Busy learners.

Although it is the last week of Term 1, these grade 3 learners at Jamaica Way Primary School are still busy with their IT Numeracy lesson.

One year on...

It is encouraging to see learners using the technology. It is obvious from the video that technology promotes learner concentration and engagement.

But is this intervention helping the learners learn?

The information below is from a selection of Grade 6 learners from one of the schools in the Zisukhanyo Schools Project. It shows a snap shot of what they could accomplish in Feburary 2011 and then again in May 2012.

The sums they are doing are set at the appropriate level of difficulty and we have only recorded the correct answers. The results speak for themselves.

Curriculum innovation: sharing the success.

Recently Sonwabo Primary hosted a visit by a delegation of Eastern Cape Education Department officials and principals. The Western Cape Education Department had invited the delegation to Sonwabo Primary  to showcase how the school was successfully using technology to assist with their numeracy programme.

After a short explanation about ZSP from one of the ZSP Team, the delegation moved into the computer centre.

Mthuthuzeki, Sonwabo Primary's ICT Champion, explained how the ZSP IT Numeracy programme ran at Sonwabo and what impact it had made on both the staff and learners.There were many questions as the visitors were clearly interested to see how well the technology had been integrated into the curriculum. The delegation were also impressed that despite all the distractions the learners in the computer centre kept working on their numeracy exercises!

What they saw in action really made an impact on all of the Eastern Cape visitors, "I was blown away" was one of the comments.

A week full of potential..

This week 393 numeracy lessons will take place in the ZSP Computer Centres, while educators in 42 classrooms will make use of alternative technology throughout the week in all subjects.

Happy learning!!

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.

Here are the results from an anonymous survey of educators at the Stage II schools after one year of being "actively involved" in the ZSP training and support programme.

Feedback from the Stage II educators

The project was an amazing help for me, my colleagues and learners in a sense that most of my colleagues can find their way around using a computer and learners are at a higher level in maths than a year ago. The learners are more enthusiastic in using the computer centre during interval, after school and over weekends.
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It had a good impact, since not only did the learners enjoy it one could see the effect in the classroom in the learners’ work and progress.
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The teachers are very excited at the impact the technology has made on the learners mathematics and language results. The learners are more excited about the lessons and the learning buzz is amazing.
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Made me positive and excited about teaching again ,lifting my morale and see it as an excellent opportunity to make teaching more meaningful and to improve my computer skills.

Learners can progress on their own level and pace and lift their self esteem as they feel that they have achieved something. The mathematics of the learners are improving all the time as the lab and the teacher are complementing each other beautifully.

The ZSP Project is a huge asset for the school as a tool to achieve excellence

"Do you want me to email that?"

One year ago, most of the educators at Sonwabo Primary had never used a computer. This time last year the ZSP Team ran training during the school holidays to familiarise the educators with their new technology:  2010 ZSP beginner training

Now in 2011 after a year of support and training...what is the verdict of the staff?

After school I talked to Mrs Nomfundo (left) and Mrs Guga (centre) who were both confidently inputting their grades into their reports. Here are their thoughts..

Mrs Guga..
Mrs Guga was so proud to call herself  "William's oldest pupil"  (William is the ZSP ICT Facilitator for Sonwabo).
" Last year I had to hand write all my reports, now I can type them myself" ( see below!)

Mrs Nomfundo..
"Before (training) I had a computer at home, but I couldn't use it. Now I take my work home using my memory stick."

" It's nice to be independent and do my own work (using the computer)"
When asked what she had thought one year ago, "I never dreamed that I would be able to do this"

Overhead while Mrs Nomfundo and Mrs Guga were working "Do you want me to email that?". After further questioning, Mrs Nomfundo explained she was now the proud user of a gmail account.

Using ICT to assist with their admin had gone from being a dream to a confident reality!

"Learning without reflection is a waste, reflection without learning is dangerous"

Recently the ZSP Stage II schools carried out a self assesment of their progress with respect to the first four ZSP Strategic Objectives (ZSP Strategic Objectives)

Each school's feedback was delivered at the Control Board Meeting to their fellow Principals, Western Cape Education District officials, ZSP Team, Protea Education Development Project Chairman and other Project stakeholders.

Here are some of their comments..

Thanks to Beverley Johnson, Principal of John Graham for the quote from Confucius in the blog post title.

" I got more today than I did yesterday !"

Term 3 started this week and at all of the ZSP Schools learners were hard at work with their numeracy lessons in the Computer Centres.

