Added: 2020-05-26 17:19

Added: 2020-05-02 18:29

Added: 2018-10-24 06:52

Added: 2017-03-14 07:47

South African Education vs The World
Added: 2017-02-03 04:57

Added: 2017-01-26 09:25

Education Research and Researchers
Added: 2016-10-22 09:30

Study Tips
Added: 2016-09-21 14:10

CPTD TYPE 1 POINTS - READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH NEWSLETTER 38
Added: 2016-06-07 20:33



Newsletter 322 - Covid-19 - Poor learners - "So many left behind" - 2020-06-16

We have left so many poor learners behing it is indeed shameful but expedient for the DBE and the teacher Unions/Organisations which reneged on a stated principled position of "we will leave no learner behind". They all lied to us...no! They have all lied to you! One wonders what kind of deal has been passed "under the table"... more

Newsletter 321 - Learners return to school on Monday - 2020-05-31

WE ARE NOT READY YET? - IS IT SAFE FOR LEARNERS TO RETURN TO SCHOOL? We are yet to open schools and the media frenzy has happened. It is simply bad planning from the DBE. The planning Angie is facing about schools today should have started and completed more than two months ago.  Let’s see what the national media are reporting; ... more

Newsletter 320 - REOPENING OF SCHOOLS - "TEACHER & LEARNERS RETURN" - 2020-05-19

REOPENING OF SCHOOLS & THE RETURN OF LEARNERS The reopening of schools and the return of teachers and learners is having everyone in bit of fear and apprehension. To operationalize the return to school under Covid-19 is tantamount to a “military” operation with untrained teachers as you combatants. With the best trained soldiers ... more

Newsletter 319 - The Aftermath of Covid-19 - For the sake of our children! - 2020-05-11

FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN – THE AFTERMATH OF COVID-19 The ravages of capitalism are experienced by the poor on a daily basis. Marxist philosophy implies that there simply is no progress (development?) without struggle (sacrifice?). It is sad that the rise of the few is based on the constant misery of the majority...and we dare call th... more

Newsletter 318 - WCED - Letter from Brian Schreuder - Covid 19 - Reopening of Schools - 2020-05-09

Office of the Head: Education Dear Principals and School Management Teams of ordinary public schools (For information: governing bodies) Re-opening of schools – Phase 1: Return of SMTs and cleaning staff As you know, the National Minister of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Angie Motshekga, announced on Friday, 30 April... more

Newsletter 317 - "The Illusion of Education in South Africa" - Moeketsi Letseka - 2020-05-08

5th World Conference on Educational Sciences - WCES 2013 The Illusion of Education in South Africa Moeketsi Letseka* College of Education, University of South Africa,P O Box 392,UNISA, Pretoria 0003, South Africa Moeketsi argues that; South Africa is a liberal democratic state That boasts of a constitution that enshrines a var... more

Newsletter 316 - SACE - Teacher Handbook (Draft) - Rights & Responsibilities - 2020-05-07

TEACHERS’ RIGHTS Educators have the right to work in an environment in which they feel valued and respected, where they may actively support learner’s development and learning and where they are free from fear, threat and harm. This is entrenched in the South African Bill of Rights. Chapter Two of the South African Constitution (RSA ... more

Newsletter 315 - SACE - Teacher Handbook (Draft) - Context - 2020-05-07

CONTEXT "It is SACE’s hope that this Teachers’ handbook will be of great help to educators in terms of knowing their rights, responsibilities as well as protecting themselves; and creating a safe school environment to be able to deliver lessons without fear and intimidation by their learners. In this way, hopefully, the passion ... more

Newsletter 314 - COVID 19 - DBE Guidelines to reopen schools - 2020-05-05

Minister Angie Motshekga: Basic Education Sector recovery plans for the reopening of schools, following the Coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown adjustment of regulations 30 Apr 2020 Good afternoon! The past few weeks have affected South Africans in ways we have never experienced before. This, there has been an increase in... more

Newsletter 313 - NELSON MANDELA: ICONS NEVER DIE LECTURE BY: Prof. PLO – Lumumba - 2020-05-05

NELSON MANDELA: ICONS NEVER DIE LECTURE BY: Prof. PLO – Lumumba, LL.D, D. Litt (hc), FCPS (K), MKIM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DELIVERED DURING NELSON MANDELA MEMORIAL LECTURE AT THE WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AFRICA ON TUESDAY 17TH JULY, 201... more

Newsletter 312 - Research - SSE-CAPS-ACCESS TO IT - 2020-05-05

QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY No of Schools: Hanover Park (1), Mitchells Plain (2), Atlantis (2), Wynberg (1), Mfuleni (1), Phillippi (1). No of School Districts: MNED, MEED, MSED, MCED No of Questionnaires: SMT:                4/5/5/3/2/6/4=29 Teachers:   &nb... more

Newsletter 311 - Research Northern Cape - School B - 2020-05-05

SCHOOL SELF EVALUATION – 2018 School B Teachers 70copiesT Grade 6 - Learners 180copies SGB (Parent component) 08copies+1 n/a 35 – 50% 144 -80% 6 – 75%     ... more

Newsletter 310 - Research Northern Cape - School A - 2020-05-05

SCHOOL SELF EVALUATION – 2018 School A Teachers 20copiesT Grade 6 - Learners 75copies SGB (Parent component) 08copies n/a 7 – 35% 69 – 92% 4 – 50%   ... more

Newsletter 309 - Research Northern Cape - School Z - 2020-05-05

SCHOOL SELF EVALUATION – 2018 School Z Teachers 40copiesT Grade 8 - Learners 110copies SGB (Parent component) 8copies+1 RCL 10 36 – 90% 110 – 100% 3 – 38% 0 ... more

Newsletter 308 - Research Northern Cape - School Y - 2020-05-05

SCHOOL SELF EVALUATION – 2018 School Y Teachers 30copiesT Grade 10 - Learners 250copies SGB (Parent component) 08copies+1 RCL 50copies 23 – 77% 198 – 78% 8 – 100% 20 &nda... more

Newsletter 307 - Research Northern Cape - School X - 2020-05-05

I conducted research amongst five schools in the Northern Cape during 2018. Here are the outcomes. SCHOOL SELF EVALUATION – 2018 School x Teachers 30copiesT Grade 10 - Learners 140copies SGB (Parent component) 08copies+1 RCL 40copies ... more

Newsletter 306 - COVID 19 - Resetting South Africa's socio-economic button - 2020-05-05

“WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE” During any radical transformation the primary task of the State is to transform society by increasing ACCESS and that naturally means at the costs of QUALITY! This reality has been for the past 26 years...our society can no longer afford this state of affairs. I argure for more COMPETENT ACCESS & QUALITY..... more

Newsletter 305 - The Search for Simplicity - School Development & Improvement Planning - SDP & SIP - 2020-05-04

The Search For Simplicity (SFS) With all the research and opinions which forms the South African Education landscape; the search for simplicity is ongoing. Some have argued for "back to basics" to envisioning a total revolution. On this continuum I am adding my voice by identifying a few (in line with my 5-finger rule) variables to bri... more

Newsletter 304 - School Leadership - 2020-05-04

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP A Leadership is defined as action of leading the art of motivation to act ito required skills/qualities/styles-types In schools teachers know that many decisions they debate or discuss, the buck stops with the principal. Principals love reminding staff about this. And they are correct. It terms of law the pri... more

Newsletter 303 - Teacher Legal Framework & Landscape - 2020-05-03

      SA Constitution       SASA   PAM   EEA       LRA ... more

Newsletter 302 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Basic Education" - PART 14 - 2020-05-03

Education is a system on the rise that is beginning to show irreversible gains, Basic education has entered its own season of hope, though challenges abound, 03 November 2019    Education is a system on the rise that is beginning to show irreversible gains Basic education has entered its own season of hope, though challenges ... more

Newsletter 301 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Legacy of 1976 lives" - PART 13 - 2020-05-03

The legacy of ’76 lives on in the delivery of quality education for all South African Learners    By the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga   We’ve come a long way as a country and as an education system since the restless class of 1976 took to the streets of Soweto and demanded the right to ... more

Newsletter 300 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Corporal Punishment" - PART 12 - 2020-05-03

Corporal punishment a crime against the most vulnerable, By Angie Motshekga, 22 February 2016    Angie Motshekga warns that there shall be no mercy for any teacher who dabbles in violent conduct in the classroom. The Sowetan front page lead story (18 February 2015,) titled “Pupil (8) dies after hose-pipe assault,”... more

Newsletter 299 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Teachers are the backbone of our system" - PART 11 - 2020-05-03

Teachers are the backbone of our system  Your editorial (09 October 2014) entitled; “Teachers are not valued” requires a nuanced response.  Your editorial is tinged with hyperbole and half-truths.  The Department of Basic Education and all its nine Provincial Education Departments place a premium on the value of its ... more

Newsletter 298 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Sexting - Spare the rod, teach the child" - PART 10 - 2020-05-03

Sexting: Spare the rod, teach the child    Teachers and Schools Governing Bodies (SGBs) must take decisive actions to protect our adolescents’ from the negative impact of social media and other modern forms of communication. To simply punish adolescents who are found guilty of “sexting” – the sending o... more

Newsletter 297 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "ANA 2014 - What is to be done" - PART 9 - 2020-05-03

ANA 2014 – What is to be done?    The elephant in the room is Grade 9 Mathematics and this calls for “Business Unusual” if we are to take the system out of this quagmire, writes Angie Motshekga The overall performance in the Annual National Assessment (ANA) 2014 shows an upward trend in per... more

Newsletter 296 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)" - PART 8 - 2020-05-03

013 Ministerial Session of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)    The Republic of South Africa, through its Ministry of Basic Education, is delighted to have taken part in the 2013 Ministerial Session of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE.) this week. On behalf of our government and people, we thank ... more

Newsletter 295 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Violence against women and children" - PART 7 - 2020-05-03

Violence against women and children  Given the alarming levels of violence against women and children in our country, schools undoubtedly carry a great responsibility for the welfare of learners in their care. Currently, the Department of Basic Education is responsible for approximately 12 million learners in the schooling system in both ... more

Newsletter 294 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Education Districts - The Sector's key vehicle to improve quality of learning" - PART 6 - 2020-05-03

Education Districts – The Sector’s key vehicle to improved quality of learning outcomes  Education is fundamental to personal, social, cultural and economic development in all societies but even more so in South Africa given our country’s history. It is for this reason that, under President Zuma, education was declared t... more

Newsletter 293 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "ECD is a potential game-changer for Education in SA" - PART 5 - 2020-05-03

Early Childhood Development is a potential game-changer for education in South Africa  If education is to be a success, children need to enter school with the ability to learn.  Investment in early childhood development is the most powerful investment in human capital that a country can make, with compounding returns as skills beget ... more

Newsletter 292 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Restoring dignity to rural education, one school at a time" - PART 4 - 2020-05-03

Basic Education initiatives  The Department of Basic Education has launched several initiatives in recent years to drive educational improvement – some addressing teacher development and some strengthening other aspects of schooling. The democratic government has set on a new path and implemented the principles of social justice,... more

Newsletter 291 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Restoring dignity to rural education, one school at a time" - PART 3 - 2020-05-03

Restoring dignity to rural education, one school at a time  Every single week since July the Department of Basic Education has been handing over a school to communities in the Eastern Cape. This represents a revolutionary change of fortunes for thousands of learners in a region that is beset with poverty. But let’s start at ... more

Newsletter 290 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Teacher Education and Development" - PART 2 - 2020-05-03

Teacher education and development  Teacher quality and performance are rightly raised as matters of key concern in discussions on the schooling system in the country.  This has been recognised by government and stakeholders alike. This recognition led to the holding of a milestone  Teacher Development Summit &n... more

Newsletter 289 - Angie Motshekga - Minister of Education - "Quality of the NSC examinations" - PART 1 - 2020-05-03

The Minister of Education, Angie Motshekga has written a number of opinion pieces over the years...I have selected a few to share with you! Quality of the NSC examinations  On the occasion of the 2013/14 basic education budget debate I thanked our people for embracing President Jacob Zuma’s clarion call to make education a societal... more

Newsletter 288 - School Leadership Development - Innovation - PART 8 - 2020-05-02

Learning Transformed by Eric C. Sheninger and Thomas C. Murray (Internet) The leader as innovator – how to embed a culture of innovation in MSED schools. Leadership and school culture lay the foundation. The Role of Leadership Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about i... more

Newsletter 287 - School Leadership Development - Coaching - PART 7 - 2020-05-02

The Leader as Coach by Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular November–December 2019 Issue (Internet) Once upon a time, most people began successful careers by developing expertise in a technical, functional, or professional domain. Doing your job well meant having the right answers. If you could prove yourself that way, you’d... more

Newsletter 286 - School Leadership Development - Making Decisions - PART 6 - 2020-05-02

