Latest news with #learners
CBC
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Annual language camp in Carcross to revitalize Tlingit language
Tlingit language learners from far and wide gathered in Carcross this week for an annual language camp. Learners of all levels participated in activities ranging from songs to storytelling games. CBC's Marissa Meilleur was there.
Mail & Guardian
15-07-2025
- Mail & Guardian
Beyond the hype: How to prepare teachers for the coding and robotics era
Embracing new ways can be overwhelming for teachers if adequate training and support are not provided. Remember the scramble to integrate technology into classrooms? For many teachers, that shift was a difficult experience. The classroom of today looks very different from the classroom of even a decade ago. From the introduction of information and communications technology (ICT) to the rise of coding and robotics, the educational landscape is in constant flux. The introduction of ICT, while promising, was often implemented without sufficient teacher training. This led to many teachers, particularly those more experienced, feeling overwhelmed and developing a sense of digital inadequacy. The phrase 'I'm not computer literate' became a common refrain, highlighting a significant gap in professional development. Now, as we embrace Embracing the new As coding and robotics enter the classroom, many teachers feel overwhelmed and unprepared. To prevent a repeat of past challenges, departmental institutions must prioritise targeted professional development, mentorship programs, resource provision, and ongoing support. This investment in teacher training will ultimately benefit learners, empowering them with the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Providing teachers with detailed and easy-to-use coding and robotics resources is a key component of this empowerment. • Emphasise the importance of coding and robotics for learners' future success. • Connect these skills to other subjects and real-world applications. • Provide access to mentors, coaches and online resources for continued support. • Ensure training is on-going, relevant and tailored to different skill levels and learning styles of the teachers. • Create opportunities for teachers to network, collaborate and learn from one another. • Share user-friendly coding platforms and robotic kits and lesson plans. As this next chapter of coding and robotic courses unfold, it is important to ensure all teachers are involved and equipped to participate effectively. This inclusive approach will foster a culture of support and collaboration. Furthermore, higher education institutions should develop and offer targeted training programmes and robotics courses for in-service teachers. Such measures are key to fostering the widespread adoption and integration of coding and robotics in educational settings. Preparing the next generation of educators with these skills is essential for establishing coding and robotics as integral components of educational practice. Warda Abrahams is a senior lecturer at the School of Education at the Independent Institute of Education Varsity College.
Mail & Guardian
12-07-2025
- Science
- Mail & Guardian
From rules to results: How to make maths and programming easier
Picture it: An example of a visual learning wall used to reinforce logic-based subject rules. It's no secret that maths, programming and other logic-based subjects feel like a mountain climb for many students. Meanwhile, subjects like English and life orientation feel more like a gentle stroll. Why is that? Are some people just 'not wired' for logic? Or is there something deeper — and fixable — at play? South Africa's own numbers raise the alarm. In the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study study, grade nine learners were among the lowest-performing in maths globally. Only around a third of matric students register for pure maths — and even fewer achieve strong marks. Many university students continue to struggle with first-year logic-heavy subjects such as maths, programming and physics, despite performing reasonably well in high school. There's clearly a disconnect between how these subjects are taught and how they need to be learned. Let's unpack that. Here's the real problem — we teach what to learn but rarely how to learn. In text-based subjects, you can often get by through memorisation — even if understanding is minimal. But in logical subjects, there's no shortcut. You can't fake solving an equation or writing a function — you either get it or you don't. That's where the method matters. Step 1: Learn the rules and make It visual All logic-based subjects — whether maths, physics or programming — run on rules. But rules are only useful if they're internalised. Try this: Write down key rules (eg the distributive property, coding syntax structures) on coloured cards or sticky notes. Use different felt-tip pens — colour-code different categories (blue for algebra, green for loops, red for errors, etc). Stick these notes visibly on a wall or cupboard. Keep adding to this visual board over time. What this does is transform passive reading into active engagement. It's fun. It's visual. And it becomes a regular reminder every time you walk into the room. Step 2: Practise, practise, practise Once the rules are up, you're not done. In fact, that's where the real work begins. Logical subjects demand repetition. Think of it like preparing for a driver's licence: You study the rules (theory); You write a test on them; and Then you practise behind the wheel until it becomes second nature. Likewise, once you know the math laws or code syntax, you must apply them. Don't just glance at solved problems — do them. Over and over. With pen and paper. From textbooks, worksheets, online study guides and past papers. Try coding small apps or solving the same equation using different methods. The goal is to go from 'understanding in theory' to 'I can do this without thinking.' Text-heavy subjects often reward surface learning. Even if you don't fully grasp the material, you can memorise quotes or definitions and recall them in an exam. That taps into what psychologists call System 1 thinking — the brain's fast, intuitive, automatic mode. But logic-based subjects demand System 2 thinking — slow, effortful, rule-based reasoning. It takes time, patience and consistency. No shortcuts. That doesn't make them harder — it just makes them different. Studies in neuroscience suggest that logical reasoning primarily engages the left hemisphere of the brain, responsible for analytical and sequential thinking. In contrast, the right hemisphere is more involved in creative, verbal and emotional processing. This doesn't mean people are 'left-brained' or 'right-brained' — we use both sides. But it does explain why some students thrive in writing essays and others in debugging code. And it's also why cross-training your brain by using visual tools, verbal reinforcement and kinesthetic practice (like writing by hand) can make logical learning easier for everyone. Let's stop saying, 'I'm just not a maths person.' Instead, let's teach people how to learn logic the right way. Learn the rules, visually and actively; practise them consistently and treat it like a skill just like driving or playing a musical instrument. Because, once you unlock that process, you don't just succeed in school — you gain tools that help you reason, analyse and solve problems in every part of life. Dr Zakia Salod is a medical AI research scientist, software developer, artist and philanthropist. Salod is also a Mail & Guardian Power of Women 2024 alumni, a youth leader and multi-awarded STEMI advocate in South Africa.
