Introduction and Projects

Research findings and Objectives 

Approach

A creative solution

INTRODUCTION

Micromatica (Pty) Ltd, trading as Gateways Community Services, is a Section 21 company founded in 2003.  The main focus is on the professional development of educators.

Micromatica started with two volunteers initially responsible for all the resource development and training.  Micromatica focuses on the implementation of the NCS in the Foundation, Intermediate and Senior Phases of the educational system. Today (30 months later) Micromatica, in alliance with Tamarron Trading (160) Pty Ltd, trained more than 5 500 educators representative from more than 500 schools nationally, on the implementation of the NCS.  Support is also rendered continuously to more than 300 schools that are registered members of the sateacher club. 

The company is furthermore involved in a number of projects, such as the following:

• Mental Mathematics
  • Developed 7 mental mathematic flipbooks, in English.
  • Translated the mental mathematics series in Afrikaans
  • Distributed 15 000 books to all schools in the Western Cape
  • Trained 2 200 educators of 1 200 schools
  • Developed and maintain the Mental Mathematics website
  • Conducting regular free mental mathematic workshops at the Batho Pele Centre

• Waste Management in Education (WAME)
  • Developed integrated teacher resource material in respect of waste management in education for the intermediate phase
  • Trained 100 educators from 54 schools of the Overberg EMDC Western Cape
  • Support these schools with the implementation of waste management in their schools
  • Developing waste management module and posters for waste workers on local government level
  • Developing waste management modules and posters on pre-school level.
  • Developed and maintain the Waste Management in Schools website
  • Contracted by the Eden Municipality to implement the programme in 126 schools in the Southern Cape during the third term of 2006. 

• Maropeng (“Cradle of Mankind”)
  • The development of Teacher and Learner resources for Maropeng
  • Conduct pilot study for the implementation of the Maropeng teacher resource material
  • Assist Maropeng with the roll-out of their education drive

• Religion and Education Policy
  • The development of a Teacher guide for the implementation of the Religion in Education policy for the National Department of Education
  • Developed 14 posters to support the guide
  • Developed a brochure summarizing the Religion in Education policy

• Development of teaching material for Learning Channel (DSTV)
  • Developed the content of:
    • Mathematics
    • Natural Science

• Adult training material for Pick ‘n Pay
  • Developed Talking Trading-programme, to make Pick ‘n Pay’s staff more astute in business as well as personal management of finance

• NCS and Assessment workshops
  • Conducted numerous workshops for the Departments of Education of Gauteng and the Western Cape.  The development of Learning Programmes, Work Schedules and Lesson Plans are presented in an interactive mode.
  • Trained more than 1 200 educators in the implementation and interpretation of the new Assessment Protocol.
  • Developed and printed assessment poster, summarizing the new Assessment Protocol.

• Automation of the school assessment management system
  • Developing a database driven computer programme, automating the complete assessment and record keeping process in schools

• Workshops for street children
  • Training the volunteers involved in Child Care Alberton
  • Conducting mathematic workshops for street children housed in the Child Care safe house, in partnership with Child Care Alberton

• Pre-school care for aids orphans
  • Renovating the Batho Pele Community Centre, an old vandalised unused school building in Alberton North
  • Equipping a pre-school for 25 aids orphans to be identified by Child Care Alberton (projected first intake January 2007)

• NCS Resource Kits
  • Developed complete Learning Programme, Work Schedules and Activities for the Foundation Phase, Intermediate Phase and Senior Phase.  (The material for Grades 8 and 9 are currently in progress).
  • Training and supporting of 300 schools enrolled as members of the sateacher club

Research findings and Objectives

During our interactive sessions with more than 5 000 teachers, we found that the teachers aired their frustration, they spend less time teaching and a high percentage of teachers are considering leaving the profession.

These findings were confirmed by a study done by the Human Sciences Research Council. They found that the two factors contributing the most to the above-mentioned situation were remuneration and workload stress.

In their study they found that workload stress is caused by the increase of administrative tasks to be done by teachers and the implementation of the NCS. In their report they conclude with the recommendation that teachers should be released from administrative tasks and other activities that increase their workload and distract their attention from teaching.

Our objectives: 

“Put the teacher back into the classroom”.

Teachers must focus on teaching

Approach

To reduce workload stress and enable teachers to focus on teaching, we simultaneously focus on the professional development and the development of a resource that will reduce the administrative burden on teachers. 

We have found that teachers, while they may have been informed of the principles of the NCS through previous training sessions, generally have not understood or internalised these principles, and therefore were not putting them into practice.  Where teachers have indeed understood the principles in theory, they had only seldom been able to relate these to the content of the NCS.

In Outcomes Based Education, OBE, we emphasise the need to start teaching new concepts by allowing learners to manipulate concrete resources. In our workshops, we apply this principle in practice.  If one only hears something in abstract theory, it is not easy to relate to how it presents itself in practice.

A creative solution :

Gateways Community Services in alliance with Tamarron has developed the following practical solution:

NCS implementation Resource Kits covers complete Learning Programmes for all phases and complete Work Schedules for all Learning areas from grade R to 7 (Exemplars).  We are currently in the process of developing similar material for Grade 8 and 9.  The activity sheets cover the applicable assessment standards in context.  The teacher can apply the activities taking available resource material and the level of the learners into consideration.  This material is already being used to train teachers nationally, as well as in the projects already listed.

The NCS Implementation Resource Kits form the foundation for the professional development of teachers and has the potential to reduce their workload stress.  The teachers are empowered n the planning of efficient tuition and can focus on the implementation.  

As was mentioned earlier, the administrative tasks, which teachers have to attend to, are becoming a burden creating more stress.  Tamarron are currently developing an assessment management programme. 

This computer programme is based on the new assessment protocol and will help schools to manage the information in respect of the learners professionally and effectively.  The objective is to equip teachers with skills and ensure that there are enough time to focus on teaching.  We are developing this programme in modular format and other administrative functions like timetable design and management of school fees will be incorporated at later upgrades.

We are also upgrading our supportive website, sateacher.co.za, to support the tuition process.  The website is regularly upgraded with the latest information on effective tuition.  The information is applicable to the different projects and assists teachers with the development and the implementation of lesson plans.  It also gives teachers the opportunity to share ideas.

All the trainers at Gateways and the materials developers have professional qualifications, as well as years of experience in training. 

References:

The following people can be contacted as references: