SEEDSSYSTEMIC EDUCATION & EXTRA-MURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

Contents

The SEEDS Consortium 2

Forword by the Chairperson 3

Programme Manager's Report 4

Focus Areas:

Science & Mathematics

l Africa Genome Education Institute (AGEI) 8

l Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU) 9

l Institute for Mathematics and Science Teaching, SU (IMSTUS) 11

l The Mathematics and Science Education Project (MSEP) 14

l Scientific and Industrial Leadership Initiative (SAILI) 17

l SciFest Africa 18

l UWC Pre-service Teaching Biology Project 20

Whole School Developmentl The Extra-Mural Education Project (EMEP) 21

HIV/Aids Peer Education l Generation of Leaders Discovered (GOLD) 23

Rural, Multi-Grade Educationl The Centre for Multigrade Education (CMGE) 25

Financial Overview 27

Contact Detail 28

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The Seeds Consortium

The SEEDS Programme means huge development of and support for education in the Western Cape and other provinces. Pictured here at the ceremony in Stellenbosch with the signing of the SEEDS Donor Agreement between Ambassador Rob de Vos of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Prof Russel Botman, Rector of Stellen bosch University, are the partners of the consortium (from the left): Prof Nhlapo (UCT), Jonny Gevisser (EMEP), Emmanuel Mushayikwa (MSEP, UCT), Mrs de Vos, Ambassador de Vos (Embassy of the King-dom of the Netherlands – EKN), Wim Schippers (EKN), Prof Botman (SU), Cornelius Hacking (EKN), Prof Mazwi-Tanga (CPUT), Wilmot James (AGEI), Kosie Smit (IMSTUS, SU), Gareth Rossiter (SAILI), Freda Brock (ELRU), Susannah Farr (GOLD) and Vera Adams (Scifest).

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Foreword by the Chairperson

Dr Kosie Smit

Foreword by the Chairperson

T he SEEDS consortium has progressed from an uncertain begin-

ning to the halfway mark in the funding period, when we can

proudly report on our accomplishments thus far. We realise that

we are extremely fortunate that the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Neth-

erlands has selected us as the recipients of their generous funding. The funding

of R150 million for nine partner organisations is spread over a period of four years

until the end of 2012. While many service providers in the educational sphere are

struggling to make ends meet, we are in the fortunate position where we can focus on

service delivery and quality. However, this does not put us in a comfort zone, because

the educational sphere is a dynamic one in which the circumstances and challenges

are continuously changing.

We have learnt a lot about the partners in the consortium and about the

schools environment in which we are working. We realise that hard work lies

ahead to ensure the sustainability of our efforts and thus a distinctive footprint.

We have been extremely fortunate to benefit from our collective experience and

from the inspiration we draw from one another.

In view of considerable differences in the kind of services we render and the

environments in which we operate, finding common ground in terms of our practical

service delivery poses a real challenge. We acknowledge the benefits of combining our

efforts and focusing on shared beneficiaries and goals. The pressure of delivering on

our individual outcomes might have inhibited the in-depth collaboration that we have

been dreaming of. While we admit that cooperation still poses a real challenge,

we also commit ourselves to renewed efforts to work towards the establish-

ment of such common ground.

We are proud to present a brief overview of our work to date and we

trust that this will provide for stimulating reading. It also offers partners and

interested parties the opportunity to evaluate our initiatives and to engage

with us on the work that we do.

Dr Kosie SmitChairperson: SEEDS Steering Committee

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Directors and their staff is crucial to any success and at this

level, relationships are sound.

It remains our intention to continue to engage at a pro-

vincial level and to provide evidence of the extensive gains

that we as a consortium are making. We will share our

reports and research findings with the WCED and will

continue to offer our inputs on education matters in which

we are involved, as we firmly believe that we have valuable

input to give in terms of policy development.

Organisation Structure and Policies

The SEEDS consortium is accountable to the fundholder,

the Stellenbosch University (SU). SU has established a

fundholder committee to oversee the work of the con-

sortium. This committee is accountable for the programme

and engages with and reports to the EKN on matters

relating to the programme.

The Steering Committee

The Steering Committee comprises of two members

from each partner organisation. The following changes to

the membership of the committee were made during the

course of 2010:

l Dr Wilmot James returned as a member representing

AGEI. He was joined by Ms Cheryl Douglas, the

manager of the Teaching Biology Project.

l UWC was invited to participate on the steering

committee and the university is represented by Prof

Lorna Holtman and Dr Emmanuel Mushayikwa.

l The MSEP project of UCT is represented by Dr Jon

Clark and Prof Rudiger Laugksch, after they jointly took

over management of and responsibility for the project in

2010.

l Mr Gareth Rossiter, Director of SAILI, was replaced in

that position by Mr Sam Christie.

l Ms Anja Fourie was appointed as the new Director

of SciFest Africa late in 2010 and she has replaced

Ms Vera Adams on the steering committee.

Forums

The use of various forums for purposes of closer

interaction between and sharing of learning with

SEEDS partners con tinued in 2010. There was

a shift away from matters operational that took

place in 2009 to learning forums, where staff from our

partner organisations were able to share their experiences,

methodologies and research findings.

Synergy and Cooperation

Synergy and cooperation between partner organisations

remains very much a work in progress. It quickly became

apparent at the outset of the project that cooperation

had been discussed amongst partners, but not planned for

in every detail. Understandably, partner organisations are

particularly focussed on their own project deliverables – as

included in the initial proposal and M&E framework. This

is not to say that any partners are opposed to working

together. All have indicated a willingness to work together

where appropriate. The difficulty has

been in identifying and then

implementing cooperative

initiatives that add value

to the work of those

partners concerned.

There has been some

success in this regard,

and more will follow in

the next two years. It is

quite evident that the difficulty

of cooperation is in the detail.

Proposed large-scale cooperative

ventures tend to overwhelm

and end up not getting

off the ground. Our

approach in 2010 (and

into 2011) has been

to focus rather on

small steps, for

Mike Erskine

SEEDS Programme Manager

Projects under SEEDs Umbrella:

Outcomes assured through

numerous actvities

T he second year of the SEEDS initiative saw a

notice able settling down and imbedding of the

numerous projects under the SEEDS umbrella.

Systems, pro cedures and management requirements were

clearly under stood by all partners involved, with the result

that project implementation, monitoring and reporting

took place within a more familiar framework and internal

SEEDS environment.

It is pleasing to report that with very few exceptions,

by the year-end our partners had largely ensured that

they achieved their outcomes for the year through the

numerous activities planned for and implemented. This

despite the nega tive effects on schooling of the Soccer

World Cup, teacher strike action and increasingly limited

access to schools and teachers in the Western Cape.

While weekends and school holidays were utilised

for teacher development, competition for teacher time

was experienced, particularly as the WCED had its

own internal programmes, which took preference over

external service providers. As a result, partners revisited

their methodologies and all involved in in-service training

(namely MSEP, ELRU, EMEP, IMSTUS, and CMGE)

adopted a similar approach of working individually with

teachers – both inside and outside of the classroom, while

combining this with the creation of learning and support

communities of practice with their teacher groups. We are

already noticing far greater impact as a result.

The National Picture

There seems to be real commitment to the promotion

of Mathematics, Literacy and Science at the national

level. This bodes well for many of our partners and our

interventions, provided of course, that space is created for

their inputs. Many of us have submitted comment to the

DBE on the draft CAPS documents, but to date do not

know whether this input has been considered.

Despite the national (and provincial) focus on

Mathematics, Literacy and Science, we have noticed a

shrinkage of funds made available, particularly by the

corporate sector, for interventions. It appears that

Corporate Social Investment spend was down in 2010

and will probably continue into 2011 and beyond, due to

the poor state of the global eco nomy. Sustainability of the

SEEDS interventions beyond 2012 will be a primary focus

area of ours over the next two years.

Provincial Overview (Western Cape)

While it is most disappointing that very little engagement

takes place with the provincial office, the support of District

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Programme Manager’s Report

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example the sharing of resources, invitations

to guest lectures, sharing of methodologies,

presentations at workshops, attendance at

functions and events etc. Such interaction

between partners is continually encouraged and

numerous such contacts were made between

partners during 2010.