Great Leaders are Great Decision-Makers Three Qualities to Take the Paralysis out of Decision Analysis The leader as decision-maker By Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA (Internet) Great leaders understand how to balance emotion with reason and make decisions that positively impact themselves, their employees, their customers and stakeholders,... more

Newsletter 285 - School Leadership Development - Change Agents - PART 5b - 2020-05-01

Every Leader Must Be A Change Agent Or Face Extinction by Glenn Llopis (Internet) Leadership Strategy every leader must be a change agent Without strategy, change is merely substitution not evolution. In a workplace infused with top down, hierarchical, departmental silos, change management is the new requirement for leadership success.... more

Newsletter 284 - School Leadership Development - Change Agents - PART 5a - 2020-05-01

What are “change agents” and why are they the future of organisational culture? The leader as change agent By Simon Swan  December 19th 2018 (Internet) Organisations are currently undergoing a fundamental shift, away from how they were traditionally structured towards a structure that embraces digital transformat... more

Newsletter 283 - DBE "DRAFT" PLAN - COVID 19 - Reopening Schools... - 2020-04-30

A FEW INITIAL COMMENTS This plan is a huge undertaking The portfolio committee is not confifent that DBE can pull it off Neither does the public think so - very little confidence Reopening dates during preparations by the School Management Team, teachers and then learners needs more time - I will suggest two week before we reopen school... more

Newsletter 282 - School Leadership Development - Functional Teams - PART 4b - 2020-04-30

6 Essential Leadership Responsibilities that Build Effective Teams By JEFF WOLFMARCH 3, 2015 (Internet) Everybody in business, at one time or another, and probably more than once, has witnessed the results of poor leadership: listless and confused employees leading to stagnating sales, excess costs, and crumbling profits. ... more

Newsletter 281 - School Leadership Development - Functional Teams - PART 4a - 2020-04-30

Five principles of high-performing teams By Prof Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe And Juliette Alban-Metcalfe on 18 May 2018 (Internet) Building a fully-functional team In a volatile environment, organisations need teams that are engaged, productive and know what they’re working towards. How can we inspire team leade... more

Newsletter 280 - SA lockdown: Coercing the poor, coddling the rich? - 2020-04-30

SA lockdown: Coercing the poor, coddling the rich? M&G Seán Muller 20 Apr 2020     From the perspective of reducing the negative public health effects of the coronavirus, national lockdowns will almost certainly—if adhered to—reduce the number of coronaviru... more

Newsletter 279 - School Leadership Development - Leadership & Criticism - PART 3 - 2020-04-29

4 Constructive Ways Leaders Can Handle Criticism by Glenn Llopis (Internet) Leadership and criticism Criticism is a natural part of leadership. If no one is criticizing your leadership – you are not leading correctly. Leadership is not a popularity contest. Leadership is about always doing what is in the best interest... more

Newsletter 278 - School Leadership Development - Become a Better Leader - PART 2 - 2020-04-29

10 Ways to Become a Better Leader By Skye Schooley, Staff August 26, 2019 (Internet) “The leader as an individual - who wants to be a leader, and what does it take?” Learning how to be a good leader can greatly impact the success of your team, your organization and yourself. To be an effective leader, you must underst... more

Newsletter 277 - School Leadership Development - Leadership Styles - PART 1 - 2020-04-29

The 7 Most Common Leadership Styles (and How to Find Your Own) – by Bruna Martinuzzi (Internet) The leadership series are “Summarized & abridged” Notice how the characterization of the various styles of leadership overlap. See how many lessons we in school education can learn and apply from private business... more

Newsletter 276 - Equal Education - A Report on the State of South African Education - 2020-04-28

REPORT ON THE STATE OF SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION This report was published by the Equal Education Law Centre (“EELC”). The EELC is a public interest law centre with activist lawyers and researchers working to advance the struggle for quality and equality in education through legal research, advocacy and strategic litigation. The ... more

Newsletter 275 - Reports on Municipalities - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 8 - 2020-04-27

Auditor-general flags lack of accountability as the major cause of poor local government audit results PRETORIA – The auditor-general (AG), Kimi Makwetu, today released yet another set of municipal audit results that show an overall decline in audit results for the 2017-18 financial year. Reasons for the accountability failures The ... more

Newsletter 274 - Reports on Municipalities - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 7 - 2020-04-27

Auditor-general flags lack of accountability as the major cause of poor local government audit results PRETORIA – The auditor-general (AG), Kimi Makwetu, today released yet another set of municipal audit results that show an overall decline in audit results for the 2017-18 financial year. Releasing his latest report on the performan... more

Newsletter 273 - Reports on School & General - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 6 - 2020-04-26

AG Report 2018/2019 Full service schools WHAT IS A ‘FULL-SERVICE SCHOOL’? Full-service/inclusive schools are first and foremost mainstream education institutions that provide quality education to all learners by supplying the full range of learning needs in an equitable manner. They should strive to achieve ac... more

Newsletter 272 - Reports on School & General - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 5 - 2020-04-25

Auditor-General’s Report on Education district (2014/2015) “It is widely recognized that the country’s schooling system performs well below its potential and that improving basic education outcomes is a prerequisite for the country’s long-range development goals. Improved education will increase the skills and life c... more

Newsletter 271 - Reports on School & General - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 4 - 2020-04-24

D. National and provincial audit outcomes At national level, there was a regression in outcomes, with the number of clean audits decreasing to 23% of the total population. Provincially, the Western Cape and Gauteng continued to produce the best results – with 83% and 52% clean audits, respectively. Common to both provinces, the AG said... more

Newsletter 270 - Reports on School & General - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 3 - 2020-04-23

B. Auditees requiring urgent interventions The AG’s report revealed that the following auditee categories need urgent attention and focused interventions by national and provincial leadership and oversight structures: Departments of education, health and public works have poorest audits Departments of education, health and public... more

Newsletter 269 - Landing Page - 2020-04-22

Preserving & Cherishing the Earth An Appeal for Joint Commitment in Science & Religion Home | Up | Oxford Declaration on Global Warming "The earth was entrusted to man by God so that he would cultivate and safeguard it. When this principle is forgotten, [and men]... more

Newsletter 268 - Reports on School & General - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 2 - 2020-04-22

A glimpse at some of the report’s key findings the quality of the performance reports improved slightly to 65% of the auditees now publishing credible reports. However, the AGSA received performance reports for auditing with substantial misstatements at national level there was a regression in audit outcomes, with the number of clean ... more

Newsletter 267 - Reports on School & General - The Auditor-General of SA - PART 1 - 2020-04-21

The following series of articles focus on the work of the Auditor-General. Various reports have been abridged with a general focus on South African Education/Schooling. It is simply mind boggling that there is simply little to no consequence to the horrified findings in these various reports. In fact we ought to have a "Zondo Commission&quo... more

Newsletter 266 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 7 - 2020-04-20

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT: Ensure that, before any budget cuts are taken with respect to the funding of education, all less restrictive alternatives are considered; and that even during a period of resource scarcity the most disadvantaged are protected and prioritized. Reverse recent budget cuts and ensure that sp... more

Newsletter 265 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 6 - 2020-04-19

CONCLUSIONS South Africa has made significant progress on ensuring the right to education for pupils since the end of apartheid. Access has widened to the point where there is almost universal participation although the numbers of pupils dropping out before completing their basic education is concerning. However, in certain key areas as ... more

Newsletter 264 - "Broken & Unequal" - The State of Education in South Africa - Amnesty International - PART 5 - 2020-04-18

Clearly adequately fulfilling the right to education requires both sufficient resources and an effective means of allocating these resources to meet particular needs. South Africa has historically spent relatively well on education. Yet during the last decade spending has plateaued and then fallen both as a share of public expenditure as well ... more

Newsletter 263 - "Broken & Unequal" - The State of Education in South Africa - Amnesty International - PART 4 - 2020-04-17

When children do make it to school, they often find that teaching is hampered by a range of factors. These include an insufficient number of trained teachers many of whom have to teach in overcrowded classes with an increasing workload, while the government struggles to address teacher retention and recruitment. In some schools, classroom shor... more

Newsletter 262 - "Broken & Unequal" - The State of Education in South Africa - Amnesty International - PART 3 - 2020-04-16

Our findings were reinforced by a survey we conducted with the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) amongst 101 school governing body representatives in three provinces – Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Limpopo. Some of the key findings are that only 17% of respondents indicated that either all or most school buildings in thei... more

Newsletter 261 - "Broken & Unequal" - The State of Education in South Africa - Amnesty International - PART 2 - 2020-04-15

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY South Africa is failing too many of its young people when it comes to education. Although it has made significant progress since the end of apartheid in widening access this has not always translated into a quality education for all pupils. The system continues to be dogged by stark inequalities and chronic underperforma... more

Newsletter 260 - "Broken & Unequal" - The State of Education in South Africa - Amnesty International - PART 1 - 2020-04-14

Amnesty International delivered in early 2020 a report on a limited investigation of the South African Education System. The Report is called "Broken & Unequal" - The State of Education in South Africa; The report builds on and acknowledges the work of a number of national experts and NGOs who have been working on the issue of e... more

Newsletter 259 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 35 - 2020-04-13

ATTACHMENT 21 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 GUIDING PRINCIPLES (of the new circuit after wced restructuring) 1. The new circuit is not 2. An amalgamation 3. An integration or absorption 4. It is an entirely new Circuit 5. New vision and mission, systems and procedures 6. What has work well in old Crt 4 and 5 may be continu... more

Newsletter 258 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 34 - 2020-04-12

ATTACHMENT 20 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 EDUCATION MINISTER’S SPEECH – FOUNDATION PHASE Address by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor MP, at the Foundation Phase Conference. 30 September 2008 Master of Ceremonies International delegates Representatives of our partners in education from higher educatio... more

Newsletter 257 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 33 - 2020-04-11

ATTACHMENT 19 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 REPORT OF MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE: SCHOOLS THAT WORK EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Ministerial Committee on Schools that Work was tasked with carrying out a pilot study on a sample of schools in middle quintiles that succeeded in achieving good Senior Certificate results, while others in... more

Newsletter 256 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 32 - 2020-04-10

ATTACHMENT 18 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 LEARNER RETENTION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLING SYSTEM A MINISTERIAL REPORT In considering the provisions of the legislative framework, it is evident that the Department has a responsibility to account for all children of school-going age, whether they attend school or not. The ... more

Newsletter 255 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 31 - 2020-04-09

ATTACHMENT 17 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION LAW THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK SA CONSTITUTION – SUPREME LAW Bill of Rights: APPLY TO LEARNERS (THEY TOO ARE PEOPLE AND SA CITIZENS) Equality & Unfair discrimination Human dignity Life Freedom and Security Privacy Freedom of religion, belief, o... more

Newsletter 254 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 30 - 2020-04-08

ATTACHMENT 16 METROPOLE CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES VISITATION REGISTER ? It is the duty of the School Manager to keep the register updated ? Completed register to be submitted to IMG Advisor every month ? Submission on last Thursday at 10h00 DATE/TIME - OFFICIAL - PURPOSE - OUTCOME - COMMENT... more

Newsletter 253 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 29 - 2020-04-07

ATTACHMENT 15 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 PROFESSIONAL DUTY OF THE EDUCATOR - “FORWARD TOWARDS FULL ACCOUNTABILITY” ? Accountable ? Responsible ? Duty ? Liable ? Derelict of duty ? Neglect ? Discipline MANAGEMENT ? Allocate class, subject, learning area ? Educator responsible to facilitate the teach... more

Newsletter 252 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 28 - 2020-04-06

ATTACHMENT 14 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 THE FACTS AND OUR CURRENT REALITY SCHOOL PLAN ? High rate of poverty and unemployment ? High rate of crime, gangster activity ? High rate of vandalism ? High rate of drug distribution and abuse ? Low rate of parent involvement ? Low rate of parent literacy ? Young and single ... more

Newsletter 250 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 26 - 2020-04-05

ATTACHMENT 11 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 VALIDATION CERTIFICATE I hereby declare under oath that the promotion and progression schedules presented to the IMG Manager have been internally moderated in terms of our School Internal Quality Management System (SIQMS). NAME/       RANK/    DATE O... more

Newsletter 251 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 27 - 2020-04-05

ATTACHMENT 13 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 RESOLUTIONS AT POLOKWANE 2007/8 ON EDUCATION, 32 The overarching vision that informs ANC education policy is People's Education for People's Power. 33 Vulnerable children of veterans must be taken care of by the state. 34 Career guidance be a compulsory subject from grade ... more

Newsletter 249 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 25 - 2020-04-04

ATTACHMENT 10 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES Code of Good Practice ? Punctual ? Task focused ? Use discretion and prerogative wisely 1 School Principal – Absence (full or part of day) from school ? Informs IMG Manager (supervisor) (order of preference-use cell-phone, leave message if busy,... more

