Matric Exam Rewrite (updated)

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 31 Oct, 2007

The English 1st Language Paper 2 (Literature) is being re-written on Friday 23 November 2007.

Story from News24.    The incorrect paper was handed out at Sacs on 10th October.  Parts of the paper were then leaked to learners at Sacs and other schools.   Some students came forward to say they had known which questions would be asked.   21 000 Matric students in the Western Cape are affected.

Update:  Handing out of incorrect paper "human error", IOL reports

 

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Grade 5 case study on HIV-AIDS and sex work CANCELED

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 23 Oct, 2007

Media Statement from Western Cape Department (22 October 2007)

Grade 5 case study on HIV-AIDS and sex work CANCELED

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has issued a circular to
all primary schools, requesting that a particular case study dealing
with the topic of “The impact of HIV and AIDS” be ignored, as it
viewed it is as an inappropriate case study for grade 5 learners.

The Grade 5 textbook, titled My Clever Natural Sciences Through Issues,
published by Clever Books, a division of Macmillan South Africa,
contains a scenario on pages 43 and 44, which WCED curriculum officials
deem as inappropriate and requested that teachers find a different case
study that addresses the same topic when mediating the impact of HIV and
AIDS with grade 5 learners.

The book has not been screened by the WCED - its selection as a
textbook depends on the schools and the teachers. The textbook, however,
will not be withdrawn but this particular case study will be canceled.
The matter has been raised with the publisher and this material is being
revised.

It is imperative that the issue of HIV and AIDS be addressed with all
learners in all learning areas and subjects at the appropriate level.
Teachers should be very careful when selecting material and when
mediating the topic with learners.

Principals have been requested to bring the contents of this minute to
the attention of all concerned, including where necessary the parent
community.

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Amusement Park Physics

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 22 Oct, 2007

As the link on the Scout Report says, it is "one thing to learn about physics in a lab, but it can be quite another thing to make a pilgrimage to an amusement park to take in the laws of physics."  

So how do physics laws affect amusement park ride design?  This site , from Annenberg Media, allows learners to design their own roller coasters and learn about laws of gravity, pendulums and kinetic energy.   Plus they  can also experiment with bumper car collisions.  

 

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Global Education Digest 2007: Comparing Education Statistics Across the World (pdf)

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 16 Oct, 2007

The Institute for Statistics of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued Global Education Digest 2007: Comparing Education Statistics Across the World (full-text, 3.73 MB). The main theme of this year's digest is financing of education for all. The statistical data for the digest was provided by the countries and territories covered in this publication.


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Multi-million rand pledge to boost literacy and numeracy in rural schools (in Western Cape)

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 12 Oct, 2007

Media Release from Western Cape Education : Multi-million rand pledge to boost literacy and numeracy in rural schools

Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore has welcomed a pledge of two-million rand to boost literacy and numeracy in rural schools, announced at a special event yesterday at Wardia Primary, a farm school near Montagu.

Mr Elias Mphande, Chief Executive Officer of Vukani Gaming, said its company has a mission to give back to communities, and over the past three years through V-Slots it has helped 175 schools in the Western Cape.

The funds donated to Edupeg (http://www.edupeg.co.za/history.htm), an educational project of the SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) has helped empower 1,667 teachers and train 54,959 pupils, said Liz Swersky of Edupeg.

She said "the Edupeg training model is multiple-choice, self-corrective and integrated and can be used in an Outcomes-based education system. The model is contained in 22 individual colour-coded workbooks and involves cross-cirricular exercises including language, literacy, numeracy, life skills, human and environmental sciences. The model revolves around a series of teacher workshops backed by school-based visits."

MEC Dugmore said: "We are all aware that many of our schools in the province, as well as the schools in Montagu, are not immediately adjacent to the large metropolitan areas. Usually schools located closer to the big cities have many support programmes and projects, while those further a field often lack such support."

He said he will consult with WCED officials to see to what extend the Edupeg training model can be rolled out to benefit all the 280,000 foundation learners in the system across the province, as part of boosting the department’s literacy and numeracy strategy."