It is my belief that cooperation takes place and

true partnerships are formed once any mistrust

is replaced with shared understanding and vision,

coupled with the development of sound working

relationships between partners at a personal

level. This is a process, rather than an event

and it takes time and effort.

We are in a fortunate position

whereby SEEDS provides the foundation

from which the building of such

relationships is taking place. To this

end the learning forums, together with a

meeting of directors took place. Following the

meeting, and based on opportunities

that were identified, a series of

bi-lateral and/or individual

meetings to discuss

specifically opportunities for

cooperation took place

in 2010.

The Scifest programme

in the Western Cape

continued to be the most

obvious partnership

project, as

Scifest

worked closely with both the MTN Science

Centre and the large majority of SEEDS partners.

In addition to seeking opportunities for

cooperation amongst the SEEDS partners, we have

also endeavoured to introduce partners to the

work of other individuals and organisations. To this

end, a feature of the Steering Committee meetings

was the inviting of a guest to address the assembly,

with the aim of establishing possible ties on a

needs basis. Guests that addressed us in

2010 included Helene Smuts of ‘Africa meets

Africa’ and Karin Webber of ‘Youth Action

Exchange’.

Marketing and Communications

2010 saw the introduction of the bi-annual SEEDS

newsletter. Electronic copies were made available

to all partner organisations and they were also

distributed throughout the education and business

sectors.

SEEDS was represented and or gave

presentations at numerous national and

international conferences, including the National

Education Week (South Africa) and the Platform

Beta Techniek International Summit in the

Netherlands. Individual partner organisations

were also represented at provincial, national

and international conferences and seminars. The

Centre for Multi-Grade Education and UWC both

hosted very successful international conferences.

The SEEDS website is operational and it has

links with all partner websites.

General Constraints and Developments

While the national focus on the improvement

of Mathematics and Science results at Grade 12

level is welcomed, we are concerned that the

development of the whole child is not forsaken.

Long-term solutions must be found in order to

address the challenges faced in South African

schools and SEEDS partners have an obligation

to promote the interests of the child at every

opportunity. While the majority of our partners

have a Mathematics and Science focus, all of

them now offer a far broader range of support

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Programme Manager’s Report

interventions. MSEP, for example, offers programmes in

Literacy, Life Orientation and School Management in addition

to its Mathematics and Science interventions. GOLD and

its partners promote healthy lifestyle choices. AGEI has

extended its training workshops to include the use of ICT in

the classroom. CMGE has introduced sport and art into its

curriculum package, while EMEP continues to develop and

support schools and communities in four focus areas, namely

sport and recreation, art and culture, dance, drama and music

and health.

There is an increasing realisation in South Africa that

systemic change must begin from the foundations of learning

and progress upwards through the system to Grade 12.

Early Childhood Development and the Foundation and

Intermediate Phases of schooling have, in recent years,

largely been left off the national agenda. Political expediency

must not dictate the agenda if real change is to be effected.

Interestingly, some of our partners have, over the last two

years, shifted from working solely in secondary schools, to

placing more emphasis on the lower grades. IMSTUS, for

example, now includes programmes at both the Intermediate

and Foundation Phases. Scifest too, is presenting more

programmes at primary school level than earlier envisaged,

while the work of ELRU, the Centre for Multi Grade

Education and EMEP is all based on the understanding that

long-term systemic improvement must begin as early in a

child’s life as possible.

Finally, the funding environment has changed significantly

during the last 12 months. The global recession has certainly

been felt and its impact will be felt for some time to come,

as traditional funding partners reduce their commitments.

This change in the landscape has been both at corporate and

government levels. We anticipate a general decline in donor

aid internationally, as governments battle to balance budgets,

while at the same time meeting the expectations of their

electorates during difficult financial times. Ensuring sustainable

change in our schools is our first priority. Sustaining and

extending the work of our partners beyond 2012 will be a

challenge that we have placed high on our common agenda.

Mike Erskine

SEEDS Programme Manager

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Science and Mathematics

Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU) Africa Genome Education Institute (AGEI)

The Teaching Biology Project, part of the Africa Genome Education Institute, is fully funded by

the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The TBP runs in-service conferences in Evolutionary Biology for Life Science teachers in the Western Cape. Three in-service (and pre-service) teacher training conferences are held annually from 2009 to 2012 in the April, June and September school holidays. Each conference is limited to 50 teachers and runs for four days.

The aim of each conference is to improve teachers’ knowledge of evolutionary biology and genetics by listening to presenters who are experts in their field, to allow them to network with teachers from a range of schools, develop assessments in collaboration with other teachers and to conduct practical assessment tasks that teachers can do in their own classrooms.

The TBP would like teachers to develop their ICT skills, thus delegates have access to computer laboratories and assistance and are required to develop assessment tasks using ICT

and then to present the tasks they and members of their small group have developed, to a larger group. This gives them both the opportunity to see what materials have been developed and to practise the skill of presenting to a class using a computer and data projector.

Teachers work in small groups each headed by a small group leader who, in addition to being an experienced teacher, would have attended a prior TBP workshop. Each four day workshop follows a similar format but each conference is changed to suit the needs of teachers. The April and June conferences are aimed mainly at teachers teaching Gr12 Life Science and the September conference is aimed at Gr8-9 teachers of Natural Science and Gr10 Life Science.

At the end of the conference teachers are given flash disks of all the resources used and developed over the course of the conference and teachers have access to further resources and discussion groups on the Teaching Biology Project webpage (www.teachingbiologyproject.org.za).

A large number of excellent Life

Science DVDs have been sourced and

teachers are shown how to use them.

They are also supplied with these for

use in their classrooms. A data projector

and laptop can make the most amazing

difference to the way content can be

delivered and how learners enjoy the

subject.

A sound relationship exists with the

WCED who promotes the course. The

TBP also takes delegates to the Iziko

Museum and whenever possible to the

Human Genetics Unit at UCT, and is

working with Siyavula to review Life

Science open source ware. Moreover,

pre-service teachers from CPUT

and Stellenbosch University attend

conferences.

Teachers may also book Mike

Raath, a palaeontologist, to talk about

Human Origins at their schools and

a Critical Friends group is run. Here

teachers from under-resourced schools

meet regularly to discuss and develop

assessments collaboratively and to share

ideas and develop their Life Science

skills.

Teachers need to develop their ICT

skills to be able to prepare their learners

for a future world. In addition to de-

veloping ICT skills at the conferences

research is also done on how to deliver

curriculum content to teachers using cell

phones and categorising Life Sciences

freeware to be able to make it available

to Life Science teachers.

Visit the TBP’s website,

www.teachingbiologyproject.org.za or

contact tbp@agei.co.za for registration

forms or to be put onto the conference

mailing list.

There is no better way to learn than through interaction with ones peers and hearing from experts in the field of evolutionary biology...

A group of AGEI Participants.

ELRU works with 60 schools in the Overberg and West Coast regions. Through innovative methods and resources they aim to inspire teachers, learners and parents to ex-plore the wealth of learning opportunities in their envi-ronments. Many new books and activities are distributed. These, along with teaching videos, interactive exhibitions and educational excursions, help to promote a culture of learning in these regions.

Summary description of project/sub projectELRU’s vision is to develop a strategy with replicable elements that could be

integrated into programmes of institutions responsible for teacher development and

support. These elements include early childhood development materials, training and

support contextualised for rural and poor schools in the Western Cape across a

range of cultural and natural environments.

Main project componentsl Development and distribution of innovative materials;

lA broad based inspiration and awareness programme;

l Intensive training for teachers, incorporating exposure to new places and ideas, as well as on-site support with implementation.

Tools and methodologiesAn experiential learning approach was used creating a partnership between teachers and facilitators in the learning situation. Tools include DVDs, photo graphs, Power Point presentations, case studies, resource materials including Brown Book series, Science and Mathematics information books with teacher guides, dictionaries, CHATELRU magazines.

Networks (internal and external)Networks were established with the Fossil Park, Bontebok Park and the Department of Education.

Added value: Unintended outcomes, consequences and learningsSupport and attendanceThere was more support from the officials in the Overberg than on the West Coast. Leadership on the West Coast had changed and it was difficult to secure a meeting immediately after the change. When a meeting was secured the director expressed her support and was very familiar with the activities of the project. The director gathered knowledge about the project through discussions with participants and reports from officials. Appreciation for the project was expressed.