Newsletter 248 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 24 - 2020-04-03

ATTACHMENT 9 METROPOLE CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 SCHOOL SELF EVALUATION (WSE) PRINCIPALS GUIDE MAKING PREPARATION ? Log on to the WCED Quality Assurance web-site – there you will find copy of the documentation. Get help to change the format in order for you to populate data onto the pro-forma forms – now you hav... more

Newsletter 247 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 23 - 2020-04-02

ATTACHMENT 8 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 EDUCATION MANUALS 1 School Records Management 2 Guide to School Management Teams 3 Whole School Evaluation 4 Basic financial systems for schools 5 Policy handbook for educators 6 Guidelines for school managers and governors (Principals Guide) 7 Guide for RCL’s 8 Understand... more

Newsletter 246 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 22 - 2020-04-01

ATTACHMENT 7 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION REPORTING FORMAT SEMESTER ONE [January-June] / TWO [July-December] What have you planned STATUS Constraints or positive contributing factors Strategic lessons learnt School Improvement Plan Timeframe Duty and Respo... more

Newsletter 245 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 21 - 2020-03-31

ATTACHMENT 6 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 STAFF INFORMATION 2009 FULL NAME&SURNAME/ PERSAL/ STATUS/ DESIGNATION/ HIGHEST QUALIFICATION/ DOB/ EXPERIENCE Status ? Permanent ? Contract ? Substitute ? SGB   ... more

Newsletter 244 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 20 - 2020-03-30

ATTACHMENT 4 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING LESSONS LEARNT ? Letters submitted to be signed by both principal and chairperson of the SGB ? One set of priorities to be “action planned” or “strategic planning” ? List of inventories and stock-registers ? Budget – no me... more

Newsletter 243 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 19 - 2020-03-29

ATTACHMENT 3 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 “DOES SIZE MATTER” The critical issue of class size has been recognized as a major challenge to education provisioning and modern and contemporary schooling. Part of the debate is the difficult trade-off between affordability (access) and quality of learning and teaching.... more

Newsletter 241 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 17 - 2020-03-28

ATTACHMENT 1 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 BOOK REVIEW TITLE: “KNOW-HOW: The Eight Skills that Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don’t” by Ram Charan THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BOOK/CONTEXT ? Contemporary challenge to managers to also assume the role of leader ? Assumption - no real separation of M... more

Newsletter 242 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 18 - 2020-03-28

ATTACHMENT 2 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT CIRCUIT 6 ENROLMENT 2009 Document (data completed – actual learners admitted) to be submitted to the District Office (fax 659-4310) by 10h00 on each school day for the first two weeks of January 2009 (to be submitted on the 1st day for learners, thereafter every MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY... more

Newsletter 240 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 16 - 2020-03-26

10 METRO CENTRAL EDUCATION DISTRICT - CIRCUIT 6 ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLAN 2009 1 OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLES ? Members of the Circuit Team will be held accountable for gate-keeping ? Circuit Team Manager is the immediate supervisor ? Each member of the Circuit Team a Departmental Official ? All school visit to include a Standard Operating Procedur... more

Newsletter 239 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 15 - 2020-03-25

9 SCHOOL INTERNAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SIQMS) Assumptions ? SIQMS focus on curriculum implementation ? SIQMS does not replace existing departmental assessment policy ? Bridge the strategic gap between planning and implementation ? Peer moderation (between two or more schools) ? This gap implies ? Monitoring and evaluation ? Superv... more

Newsletter 238 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 14 - 2020-03-24

7 SCHOOL RECORDS AND ADMINISTRATION CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Frontline Operations & Hospitality 3 Communications 4 School Governing Body Records 5 School Management Records 6 Administrative Records 7 Learner Records INTRODUCTION The purpose of this guide is not to reinvent the wheel on a topic as “School Records and Admin... more

Newsletter 237 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 13 - 2020-03-22

7 WSE – “BODY OF EVIDENCE” DOCUMENT FOCUS AREA                                        EVIDENCE      &... more

Newsletter 236 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 12 - 2020-03-20

6 SCHOOL ANNUAL PLAN - THE NINE FOCUS AREAS BASIC FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SCHOOL [ORGANISATION] Purpose: To evaluate whether the school can function efficiently and effectively and realize its educational and social goals Sources of data: School policies and procedures Staff duty lists Timetables Responses from parents and learners Attendan... more

Newsletter 235 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 11 - 2020-03-18

5     SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION (SSE) - The Format STANDARD ITEM                                            YE... more

Newsletter 234 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 10 - 2020-03-13

4   SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT PLANNING THE CONCEPT AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Over the years we have been experimenting with various concepts to best define, explain and illustrate the planning in schools as a unique (complex) but also a common (simple & plain) type of organization. At the very heart of School Developmen... more

Newsletter 235 - On our Watch - 2020-03-09

ON OUR WATCH – AN UPDATE SINCE 1994 It has been more than 26 years since the African National Congress has governed South Africa. We all knew it then that governance is far more challenging than protesting…we just never knew it transformation was going to take forever. Strengthening of a “Three-tiered socio-political-ec... more

Newsletter 234 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 9 - 2020-03-06

3 CONTEMPORARY MACRO POLICIES WHICH WILL IMPACT ON SCHOOL MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP THE OCCUPATIONAL SPECIFIC DISPENSATION (OSD) TARGET: School as Organization School Management (Principal & Deputy) STATUS: ? Negotiation/Bargaining with Unions ongoing ? Framework of the OSD has been approved and signed off PROVISIONS: ? New sa... more

Newsletter 233 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 8 - 2020-03-03

2.4 THE CIRCUIT TEAM MANAGER’S VIEW AND OPINION Our arrival at this point today has been a culmination of many years of investment in Human Capital Development, expanding both the knowledge base and skills of school principals and deputy principals under the leadership of the Circuit Team Manager. We have conducted numerous conversations, ... more

Newsletter 232 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 7 - 2020-02-28

2.3 MICRO-LEVEL ISSUES Educational and socio-economic life in Circuit 6 is very similar. Our Circuit covers the following demarcated areas ? Hanover Park ? Manenberg ? Heideveld ? Vanguard Undoubtedly, extreme poverty levels in and the surrounding feeder community is having a profound negative effect on learning and teaching in these ar... more

Newsletter 231 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 6 - 2020-02-21

2.2 MESO-LEVEL FACTORS “EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS” will form amongst others the basis of the District Education Management Plan; ? Access - Admission and placement of learners ? School Development Plans ? IQMS ? Merger of schools ? Learner discipline ? Educator discipline and morale ? Support to SGBs ? “Dysfunctional School&r... more

Newsletter 230 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 5 - 2020-02-18

The main purpose of this manual is to provide school principals with a GUIDE to School Development and Improvement Planning (SDP), PRESCRIBE SDP, provide for a MINIMUM STANDARD in SDP and finally to STANDARDIZE SDP. SDP is the process and outcome of the sum-total School Annual Planning (SAP) and School Improvement Planning (SIP). School Principal... more

Newsletter 229 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 4 - 2020-02-10

Remember, ? Effort does not guarantee success ? Acknowledge and reward good practice ? As manager you are paid to look after assets/resources ? Every line manager is a human resource manager ? Human resource managers create an enabling environment for staff and look after the most important asset namely people, “customers and clients&rdq... more

Newsletter 228 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 3 - 2020-02-07

HUMAN CAPITAL Human capital for me rest on two pillars namely the Human Resource Management and Development and Social Capital (social networks which create in society an enabling and supportive environment). “The term human capital may not be familiar to all of you. Human capital refers to the skills, education, health, and training of i... more

Newsletter 227 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 2 - 2020-02-06

1 INTRODUCTION As an introduction to SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT and IMPROVEMENT planning let us speak about the nature of man and the nature of work. “Regarding the nature of work, the orthodox view accepts the Old Testament belief that physical labour is a curse imposed on man as a punishment for his sins and that the sensible man labours so... more

Newsletter 226 - School Development & Improvement Planning 2006-2009 - PART 1 - 2020-02-04

As Circuit Manager in the Western Cape Education Department I formulated a school development and improvement strategy [in the form of a Principal's Manual] which included a school operational plan. The year was 2005-2009. Herewith extracts that is still very relevant today as it was more than ten (10) years ago.   WESTERN CAPE EDUCA... more

Newsletter 225 - Professionalizing Principalship Part 5-7 - 2019-11-28

  PART 5 Conclusion 3 From the aforementioned, it is clear that there have been calls in South Africa for the professionalisation of the post of school principal for more than 30 years. It is, however, less clear what the role of the Department of Education is in this regard. Aim of the investigation Seen in the light of the pre... more

Newsletter 224 - Professionalizing Principalship Part 4 - 2019-11-22

PART 4 Conclusion 2 From all the documentation since 1970, a number of commonalities appear to be present, namely: A national qualification policy should direct and control the training of school principals compulsory training should be provided to school principals; the training and development of school principals should receive a... more

Newsletter 224 - Professionalizing Principalship Part 3 - 2019-11-15

PART 3 Conclusion 1 A common denominator, evident from the above-named documents in the international arena, is that the formal training and professional development (pre-service and in-service training and development) of school principals can only be made real, effective practice if it forms part of a national qualification policy. If ... more

Newsletter 223 - Professionalizing Principalship Part 2 - 2019-11-09

Professionalising principalship in South Africa Philip van der Westhuizen and Herman van Vuuren PART 2 In 2007 Philip and Herman argued for the professionalization of principalship in South Africa. Lots have happened since. We now have a policy of principalship and a new qualification called Advance Diploma in Education…a further e... more

Newsletter 222 - Professionalizing Principalship Part 1 - 2019-11-03

Professionalising principalship in South Africa Philip van der Westhuizen and Herman van Vuuren   PART 1 He (Duncan Hindle) emphasised that evidence indicated over and over again that good school leadership leads to good school results In 2007 Philip and Herman argued for the professionalization of principalship in South Africa... more

Newsletter 221 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 7 - 2019-10-25

Teaching students with diverse ability levels and needs On average in South Africa, 29% of teachers work in classes with at least 10% of students with special needs (i.e. those for whom a special learning need has been formally identified because they are mentally, physically, or emotionally disadvantaged), which is not significantly differen... more

Newsletter 220 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 6 - 2019-10-19

How do teachers and school leaders keep up-to-date in their profession? Taking part in some kind of in-service training is commonplace among teachers and principals in South Africa, with 91% of teachers (OECD average 94%) and 96% of principals (OECD average 99%) attending at least one professional development activity in the year prior to the... more

Newsletter 219 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 5 - 2019-10-11

How are teachers and school leaders prepared for their roles? Teachers’ typical educational attainment is higher than that of the general adult population in South Africa, but lower than in any other country or economy participating in TALIS. More than one out of two teachers (56%) have completed a short-cycle tertiary programme (OECD a... more

Newsletter 218 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 4 - 2019-10-04

What practices are teachers using in the classroom? Among the range of instructional practices, TALIS asks teachers about, those aimed at clarity of instruction are widely applied in South Africa, as well as across the OECD countries and economies participating in TALIS. For instance, 87% of teachers report frequently explaining how new and o... more

Newsletter 217 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 3 - 2019-09-27

Who are today’s principals and teachers and the students in their classrooms? Teaching was the first-choice career for 49% of teachers in South Africa, which is the lowest share of teachers among all countries and economies participating in TALIS (OECD average 67%). In terms of why they joined the profession, at least 97% of teachers in... more

Newsletter 216 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 2 - 2019-09-21

Key features of TALIS 2018 TALIS uses questionnaires administered to teachers and their school principals to gather data. Its main goal is to generate internationally comparable information relevant to developing and implementing policies focused on school leaders, teachers and teaching, with an emphasis on those aspects that affect student lear... more

Newsletter 215 - SA TALIS 2018 ( TEACHING & LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY) - PART 1 - 2019-09-14

TALIS PART 1 Foreword by Minister Angie Motshekga (DBE) The identity of a 21st century teacher is rapidly changing. Teachers are faced with a pressing challenge of preparing learners adequately with skills and knowledge for them to be active andcontributing citizens of a Fourth Industrial Revolution. In the South African context, issues of ... more

Newsletter 214 - IRR POLICY PAPER - The South African Education Crisis: “Giving power back to parents” - 2019-09-06

IRR POLICY PAPER, MAY 2018 The South African Education Crisis: “Giving power back to parents” - PART 2 What is the solution? Parents need more choice, both in where they send their children and in how their schools are run. Although private schools are often perceived as being bastions of privilege, this is not always... more

Newsletter 213 - IRR POLICY PAPER - The South African Education Crisis: “Giving power back to parents” - 2019-08-30

A SUMMARY OF THE IRR POLICY PAPER, MAY 2018 - PART 1 The South African Education Crisis: “Giving power back to parents” Why are our schools failing? It is clear that South African schools are failing to adequately educate our children. Our grade fours are barely able to read, and most people drop out before they even ... more