During a Grade 4 multiplication lesson in the Computer Centre at St Mary's Primary, Asheeqah George (pictured right) stopped William Page (ZSP Facilitator) and proudly announced   

" I got more today than I did yesterday" .

One of the Project's Strategic Objectives is " Assistance to be provided in raising standards of literacy and numeracy". This proud comment from Asheeqah shows that it is vital to motivate and encourage learners to take ownership of their learning if progress is to be made.

Technology is not the only intervention that can be used to raise numeracy and literacy standards, but when it is thoughtfully integrated into the curriculum and used with accountability, technology can be a very powerful tool.

Well done Asheeqah!!

Mandela Day: Perseverance leads to success...

On Mandela Day, a story of how it often takes many people working together all willing to 'go the extra mile' for progress to occur..

Ziphelele Mdlalo (ZSP Computer Centre Assistant) reported that the server and some devices were crashing at Sonwabo Primary School. Daniel Aylen (ZSP Technician) went to the school and examined the devices. His extensive testing led him to discover that the voltage coming into the school was fluctuating greatly, with some of the power supply having a very low voltage and some a high voltage.

The ZSP Team contacted Alfred Sieberts (local electrical contractor) to get a official report on the school's power supply. He confirmed Daniel's diagnosis and also explained that this problem was affecting the local community in addition to Sonwabo Primary School.

William Page (ZSP Facilitator) shared the findings and the electrical report with the school management and as a result Mthuthu Ngqongqo (School ZSP Champion) visited the local City of Cape Town offices to report the fault.

After three days there had been no response, so Mario Rhode (ZSP Facilitator) visited the local City of Cape Town offices in person to present the electrical report and chase up a response.

The next day City of Cape Town electrical contractors were repairing the power supply to the local community!

It took team work, persistence and determination to not only solve the problem at Sonwabo Primary but benefit the school's local community in Gugulethu.

In their own words: A learner's perspective (part 2)

This video is of Juliana from Sonwabo Primary, explaining how the ZSP technology at her school has impacted upon her learning experience.

The second video is of Luke, a learner at Jamaica Way Primary. He is showing his expertise at a mental maths exercise! Would you be that quick to answer questions on the times tables?

Can you see the changes?

I hope that you have been following the progress at the Stage III schools as their infrastructure evolves.

Here are the highlights from this week.

In their own words: A learner's perspective (part 1)

This is Stephen from Thomas Wildschutt Senior, his own words with no scripting!

You can also see this video here on You Tube.

Don't waste even a minute...

Learners at Thomas Wildschutt Senior are taking full advantage of their technology. Normally interval is a break from studying, a chance to relax. Not at this school!

The learners love using the computers so much that the Computer Centre is full for every interval. If you don't get to the Computer Centre quickly - you could miss out.

You may think the learners just want to play- far from it. Learners are taking the time to research information for projects, design and produce documents or even more impressively...practise their numeracy speed tests.

It is so exciting to see young people so enthused about learning.



Using technology: Parent and child classes

Mrs Bevie, Jamaica Way Primary, has so enjoyed using the electronic whiteboard in her classroom for lessons that she has started a new initiative. She has arranged a couple of Saturday sessions where parents and learners can attend to develop how they can work together on school work at home.

E-literacy training in the school holiday

St Mary's Primary School

Sonwabo Primary: Back at work (with a little help from the computers)

Concentration

One of the Strategic Objectives of this Project is to improve the numeracy and literacy results in the ZSP schools.

This is a Grade 5 class at Thomas Wildshutt Senior School doing a Numeracy Speed Test (see Speed Test post). It is the concentration of this leaner that is noteworthy, his total focus on getting the best possible score (although he is not alone in his efforts as you can see from the surrounding learners).

One of the aims of ZSP is to allow technology to be an effective tool for educators in their mathematics teaching, the role of the ZSP Curriculum Team is to provide the training and support to allow this to happen.

Speed tests

The one of the main curriculum foci for the ZSP labs is numeracy.  Speed  tests are a key strategy that we are using to assist educators with improving the numeracy of their learners. The speed tests are carried out at the start and end of a lesson in the ZSP lab.

(Thanks to William for the pictures)

Feedback from the educators:
"After two weeks of computer classes, I have to say that the entire school day has changed completely. Kids are excited and getting competitive to achieve higher results in the 191 speed tests." Majdi Ryklief, Thomas Wildschutt Senior.
(For more pictures see the Thomas Wildschutt Senior website)