In the Overberg district officials welcomed the project and insisted on working together with the ELRU team to support their own training efforts. The difference in the extent of involvement between the two regions relates to past inputs and

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teacher development. Teacher development and support was well established on the West Coast whereas in the Overberg the District was just starting off the process. Hence the Overberg district was very keen for the additional support and attendance was higher and almost obligatory. On the West Coast there was a decrease from the list of 30 received by the district to an average of 20 teachers as eight teachers opted to enroll for the accredited Level 5 programme. On the other hand nine teachers also doing the Level 5 programme choose to continue with the SEEDS programme as they felt it complemented their studies.

ImplementationFeedback from teachers at the end of training sessions reflects an appreciation for new things learnt and the supporting resources. However, the challenge for them to implement their learning experiences remains. Applying mediation techniques to promote principles of discovery is the hardest. Not only is it easier for teachers to naturally instruct learners it is also the teaching approach more strongly and recently advocated by the department. It is hoped that the newly introduced cluster group support and training model will provide a more intense concentration on planning activities toward promoting

a focus on the processes of discovery. The support materials and books have provided teachers with more Science and Mathematics knowledge and activities they can use with children.

Excursions

Excursions to places of interest have broadened the knowledge base of the teachers. The planned December 2010 excursion to Table Mountain was cancelled due to strong winds and replaced by a trip around the Peninsula.

Recommendations and findingsSupport from the Department is satis-factory and the project can con tinue as planned.

Attendance will be higher in the Overberg than on the West Coast and recruitment will continue as other schools have asked to come onto the programme.

The impact of training needs to be heightened. Cluster group training should provide for more intense training with smaller numbers of teachers that could increase implementation levels.

Excursions expose teachers to new learning and broaden their knowledge base.

Issues for next phaseActivities for the next phase will be the development of training plans, project plans, a CHATELRU and a children’s book, support visits and workshops on both the West Coast and Overberg.

All in all, ELRU experienced a very successful year and is looking forward to building on 2010 successes into 2011 and beyond.

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Science and Mathematics

Exploring outside (Kirstenbosch) – they found a pool with tadpoles and studied the life cycle of animals.

Teachers broadening their knowledge and resource base at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

The ACE in Mathematics is a two year in-service accre-dited training programme for Mathematics teachers teaching in the FET or Senior Phase. The aim of the

project is to improve the content knowledge and didactic skills of the teachers, to train them as subject leaders in their field and to establish networks of support among the teachers in their provinces. The programme makes use of a blended learning approach which combines face to face contact sessions, interactive telematic sessions and discussions via an online learning management system (Moodle).

Seventy six students attended the residential course at the be ginning of the year.

l 33 teachers who enrolled in 2009, continued with the second year in 2010 (13 FET Phase and 18 Senior Phase) l Twelve students graduated in December 2010, five of

them with distinction and nine students graduated in March 2011.

l 43 teachers enrolled for the first year in 2010 (33 for the FET Phase and 11 for the Senior Phase).

The following activities were offered in 2010:l five modules per phase,l one week residential course,l four Interactive Telematic Sessions per phase, l a new ITE centre was successfully set up in Nseleni, near

Richards Bay, l a Moodle website was developed and launched at the end

of 2009 and is used for the monthly discussions between students and lecturers. Communities of practice are being established, which will strongly be encouraged long after the programme has ended,

l a visit to each of the five centres in East London, Durban, Polokwane, Richards Bay and Klerksdorp took place,

l training sessions were offered by the IMSTUS staff, as well as six academics from the UK.

A model has been developed in which teachers are supplied with material to present a workshop on a particular topic to colleagues. They then report on the workshop as part of their subject didactics module. Each teacher presented and reported on three workshops during the year. This is in line with one of the programmes outcomes, namely to train

subject leaders who can then train other teachers in their immediate surroundings.

Ingrid Mostert, Programme Co-ordi nator, made various con-ference presentations on the ACE, these include:

l the Scholarship for Teaching and Learning Conference in Stellenbosch;

l the e-Learning Africa con fe rence in Zambia, about the incorporation of Moodle in the ACE’s blended learning model;

l a mini conference for the universities in the Western Cape about extended degree programmes and innovative practices in teaching and learning;

l the HELTASA conference in Limpopo.

Other contacts included:

lan e-learning update in Pre toria which led to contact with Adele Botha from the CSIR who is an expert on mobile learning and

l Michelle Lissoos from iSchool Africa.

An article on the ACE in Mathematics is presently being finalised to be presented for publication.

The core purpose of Stellenbosch University’s Institute for Mathematics and Science Trainging (IMSTUS) is to enrich and transform Mathematics and Science education by empowering educators and learners from historically disadvantaged communities.

Advanced Certificate In Education (ACE)

Institute for Mathematics and Science Teaching (IMSTUS)

IMSTUS staff members delivering a lecture to students in various Learning Centres across the country from the studio of the Division of Telematic Services at Stellenbosch University.

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Science and Mathematics at SU (SciMathUS)

The SciMathUS (Science and Mathematics at the University of Stellenbosch) Bridging

Programme is an intensive, holistic year-long programme which prepares students to enter higher education. The programme supports 100 stu-dents per year that did not qualify for admission to Mathematics and Science related fields of university study with their initial Grade 12 results, but who demonstrate a determination and ability to succeed.

Selected students choose between two streams, namely Mathematics and Science, or Mathematics and Accounting and rewrite the National Senior Certificate at the end of the year, with the accountancy students writing an internal examination that is set by the university’s Economic and Management Sciences Faculty.

In SciMathUS subjects are taught in an integrated way. and a hybrid Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach to teaching and learning is used. Ensuring that students are able to learn independently, are able to conduct research, can express themselves clearly and can access information all go a long way in preparing the students for the rigours of academic study – the success of which is borne out by the excellent

retention rate of past SciMathUS students at university.

SciMathUS is one of ten flagship projects of the University’s Community Interaction Committee of Senate. As part of IMSTUS it is also one of 25 components of Stellenbosch University’s HOPE project. Together with the other 24 components “we believe that we are builders of hope on the African continent, that we are set to blaze new trails with our Science for Society strategy and that we can take on some of the world’s toughest challenges by putting our strengths and expertise at the service of human need”, to quote Prof Russel Botman, Rector of Stellenbosch University.

In addition to their teaching re -sponsibilities, the academic staff members of SciMathUS are increas-ingly involved in research, with weekly research meetings being held in 2010, resulting in two conference presenta-tions being made, with one article being submitted for publication. Other

regular activities of the programme in 2010 included:l The opening ceremony in January

2010, graced by the presence of the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, Mr Donald Grant;

l A personal development camp of three days in March;

l Career guidance by the Centre for Prospective Students at SU in June;

l A closing ceremony; l The National Senior Certificate

(NSC) examinations.Because the students re-write the NSC examination in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, the quality of the programme is independently assessed. For the past three years, the programme boasts a 100% pass rate. In addition, nine students obtained more than 80% for Mathematics, eleven students obtained 80% and more in Physical Sciences and two obtained marks higher than 80% in Accounting. In the table below, our students’ results are compared to the national results of the past three years.

Below are the graphs indicating the difference in performance before and after SciMathUS for the 2010 cohort of students. On average, the students’ results increased by 15 percentage points per subject every year over the past ten years.

SciMathUS is no ordinary bridging programme. Students enter their chosen fields of study at university level with the skills, knowledge and self-belief to succeed – as is evident by former studenst consistently outperforming their peers during their undergraduate years.

The SMILES project is a school intervention involving Grade 4-12 teachers and learners in ten

primary and five secondary schools in the Kraaifontein, Paarl and Stellenbosch areas. SMILES involves the development of the teachers’ content knowledge and didactic skills in teaching Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, Natural Sciences, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences.

Activities in the SMILES intervention in the secondary schools in 2010 included the following:

lWorkshops were offered every term;

lSetting of examination papers;

lICT training and support;

lGrade 7, 8 and 9 teachers visited the Fossil Park for a hands-on experience of teaching paleontology;

lA visit to the Iziko South African Museum for an evolution workshop with Dr Roger Smith;

lMathematics Tutorials were de-veloped for use by students of the Faculty of Engineering and to tutor learners in SMILES schools;

lEvery teacher was visited in their classroom between 12 and 13 hours during the year;

l220 hours of pedagogical content knowledge work shops were offered across all the phases and subjects;

lModel lessons were presented;

lCluster meetings per subject were regularly held and

lNetworking amongst teachers from the different schools improved.