Newsletter 212 - When The Earth Burned by Nikita Gill - 2019-08-25

“Where were you when the earth burned?” they will ask, and we will explain to them about Brexit and Trump and Fake News and billionaires and corporate taxes and big oil and how it wasn’t just the earth burning, but also Afghanistan and Syria and Yemen and Kashmir and Sudan were bleeding too and the ice caps we... more

Newsletter 211 - "Learning to Read and Write for Meaning and Pleasure" - 2019-08-16

NIC SPAULL - "Learning to Read and Write for Meaning and Pleasure"   A SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE - PART 2 AN OVERVIEW OF EARLY GRADE READING OUTCOMES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Any discussion of early literacy in developing countries would be incomplete without a short overview of the nationally representative learning ou... more

Newsletter 210 - "Learning to Read and Write for Meaning and Pleasure" - 2019-08-10

NIC SPAULL - "Learning to Read and Write for Meaning and Pleasure" A SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE - PART 1 Learning to read and write for meaning and pleasure are arguably the two most important skills that children learn in primary school. Yet, a consistent body of research points to the fact that the vast majority of children in ... more

Newsletter 209 - Teachers...Let's Innovate! - 2019-08-02

TEACHERS…LET’S INNOVATE! By now all of us have been exposed to the conversation about the two options we have; innovate or die…organizationally I mean. When the discourse about the need to innovate OR change goes around we normally chat about three strategic things or matters namely; Structures & Systems Functions... more

Newsletter 208 - Psycho-social Support Directorate hosted a Professional Assault Response Training (PART) - 2019-07-23

This newsletter appeared on the DBE website. Many South African schools, teachers and learners are faced with the reality of violence, substance abuse and bullying on a daily basis. Many of these negative behavioural patterns have psychosocial origins, and severely disrupt the learning and teaching process whilst causing trauma and anxiety among... more

Newsletter 207 - What parents think of the South African Education System - 2019-07-21

Ipsos, in collaboration with the Varkey Foundation, has released its annual Global Parents survey, looking at parents’ perceptions of education and the schools they send their children to. Parents were polled on what they think of schools, what their priorities would be for education, and how well they think their children are prepared for... more

Newsletter 206 - What teachers should know about the LAZY & BIAS of the brain - 2019-07-11

WHAT TEACHERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LAZY BRAIN The brain is an incredible organ But it is lazy To cope with all the data & information it is defaulted to act quickly and efficiently Often getting things wrong Making common errors in judgment Known as cognitive biases Taking shortcuts along the way These shortcuts are determi... more

Newsletter 205 - Change Management - 2019-07-06

CHANGE MANAGEMENT This is a summary of an article written by Jon Katzenbach et al in Skyways. The author argues that “noting individual behaviours can help employers create a positive company culture” Leaders should understand how to harness emotional energy to drive priorities from diagnosing to directing How do leaders enco... more

Newsletter 204 - "Understanding School Violence" - A Reality Check! - 2019-06-07

It is said that the social cohesion of a society is measured best how it treats it most vulnerable; children and the elderly. This week I travelled to the Northern Cape and was horrified by the stories I am about to share with you. Stories that will leave you cold but also have you in tears.  A local newspaper in Kathu reported that a le... more

Newsletter 203 - Department of Basic Education (DBE) WORKBOOKS - 2019-05-31

These are articles which appears on the DBE website! "The DBE workbooks, a project initiated by Basic Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekga during 2014, in addition to the existing Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM), added value to the improvement of quality education in South Africa. During 2014 to 2019, the DBE has consist... more

Newsletter 202 - "Understand School Violence 6" - 2019-05-24

SIX This group of articles is a summary of a web link by the “Western Cape Education Department (WCED). (24 May 2018). Safe Schools Programme. SaferSpaces”  https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/safe-schools-programme Conclusion South Africa has a robust policy framework dedicated to preventing and respo... more

Newsletter 201 - "Understanding School Violence 5" - 2019-05-17

This group of articles is a summary of a web link by the “Western Cape Education Department (WCED). (24 May 2018). Safe Schools Programme. SaferSpaces”  https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/safe-schools-programme FIVE Addressing School Violence: Policies and Frameworks  The Depa... more

Newsletter 200 - "Understanding School Violence 4" - 2019-05-10

This group of articles is a summary of a web link by the “Western Cape Education Department (WCED). (24 May 2018). Safe Schools Programme. SaferSpaces”  https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/safe-schools-programme FOUR The Impact of School Violence  Consequences of School Violenc... more

Newsletter 199 - "Understanding School Violence 3!" - 2019-05-04

THREE This group of articles is a summary of a web link by the “Western Cape Education Department (WCED). (24 May 2018). Safe Schools Programme. SaferSpaces”  https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/safe-schools-programme What are the Risk Factors?  Individual Factors Individual risk factor... more

Newsletter 198 - "Understanding School Violence 2!" - 2019-04-26

This group of articles is a summary of a web link by the “Western Cape Education Department (WCED). (24 May 2018). Safe Schools Programme. SaferSpaces”  https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/safe-schools-programme Physical Violence In high violence neighbourhoods where weapons are easily available, physical... more

Newsletter 197 - "Understanding School Violence!" - 2019-04-23

ONE This group of articles is a summary of a web link by the “Western Cape Education Department (WCED). (24 May 2018). Safe Schools Programme. SaferSpaces”  https://www.saferspaces.org.za/be-inspired/entry/safe-schools-programme INTRODUCTION Violence in schools is a global phenomenon, with South Africa being no exc... more

Newsletter 196 - WHAT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ASTHMA – THE SCOURGE AMONG OUR CHILDREN – A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO ODETTE - 2019-04-12

WHAT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ASTHMA – THE SCOURGE AMONG OUR CHILDREN – A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO ODETTE My family is riddled with asthma and breathing illnesses and anomalies. We buried my youngest daughter Odette and her cousin Terry (youngest daughter of my youngest sister) whom died in similar fashion of asthma. My father and mi... more

Newsletter 195 - CODING - 2019-04-07

This article appears on the Department of Basic Education (DBE) website! The Department of Basic Education (DBE), in partnership with Standard Bank and Africa Teen Greeks, has put together a team of experts in the field of Computer Applications Technology (CAT) and Information Technology (IT) to write a Digital Skills Curriculum f... more

Newsletter 194 - ECD - President Ramaphosa - SONA - Nic Spaull - Tito Mboweni - Minister of Finance - Reading? - 2019-03-29

(This article First Appeared in the Financial Mail on the 21st of February 2019 under the title "Tablets won't cure pupil problems", online here)  Reading through the Treasury’s meticulous budget documents the contrast between the State of the Nation (SONA) and the Budget becomes starkly apparent. SONA is the a... more

Newsletter 193 - Nic Spaull - Educational Research Links - 2019-03-22

I think Nic Spaull is simply great and prolific when it comes to posting educational research. Here is his latest contribution...Enjoy! Useful new research: Fundamentally important new Working Paper (May 2018) by Prof Martin Gustafsson on "Understanding the sharp primary level enrolment increases beginning in 2011 in SA"  --... more

Newsletter 192 - DBE Second Chance Matric Support Programme - 2019-03-14

This article appears on the Department of Basic Education (DBE)   The 2019 Second Chance Matric Support Programme Roadshows have commenced in full force. Basic Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekga, embarked on a nationwide campaign to encourage the youth to join the Second Chance Matric Support Programme (SCMSP) last year.   ... more

Newsletter 191 - The Reading "Revolution" - DBE, President Ramaphosa, Nal’ibali - 2019-03-09

THE READING “REVOLUTION” This article appears on the Department of Basic Education (DBE) Basic Education Director-General, Mr Hubert Mathanzima Mweli, called upon provincial officials and school principals to strengthen a culture of reading when he visited the Eastern Cape and Limpopo Provinces during 28 to 31 January 2019, to ens... more

Newsletter 190 - Advocacy – More Accounting & Business Studies in Schools - 2019-03-01

Advocacy – More Accounting & Business Studies in Schools   This article appears on the Department of Basic Education (DBE)   The status of learner participation of, and the success rate in Accounting and Business Studies continue to call for urgent attention in the Basic Education Sector.   Chief Education... more

Newsletter 189 - School Assessments - 2019-02-25

This article appears on the Department of Basic Education (DBE) website   SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS “It is critical to prioritise the improvement of systemic and formal assessments in schools as we move towards improving quality learning outcomes in the General Education and Training band. Acting Director for National Assessment, Dr... more

Newsletter 188 - Blueprint by Robert Plomin review – how DNA dictates who we are! - 2019-02-08

Blueprint by Robert Plomin review – how DNA dictates who we are This Is a review of his book…internet “The GUARDIAN” Plomin is “begging” us to allow the science to direct our actions, our planning” Let's listen to the science! “We will soon be able to identify the likelihood that a n... more

Newsletter 187 - Nic Spaull attended a dialogue with the President – “What Needs to be Done!” - 2019-02-01

Nic Spaull attended a dialogue with the President – “What Needs to be Done!” What are your thoughts? Here is a guide. Remember that there should be a contextual, conceptual and contingent relationship between the contexts of “the problem” (which includes the “facts” of the background, context and challen... more

Newsletter 186 - Matric 2018 & HEI 2019 - 2019-01-25

Welcome back teachers. It has been a very short break. I am sure you are all happy to be back. We start 2019 with two consecutive research articles written by Nic Spaull; the matric results, higher education and “what needs to be done” to revitalize SA stagnant economy. Matric 2018 “Every year we have our national jamboree a... more

Newsletter 185 - Effective Meetings - 2018-11-24

Newsletter 185 – Effective Meetings In the Argus of 10-12 November (Talent Section), Emmanuel Zvada  a HRD consultant wrote an interesting article on “How to make workplace meetings effective” “The true reflection of many meetings is that they are often derailed from their main focus, take to long, do not actually... more

Newsletter 184 - Phonic and Reading - DBE - 2018-11-16

Newsletter 184 – Phonics & Reading INTERNET 2018   Synthetic phonics: the mainspring   Extract   When we read, we retrieve and put together information that has been set down using the alphabetic system, and when we write, we use it to represent, in order, the sounds that we would otherwise say. This is... more

Newsletter 183 - Phonics and Reading - 2018-11-09

Newsletter 183 – Phonics and Reading 14 Phonic Rules for Reading and Spelling by Ginny Osewalt Phonics instruction teaches the connection between word sounds and written letters. It’s a key part of learning to read. But phonics instruction also teaches spelling patterns. For success in both reading and spelling, here ar... more

Newsletter 182 - Phonics and Reading - 2018-11-01

Newsletter 182 – Phonics & Reading   Teaching Reading (and Writing) in the Foundation Phase May 2016 Elizabeth Pretorius (UNISA); Mary-Jane Jackson (Fort Hare University); Veronica McKay (UNISA); Sarah Murray (Rhodes University); Nic Spaull (Stellenbosch University)   Extract   “Decoding refers... more

Newsletter 181 - Teach teachers the science of "teaching children to read" - 2018-10-28

"Teach teachers the science of teaching children to read" Hard Words Why aren't kids being taught to read? “An American Story” https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read Nic Spaull argues that  "I don't think it's overstepping the ma... more

Newsletter 180 - Standards for South African Education - SACE Teaching Standards - 2018-10-26

Newsletter 180 - Standards for South African Education - SACE Teaching Standards By now we are all aware of the ten teaching standards advertised by SACE. It gives the appearance of a “breyani” of teacher and teaching competences, a hint of socio-political theory and a complete lack of philosophy and a structured change theory. One o... more

Newsletter 179 - Speech by Kofi Annan - 2018-10-12

Kofi Annan passed away recently. These five newsletters are in his honour. Kofi gave the keynote address at the “The Fifth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture” in 2007. I have decided for purposes of effect and impact to breaking it down into five bite size pieces 1© 2018 Nelson Mandela Foundation  Thank you Graça, Pres... more

Newsletter 178 - Speeches by Albert Einstein - 2018-10-05

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Nobel Anniversary celebration takes on a special significance this year.  Well after our deadly struggle of many years, we are at peace again; or what we are supposed to consider as peace.  And it bears a still more significant significance for the physicists who, in one way or another, were connected with ... more

Newsletter 177 - Speeches by Albert Einstein - Science & Humanity - 2018-09-28

Ladies and Gentlemen who are present and who are not!   When you hear the radio think also about the fact how people have come to possess such a wonderful tool of communication. The origin of all technical achievements is the divine curiosity and the play instinct of the working and thinking researcher as w... more

Newsletter 176 - Albert Einstein - 2018-09-20

Albert Einstein Quotes "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." "Imagination is more important than knowledge." "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love." &quo... more

Newsletter 175 - Managing good interpersonal relationships in schools - 2018-09-12