Zawya
02-07-2025
- Zawya
South Africa: Select Committee on Education Sends Deepest and Heartfelt Condolences to East London 'Pens Down' Party Victims
The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries has learnt with shock of the deaths that occurred following a 'pens-down' party in East London. The committee sends its deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. Two people were reported dead and seven others were injured on the weekend following what seems to be a deliberate attack on party revelers in Nompumelelo Township, just outside East London. A group of local young men, suspected to be a gang, gatecrashed a 'pens-down' party and started attacking those at the tavern. Mr Feni said the incident, the second in a short space of time in the same area, calls for parental guidance and serious reflection on situations in which learners have free access to alcohol. 'It is sad that fatal alcohol-related incidents that often involve learners are becoming a common but worrying occurrence in the country. Social gatherings where learners are allowed to use alcohol should be criminalised. The violence that characterises our society is condemned,' the Chairperson said. 'Society must not tire in condemning the pens-down culture. This is so reminiscent of the recent Enyobeni incident, which is subject of an inquiry, that resulted in the deaths of 21 learners in the same vicinity. We condemn these actions, whether learners were involved or not; law enforcement must also leave no stone unturned in this,' Mr Feni said. Mr Feni said the Eastern Cape Department of Education must assist and determine if any learner had been affected by the incident and provide the necessary support. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
The Herald
20-06-2025
- General
- The Herald
Children need rich, multifaceted teaching in their mother tongues to master literacy and learning
Learning literacy in mother tongues is the foundation for all learning. It makes sense for all children to begin learning in languages they are familiar with, so they can participate and engage in their learning more actively than they do when learning in unfamiliar tongues. In SA, many children start learning to read and write in their home languages from grades 1 to 3. As the children learn to read and write, they also need to have access to nurturing experiences with storytelling, reading and writing, arts (visual and performative) and text analysis. They also need access to books, libraries and reading role models who are family members at home, in the community and at school. Before 2025, many African language speaking learners experienced mother tongue education only in the foundation phase. When they reached grade 4, these learners had to switch to learning everything in English. This restriction of African languages to one or two periods a day in the intermediate phase, in particular, puts limitations on language and literacy practices that should continue to take place across the curriculum. This transition to English also put limitations on the number of published books in African languages that children can access. With the incremental implementation of mother tongue-based bilingual education starting in grade 4, African language learners will now also have access to African languages as they begin learning science and maths bilingually. This calls for a large production of learning and teaching support materials as well as supplementary non-fiction texts written in African languages or multilingually in African languages and English. This can ensure that reading and writing take place throughout the day and across the curriculum. This will ensure the daily literacy practices that shape them into becoming literate. The different iterations of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results, every five years since 2006, have all pointed to poor reading performance among South African children. Though they all perform below the PIRLS benchmark, learners taking the assessment in English and Afrikaans do much better than those using African languages. The African language-speaking learners have had fewer opportunities to read in their home languages because they have little access to a wide variety of texts and to libraries and books at home. It is not surprising that the learners who do poorly in these assessments, even when they write in their home languages, come from working-class backgrounds, where it is more important to buy a loaf of bread than a book. Many interventions to improve literacy in the foundation phase have been carried out, with some arguing for a simple view of reading for working-class children. This means to improve the children's reading levels, teachers should focus on teaching decoding skills well. But there has been little appreciation for complex approaches to teaching literacy, which integrate the teaching of phonological awareness ( sound structure) with morphological awareness (understanding how words can be broken down into smaller units of meaning such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes) for African languages, teaching of reading with the teaching of writing, art (visual and performative) and storytelling for children from working-class backgrounds.