As part of the initiative to establish Science clubs in the schools, the following events were organised:

l120 Grade 11 learners visited the Iziko South African Museum where a workshop on animal biodiversity and classification was presented.

lSciFest Africa, arranged a series of Science workshops. It addressed ‘TIK’ addiction, HIV and DNA.

lProf Trevor Douglas of Montana University offered a variety of topics.

l120 Grade 12 learners visited the Medical Morphology Museum at the Tygerberg Campus of SU.

l120 Grade ten learners visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden’s Biome workshops.

lThe top ten grade 12 learners in Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy in each school were rewarded with Examination Aid workbooks.

lGrade 8 learners from two schools participated in the Living Maths Olympiad. Four of them received a Silver Award.

lProject schools were encouraged to participate in the ESKOM EXPO for Young Scientists competition. One of the learners was chosen to represent this region at the National competition in Pretoria, where she received a silver medal.

lLife Sciences teachers were invited to act as adjudicators at the regional Expo for Young Scientists. This helped them to develop their assess ment skills of scientific projects.

An initiative was undertaken to purchase essential equipment for the project schools:

lEquipment, including apparatus, chemicals, workbooks and work sheets, teaching aids, e.g. protractors, wooden blocks, dice and text books to be used in Mathematics, were purchased.

lAll the teachers were provided with Mathematics Examination Aid books.

lTo date 2080 calculators were made available to learners in the project schools. The learners themselves pay half of the price, while the project subsidises the other half.

In 2010 the activities in the SMILES intervention in the primary schools focused on teacher workshops and learner-teacher model lessons.

lThese included preparation for the Systemic Tests in Numeracy.

lSciFest Africa presented several workshops, as well as a theatre tour

by the group UBOM, with the theme of ‘Saving Planet Earth’.

lVisiting Science educators from Montana University presented a series of workshops.

liThemba labs gave a Science demon-stration.

lTeachers participated in a dinosaur workshop/tour at the Iziko museum.

lNumerous teaching aids were purchased for the schools.

The language of learning and teaching remains a concern and teachers are encouraged to use more English (rather than IsiXhosa) in the Intermediate Phase.

Numerous school visits were undertaken, with individualised attention being given to teachers and co-teaching taking place. Anecdotal evidence suggests the following shifts:

lincreased analytic reflection on lesson planning;

limproved content knowledge;

la general shift towards a more results oriented approach to teaching; and

lprincipals honestly reflecting on their schools’ performance.

A research article about this project, The pedagogy of hope at IMSTUS: interpreta-tion and manifestation was written by Dr Mdu Ndlovo, Deputy Director of IMSTUS. It will be pu blished in the South African Journal for Higher Education, Volume 25(1) in 2011.

Sciences and Mathematics Initiative for Learnersand Educators Project (Smiles)

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Science and Mathematics

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SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Science and Mathematics

Mathematics and Science Education Project (MSEP)

MSEP seeks to assist where it can by engaging in research-informed interventions which will not only make a significant difference to individual schools, but also advance the knowledge and understanding of the complexities of creating a more effective education system.

T he Mathematics and Science Education Pro-ject (MSEP) is a collaboration between the School of Education (SoE) at the University

of Cape Town and the Western Cape Education De-partment. Over the past two years the project has in-tensely been seeking to improve the quality of teaching and learning in five secondary schools in the Cape Town metropole. Seeing that all five schools are participants in the national Dinaledi project, a special focus of MSEP is on Mathematics and the Sciences.

In addition to different kinds of mainly classroom-based sup-port, MSEP is also engaged in educational research into various aspects of teachers’ practice. Staff drawn from the Schools De-velopment Unit (SDU) and the broader School of Education here at UCT undertakes this work.

Besides the work with teachers, one of MSEP’s other key objectives is to provide support for learners from schools in working class communities who have not traditionally gained access to the university. This is in line with a key transformation strategy for UCT, namely to broaden and extend undergradu-ate admissions into programmes in Science, Engineering, Com-merce and Health Sciences.

In summary, MSEP seeks to assist where it can by engaging in research-informed interventions which will not only make a significant difference to individual schools, but also advance the knowledge and understanding of the complexities of creating a more effective education system in this country.

MSEP at workIn 2010, an expanded project team was able to undertake an extensive range of school-based engagements during the course of the year. Specifically, the significant number of class-room observations (143 in total) attests to the growing relationships of trust developing between project staff and

teachers in the participating schools. This is taken as a really positive step, particularly in the light of the generally deep re-luctance which many South African teachers display in allowing outsiders access to their classrooms.

What follows is a brief overview of the seven individual components’ activities during 2010.

MathematicsIn 2010 the teacher intervention strategy focused on Grade 10 teachers and nine seminars were held throughout the year. These were supported by follow-up school visits where teach-ers were helped with lesson planning and delivery. Research focused on the responses of the top-performing Grade 10 Mathematics students to questions in school examinations.

SciencesResearch was focused on the nature of Science teaching and learning to better inform interventions planned for 2011. In all five schools curriculum support was provided as and when

14 15

requested. Ten teachers from the MSEP schools attended a short course on as-sessment run by the SDU in September.

Life SkillsLife Orientation teachers received train-ing at an educational weekend and at afternoon workshops to improve their understanding and implementation of the Life Orientation curriculum.

Learner ProgrammeThe different elements of the pro-gramme were as follows:

Grade 12 Mathematics Paper 3: in order to encourage learners’ to write this optional matric paper, a year-long programme comprising 16 after-school sessions and a four-day winter holi-day school was run by project staff. A core group of 25 learners from the five Project schools was joined in the programme by learners from two other local Dinaledi schools, Harold Cressy and Livingstone High.

Saturday school seminars: a total of ten Grade 11, and seven Grade 12 subject enrichment sessions were held during the course of the year. On average at-tendance at the Grade 11 seminars was 102 learners; and at the Grade 12 semi-nars, 96 learners.

Grade 12: a weeklong residential ‘winter revision school’ for selected Grade 12 learners was held between 21 – 25 June. Besides a focus on matric revi sion in the key subject areas of: Mathema tics, Physical Sciences, Life Sci-ences and English (both Home and First Additional Language); learners were provided with information about study opportunities at UCT. As part of the all-important ‘bridge-building’ between school and university, a group of 24 students, drawn from various faculties acted as mentors to groups of learners for the duration of the programme.

Grade 12: A weeklong ‘spring revision school’ for learners was held in the last

week of September at Spine Road in Mitchell’s Plain. The focus was on matric revision in the same key subject.

Grade 11: at the beginning of Decem-ber, two separate three-day residential camps were held at Soetwater, attend-ed by 32 boys and 37 girls respectively. The theme of the camp was ‘Building Competencies’, with the aim of help-ing learners to cope with the various psycho-social issues which, given the circumstances in which most of them live, tend to impact negatively on their academic performance.

ICT-integrationIn 2009 a needs analysis of the barriers and enablers for technology use at the schools was conducted. Results showed that schools need a lot of technology support and, as a result, technology in-tegration was added to the project.

To ensure integrated and compre-hensive information and communication technology (ICT) at schools, technology committees were set up at each school.

They developed a vision for technology

use at the school and then created a

five-year School Technology Plan.

ICT integration also included staff

development. This incorporated training

in the use of interactive whiteboards,

and a week-long Microsoft Student Help

Desk training session for five learners

and a teacher from each school. Other

interventions were piloted at individual

schools. These included an Internet Safe-

ty course for Grade 8 learners at Spine

Road Secondary, while short afternoon

technology workshops for teachers were

held at Sophumelela Secondary.

LanguagesThe primary aim of the language in-

tervention was to improve the English

literacy levels of Grade 8 English First

Additional Language (FAL) learners in

three high schools.

The programme was designed to en-

hance reading and writing, as well as the

effectiveness of its teaching in schools.