IN SCHOOLS IT’S ALL ABOUT MANAGING GOOD INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS The people directly involve in the learning and teaching in schools are                                            learners          ... more

Newsletter 174 - Learners with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - 2018-09-07

“Developmental disabilities and behavioral problems among school children in the Western Cape of South Africa” by Ellen Giarelli, Darren L. Clarke, Christopher Catching , Sarah J. Ratcliffe Fetal alcohol syndrome and DD and BP Developmental disabilities (DD) and behavior problems (BP) It is well known that alcohol use and alcoh... more

Newsletter 173 - Learners with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - 2018-08-31

“Fetal alcohol syndrome among Grade 1 schoolchildren in Northern Cape Province: Prevalence and risk factors” by Michael Urban, Matthew F Chersich, Leigh-Anne Fourie, Candice Chetty, Leana Olivier, Denis Viljoen Whereas the average prevalence of FAS in high-income countries has been estimated at 0.97/1 000 rates reported from Wellingt... more

Newsletter 172 - Learners with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - 2018-08-23

 “Intervention and the Child with FAS” by Lyn Weiner, Barbara A. Morse Although the research is sparse, it appears that specific interventions may help children with FAS better overcome their cognitive and behavioral problems. Special strategies such as consistency, a structured environment, and attention to learning skills can ... more

Newsletter 171 - Learners with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - 2018-08-17

The next four newsletters will focus on research done on children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The articles will look at the learning disabilities and the demand this place on teachers and the education system. The areas covered is firstly general articles about the syndrome in international context, secondly FAS in the Northern Cape and last... more

Newsletter 170 - School Governance - Neglect or Derelict of Duty - 2018-08-10

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE 1 One of the most profound changes in the transformation of the South African schooling system has been the introduction of the democratically elected school governing body (SGB). SGB’s has significantly changed the terrain of school governance but has brought with it serious unintended consequences the like of a crisi... more

Newsletter 169 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Recommendations relating to the Provincial Education Departments and Department of Basic Education - 2018-08-02

RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO PEDs AND DBE RECOMMENDATION 7—MINIMISING THE LOSS OF TEACHING TIME: A standard must be set regarding the number of teacher days in each term that cannot be exceeded attending workshops, union meetings, memorial services, sporting events and cultural activities. There are substantial variations among schools i... more

Newsletter 168 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Recommendations relating to the Education District Office - 2018-07-27

RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO DISTRICTS Our findings point to the need for major departures from business-as-usual for many district office staff in order to realize effective learning in all schools. Because many districts have limited capacity, they need to consider limiting improvement initiatives to a few fundamental efforts. Three areas th... more

Newsletter 167 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Recommendations relating to Schools - 2018-07-19

RECOMMENDATIONS Every child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of his or her family’s income or background. There is a need, therefore, to think beyond what is known as the traditional means of education and find a new vision for academics in our education system. This new vision must encompass several forward thinking, innovati... more

Newsletter 166 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Conclusion - 2018-07-12

Newsletter 166 CONCLUSION There are five important conclusions that were drawn from the assessment of a variety of strategies and practices exhibited by the top performing schools.   Firstly, there are no magic potions, no single golden bullet or any earth-shattering practice to delivering improved learning outcomes and reducing ac... more

Newsletter 165 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - What Makes Schools That Work "TICK" - 2018-06-29

4.7 WHAT MAKES SCHOOLS THAT WORK 'TICK’?   This report has documented best practices that are exhibited by high-performing schools. They are intended to assist school improvement planning by focusing on essential ‘supports’ for learning. School managers and teachers may not endorse all best practices presented here,... more

Newsletter 164 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Learning Outcomes - 2018-06-21

4.6 LEARNING OUTCOMES Learning outcomes are not only defined in terms of what learners will know but also what they will be able to do or demonstrate as they progress through each grade and phase. Thus, learning outcomes, as defined in this study, refer to observable and measurable outputs with regard to knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This st... more

Newsletter 163 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Exam Preparation - 2018-06-15

BEST PRACTICE 6.5—EXAM PREPARATION: Teachers expertly prepare learners for the NSC examinations in ways that do not detract from real learning such as “teaching to the test” As Langer (2001) found in her study, data in the present study also suggests that teachers use both integrated and separated approaches to prepare learners fo... more

Newsletter 162 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Effective use of Assessment - 2018-06-10

BEST PRACTICE 6.4—EFFECTIVE USE OF ASSESSMENT TO ADVANCE LEARNING: Assessments are used regularly to measure what students know and are able to do, and to evaluate teachers’ teaching strategies. Teachers described how they use the assessment loop as a routine teaching process in their work to help learners know what to do to move fro... more

Newsletter 161 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Effective Homework - 2018-06-02

BEST PRACTICE 6.3—EFFECTIVE HOMEWORK: Schools use homework effectively to strengthen or re-inforce skills taught in class, advance classroom lessons and maximise positive outcomes. Schools that work use a “community approach,” characterised by a working environment where teachers, parents, and students work together as partners... more

Newsletter 160 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Teaching Strategies - 2018-05-26

BEST PRACTICE 6.2—Teaching strategies: Teachers use effective and empirically-tested teaching strategies to engage learners in a lesson, develop critical thinking skills, and keep learners on task. Most scholars agree that effective leadership is among the most important characteristics of effective schools, equally important is effective tea... more

Newsletter 159 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - High Learning Time - 2018-05-19

BEST PRACTICE 6.1—HIGH LEARNING TIME: Teaching time is managed tightly to make every minute count. Managing teaching time tightly to make every minute count is a prevalent practice in all highperforming schools. To do this, SMTs tighten up their monitoring systems to ensure that teachers use time within the day and across the year efficiently... more

Newsletter 158 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Quality of Teaching - 2018-05-11

THEME 6: QUALITY OF TEACHING The statement of best practices that follows expresses key study findings about the role of quality of teaching in school improvement. These findings convey convictions and practices common to highperforming schools: Teaching and learning is the first priority in high-performing schools. Teaching is judged to b... more

Newsletter 157 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Professional Development & Collaboration - 2018-05-04

THEME 5: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COLLABORATION The statement of best practices that follows expresses key study findings about the role of professional development and collaboration in school improvement. These findings convey convictions and practices common to high-performing schools. Teachers receive professional development in a variety... more

Newsletter 156 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - School Leadership & Management - 2018-05-01

THEME 4: SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Very rarely have schools been turned around without the leadership from the Principal who has set clear priorities and goals that are followed through by the staff. Many other factors contribute to positive change in schools, but in high-performing schools in this study, leadership is the catalyst. Princ... more

Newsletter 155 - NEEDU Schools that Work II - Enabling Conditions for School Improvement - 2018-04-20

NEEDU: Schools that Work II Lessons from the Ground ENABLING CONDITIONS The statement of best practices that follows expresses key study findings about the role of enabling conditions in school improvement. These findings convey practices that are common to high performing schools: The best practices are organised under five sub-themes namely... more

Newsletter 154 - SPECIAL EDITION! School Violence - 2018-04-16

SPECIAL EDITION – SCHOOL VIOLENCE As teachers I hope you had an opportunity to read the article in the Sunday Times 08 April 2018 “Teachers Face Violent Attacks – by Pupils”. I was horrified. This ugly matter keep cropping up…it seems not be going away.   Research suggests that schools must take responsibil... more

Newsletter 153 - Schools that Work II Lessons from the groud - NEEDU - In School Factors (Internal) - 2018-04-12

NEEDU: Schools that Work II Lessons from the Ground TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS [IN-SCHOOL FACTORS] “Five in-school factors or themes and their sub-themes identified through open and axial coding of data are learner-centred climate, enabling conditions, professional development and collaboration, school leadership and management, and qual... more

Newsletter 152 - NEEDU - Schools That Work II - Out of School Factors (External) - 2018-03-23

INTRODUCTION “The out-of-school factors (OSFs), sometimes called “outside forces,” affect the learning opportunities of learners, and accordingly limit what schools can accomplish on their own. Hattie’s (2009) synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement suggests that while the school does not have control ... more

Newsletter 151 - Schools That Work II - Lessons from the ground - 2018-03-16

Schools that Work II - Lessons from the Ground Background “In June 2007, the then Minister of Education, Minister Naledi Pandor, MP, established a Committee to conduct a study on schools in quintiles 2 to 4 that performed well in the Senior Certificate exams. Called, “Schools that Work,” the study explored, the circumstances... more

Newsletter 150 - WCED Circular 41/2017 - WSE, SSE, SIP - 2018-03-09

WCED Circular 41/2017 dated 14 October 2017 – Whole School Evaluation (WSE) & School Self Evaluation (SSE) & School Improvement Planning (SIP) – an abridged version. Annual management processes such as School Self-Evaluations (SSEs), School Improvement Plans (SIPs), budgeting and reporting are required in all public schools i... more

Newsletter 149 - Circular D2 - Underperforming schools - 2018-03-02

The following fourteen (14) newsletters will focus on the performance of the South African domestic schooling system. Three pieces of important data will be the focus namely a circular from the Basic Education Minister to all political role-players school managers, governors and school administrators; a circular to school managers and governors fro... more

Newsletter 148 - Teacher Performance and its Impact on Learning - 2018-02-23

Thomas L. Good (University of Arizona) & Alyson L. Lavigne (Roosevelt University) wrote an article on “Teacher Performance Stability” for the Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 23 No. 2. INTRODUCTION “Morgan, Hodge, Trepinski, and Anderson (2014) have written a useful article providing data to demonstrate both the l... more

Newsletter 147 - QLTC - Renew your pledge - 2018-02-16

Being the beginning of 2018 I thought it fit to restate the noble qualities of “The quality learning and teaching campaign” Extract from the Kliptown Pledges CODE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION As a DEPARTMENTAL OFFICIAL, I promise to: ensure that all schools receive the necessary resources, on time, for teaching to commence; en... more

Newsletter 146 - Mentoring & Coaching - 2018-02-08

Pete Jugmohan from the University of KwaZulu-Natal – Pietermaritzburg, School of Education and Development did research on the concepts of mentoring and coaching and recording the voices of the participating principals…here is a précis (paraphrase) Abstract: South African principals now face tremendous challenges leadin... more

Newsletter 145 - Matric Results 2017 - 2018-01-31

Many of us will agree that the hype about the matric results is nothing but a political and public spectre created by the media...always reporting on a "good story in the public interest". Now, we also agree that the matric results is an important milestone in the lives of learners; the end of an era and for some the beginning of a new er... more

Newsletter 144 - Landing Page - Prof Carl Sagan - 2018-01-31

The Common Enemy Essay by Carl Sagan (1988) If you are daunted by the length of the text and wonder whether to spend the time to read it, consider these representative excerpts first: We are at risk. [...] What will it take to free us from the trap we have set for ourselves? A good start is to examine the h... more

Newsletter 143 - Reading - An open letter to the next President - 2017-12-07

Open Letter to the next South African president: We need a Marshall Plan for Reading - Nic Spaull & David Carel Cyril, Nkosasana – are you sitting down? By now we trust that your advisers have informed you about the latest reading results released yesterday: 78% of our Grade 4 students can’t read. That’s eight&... more

Newsletter 142 - PIRLS - 2017-12-07

PIRLS – Nic Spaull PIRLS is implemented by the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment (CEA) at Pretoria University headed by Prof Sarah Howie. In 2016 it tested 12,810 Gr4 students from 293 schools across the country. The sample is nationally representative and can be generalized to the entire country. Students were teste... more

Newsletter 141 - More Research - The Martha Effect & Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - 2017-12-01

Extracts from The ‘Martha Effect’: The compounding female advantage in South African higher education by HENDRIK VAN BROEKHUIZEN & NIC SPAULL November 2017 & International Research on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) linked to Educational Underachievers by Cape Times 30 November 2017 Abstract – The Martha Effec... more

Newsletter 140 - Education Research Sites, Documents, Other - 2017-11-24

Education Research courtesy of Nic Spaull Research ARTICLES: Pretorius, E. & Spaull, N. (2016). Exploring relationships between oral reading fluency and reading comprehension amongst English second language readers in South Africa. Reading and Writing. (29) 1449-1471 DOI: 1-23 10.1007/s11145-016-9645-9 Spaull, N. ... more

Newsletter 139 - Research 7/7 - Early Grade Reading - 2017-11-24

[SEVEN] EGRS – 2017 Report by DBE Background One of the biggest developmental challenges facing South Africa is the high number of children who do no learn to read for meaning in the early years of school. In order to address this challenge the DBE initiated the Early Grade Reading Study. Recommendations & DBE plans Str... more

Newsletter 138 - Research 6/7 - Early Grade Reading in African Languages - 2017-11-17

[SIX] Investigating the Comprehension Iceberg: Developing empirical benchmarks for early grade reading in agglutinating African languages by Nic Spaull (RESEP), Elizabeth Pretorius (UNISA), Nompumelelo Mohohlwane(DBE) RESEP, Stellenbosch University  UKFIET 2017 4 Sept 20 FINDINGS Falling at the first hurdle  27% of the... more

