips again during the formation of proteins. It was very exciting for me to learn about all these findings the officials came up with. Not only did it assist me as the teacher dealing with this content, but it also opened my eyes that there are, after all, ways in which we can make learning interesting.

On Sunday, 30 May 2010, I read from the City Press newspaper that “Evolution” has been found to be less interesting to most learners, and as a result teachers had to come up with ways in which they could arouse the interest in their learners. They used acting, using the content material of this knowledge area. Though it has not yet been assessed whether this type of approach did yield desired results, learners’ understanding seemed to have been improved now that they got to view characters personifying and dramatizing the concepts which had to be learned. It is then a challenge to us to try and tame this mountain of learners’ less interested in reading and studying, by employing other methods that would appeal to their social and personal preferences – especially learners in the FET phase. Once the interest has been evoked, it wouldn’t be so monstrous for them to open up their books and read about it, would it?

What do you think? Leave a reply below.

In the light of this, the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) commissioned a benchmarking study undertaken by the United Kingdom’s National Agency (NARIC), which provides comparison information on international education and qualifications.

The report, published in May 2010, found that ‘the features of the NSC indicate a qualification with an underlying level that is both robust and fit for the purposes of examination senior secondary school levels’ and that ‘[i]n terms of the qualification’s comparability, the report concludes that the National Senior Certificate at Grade 12 is broadly comparable to the GCE A-S level’.

This is certainly good news and has been greeted with a generally positive response. Umalusi (the statutory body which sets and monitors standards for the GET and FET in South Africa ), stated that it is to be welcomed that this report, along with one of their own, reflects ‘positively on the new South African matric qualification’. Professor Crain Soudien, Deputy Vice Chancellor of UCT and Chairman of the IEB, said that he was ‘pleased with the outcome of the evaluation … as it re-assures South Africans that the new National Senior Certificate and its underpinning curriculum are recognized to be of an international standard by a credible organization’.

Not all, however, are convinced. In the first place, it has been pointed out that the report does not necessarily show, as the media release regarding the publication of the report that the NSC ‘shows SA’s National Senior Certificate compares favourably with international standards’: is shows only that it compares with the UK’s GCE A-S level.

Secondly, as one critic pointed out, the report is ‘misleading’ because it implies that it is a good preparation for higher education, whereas in fact the National Benchmarking Test, used by many of South Africa’s universities and universities of technology to assess prospective students, shows that there is no correlation between good marks achieved by candidates for the NSC and the success of students at university.

Thirdly, there was a great deal of scepticism about what happened during the marking process in 2008.  One can have a good standard paper, but if the marking is lenient for ‘cooked’, it can skew the results At the time, I tried to get the then-DoE to respond to some of the queries, but without success.  So I published an article entitled ‘More Questions than Answers’.  Here are some of the unanswered questions:

• The DA claimed that they had been approached by two teachers, one of whom had informed them that colleagues who were marking Maths and Science papers had been told to increase the marks of weaker Matric candidates – for example, boosting marks of 20% to 30% – which is a pass.  Is this true?
• Besides the allegations of boosting marks attained, there were also questions raised about the marking memos which seemed to favour the weaker candidates. For example, it was reported that a candidate who answered a question in History could not, in terms of the marking grid, get 0 – even if he/she had written nonsense. This is not how the official grid works. So how did this happen?  Where was the decision  made— at national, provincial, or marking centre level?  If not national or provincial, are these authorities aware of the decision?
• We were similarly informed by markers in one province that, in English Home Language, a candidate could not get below 6 out of 25 (i.e. 24%) for a setwork essay. This would mean that a candidate only actually had to get 16% in terms of real content to achieve a pass of 40% – (i.e. 6 marks’ worth of sense).  We were  also informed that, when marking the letter in the written work paper, markers were instructed to ignore the format and just mark on content. While content is the key aspect, the format is also important. This is not what the memo says. Is this true?