Classroom support in the form of team

Participants of the MSEP camp keeping themselves busy.

teaching, classroom observations and

discussion, and teacher workshops were

provided. Learners were involved in

ex tra mural book clubs, reading festivals

and learner journals.

Pre and post-literacy tests conducted

at the three schools at the end of 2010

showed an improvement of between

10-13 per cent in literacy levels. Qualita-

tive research showed that the writing

ability of the regular book club attend-

ees improved significantly through the

year. This supports research, which

shows that regular, intensive reading

improves both reading comprehension

and writing skills.

School ManagementChallenges & ConstraintsClearly, one of the single biggest chal-lenges faced by a school-based project such as MSEP is the difficulty of obtain-ing ‘buy-in’ from participating teachers. Further to which, the extent to which meaningful and lasting changes can be affected in such a relatively short timeframe needs to be quite carefully considered. There is a real danger of under-estimating the constraints at play.

CollaborationsIn Sciences, MSEP is involved in an Education for Sustainable Develop-

ment (ECD) initiative as part of an international collaboration with the In-ternational Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan.

In ICT, the Collaborative Action Re-search for Teachers (CART) Project is a collaboration with Stockholm University, Sweden. This professional development project aims to deepen teachers’ in-structional practices in support of great-er use of ICTs in teaching and learning.

At three of the schools significant progress has been made in developing modus operandi through which support can be offered to the school manage-ment teams (SMTs). A number of training sessions has been held with the SMT at Thandokhulu, where one of the emerging areas of focus has been on the need to build instructional leadership capacity amongst members of the team. At Sophumelela, a newfound willingness to engage with project staff around management/organisational issues has led to a number of engagements with the principal and his SMT. At Spine Road, the project facilitated a two-day strategic planning session in late Oc-tober with the extended SMT of the school.

HighlightslIn Mathematics, five research papers

were prepared and submitted for review to the South African

Association.

l75% of the Grade 12 learners who participated in the Mathematics paper 3 initiative passed this paper in the matric final exam.

lA total of 14 matriculants from the class of 2010 were able to secure places at UCT and begin studying for their undergraduate degrees in 2011.

lThe research-bound work in Mathe-matics and the Sciences continues to provide important insights into the form and function of teaching and learning in these subject areas in MSEP classrooms.

lOn a broader level, the project is committed to locating this classroom-level research within the context of the school as a whole. To this end individual case studies are being developed – these will provide nuanced understandings of elements of the complex interplay between ‘school, staff, students and self (i.e. the teacher)’ evident in each school. As such, it is anticipated that the project’s research findings will make a significant contribution to the literature.

lThe graph reflects the fact that the matric pass rate at three of the five MSEP schools improved considerably between 2009 and 2010.

16

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Science and Mathematics

Scientific And Industrial Leadership Initiative (SAILI)SAILI uses scholarship as a tool in the mission to improve access to quality schooling and guides talented students into effective schools with strong Maths and science performance.

One of the greatest obstacles to successful student per formance in

matric is the poor quality of teaching at high school. Just five per cent of public schools produce half of all Science and Maths passes. In other subjects performance is more evenly spread across the school system.

Students with real talent in Maths and Science need to access schools that have the capacity to teach these subjects.

Without this intervention these students do not study further in many fields where they could otherwise make a real contribution.

What SAILI doesSAILI links academically talented students with quality schools. It iden-tifies, develops and supports potential in students and schools by guiding talent into the working parts of the state education system. Saili

lworks with poor students who are unable to access quality schooling due to cost,

lworks with quality but low-cost schools and

lplaces significant numbers of students in these schools.

Saili’s programme’s focus is on pro-ducing candidates with the potential to take up studies in fields requiring competence in Maths and Science. Since 1996 over 500 SAILI students have pur-sued tertiary stu dies (eg medicine, engi-neering, commerce, Science).

SAILI’s approachWhat makes SAILI different from tra-ditional scholarship schemes?

SAILI uses scholarship as a tool in the mission to improve access to quality schooling and guide talented students into effective schools with strong Maths and Science performance.

KeypointslSaili model: Injection of talented

students into modestly-priced quality schools.

lTarget school intervention: Presence of appreciable numbers of talented students with appropriate support.

lScholarship intervention: Provide academically talented students with access to quality teaching.

Why this approach?SAILI has over 15 years experience in the education sector and has previously engaged in a variety of interventions in cluding the following: additional tuition; camps for students; teacher training (high school and primary); whole school development; language support and tertiary study support.

This experience, as well as ongoing evaluation has led Saili to focus on tar-geted scholarship. Simply put: investing directly in motivated and capable stu-dents who are placed in effective schools.

Driving forceslA number of factors underpin this

approach: Abundant talent exiting primary school; modest costs; real impact; unique offe ring; pockets of existing strength are linked and available funds for tertiary studies.

SAILI’s impactOnly a third of the students who wrote the national 2010 matric Maths and physics exams achieved more than 40%. Admission requirements in tertiary fields requiring Maths and Science typically demand at least 60% in both of these subjects.

SAILI’s focus on Maths and Science performance means that our students consistently perform well in these subjects.

Growing SAILISAILI is located in Cape Town and has the capability to grow and is actively looking for opportunities to do so. SAILI’s motivation is to increase the number of students and schools they support.

The SAILI model supports is based on the use of existing state capacity to deliver quality education, has the potential to scale-up and hence to help enhance the performance in Maths and Science of an increasing number of talented students.

Funders include local industry as well as local and foreign donors. SAILI is seen as a high-value, effective and responsive partner in the challenge to increase the throughput of students who are fully competent in Maths and Science.

Current SAILI student performance March 2011.

17

SciFest Africa

Although based in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, SciFest, together with its numerous partners, is able to provide extensive Mathematics and Science related support programmes to SEEDS partner organisations.

The year 2010 was an excep tionally busy and challenging year – as a result of reduced school days as well as internal staff turnover. Despite these setbacks, a most

successful second year of implementation of the SEEDS initiative in the Western Cape can be reported.

First QuarterWorkshop Tour: 15-19 FebruaryScifest Africa collaborated with the Extra-mural Education Project (EMEP) and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) to present mathematics and physical Science workshops to Grade 10 mathematics and Science learners at the following schools in Cape Town from 15-19 February: Hector Peterson Secondary School, ID Mkize Senior Secondary School, Luhlaza Secondary School, Manyano High School, Tafelsig Secondary School and Wesbank Secondary School.

A different Mathematics workshop was presented by EMEP every day, while Mr Sivuyile Manxoyi and Mr Cedric Jacobs from the SAAO assis ted learners to build their own spec-troscope, telescope or binoculars each day.

Lecture Tour: 15-19 MarchScifest Africa hosted Australian Science communicator, Mr Graham Walker, at the Cape Town Science Centre (former MTN Sciencentre) from 15-19 March, where he performed a Science show for learners from SEEDS schools invited to the Science centre. Learners from the following schools were selected in collaboration with EMEP, GOLD and the Institute for Mathematics and Science Teaching, University of Stellenbosch (IMSTUS) and transported to the Science centre: Amstelhof Pri mary School, Bloekombos Secondary School, De Villiers Primary School, Eikendal Primary School, Hlengisa Primary School, Kayamandi Primary School, Kraaifontein AME Primary School, Paarlzicht Primary School, Phakama High School, Phandulwazi High School, Sakumlandela Combined School, St Idas Primary School and Vergesig Primary School.

Two educator workshops were held on 20 March in which Mr Walker assisted educators to build their own miniature Science exhibits using household materials.

Second QuarterWorkshop Tour: 19-23 AprilScifest Africa collaborated with IMSTUS, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Cape Town Science Centre to present a workshop tour from 19-23 April. Professor Valerie Corfield

of the MRC presented a workshop on DNA, HIV or Tik to Grade 6 and seven learners from the following schools: Amstelhof Primary School, Bloekombos Primary School, Kayamandi Primary School, Paulus Joubert Primary School and St Idas Primary School.

Three interns from the Cape Town Science Centre were trained by Prof Corfield to present the workshops in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.

Science Show Tour: 17-21 MayScifest Africa also collaborated with GOLD and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Science Learning Centre for Africa to present a Science Show Tour from 17-21 May. Mr Tony Williams of the UWC Science Learning Centre for Africa presented sciences shows for Grade 8-12 learners at the following schools: Bernadino Heights Secondary School, Bloekombos Secondary School and Masibambane Secondary School.