Newsletter 137- Research 5/7 - How Unequal Education Limits Mobility - 2017-11-10

[FIVE] RESEP launches its synthesis report entitled “A Society Divided: How Unequal Education Quality Limits Social Mobility in South Africa” Posted on March 28, 2017 “Given the deep structural nature of inequality in South Africa, this report employs a conceptual framework to illustrate how differences in education qua... more

Newsletter 136 - Research 3&4/7 - Matric and Tertiary Education - 2017-11-03

[THREE] RESEP report on flows from matric to, and through, university enriching debate around student fees Posted on November 6, 2016 Recent research looking at “higher education access and outcomes for the 2008 national matric cohort”, by Hendrik van Broekhuizen, Servaas van der Berg and Heleen Hofmeyr of Stellenbosch Univer... more

Newsletter 135 - Research 2/7 - Performing above expectations - 2017-10-26

[TWO] Performing above expectations by Janeli Kotzé - 20 September 2016 RESEP (1) Defining an above expectation school Derive a single indicator of school performance:  Learner numeracy and literacy scores were averaged for each grade These scores were averaged to arrive at a composite measure of performance per grade. ... more

Newsletter 134 - Research 1/7 - ANA - 2017-10-20

[ONE] What the Annual National Assessments can tell us about learning deficits over the education system and the school career year posted by SERVAAS VAN DER BERG 2015 Some tentative conclusions and policy implications The analysis of the ANA data confirms the findings of many international and indeed also domestic assessments which have ... more

Newsletter 133 - Premier Helen Zille on Collaboration Schools in the Western Cape - 2017-10-19

Inside Government: How collaboration can transform under-performing schools One of the most significant meetings of last week was a progress review of a new category of public school our provincial government is piloting, called Collaboration Schools. This model is based on the Academy School, pioneered in the United Kingdom under the Labour ... more

Newsletter 132 - New Changes for South African Schools - 2017-10-16

PLANNING NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOL POLICY The National Minister for DBE published the latest plans for change of the South African School System. The draft bill has been consulted with stakeholders and is now open for public comments. Parliament will most likely deal with the amendments during 2017. After comments the Minister will make changes a... more

Newsletter 131 - South African School Research - 2017-10-13

STATE OF SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS – AN INTRODUCTION TO A  PLETHORA OF RESEARCH Researchers have a lot to say about the state of our schooling system – here is a brief summary – 2015-2017. The next series of newsletters will focus on each of these seven pieces of research… “What the Annual National Assessmen... more

Newsletter 130 - 21 Century Skills - 2017-10-07

21st-Century Skills: The Asian Version By Marc Tucker on June 30, 2017 8:12 AM http://ncee.org/marcs-blogs/ & http://ncee.org/beyondpd/ Many American educators have a rather smug view of Asia as the home of rote learning and nose-to-the-grindstone schools.  While this may have been true years ago, a new report from ... more

Newsletter 129 - Seven myths about education - 2017-09-28

Education study finds in favour of traditional teaching styles Report from Sutton Trust and Durham University says way that pupils learn ‘remains a mysterious subject’. What makes “great teaching”? It’s a complicated question, made more difficult by trying to measure how teachers make decisions in the classroom and ... more

Newsletter 128 - Schools That Work 11 - 2017-09-20

“The Mail & Guardian has seen the executive summary of the study, Schools that Work II – Lessons from the Ground. The full report, which looked at what makes high-performing schools work and how some schools succeed against all the odds, is being finalised this week, according to the department.” The study says: ... more

Newsletter 127 - Minister - Priorities for 2018 - 2017-09-17

Statement by Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga on the occasion of the post-CEM Media Briefing, 15 September 2017  Thank you for taking the time to meet with us on a Friday morning as we update you on critical matters pertaining to Governments number one priority. It is that time of the year when all of us in the education ... more

Newsletter 126 - Landing Page - Social science is not really science, is it? - 2017-09-17

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE AND ITS UNIVERSAL TRUTH. The purpose of science I believe is to arrive at a greater understanding of these universal truth and its relations. Furthermore to this is the relationship between theory (thinking about stufff) and practice (doing stuff).  Blade Nzimande speaking about Leni... more

Newsletter 125 - Teacher Accountability, Social Change Theory, Teacher Capacity Building & Education Research - 2017-09-15

Summary of an interview with Nic Spaull on (1) teacher accountability (2) social change theory (3) teacher capacity building (4) education research http://www.aera.net/SIG155/Lead-the-Change-Series The 2018 AERA theme is The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education. What can be the promise of public schools and how does—... more

Newsletter 124 - Teenage Pregnancy & Corporal Punishment - 2017-09-14

SCHOOLS & LEARNERS - CORPORAL PUNISHMENT & TEENAGE PREGNANCY Have you seen the latest spate of videos of corporal punishment against learners? Is there a link between this and an earlier article on violence against teachers perpetrated by learners? Then there are the radio comments on teenage pregnancy at a school in the Northern Cape! ... more

Newsletter 123 Teacher Accountability, Social Change Theory, Teacher Capacity & School Leadership - 2017-09-08

Summary of an interview with Jonathan Jansen on (1) teacher accountability (2) social change theory (3) teacher capacity building (4) school leadership http://www.aera.net/SIG155/Lead-the-Change-Series Given the multifaceted political, social, and cultural ecologies within South Africa, how are the current education reforms addressing st... more

Newsletter 122 State of South African Education - Auditor-General's Report 2015/16 - 2017-09-07

The Auditor General published a recent report on the State of South African Education – the full report is on the website, click on resources tab. Extracts from the report… Introduction “The education and training system is facing challenges that have a negative impact on service delivery in areas that include effective tea... more

Newsletter 121 - Creative School Leadership - 2017-09-01

CREATIVE LEADERSHIP Sir Ken Robinson is among the world’s elite thinkers when it comes to creativity and innovation. Robinson has dedicated much of his professional life to helping governments, educational systems and businesses understand that creativity is not a fanciful luxury. “Creativity is not some exotic, optional extra. It... more

Newsletter 120 - Violence against teachers - 2017-08-28

VIOLENCE AGAINST TEACHERS Recently The Cape Argus and other national papers reported various forms of violence against teachers in township schools. Here is a brief summary of these articles. ATTACKS on teachers and other forms of violence in schools have reached a crisis point and prompted a national union to call for an urgent summit of all... more

Newsletter 119 - INTERVIEW WITH NAL’IBALI & BARBARA BRAND – READING LITERACY & SCHOOL LIBRARIES - 2017-08-26

NIC SPAULL INTERVIEW WITH NAL’IBALI & BARBARA BRAND – READING LITERACY & SCHOOL LIBRARIES I was visiting a school library in KZN a few years ago and for the first time experience hoe the library books are graded for within an across grades. Subsequently I have had similar experiences in Hanover Park ... more

Newsletter 118 Nic Spaull interviews Prof J Jansen - 2017-08-24

Q&A with Jonathan Jansen by Nic Spaull You have recently published two new books on educational change that have received critical attention from the public, How to Fix Schools (2014) and Leading for Change (2015). What is it about your thinking that has attracted so many readers? First of all, everyone knows that ther... more

Newsletter 117 Poverty on the rise in South - Stats SA - 2017-08-23

Poverty on the rise in South Africa – Stats South Africa Did you hear about the new mantra of the Western Cape Education Department? ENTER TO LEARN - EXIT TO SERVE Simply Fantastic! Since 1994 we have been able to reduce poverty in South Africa but…According to new data released by Stats SA, poverty is on the rise in South ... more

Newsletter 116 - Novice School Principals - 2017-08-17

Preparing new principals in South Africa: the ACE: School leadership Programme by Tony Bush; Edith Kiggundu; Pontso Moorosi This is a summary of their article in the SA Journal of Education There is increasing recognition that effective leadership and management are vital if schools are to be successful in providing good learning opp... more

Newsletter 115 - Mentoring of School Principals - 2017-08-11

Technically there is a difference between mentoring and coaching. Mentoring refers to the process of life and career planning and focus on spiritual and emotional wellbeing of the individual. Coaching refers to the process of on-the-job training to enhance performance and productivity. Normally coaching is initiated by the employer whilst mentoring... more

Newsletter 114 - "Funda Wanda" Teaching Reading For Meaning - 2017-08-04

        Nic Spaull is the bearer of very good news teaching reading for meaning EXTRACTS FROM NIC SPAULL! Overview: South Africa is virtually uniq... more

Newsletter 113 NEEDU - State of South African Education System - 2017-07-28

The state of our education system - NEEDU Nick Taylor | 03 May 2013 "This is an extract from the National Report submitted in 2013. The full report is available under the resources tab."  A brief history of NEEDU As the name indicates, NEEDU is designed as an evaluation and development institution which is independent ... more

Newsletter 112 WCED New Education Laws - 2017-07-21

Western Cape Education on approved Education Amendment Bill The Western Cape is currently considering new changes to the Education Laws in the Western Cape. This will profoundly change the education landscape in the Western Cape and beyond. Angie has already objected to some of its provisions. Read the full comments by Equal Education - I have u... more

Newsletter 111 School Development - Plan for change - 2017-07-07

In a world of change, the only constant is change itself. Schools need to respond to there environment. School leaders anticipate change by scouting the horizon for immenent change in the environment which may require the school to change some of its pratices...share this inlelligence with its school community and plan for this change. This state o... more

Newsletter 110 Science, Technology, English & Mathematics (STEM) - 2017-07-07

STEM is a critical part of our national agenda. Today my message to schools and teachers are very simple; "DO SCIENCE!" Build and design rockets, build and design dams, build and design windmills, generate electricity by green and greener means, build and design bridges, do computer coding, do more computer coding, build an earoplane, rem... more

Newsletter 109 Education Sector Review - 2017-07-07

The DBE published a report on the review of Education Sector Review 2015-2016. This is a summary. The full report can be found under the resources tab.   The current report is in part a response to the National Development Plan’s call for more evidence-based planning and more intensive use of government data. The current repor... more

Newsletter 108 Education Philosophy - 2017-07-04

THE LANDING PAGE Many years ago during one of my lectures in the philosophy of education I accused my esteemed lecturer (he has now passed on, bless his soul) of playing mind-games and in return he later accused me of being a Luddite. He called me a Luddite because I could not envisage a time as suggested by the philosophy of Positivism when we ... more

Newsletter 107 Curriculum Coverage - 2017-07-03

CURRICULUM COVERAGE This newsletter should be read in conjunction with newsletter 33 Elaine Swanepoel reported in the Sunday Rapport 02 July 2017 that the Department of Basic Education issued a presentation stating the more than 60% of schools DO NOT COMPLETE the annual national curriculum. In a sample of seven Education District schools h... more

Newsletter 106 Prof Jansen's View - 2017-06-30

Q&A with Jonathan Jansen by Nic Spaull You have recently published two new books on educational change that have received critical attention from the public, How to Fix Schools (2014) and Leading for Change (2015). What is it about your thinking that has attracted so many readers? First of all, everyone knows that ther... more

Newsletter 105 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-06-26

THIS NEWSLETTER COVER TOPICS 17-20 The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.             A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This bookl... more

Newsletter 104 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-06-23

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 103 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-06-16

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 102 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-06-09

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 101 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-06-04

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 100 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-05-26

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 99 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-05-19

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 98 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-05-12

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 97 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-05-02

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 96 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-04-21

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 95 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-04-01

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 94 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-03-26

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 93 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-03-19

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom.   A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the ... more

Newsletter 92 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-03-10

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 91 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-03-02

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 90 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-02-23

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 89 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-02-19

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom. A guide to... Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch and the Queensland... more

Newsletter 88 Classroom Pedagogies - 2017-02-10

The following series of newsletters (1-20) are based on a fantastic guide teaching classroom pedagogies, teaching and learning strategies for teachers in the classroom... "A guide to  Productive Pedagogies Classroom reflection manual" This booklet has been adapted from the Classroom Observation Booklet by New Basics Branch a... more

Newsletter 87 Your Country Needs You! - 2017-02-03

YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow” John Dewey I have been very privileged to visit Independent Schools for the past 24 months. In the Western Cape there are more than 51 000 learners and more than 4 000 teachers in the Independent school sector with ... more

Newsletter 85 Teacher Appraisal - IQMS - 2017-02-03

Teacher quality, appraisal and development: The flaws in the IQMS – “Perspectives in Education, Volume 26(1), March 2008” by FRANCINE DE CLERCQ Conclusion: Another way? This article has argued that although the lessons from teacher appraisal, monitoring and support worldwide are valuable, no teacher appraisal system can b... more