Many people are also concerned about the adjustments made at Umalusi level. Having experienced the process, I can say that this is misplaced concern, for the following reasons:

• Umalusi is an independent body – it does not answer to the education authorities.
• It operates within parameters (e.g. the range of adjustment that may be may be made).
• Adjustments are made according to previous norms (admittedly not really available for the first round, but there were previous norms that could serve as guidelines).
• The adjustments have been all the years – not just now – for the simple reason that one cannot guarantee that the paper is exactly of the same standard from year to year.
• Downward adjustments are also made.

In the light of the above, one can feel confident that the papers are at least on a par with the British GCE A-S level.  But is this as positive as it seems?  Besides the unanswered queries about the marking, it needs also to be noted that there are critics in the UK who maintain that the British papers have been ‘dumbed down’ – in which case, while we can take comfort that our standards are not rock bottom, we can hardly be proud to that our papers compare favourably with their papers. It is clear that much more research needs to be down before we can boast of our the high standard of our examinations and curriculum.

Vandag het ek twee stories om te vertel, twee gesprekke wat ek in die laaste tyd gehad het.

Nou die dag sê iemand vir my: “You’ve been teaching for a whole two terms now!”

Toe ek dit hoor dink ek by myself: “Ja, ek kan nie glo ek het twee kwartale oorleef nie!”

Toe ek egter later daaroor dink, kon ek aan myself erken dat ek eintlik nie verbaas is dat ek die twee kwartale oorleef het nie, nee, ek is eerder verbaas dat ek na die twee kwartale nogsteeds passievol is oor onderwys en daar kinders is oor wie se lewens ek werklik omgee. Ek het nooit gedink dat die kinders so gou in my hart sou inkruip nie.

Een van my kollegas vertel laas week vir my van ‘n gesprek wat sy met haar seun, wat nou in Australië woon, gehad het. Sy sê sy het met hom gepraat oor dit wat sy in haar lewe bereik het en hoe sy voel dat sy nie eintlik enigiets wonderlik gedoen het met haar lewe nie.

Haar seun sê toe vir haar, dat buiten die feit dat sy twee van haar eie kinders groot gemaak het, het sy ook oor die jare ‘n invloed gehad op duisende kinders se lewens. Ek is seker dat baie van haar vorige studente vertel nou vir hul eie kinders van daardie onderwyseres wat hulle op hoërskool gehad het, wat altyd ‘n glimlag op haar gesig gehad het en ekstra moeite gedoen het met hulle.

Ek deel hierdie twee stories omdat dit iets illustreer van wat ek geleer het oor die onderwys en van myself oor die laaste twee kwartale. As jy ooit onseker is oor wie jy is en oor wat vir jou belangrik is, gaan gee onderwys, want dit plaas jou gou in situasies waar jy onverwags uitvind watter tipe persoon jy werklik is.

Ek sal eerlik wees en sê dat ek nie gedink het ek sal teen die tyd nog so positief wees oor die onderwys nie, en veral nie oor die jongmense van vandag nie, maar ek is. Ten spyte van die slegte dae en tye wat ek voel asof ek sekere kinders wil vermoor, is ek nie spyt dat ek besluit het om hierdie pad te loop nie en sien ek uit na volgende kwartaal!

Nou eers, ‘n heerlike VAKANSIE!!!!

The latest technology is awaiting eager minds hungry to learn, so what do you teach them?

Most schools decide that the only thing that should be taught in a computer centre is computer related skills. Are there common guidelines for what needs to be taught/covered/acquired by the time a learner graduates to grade 8? Most schools follow their own ’syllabus’, some (at huge expense) pay for programs which very cleverly link the curriculum to computer literacy, and others still are not sure what skills they should be doing at all. What does the Education Department have to say about this?

Judging by the software chosen by the highly successful Khanya project, in the Western Cape, they advocate curriculum development as a priority for the computer centre with a major focus on numeracy and literacy. Gauteng Online follows a similar strategy and are almost at the stage of allowing schools to choose their own curriculum development software.