Third QuarterTheatre Tour: 31 August-9 SeptemberUBOM! Eastern Cape Drama Compa ny in Grahamstown developed an educational theatre production en titled Sink or Swim!, which explains the basic scientific principles behind global warming and explores the causes and effects of global warming, using characters and the medium of storytelling.

A two week Theatre Tour was organised in collaboration with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), EMEP, GOLD, IMSTUS, and the Science and Indus trial Leadership Initiative (SAILI) on behalf of Scifest Africa from 31 August to 9 September, during which the production was performed for Grade R-12 learners from the following schools: Albert Myburgh Secondary School, Amstelhof Primary School, De Rust Futura Academy, De Villiers Primary School, Eisleben Road Primary School, Groenberg Primary School, Kannemeyer Primary School, Kathleen Murray Primary School, Khayamandi High School, Maxonia Primary School, Napier High School, Norma Road Primary School, Riviersonderend School, Paarlzicht Primary School, Pineview Primary School, Soetendal Primary School, St Michael’s Primary School, Swartberg Primary School and Wagenmakers Vallei Primary School.

Lecture Tour: 20-23 SeptemberScifest Africa hosted a lecture tour by Bubblz! The Clown in collaboration with Living Maths from 20-23 September, during which Bubblz! presented an interactive Mathematics lecture

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Science and Mathematics

to Grade 6-12 learners at the following venues: Gugulethu Community Centre, Hawston Primary School, Kannemeyer Primary School, St Anthony’s Primary School and Westlake Community Centre.

Educator workshops were hosted at St Anthony’s Primary School, Hawston Primary School and the Gugulethu Community Centre on 20, 21 and 23 September respectively, to teach educators how to present their own interactive Mathematics lecture.

Fourth Quarter Science Show Tour: 11-15 OctoberScifest Africa collaborated with the Young Royal Society of South Africa at Rhodes University in Grahamstown to present a Science Show Tour from 11-15 October.

Mr Sunny Sunassee and Mr Ryan Young of the Young Royals were trained to present a chemistry show by presenters from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom at Scifest Africa 2010, and presented the show to Grade 7-12 learners at the following schools: Amstelhof Primary School, Cape Academy for Maths, Science and Technology, Hawston Primary School, Ikaya Primary School, Kayamandi Primary School, Paarlzicht Primary School, Paulus Joubert Primary School and St Idas Primary School.

Regional Festival Tour: 8-12 NovemberA Science Show Tour and Workshop Tour were combined to form a Regional Festival Programme based on the successful model implemented by Scifest Africa on behalf of the Embassy of Finland in the Eastern Cape. An additional Theatre Tour was added to complete the half-day programme which consisted of a Science show presented by the Cape Town Science Centre, an electronics workshop presented by Scifest Africa, an educational theatre production presented by Beneath the Skin

Productions, and water-rocket demonstrations by the Cape Town Science Centre.

The daily programme was presented for Grade 7 learners at the following schools from 8-12 November: Amstelhof Primary School, Arcadia Primary School, Bergvliet Primary School, Dalweide Primary School, Die Bron Primary School, Drakenstein Primary School, Paarl Gymnasium Primary School, Rondebosch Boys Preparatory School, Sid G Rule Primary School and Sweet Valley Primary School.

Tools and Methodologies developedScifest Africa developed registration forms which captured information about the schools, educators and learners attending activities, i.e. contact details, number of learners, demographics of educators and learners, etc. Educator and learner surveys were also de veloped to obtain feedback about the organisation, content and effectiveness of activities.

Educator resources were developed in association with Mr Graham Walker, Bubblz! The Clown and the Cape Town Science Centre.

The theatre production Sink or Swim! was also developed.

Resource material for learners who wish to start a Science club at their school was developed in collaboration with the SAAO and Mr Tony Williams of the UWC Science Learning Centre for Africa.

Added Values: Unintended and LearningsThe activities presented on each tour provided learners with role models, including young, black and female scientists, and encouraged learners to pose questions about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). These role models also break through misconceptions about STEM and scientists, and create a new informed mindset of STEM as accessible for people of all demographics.

The tours also provided scientists, such as facilitators from the SAAO and Professor Valerie Corfield from the MRC, with a platform to showcase Science relevant to the everyday lives of our communities.

Interns from the Cape Town Science Centre and presenters from the Young Royal Society of South Africa were trained in Science communication, while all parties that assisted with the organisation and implementation of tours received hands-on training in events management.

Quality tools to support the public understanding and learning of STEM were also developed, such as the resource materials developed in collaboration with the SAAO and Mr Tony Williams for learners who wish to start a Science club at their school.

Tours planned through the SEEDS Scifest Africa Outreach Project also had a residual effect as presenters were invited to present shows elsewhere, e.g. Mr Graham Walker and Bubblz! presented their Science show and interactive Mathematics lecture at the Cape Town Science Centre, AIMSSEC and Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, while Sink or Swim! can be used in other programmes around the country.

Scifest Africa: Karel Klein of the South African Astronomical Obser-vatory and a young learner from Driefontein Primary School share some thoughts on our solar system during a Scifest workshop.

18 19

Schools growing as community hubs of learning, recreation and support.

UWC Pre-service Teaching Biology Project

New times, new ideas: innovative teaching for a changing curriculum.

The University of the Western Cape runs a pre-service component of the Teaching Biology Project, which includes the training of pre-service teachers and the

running of short courses on specific topics, for teachers in the field. Activities in 2010 included the following:

Needs AssessmentThe school visits carried out in early 2010 revealed that teachers still held common misconceptions that cut across all biology teaching, from pre-service to experienced teachers working in the field. The results gathered seemed to suggest that the sources of these misconceptions lie in the undergraduate preparation of teachers. The project team devised two interventions to address this problem:

lthe adoption of ten pre-service teachers, who would be supported to work through the misconceptions;

lthe production of materials as resources that can be used by the teachers to help them develop innovative ways of teaching Biology content, and at the same time address the misconceptions.

To support good quality Biology teaching, the project then introduced the following interventions:

Materials DevelopmentThe project team produced a series of lesson plans confronting identified common misconceptions. These have taken the form of case studies and exercises using input from learners to develop notes on the subject of biodiversity and a lesson on the importance of producers in the food chain.

The project developed summary sheets with facts and line drawings for use by teachers who are too busy to find

background reading on selected concepts and principles of Bio-logy. Other materials that were developed included posters, and glossary of Biology terms.

Biology Teachers ColloquiumThe colloquium was a resounding success – 28 student teachers, their mentors and staff members attended. The colloquium was facilitated by Prof Martie Sanders from Wits University. It was also attended by the Mr Tommy Botha, the Life Sciences Curriculum Planner from the WCED and some District Advisors for the Life Sciences from three education districts.

A book publisher and some representatives from partner organizations were also in attendance.

Beach Cleanup ProjectProject team members participated in the Institute of Oceanographics project on cleaning up the Beach at St. James.

Pre-service Teachers at work: The students worked on various projects during the year, and participated in the trialling of resource materials that the project was developing for the teachers in the schools.

Student Teachers at work: The student teachers also participated in Biology events and helped to organize the Biology Teachers Col-loquium that was held in October 2010.

20

The Extra-Mural Education Project

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Whole School Development

SEEDS is supporting EMEP to implement a four-year pilot programme to test, build and spread innovative practices for schools to develop extra-murally as dynamic hubs

of child and community learning, recreation and support. The outcomes we aim for are designed to:

lexpand school time and services to improve child and youth learning, development, support, and achievement,

lbuild enabling environments and practices to improve school functionality, agency, and innovation, and

ldraw together community resources and external partners to support the school improvement plan and use the school after hours for community support.

The programme comprises two strategies: An entry-level, whole school training and support programme to start schools on their extra-mural roads to become community hubs and a network programme for graduate schools to apply their training and share, build, and spread promising practices… and thereby form a ‘learning vehicle’ for a provincial, eventually national, movement of community-focused schools.