Newsletter 84 Teacher Appraisal - 2017-01-27

Teacher Evaluation in South African Schools This CDE publication is the third in a series on the lessons for South Africa from international and local research on teacher evaluation as a means of improving teacher effectiveness. The first CDE publication in 2012 examined the international experience of teacher pay for performanc... more

Newsletter 82 Teacher Professionalism - 2017-01-20

Professionalism in South African education: the challenges of developing teacher professional knowledge, practice, identity and voice by Francine de Clercq Abstract To change and improve teacher knowledge, practice, behaviour and mindset remains a difficult challenge in South African school education. This article investigates how macro ... more

Newsletter 81 GPLMS in Gauteng - 2017-01-18

//www.tandfonline.com/loi/redc20 Improving teachers' practice in poorly performing primary schools: The trial of the GPLMS intervention in Gauteng by Francine de Clercqa - Wits University, Johannesburg - Published online: 19 Jun 2014. Conclusion This article concludes that the GPLMS is a major advance on previous interventions for p... more

Newsletter 80 Professional Development - 2016-12-02

“Science is a self-correcting process. To be accepted, new ideas must survive the most rigorous standards of evidence and scrutiny.” CARL SAGAN: PLANETARY SCIENTIST-1980 Teacher knowledge and employer driven professional development: A critical analysis of the Gauteng Department of Education programmes by Francine de Clercq and Yael ... more

Newsletter 79 Learning Support Teachers - 2016-11-25

Exploring the changing role of learning support teachers in the Western Cape, South Africa by LORNA M DREYER - Stellenbosch University Talking about learning support teachers in the Western Cape note that Lorna has chosen not to comment about capacity, selection, scope, affordability and the feasibility and sustainability of the implementation m... more

Newsletter 78 Why Kids Drop Out of School! - 2016-11-18

8 reasons why kids drop out of school in South Africa By Staff WriterMay 28, 2015, Business Tech All South Africans have a right to basic education and the Bill of Rights obliges government to progressively make education available and accessible through reasonable measures. A new survey conducted by Stats SA from January to December ... more

Newsletter 77 SA Education System Among the Worst - 2016-11-04

SA education system among worst in the world By Staff Writer August 4, 2014, BUSINESS-TECH A ministerial task team has concluded that South Africa has one of the poorest-performing school education systems in the world. The ministerial task team submitted its 188-page report noting the quality of the National Senior Certificate in South ... more

Newsletter 76 Prof Jansen - How to improve the education system - 2016-10-30

How to improve the education system Prof Jonathan Jansen provided 10 ways to improve the South African education system in a Facebook post titled: Ten things I would do first if I were your Minister of Schools Stop the circus: no more announcement of matric results. I would instead announce the results of our investment in pre-school ... more

Newsletter 74 Free Higher Education - 2016-10-17

(The article below first appeared in the Sunday Times on the 16th of October 2016 by Nic Spaull) Across the country student protests have shut down universities with demands for “free higher education for all” prompting a Fees Commission and more recently a Presidential Task Team of Ministers to help solve the crisis. At th... more

Newsletter 73 "Getting Principalship Right" - 2016-10-10

“Getting Principalship Right? Piloting a Principal Professional Leadership Development Model” Vuyisile Msila and Jabulani Mtshali University of South Africa, College of Education, UNISA There are quite a number of frameworks for professional development of school principals. The improvement of leadership quality arguably leads to the... more

Newsletter 72 SACMEQ, TIMMS & PIRLS - 2016-09-30

Shaky data skews literacy results - By Nic Spaull - Mail & Guardian on the 23rd of September 2016 Every few years South Africa participates in international tests of reading, mathematics and science in an attempt to see what our students know and can do, and how this is changing over time. These tests are independently set and usua... more

Newsletter 70 Failing Standards - 2016-09-13

In a policy brief titled “The Failing Standard of Basic Education in South Africa” by  Brenda Matshidiso Modisaotsile in March 2012 for the Africa Institute of South Africa the author list a few critical variables as the basis for this failure.               &... more

Newsletter 69 Great Schools - 2016-09-02

Prof John Volmink – “Teaching is more than just a craft, it is not only about skills but also judgment” The link to Nic Spaull’s blog makes for very interesting reading. I encourage teacher and school managers to visit the blog regularly, I do. Recently came across this article “What makes a school really great? Tho... more

Newsletter 68 Philosophy of Education - 2016-08-19

PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION This is a summary of content which appears on the following website; highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072877723/student_view0/chapter9 //highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072877723/student_view0/chapter9/index.html Wikipedia What is a philosophy of education, and why should it be important to you? Behind every sch... more

Newsletter 67 SA Education System - A statistical analysis - 2016-08-11

Luis Crouch and Thabo Mabongoane published a statistical research paper in 2001 “No Magic Bullets, Just Tracer Bullets” asking; “Are resources the key to increasing the education system's performance, as measured by, say, matriculation pass rates? If one "controls," statistically, for resource availability, i... more

Newsletter 66 Teach - certainty & uncertainty - 2016-08-04

DOES GOD PLAY DICE? Many years ago during one of my lectures in the philosophy of education I accused my esteemed lecturer of playing mind-games and he later accused of being a Luddite. He called me a Luddite because I could not envisage a time as suggested by the philosophy of Positivism when we will be able to control and predict human behavio... more

Newsletter 65 "People's Education" - 2016-07-29

PEOPLE’S EDUCATION - SOCIAL ACTION “Education costs money, but then so does ignorance” Sir Claude Moser “Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more” Bob Talbert I was teaching at Manenberg High School during the turbulent political era of the 1980s and 1990s. What a great privilege it has been. Those... more

Newsletter 64 School Leadership - 2016-07-22

Leadership “We continue, however to write about important people, prize-winning people, blacks of grandeur, women of great fire, fame or wit. We do not write about ordinary people.”  Jonathon Kozol “On Being a Teacher”. I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS THIS DOCUMENT IN MY ARCHIVES – I HAVE NO CITATION/REFERENCE ... more

Newsletter 63 Coding 3 - 2016-07-19

CODING 3 – Teacher Unite teach and encourage that your school do computer coding/ programming. It is so easy. Read newsletters 29, 40 and 63 and watch the video on www.purpletod.co.za “It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry” &... more

Newsletter 62 How SA kids travel to school - 2016-07-15

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a student’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspi... more

Newsletter 61 How others view teachers - 2016-07-10

“Education is like a double-edged sword. It may be turned to dangerous uses if it is not properly handled” Wu Ting-Fang The discourse about teacher professionalization highlights how others view teachers and their teaching. Here a compilation of opinions and views about teachers and teaching. YOU BE THE JUDGE! 4/4 The Mercury A... more

Newsletter 60 How others view teachers - 2016-07-06

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” James 3:1 The discourse about teacher professionalization highlights how others view teachers and their teaching. Here a compilation of opinions and views about teachers and teaching. YOU BE THE JUD... more

Newsletter 59 How others view teachers - 2016-06-30

“Learning, regardless of how it is defined, is ultimately the responsibility of the learner, not the teacher” Bob Kizlik The discourse about teacher professionalization highlights how others view teachers and their teaching. Here a compilation of opinions and views about teachers and teaching. YOU BE THE JUDGE! 2/4  IOL ... more

Newsletter 58 How others view teachers - 2016-06-23

"Never do anything for a student that he is capable of doing for himself. If you do you'll make him an educational cripple...a pedagogical paraplegic" Howard Hendricks The discourse about teacher professionalization highlights how others view teachers and their teaching. Here a compilation of opinions and views about teachers and t... more

Newsletter 57 June 16! - 2016-06-16

JUNE 16 – A PERSONAL ACCOUNT "As a general rule, teachers teach more by what they are than by what they say" Unknown As we are reflecting on June 16 1976 this commemoration is about our YOUTH and their contribution to the South African “revolution”. I was in Grade 11 at the time and left school before the riots beg... more

Newsletter 56 Homework - 2016-06-09

HOMEWORK "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires" William A. Ward In a survey conducted by AskKids in USA 43 percent of parents admitted to having done their kids’ homework. MG reported that “International research demonstrates that, within ... more

Newsletter 54 CPTD - 2016-06-03

“The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer” Alice Wellington Rollins. Assessment, Appraisal – Training, Development Cooper defines training as “gaining skills that improve ... more

Newsletter 53 School - Working Together - 2016-06-02

Working Together: Teams and Groups "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" Anonymous. Cooper argues that according to psychologists “a team is more than a group. Team members are more dependent on each other and produce work that is based on collaboration and collective effort” with ... more

Newsletter 52 School - The psychological contract - 2016-06-01

THE UNWRITTEN AGREEMENT – PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT by Cooper et al "If kids come to us from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job more important" Barbara Colorose. Cooper ask the question whether the job description whi... more

Newsletter 51 Organisational Behaviour for Dummies - 2016-06-01

I recently bought the book “Organisational Behaviour for Dummies” by Cary Cooper et al and was reading the very provocative cover of the book. It says; “Learn about: The psychology of the workplace The role of individuals, teams, and groups in organisations Personality, motivation, and leadership How the modern work... more

Newsletter 50 Learning Styles & Strategies - 2016-05-25

LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES This is an article by Richard M. Felder; Hoechst Celanese Professor of Chemical Engineering; North Carolina State University and Barbara A. Soloman; Coordinator of Advising, First Year College; North Carolina State University on the following website https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm ACTIVE AND REFLECTIVE ... more

Newsletter 49 Jobs for Cash - 2016-05-20

JOBS-FOR-CASH “THE BEGINNING & THE END” As we are ALL awaiting the final report - the clock is ticking and the countdown has begun. Messages from DBE is very clear that the report will be issued today. The City Press and its reporters have been very brave through all this and befitting this saga for now ends today and as the dust... more

Newsletter 48 Jobs for Cash - 2016-05-20

JOBS-FOR-CASH BACKDATED! THE AWAITED REPORT IS DUE TO BE MADE PUBLIC TODAY ACCORDING TO THE LAST STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER of DBE - THE WORK OF THE MTT & ITS CHAIR PROF VOLMINK IS DONE...ACTIONS HAVE BEEN PROMISED BY THE MINISTER...SO WHAT IS NEXT? Sipho Masondo reported in November 2015 for the City Press with headlines “Jobs-for-c... more

Newsletter 47 DBE - Progress of SA Schooling System - 2016-05-18

Minister Motshekga’s overview of progress in the schooling system In an earlier newsletter I raised the issue of access versus quality. I did say at the time that it is a huge task to get both right at the same time because of limited resources. Politicians normally make a choice and result in a balancing act – the more resources spe... more

Newsletter 46 Jobs for Cash - 2016-05-17

Jobs-For-Cash THE SAGA CONTINUES AS THE FINAL REPORT IS AWAITED! The City Press is the likes of a dog-to-a-bone. It will not let go with headlines like "Jobs-for-cash scam: Money, murder and maths",  “How Sadtu captured the state” by Sipho Masondo, “Sadtu fights jobs-for-cash report” by Sipho Masondo and... more

Newsletter 45 Learners assault teachers - 2016-05-13

LEARNERS ASSUALT THEIR TEACHERS The Cape Argus reported today [05/12/16] that in Cape Town “Thirty attacks on Western Cape teachers by pupils, parents and residents have been reported to the provincial education department this year, but teacher unions believe the number of unreported cases is much higher. In 23 of the 29 matters reported ... more

Newsletter 44 Jobs for Cash - 2016-05-06

MINISTER DBE – ANGIE MOTSHEKGA JOBS-FOR-CASH There were persistent damning allegations reported in the media last year that some members of Teacher Unions and Education Department officials were involved in illegal activities involving the selling of educator posts. On the basis of these allegations I held meetings with various stakeholder... more

Newsletter 43 What are teachers saying about CAPS - 2016-05-04

WHAT ARE TEACHERS AND OTHERS SAYING ABOUT CAPS? It is time that we revisit CAPS (Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement) by canvassing what teachers are saying about CAPS; Maskew Miller Longman in their newspaper (Classroom Solutions) stated that CAPS is not a new curriculum, but rather “a revisions of NCS” “With CAPS e... more

Newsletter 42 ICT - 2016-04-28

I recently did a focus group research study (issuing questionnaires) with teachers and departmental officials - this is the result. No of Schools: Hanover Park (1), Mitchells Plain (2), Atlantis (2), Wynberg (1), Mfuleni (1), Phillippi (1). No of School Districts: MNED, MEED, MSED, MCED No of Questionnaires: SMT:     ... more

Newsletter 41 CPTD - 2016-04-27

SIGN-UP FOR CPTD SPECIFIC To best manage the CPTD processes at your school Principals may want to – Principals to please share this mail with that link person and the rest of the staff. Needs assessment forms can be send to SACE address in batch – please download and make a copy for each teacher to complete – say within... more