I had the privilege of meeting with the Head of e-learning for the Eastern Cape (East London District). His main message is: “Computer centres should be used for curriculum development and the computer skills will follow. Where in the curriculum does it ask for a dedicated learning area called ‘Computer Literacy’?”.

Why the debate? Primary schools are spending a lot on dedicated teachers and programs to teach computer literacy – which is a fantastic skill – but then lose out on valuable integration time with the curriculum. Why is this seemingly a waste of resources? The progression from primary to high school – where on the computer skills ladder does the high school need to begin? From the bottom, as there is no set guide/outcomes for the teaching of computer skills. Therefore who knows which primary schools have covered which aspects?

So how should computer centres be utilised to maximise the capital outlay? Well I say for curriculum development (and choose software that adds real value) AND computer skills. There is place for both, it’s an injustice to reserve such a privileged resource for one purpose only. So let computer centres adopt a female gender and multi-task!

Viva Bafana Bafana Viva South Africa!!!

When he asked a Singapore official about the basis of their math curriculum, she cited a standards framework put out by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics – in the United States. West Virginia’s curriculum takes guidance from the same source, Mr Paine says. “So the question remains, why is it that they lead the world in student achievement? I think it’s because of their teacher quality,” he says. Only the top third of secondary school graduates in Singapore can apply for teacher training. The National Institute of Education winnows that field down more and pays a living stipend while they learn to teach. Each year, teachers take an additional 100 hours of paid professional development. And they spend substantial time outside the classroom to plan with colleagues.

Not only is teaching an honored profession in Singapore, but it’s also paid as well as science and engineering careers, according to a report by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and Pearson, the groups that organised the Singapore conference for representatives from 13 nations.

Publish in Naptosa INsight, May 2010. Originally published in The Christian Science Monitor, March 2009.

It is now being proposed that principals should not be required to teach.  This raises the question: Is this a good idea?

I think not.

Why?

I believe that principals who do not teach lose touch with the following:

The children in the school: Principals who teach have regular contact with learners in class. This means that they also keep up personally with the changes in the youth in term of attitudes and interests, as well as disciplinary trends.

The curriculum: Principals who want to be effective instructional leaders need to know how the curriculum works and to keep up to date with changes, both in terms of their own subjects and in terms of the general characteristics of the curriculum.  This means that they are able to provide guidance on teaching methods and implementation of the curriculum.

The teachers: Principals who do not teach lose out on contact with teachers at an academic level. It also means that they do not understand the frustrations of teachers in terms of disciplinary issues and the excessive demands of the curriculum.

The evaluation system: When non-teaching principals do evaluations, they do not have the credibility of those who do teach. Their teachers are wont to ask, ‘What does he/she know?  He/she hasn’t been in the classroom for years!’

The parent community: By teaching, the principal has – as do other teachers – direct contact with parents about their children’s progress.  Their image in the community is also enhanced if they are known to be effective teachers themselves and are able to understand more fully the concerns which parents may raise about their children or about their children’s teachers.

From a personal point of view, I always felt that I would not be fulfilled in my job if I did not continue to teach – so I did so throughout my 22 years as a principal, mostly teaching English to Grades 11 and 12. I entered the teaching profession to teach. I always felt, however, that I did not ‘just want to remain a teacher’, as I had a great interest in management and leadership.  However, I also believed that I never wanted to be ‘just a principal’. I looked for a combination of both.

I can understand the argument that, because the job of the principal has become more and more demanding in recent years, the requirement that he/she should also teach is demanding much of the principal. But an effective principal should be able to organise his/her school and delegate jobs in order to be able to continue to teach.

So: Should principals teach?  I say yes – definitely. I like to remember that the term ‘principal’ is actually a shortened version of the original term ‘principal teacher’ – known as ‘head teacher’ in the UK. I believe that the principal should be the ‘principal’ or ‘main’ teacher in his/her school.

By doing so, I believe that a principal who continues to teach will not only get more job satisfaction but also be able to be a more effective leader in his/her school.