There were a number of distinguishing features during 2010:

lnineteen schools successfully completed their basic training (strategy 1) and joined the network (strategy 2) which now has 38 schools,

lthe Soccer World Cup shortened term time and a national teachers strike disrupted the third term,

lthe WCED downgraded it’s partnering with NGOs and limited outside partners’ access time to schools, and

las a result of an external review in July 2010, the pro gramme was redesigned to include a two-year consolidation phase and postponing the next school intake.

Despite time lost, EMEP ran almost all processes as planned, some postponed to Term 1 in 2011. Good use was made of soccer-and-strike time for school-community programmes and organisational development.

Entry Level Programme: Beyond the School WallTwenty schools from Cape Town’s South and East Metro-poles, the Overberg, Cape Winelands, and West Coast, participated in the programme. They were selected jointly by EMEP and the districts.

EMEP worked with whole staffs to build vision, strategy and input and deliver plans. To lead and manage the process, we trained and supported three action and support groups:

lextra-mural management teams (EMMTS) of teachers to mobilise, plan, coordinate and keep the programme relevant and growing,

lpairs of teachers and managers as extra-mural development practitioners (EMDPs) to facilitate the process with EMMTs, staff and partners, and

lprincipals and deputies as leadership pairs to ensure supportive conditions and include the programme in timetables, school improvement plans and management agendas.

Via formal training, simu lations, research assignments, on-site projects, learning forums and on-site and cluster work, EMEP supported these groups to:

lunderstand and facilitate positive change,

lincorporate active learning and extra-murals into the curriculum,

lbring holistic pedagogy, including psycho-social support,

21

into classrooms and extra-murals,

ldraw in and support parents better,

limprove use their resources (people, time, facilities and services),

lmake their facilities available after hours for community activities,

ldevelop and maintain partnerships to do so,

ldevelop effective practices, including adapting their timetables, to achieve the above and

lratively produce School Im prove-ment Plans (SIPs) to guide the above.

Network ProgrammeAll 38 schools were supported to apply their training, share practice and collaborate in school-community activities. We delivered learning forums, workshops and short courses, conducted cluster and on-site support visits, and facilitated collaborations. Participants were school leaders, EMMTs and EMDPs, school governing board members, learner leaders, administrators and community orga-nisations and services.

Despite the Soccer World Cup, teachers’ strike and its aftermath, all learning forums, holiday programmes, capacity-building sessions, and on-site support took place as planned.

Key successes reported by parti-cipating schools were:

lincrease in types of extra-mural activities beyond the few ‘sports and culture’ to include arts and crafts, academic supports (such as homework and reading clubs), and health services,

lincreased participation by teachers and learners in extra-murals,

lsignificant boost of motivation and enthusiasm amongst teachers and learners,

limprovement in staff’s leadership, management and facilitation abilities,

limproved use of school, improve-ment plans,

limproved parental involvement,

limproved coordination of external partners,

limproved learner attitudes, effort, behaviour and results and

limproved school safety and reduction of vandalism and trespass.

Snapshots of Key Achievements lMore than 30 000 girls and boys

now participate weekly at the 38 schools in a range of sporting, arts, crafts, environmental, and service learning programmes after class.

l120 teachers have been trained as extra-mural managers and have set up and expanded extra-mural programmes.

l38 teachers from 19 schools trained as extra-mural practitioners to lead and manage their teams.

l38 principals and deputies trained to lead and support their extra-murals, professional and personal staff de-velopment, and grow as leaders themselves.

lHoliday programmes run at 16 schools, involving over 40 local organisations, with approximately 5 000 young girls and boys participating.

lDevelopment desks at nine schools bring together child/youth/family services to pool resources and coordinate interventions.

lAt three high drop-out schools in Vredendal, Bredasdorp, and Clanwilliam, most child and youth service providers now work together with the district Social Development office to support the schools.

lTraining, coaching and support of SGBs and administrators have improved their extra-mural in-volvement, their understanding and performance of their roles and responsibilities, and their relationships with their schools’ leaders, managers, staff, and learners.

lWorking with whole school staffs is embedding the programme and spreading better practice. Our primary limitation is the small size of our team.

lAll training programmes comprise SAQA-aligned unit standards. We aim for each course to provide credits adding up to a qualification as ‘Education Development Practitioner, specialising in extra-murals’.

lResources materials are being tested for practitioners.

lGood partnerships were built with the WCED’s district offices in South, East, and Overberg.

EMEP staff and Board gratefully acknowledge and thank EKN-SEEDS for this vital investment partnership that makes our development work possible.

22

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 HIV/Aids Peer Education

Generation of Leaders Discovered (GOLD)

Self esteem, hope for the future, and healthy lifestyles: The GOLD peer education story...

The acronym, GOLD, stands for Generation of Leaders Discovered and is symbolic of Africa’s greatest resource: its young people. GOLD Peer Education Development

Agency (GOLD) is a dynamic non-profit organisation aiming to:

lTo reduce the number of HIV infections and risk behaviour among youth through the promotion of health enhancing and purpose driven social norms.

lTo mitigate the negative impact of inadequate education and HIV and AIDS and on youth, orphans and vulnerable children, families and communities.

lTo build social capital for sustainable community development within Africa.

GOLD’s vision is to see a generation of young African leaders confronting the youth issues of HIV and youth risk behaviour through uplifting their communities and imparting vision and purpose to present and future generations. GOLD was founded in September 2004 to respond pro-actively to the increasing incidence of HIV infections and risk behaviour amongst youth and its negative impact on education and communities at large. GOLD’s strategy relies on selecting and working with community-based organisations to implement GOLD aligned peer education programmes in their own communities. GOLD trains and mentors these organisations to work intensively with the same group of young leaders over a period of three to six years to enable them to be highly effective peer educators.

As part of SEEDS in 2010 in the Western Cape, GOLD built capacity in 11 community based organisations who worked with approximately 3,491 peer educators who directly reached 58,011 of their peers and younger children while having an indi-rect influence on many more, as well as reaching parents and community members in their communities and greater sphere of influence.

GOLD mobilizes influential teenage and young adult leaders (peer educators) to be positive role models and agents of change in their schools and communities. Adolescent peer educators are equipped and supported by skilled facilitators to

Table 1: GOLD WC PE figures in 2010.

Figure 3: Summary of Western Cape Strat Chats conducted in 2010.

Figure 1: Summary of Western Cape activities that equip PEs, in 2010.

Figure 2: Summary of Western Cape PE Activities in 2010.

23

EMEP graduates.

2524

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Rural, Multi-Grade Education

fulfil the following four roles at varying levels of responsibility for both their peers and younger children.lRole-modelling health-enhancing and purpose driven

behaviour; lEducating their peers in a structured manner;lRecognizing youth in need of additional help and referring

them for assistance; lCommunity Upliftment: Advocating for resources and

services for themselves and their peers; acts of service; and raising awareness of important issues affecting youth.

Highlights, challenges, partnershipsHighlightsA research paper about GOLD, compiled by a Psychology Masters student: “GOLD Site Survey 2010: A report on the research findings” by Laura Fisher (MA psych) (Research, Training and Empowerment) was undertaken and in her conclusion the author summarised as follows:

The research findings provide evidence that the GOLD programmes implemented by GOLD implementing partners on the ground in alignment to the GOLD Peer Education Model are impacting young people enabling them to bring about sustained change in their lives and their communities. Implementation of GOLD Peer Education has harnessed the influence that young people have with their peers and is encouraging both its facilitators and youth to develop health enhancing and purpose driven social norms. The Western Cape GOLD community of practice is not only moving toward meeting their aims and programme outcomes but is effective and is achieving many of its joint programme outcomes. GOLD Peer Education has empowered youth to discern and make informed decisions.

Outcomes Report 2009/2010At the end of 2010, GOLD’s Quality Assurance department released the GOLD Outcomes Report 2009/2010. This report gives feedback on the four areas of research that were conducted by the GOLD Quality Assurance Team. The

purpose of this research was to assess the progress GOLD Peer Education

is making towards achieving its proximal and/or distal

outcomes from the perspective of peer educators (Track 3

mentor peer educators (MPE) in particular), peers, school

principals, educators and community members. 2009 research

findings indicate that GOLD aligned programmes have made

an important and meaningful contribution to positive change

in youth within 5 of the 6 GOLD module outcomes (Self

development, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Leadership,

Gender rights and relationships and Communication Skills).