Newsletter 40 Coding 2 - 2016-04-27

CODING 2 Teachers, start teaching our children coding in the primary school…following this link and learn how easy it is to get an 8 year old to learn coding – BE PART OF THIS REVOLUTION. You do not need a computer lab with huge capacity and a room full of computers…see for yourself https://scratch.mit.edu/parents/ EXTR... more

Newsletter 39 Mentoring & Coaching - 2016-04-27

Dear Colleague It gives me great pleasure to introduce two new programmes of professional development provided by Purple Tod Consulting; Purple Tod “Practical Coaching for the School Management Team (SMT) as Collective Instructional Leadership” Whole School Evaluation (WSE) – Purple Tod “Practical Coaching for Sch... more

Newsletter 38 CPTD POINTS - 2016-04-23

By visiting the website www.purpletod.co.za and actively participating you may earn a maximum of 32 CPTD POINTS ANNUALLY – over a three year cycle you may earn a maximum of 96 CPTD POINTS. TIPS Click on news and read/download selected educational articles and earn CPTD POINTS Click on resources and read/download selected educationa... more

Newsletter 37 Views of School Managers - Teacher Unionism - 2016-04-22

Vuyisile Msila from UNISA did a study on “Teacher Unionism and School Management: A Study of (Eastern Cape) Schools in South Africa in 2013 This article reports on a study that was conducted in 10 urban schools, situated in the city of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The research explored the perceptions of sch... more

Newsletter 36 Views of School Managers - 2016-04-22

Vuyisile Msila from UNISA did research in 2011 on “School management and their struggle for school efficiency”. The research paper presents the “viewpoints of school managers from various dysfunctional, historically black African schools. The 56 school managers from four Eastern Cape districts addressed several questions pertainin... more

Newsletter 35 UWC - 2016-04-11

I attended my son’s award ceremony at the University of the Western Cape today. Derwin Daniels, a practicing mathematics and language teacher was awarded an Honours Degree in Educational Psychology.  At first I may have been a reluctant attendant but enjoyed the few hours in pure pleasure in celebration of the finest this truly African u... more

Newsletter 34 School Turn-around Strategy - 2016-04-10

The Seven Guiding Principles to turn schools around 1. The initiative is driven by one mission: student success. Whatever the reason, most students are not succeeding in Priority Schools. This initiative is our chance to show that they can—and how they can—so other schools can follow. 2. The solution we develop is collective. Ever... more

Newsletter 33 Three Golden Ratios - 2016-04-10

In the South African context the following three “Golden ratios” makes a significant impact on schooling, learning and teaching. Domestic and international research strongly suggests a contingent link between the variables implied by these “Golden Ratios” and sound learning and teaching. Let me introduce these ratios to the ... more

Newsletter 32 Research & School Turn-around Strategy - 2016-04-04

As an introduction to this newsletter let me share with the reader some aspects about what research suggests; The teacher is the single most important person in the academic success of learners School principal – school leadership is the second most important in the academic success of learners The more learners are tested-assessed ... more

Newsletter 31 School Leadership - 2016-03-23

Seven strong claims about successful school leadership by Kenneth Leithwood, Christopher Day, Pam Sammons, Alma Harris and David Hopkins This is a summary of the key findings of a review of literature undertaken by the authors as a point of departure for a large-scale empirical study organised around what we refer to as ‘strong claims&rsqu... more

Newsletter 30 Bernie Sanders - 2016-03-14

BERNIE SANDERS – THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN WISCONCIN Bernie pontificates what is wrong with neoliberalism and neoliberal capitalism! It is just plain morally wrong and exploitative and demeaning! This maybe America but it applies all over the global village! “Nine months ago, our campaign began. And when it began, we had no p... more

Newsletter 29 CODING! - 2016-03-05

I am visiting school for the past 18 months strongly advising that teachers introduce Computer Coding. Their arguments are that coding is not part of the national curriculum and most have afternoon clubs for robotics where they introduce coding. Teachers are saying that the school computer infrastructure does not have the required memory to do codi... more

Newsletter 28 School Turn-around Strategy - 2016-03-05

Five Essential Steps for a Successful School Turn Around Strategy by By Karen Baroody, Managing Director at Education Resource Strategies (This article is excerpted from a report first published in February by The Center for American Progress) One of the overarching reasons for the uneven results is that districts generally have failed... more

Newsletter 27 Competency Based Assessment - 2016-02-24

COMPETENCY-BASED ASSESSMENT (CBA) IN THE WORKPLACE Competency Based Assessment (CBA) for the appointment of school principals, deputy-principals and Heads of Department. In Gauteng and the Western Cape Provincial Departments have encouraged School Governing Bodies (SGB) to request CBA from their respective Provincial Education Department (PED) f... more

Newsletter 26 "What needs to be done" - 2016-02-17

At the heart of our quest for high school performance is the psyche of the poor which represents more than 75% of our school population in South Africa. This is a summary of an article I wrote in 2008. As a defense mechanism amongst the poor you have the separation of heart and mind. This is inevitable in a psyche that on a daily and continued b... more

Newsletter 25 Importance of reliable data - 2016-02-13

An emminent academic once commented that South Africa has scant regard for data and information statistics. I want to both agree and disagree. Look at all the economic data that Statistics South Africa, the World Bank, the IMF and our own Reserve Bank announced on a regular basis. Notice how this economic data has become our intelligence to act in ... more

Newsletter 24 Voice of Novice Teachers - 2016-02-10

The voice of our novice teachers (final) “You always have that child that acts out, you can’t hit the child.” “I can phone the parents to come see the principal but the next day the child will be in class again and the problem will continue, having somebody out of line and I can do so little makes me feel disempowere... more

Newsletter 23 Voice of Novice Teachers - 2016-02-10

The voice of our novice teachers (4) “I don’t feel I can go break up a fight because I’m so scared they might just hit me, just the older children, the younger ones see me as just being their teacher.” “A kwaai (cool and/or good) teacher, a normal teacher does not play soccer with them while on playground duty... more

Newsletter 22 Voice of Novice Teachers - 2016-02-09

The voice of our novice teachers (3) “Being in these situations affects you greatly because afterwards you reflect, you realise the type of person you are is not suited to a certain situation because you yourself have issues with something in that line. It makes you look introspectively.” “I see myself as a young teacher ... more

Newsletter 21 Voice of Novice Teachers - 2016-01-29

The voice of our novice teachers (2) “As a teacher, you play the role of mother, father, priest. Certain things that happen with learners in their home life, they share with you, that’s rather unexpected at times. As I’m still young, I don’t always have the right words, at times I find myself lacking.” “... more

Newsletter 20 Voice of Novice Teachers - 2016-01-18

The voice of our novice teachers (1)! These newsletters are dedicated to the voices of novice teachers seeking professional identity. In a recent research Derwin Daniels (2015) interviewed novice teachers. His research is part of an academic accomplishment towards a formal postgraduate degree. Let’s listen to what novice teachers had to sa... more

Newsletter 19 Instructional Leadership in Action - Coaching - 2015-11-25

“Instructional Leadership in Action” by SHEEBA JACOB on Sep 8, 2015 TARGETED FEEDBACK! I found Sarah Green Carmichael’s article in the Harvard Business Review in which she interviewed five well-known sports coaches and their thoughts on what it takes to coach effectively. The coaches mentioned several ... more

Newsletter 18 Teacher Education & Development - 2015-11-09

This extract is from the DBE official website. Enjoy! Teacher education and development Teacher quality and performance are rightly raised as matters of key concern in discussions on the schooling system in the country.  This has been recognised by government and stakeholders alike. This recognition led to the holding of a ... more

Newsletter 17 Education Districts - 2015-10-21

Many research done in South Africa on the efficiency of the School District concluded that this part of the school system has failed us. The national policy on School Districts articulated three basic functions of the School District namely, education provisioning, school support and accountability. Speaking from experience the professional staffin... more

Newsletter 16 Teacher View of Teaching - 2015-10-08

Do we really know what teachers think and feel about teaching? It is my wish that we attempt to put this to scrutiny and ask teachers about their sentiments of their profession. The rector at UWC once said that of all the teachers studying part time a small fraction is studying in their field of teaching...most are studying to get out of teaching. ... more

Newsletter 15 Teachers & Cosmologists - 2015-09-27

Teachers work harder than cosmologists. The purpose of scientific research is to better understand how the micro and macro world works through hypothesis, experimentation and prediction. Our understanding of how the world works have greatly been enhanced through the dedication of key people as part of a collective endeavour over many hundreds of ye... more

Newsletter 14 Education Research - Novice Teachers - 2015-09-05

Teacher professional development has been a long and national discussion. Role-players have been at it for years. Soon the DBE will publish research on Initial Teacher Training with a focus on mentoring of teachers at schools. I am of the opinion that we should ask teachers more what it is best for teachers. Risking the minefield of subjectivity th... more

Newsletter 13 Underdevelopment & Colonialism - 2015-08-10

More than 300 years of alienation and underdevelopment caused by colonialism, imperialism, apartheid and neo-liberalism has had a devastating effect on our human resource development and human capital. Research on the future of schooling and the economy the year post 2020 will require more and better workforce skilled in the field of biological eng... more

Neswletter 12 ICT Infrastructure? - 2015-07-26

Billions have been spent on school ICT infrastructure for no-fee schools in Gauteng Provincial Education Department. The Western Cape is poised to follow suit with its second wave after a dismal failure of the setting up school ICT infrastructure with outdated hardware and software at a cost of more than R500m and it did not even go out for tender.... more

Newsletter 11 Professionalise the Public Service - 2015-07-09

The call to professionalize the South African Public Service is fraud with contradictions. This call is based on the false assumptions of lack of experience, accusations of nepotism and political influence. The government of the day has declared “a developmental state” as its national strategy for transformation of South African society... more

Newsletter 10 School Days - 200 - 2015-06-28

The aspect of time is important in the delivery of the national curriculum. Two hundred school days are provided for both direct and indirect curriculum implementation. Teachers, like other public servant should work for 1800 hours. At the moment 1400 annual hours are accounted for with a minimum of seven hours per day. During the day learners are ... more

Newsletter 9 Practical Coaching - 2015-06-17

For the past three months I have been busy with a project with SADTU volunteering my services as a coach. We implemented the Purple Tod 25hrs+ Practical Coaching with School Management Teams with the focus “The SMT as Collective Instructional Leadership”. The lessons learnt have been invaluable. Individual members of the collective (SMT... more

Newsletter 8 Do Teachers Read? - 2015-06-08

Teachers read often. Reading is part of the job of teachers. Planning for curriculum implementation and learner assessment implies the skill of reading. The job of facilitating learning and teaching comes along with the duty to read. Why it is then that research suggests that teachers are not prolific readers? This view of lack of reading by teache... more

Newsletter 7 Teaching the Poor - A triple Whammy - 2015-05-24

The triple whammy! Teachers are faced with a moral dilemma. All research and opinion suggests that high expectations are important in learning and teaching. Teachers on the left of the political spectrum support the notion that the purpose of schooling is to transform and change society. Let’s see how these two decisions impact on the daily d... more

Newsletter 6 Teacher Professionalism & Professionalisation of Teaching - 2015-05-10

There are two things about teachers which are important; how they view themselves and how others view them. In South Africa this has been a loaded question entangled by apartheid, the neo-liberal agenda, class and the notion of professionalism. Teacher professionalism (how teachers view themselves), and the professionalization of teachers (how othe... more

Newsletter 5 Education International - Fred Van Leeuwen - 2015-04-23

Do you remember the roaring eighties and the clarion call for free and equal education? Of course you do! Have you ever ask the question why we replaced the discourse of equality with equity? It has somehow just slipped into the conversations about education and schooling. Nic Spaull, researcher at Stellenbosch University at a Catholic School Co... more

Newsletter 4 A Few Tips - 2015-04-18

A FEW TIPS ALONG THE WAY The terrain of education and schooling is fraud with many pitfalls. Every South African has an opinion on schooling and education…and rightfully so. But a caution…teaching as a profession is the result of 12 years of schooling, another 4 years of training and a lifelong of experience. It is therefore import... more

Newsletter 3 Education - Access & Quality - 2015-03-28

South Africa has been at it since 1994. Transformation is not an easy task. We have been engaging for more than twenty years attempting to change and revolutionize South African Education. One of the most difficult choices for the black developmental state has been between ACCESS & QUALITY. Doing "justice" to both is a near impossible... more

Newsletter 2 Purpose of Education - 2015-03-21

What is the purpose of education and schooling? The answer to this question is at the very heart of learning and teaching. Teachers should think more about this question because it impacts directly on their teaching and their view of the learning process. Answering the question brings me to two perspectives. The purpose of schooling can either b... more

Newsletter 1 Worldview of Children - 2015-02-16

PREAMBLE This page highlights the contemporary issues on both the website and social media (Facebook). “As professionals let us be fair, play the ball and not the person, be dignified and considerate in your comments and your opinions, be honest and truthful to yourself but more so, let’s participate! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE AND LIAB... more