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Crisis of Teaching

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 12 Oct, 2007

"The majority of public schools in our country can be regarded as sites of a moral panic that highlights criminality, vandalism, bullying and violence, as well as “drop-out” and academic failure.

Middle-class kids experience an education that is largely unchanged in terms of quality and resources from pre-1994 practices, but there is evidence that working-class and poor kids, who attend public schools in the township and rural areas of South Africa, are increasingly alienated and disaffected."     So writes Peter Kallaway in The Teacher.

He goes on to say that most teachers  are "confused and angry because they are being asked to do the impossible" - to take the blame for the non-delivery of a quality mass education system  and to do this for a salary "that places a qualified teacher on a par with semi-skilled or untrained workers in the labour market."

Read the rest of the article here. 



 

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Online Book: Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 5 Oct, 2007
Aimed at teachers, Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science is "addressed to several groups at the center of the ongoing debate over evolution: the teachers, other educators, and policy makers who design, deliver, and oversee classroom instruction in biology," ..." providing  information and resources that teachers and administrators can use to inform themselves, their students, parents, and others about evolution and the role of science in human affairs."  (From the Preface)

The book is divided into seven chapters and five appendices.   Titles of chapters include Why Teach Evolution,  Major themes in Evolution,  Evolution and nature of science, FAQs about Evolution and the Nature of Science, as well as Acitivities for Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science.

 

Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science was produced by the Working Group on Teaching Evolution under the Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

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World Teachers' Day - Statement from Western Cape MEC

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 5 Oct, 2007

Media Release

Friday 05 October 2007

 

World Teachers' Day – Message from Western Cape Education MEC Cameron

Dugmore

 

Today, on World Teachers’ Day, all over the world in over 100

countries, we who represent Governments are reminded of the important

role of teachers within society. Thanks in part to the efforts of

Education International (EI) and its 348 member organisations, and all

our local teacher unions and education activists, there is widespread

global recognition of the profession.

 

Today we celebrate teachers and the central role they play in efforts

to achieve quality education for all children. We celebrate across all

continents, in towns and in villages, and we thank our teachers for

their continued commitment to the profession, often in difficult

circumstances.

 

This year was without a doubt a difficult year for Education in the

country and in the Western Cape. The prolonged industrial action has

impacted heavily on all of our lives. The main themes that refrained

from across our teaching corps, were a decent working environment and a

Living Wage.

 

Our teachers indicated that they needed more than verbal recognition of

their dedication and of the demands that they face. They united to

signal to the world that they needed tangible recognition of their

unremitting efforts to hold the social fabric together. They indicated

strongly that they needed to be acknowledged for their role as

"educators" in the fullest sense of the word.

 

The industrial action has reminded us – the authorities – that we

must continue to acknowledge the role of teachers in our society, and

reaffirm the need to work together to better understand the issues.

On this World Teachers Day, I once again want to salute all of you who

are diligently arriving on time for school, properly preparing for

classroom lessons, conducting examinations and tests with integrity, and

give hope to the future. I salute our teachers…

 

FOR FULL TEXT OF MEC DUGMORE's STATEMENT, VISIT

www.capegateway.gov.za/education.

 

FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON WORLD TEACHERS DAY VISIT

http://www.ei-ie.org/worldteachersday/en/index.php

 

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World Teachers' Day

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 5 Oct, 2007

5th October is World Teachers' Day or National Teachers' Day

The Western Cape Education Department plans to have a massive programme of rewards for educators, approaching, for example, gyms, salons and spas for a massive "spoil a teacher" extravaganza to give every teacher at least one hour of pampering in that week.

More seriously, the international  theme for the day is "Better working conditions for teachers mean better working conditions for learners" .  Education International (which represents 30 million educators from 390 organisations) has identified six demands regarding working conditions of teachers across the world.     

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Educational Resources from NASA

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 2 Oct, 2007
The Educational Materials section of NASA’s Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level (US) and subject.

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Free Copyright Law Workbook for Children

Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 2 Oct, 2007

The World Intellectual Property Organization has a free 72-page workbook  called "Learn from the Past, Create the Future"  designed to be used in school classrooms across the world, aimed at 9 to 14 years olds.

 

 

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