The only module where there was insufficient identification

of behaviour change across research projects was Community

Action, which may be explained by the fact that most MPEs

and peers wrote stories relevant to their personal growth

rather than to their actions as agents of change in their schools

or communities.

Challenges

lThe WC team, started in 2010 with a new Provincial

manager. The World Cup holidays impacted negatively as

time spent with Peer Educators was limited over this period.

lThe 11 WC GOLD implementing partners felt the tension

of the slump in the world global economy and mobilising

funds became more of a challenge.

lTwo GOLD implementing partners received special

attention from the GOLD WC team as there were issues

with the quality of their GOLD programme, which resulted

in an exit strategy being agreed between these organisations

and GOLD.

lThe school strikes made programme delivery, educator

workshops and general Stakeholder relationships more

difficult than usual.

lThe WCDOH Global Fund Peer Education programme

(WC RCC PE) was a massive challenge for the GOLD

Community of Practice. The outcome of this has been

documented in a separate communication to the SEEDS

project manager.

lCollaboration within SEEDS: A meeting between GOLD,

EMEP and CAWO was held at GOLD on the 8th of June

2010. This process of collaboration has brought the GOLD

implementing organisation working in Hector Peterson

school and surrounding community EMEP to a place where

they have acknowledged the strength in working together,

and the potential for disadvantage if they do not

collaborate.

lAt the SEEDS forum in Stellenbosch (held in

September 2010), the GOLD team had further

informal discussions around other collaboration

possibilities specifically in terms of infusing

GOLD messaging and good practices into other

aspects of SEEDS.

Multi-grade teaching [MGT] refers to settings where the teacher is responsible for teaching children of

different grade levels at the same time. The term

‘multi-grade teaching’ is not universal, but the practice is

widespread.

Today, more than 30 per cent of classrooms worldwide and

more than 50% in Africa are multi-grade. In South Africa

±8 million children attend rural schools, more than 2 million of

these children can be found in MG classrooms in South Africa.

The form of multi-grade intervention is:

lA pedagogic approach to increase access and retention,

while improving quality education.

lA strategy to address teacher shortages, particularly in small

and remote schools.

Current primary educator training is focused on mono-grade

education practice. In South Africa teachers have never been

trained for a multigrade system; they still teach these classes as

if the learners were all in a single grade. To make the system

work requires strong and focused training programmes.

In the majority of instances MGT is the only option for

education of any kind.

The challenges can be addressed in two specific steps:

lProvide children and teachers with a curriculum and

teaching resources specifically geared towards MGT

environments.

lTrain teachers to be able to deal effectively with multigrade environments.

Focus areas of CMGElConduct a baseline study on MG schools in South

and Southern Africa;

lTrain officials and educators in MG education;

lAdapt the curriculum for rural MG application;

lTrain postgraduate students in MG education;

lTraining curriculum and learning material experts in MG education and produce learning material and

lTrain MG education research supervisors.

Activities in 2010Southern African Conference on Multi-grade Education In the last week of March 2010, the Centre, in collaboration

with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Association for

the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), hosted an

international conference in Paarl, South Africa. It was the aim of

the conference to explore international best practice in multi-

grade education as a viable option to ensure universal primary

school access to all children by 2015.

The conference was attended by 110 delegates from

senior education and civil society organisations from Botswana,

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa (seven of the nine provinces),

Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Columbia, Iran, India, Sri Lanka,

Greece and Australia.

Keynote speakers from Australia, Columbia, Greece, India,

Sri Lanka, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom reported

The Centre For Multigrade Education (CMGE)

Self esteem, hope for the future, and healthy lifestyles: The GOLD peer education story

Some of the more than 100 delegates to the South African Multigrade Education Conference which was held in Paarl in March 2010 and hosted by the Centre for Multigrade Education in associa-tion with the Com-monwealth Secretariat and the Association for Development of Educa-tion Africa.

SEEDS 2010 Financial overview Period: January – December 2010FUNDS AVAILABLE 1 JANUARY 2010 1,327,674

INCOME 54,603,547

INCOME 2010 BUDGET 32,499,320

INCOME 2011 BUDGET 22,104,227

EXPENDITURE 30,537,371

BANK COSTS 800

IMSTUS 5,094,260

SCIFEST 391,315

EMEP 3,258,358

MSEP 3,843,080

GOLD 5,920,161

AGEI 3,133,083

SAILI 1,749,031

ELRU 3,283,002

CMGE 2,918,254

SU: FUNDHOLDER 946,027

FUNDS AVAILABLE 31 DECEMBER 2010 25,393,850

Expenditure by focus area

SEEDS Annual Report 2010 Financial Overview

on the results of successful multi-grade education interventions that have changed the lives of

millions of children, in thousands of schools, in these countries.

University workshop 20 November 2010 In an effort to market MG instruction and especially the pedagogy of MG this workshop

was presented. Representatives of six African countries as well as from four SA universities

attended this workshop. Two directors of National Education also attended as observers.

The aims of the workshop were:

lthe transfer of knowledge about MG instruction,

lto convince universities to target MG as a research field,

lto train students in MG pedagogy,

lto establish CMGE as a leader in MG instruction and

lto create a network for MG.

Project in multi-grade schools in the Western Cape Aim of ProjectTraining and support to teachers in multi-grade schools to make effective use of the

Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in their classrooms by:

lproviding children and teachers with a pedagogy/curriculum and teaching

resources specifically geared towards MGT environments and

l training and supporting teachers to be able to deal with multi-grade environments.

After thorough research it was clear that the CMGE wished to implement the CAPS in the

form of three learning programmes by means of try-outs, i.e. Numeracy, Literacy and Life Skills.

The CMGE furthermore plans to do the following in the schools:

lassist them digitally and to supply the necessary mediums of communication,

lassist and to support schools on a weekly basis and

l support the schools in an administrative [curriculum] manner.

Scrijven Project The Centre for Multi-grade Education, in collaboration with the St. Canisius, a

‘Scholengemeenschap’ from Tubbergen and Armelo in the Netherlands, started the

Schrijven Project. After a long preparation time, 23 learners and three teachers of St.

Canisius came to South Africa on a student tour. This collaboration and innovation will

continue so that the learners’ need for stationary in the rural areas in the Western Cape

can be addressed in the future. It was gratifying to see the happy smiles of the learners.

Leerkiste Project Children must be provided with opportunities to explore, experiment and discover, while they

learn the fundamental skills appropriate to their stage of development and be prepare for

further academic growth. They need a good foundation in a caring environment, where they

can develop at an appropriate pace, to meet the challenges and opportunities of

the future.

In support of the above, the need to create learning- and support material in three

Learning Areas (Natural Science, Social Science and Art & Culture) has been recognized.

Experienced teachers in these LA’s are contracted by the CMGE to develop leerkiste as

learning- and support tools for the multi-grade/rural teachers who form part of Project 4. In

these leerkiste one will find hands-on activities to enhance learning opportunities.

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SEEDS 2010 Financial Overview

3

2

Mathematics and Science R17,493,771 = 59%

Rural Multi Grade Education R2 918 254 = 10%HIV/AIDS Peer Education R5 920 161 = 20%Whole School Development R3 258 358 = 11%

SEEDS Annual Report 2010:

Contact detail of the Seeds Partners

Africa Genome Education Institute (AGEI)

021 683 5814 (AGEI) www.teachingbiologyproject.co.za

Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU) 021 762 7500 www.elru.co.za

Institute of Maths and Science Teaching Stellenbosch University (IMSTUS)

021 808 3483 www.imstus.sun.ac.za

Maths Science Education Project (MSEP) – UCT 021 650 3582 www.sdu.uct.ac.za

Science & Industrial Leadership Initiative (SAILI) 021 763 7110 www.saili.org.za

Scifest Africa 046 603 1152 www.scifest.org.za

UWC Pre-service Teaching Biology Project021 952 7519 (UWC)

www.uwc.ac.za

Centre for Multi-Grade Education

(CMGE) – CPUTwww.cmge.co.za

Extra-Mural Education Programme (EMEP)

021 448 0660www.emep.org.za

GOLD Peer Education021 685 5038

www.goldpe.org.

Find more information

by visiting the

SEEDS website,

www.sun.ac.za/seeds

and follow the partner links.

021 808 3483mse@sun.ac.za

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