3. The Status Quo
(Spaull, N. 2013)
• There have been some important successes including expanding
access, equalizing spending, and recently, workbooks and CAPS.
• We have two education systems not one. The quality of education in
most South African schools is far too low - this cannot continue without
social consequences.
• Equalizing resources has not equalized outcomes -there is a serious need
for accountability.
• Most of South Africa performs worse than many poorer African countries -
more resources is not a silver bullet.
• South Africa had the highest teacher absenteeism in 14 African countries.
• Widespread failure to get the basics right - large numbers of students
(30%) are failing to acquire foundational numeracy and literacy skills
4. Results are an #EpicFail
(TIMSS 2003) tested grade 8 students in 50 countries in maths and science. Of 50
countries, including 6 African countries, South Africa came last…
(PIRLS 2006) tested Grade 4 and 5 children in 45 countries in reading literacy. Out 45 participating
countries (including other middle income countries like Botswana and Morocco) South Africa came
last…
In The Global Competitiveness Report 2013/14 assessed the quality of math and science education
in 148 countries, , South Africa came last…
(http://bit.ly/16ttiYG)
Spaull, N. (2011). Primary
School Performance in
Botswana, Mozambique,
Namibia and South Africa:
A Comparative Analysis of
SACMEQ III. SACMEQ
Working Papers , 1-74.
5. “The fundamental problem with the schooling system was
that most teachers had limited knowledge of their subjects
and knew only marginally more than what they had to teach
their pupils.”
– report to the DOE by Nick Taylor (2012)
6. Now what?
How do we retrain
the majority of the
420 000
teachers, how soon
and at what
cost?
10. How to:
Generate AV Content for the
South African Public School
Curriculum – QUICKLY!
11. “So you think you can teach?”
“Tomorrow’s Teacher”
“Class Act SA”
Reality TV!
Contest on National TV for teachers and classes from
schools across South Africa to show off their creativity.
12. Content creation in a hurry?
Crowdsource
incentivise national collaboration
Issue a challenge, make it a reality TV contest, do it with prizes!
Example from the US
13. What will this do?
Stimulate rapid creativity and innovation in
education.
Highlight new and exciting teaching methods.
Make local curriculum relevant and meaningful.
Celebrate innovative teachers.
Build a resource of online teaching video material
Encourage the use of highly visual, multisensory
multimedia tech in the classroom.
Increase morale and enthusiasm in the teaching
profession.
14. The best teachers and schools shine –
The other schools and teachers benefit!
15. A vote of confidence
“With regards to your attached reality
show concept, I do see it working and
actually becoming a hit! The underlying
subject matter is not only current but also
relevant and will certainly not labor much
to find an audience and a large following.”
Richard Arabome
Executive Producer/Post Supervisor
BoilerRoom Studios PTY Ltd
16. Let’s get this show on the
road!ose time has come?et@gmail.com
Lights, camera, action!
Let’s get this show on the road…
Notas do Editor
The SACMEQ study - most recent cross-national comparison. If we look at the proportion of students that were functionally illiterate and functionally innumerate, the prevalence is astounding. If a student is classified as functionally illiterate it means that they "cannot read a short and simple text and extract meaning" and if they are functionally innumerate it means that they "cannot translate graphical information into fractions or interpret everyday units of measurement."Looking at the Grade 6 aged population in South Africa, 25% were deemed to be functionally illiterate, while 39% were classified as functionally innumerate. This is in stark comparison to Kenya where the rates are only 8% (functional illiteracy) and 11% (functional innumeracy). What is more striking is that South Africa spends almost five times as much per pupil ($1225) compared to Kenya ($258). On functional literacy rates, South Africa also performs worse than Namibia ($668 per child), and Swaziland ($459 per child) (see Figure 4 below).The Sad state:
This year Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga commissioned an investigation into the teaching standards at our schools. The basic education department researchers assessed grades one to three in 133 urban schools last year. 2012The findings of a recent report by Nick Taylor to the Minister of Basic Education highlights underperformance by a large percentage of our 420 000 teachers. The report reads:They found that many teachers did not know how to inculcate problem solving and analysis skills, and concluded that the “billions” of rand spent on teacher training and development in the past 10 years had failed to produce results in the classroom.Motshekga said in releasing the report that the department was aware of the problem, and was particularly concerned about pupils' poor levels of reading, especially those in the first few years of schooling.
Resolving this teaching crisis with conventional re-training methods is likely to be lengthy and cost prohibitive.
At the same time, we must take cognisance of the fact that around the world education is under the same strain. The Victorians system of one-size-fits-all rote learning is over.
Many are advocating that it’s about time to change teaching methods by using modern technology. Local educationist William Smith and the internationally renowned educationist, Sal Khan, among them.Models like that of the The Khan Academy are offering to provide "a free world-class education for anyone anywhere".The Khan Academy is a non-profit[2] educational website created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School. The website supplies a free online collection of more than 4,000 micro lectures via video tutorials stored on YouTube,a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. Bill Gates has endorsed this view by noting that his own children are using the Khan Academy tapes for their education. So what is our solution in SA?
Many are advocating that it’s about time to change teaching methods by using modern technology. Local educationist William Smith and the internationally renowned educationist, Sal Khan, among them.Models like that of the The Khan Academy are offering to provide "a free world-class education for anyone anywhere".The Khan Academy is a non-profit[2] educational website created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School. The website supplies a free online collection of more than 4,000 micro lectures via video tutorials stored on YouTube, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. Bill Gates has endorsed this view by noting that his own children are using the Khan Academy tapes for their education. So what is our solution in SA?
So how do we promote the concept of teachers producing top-class video lessons using modern technology to enhance learning in our own classrooms? What about a national “Teaching” competition on TV. If reality TV has taught us anything its that you can turn any subject into compelling viewing with the right angles. The new concept of teaching through digital AV content will be promoted through a prime time contest driving the creation of teaching videos of the highest quality across SA’s classrooms.
So there it is. The working title, so you think you can teach? Or Class Act, SA.The contest will drive the production of potentially thousands of videos covering every subject across the current curriculum. Whileonly bits from the best will be aired on TV, the rest will be made freely available on an internet website to be used as teaching aides by all schools and students across South Africa. Nation-bulidng and storytelling are simply by products.
Students will benefit by learning from the best teachers and most modern teaching techniquesTeachers will have more time to give one-on-one attention to students, particularly in overcrowded classes. Existing teachers using the videos will have the best on-the-job retraining available simply by watching the tapes themselves. In this way we share the best teachers and resources in the best classrooms in the land with the poorer classrooms benefitting from the content created in the best.
The best schools in the country get the opportunity for positive exposure. The new private schools will be more than happy to particiipate to make a name for themselves.
Negatives and responses 1. Schools have no computer or TV equipment – Answer: it’s up to local communities to sort that out – with the right TV exposure, communities/businesses can be encouraged to donate 2. The TVs will be stolen from the schools – Answer: True, that will happen at some schools but soon the communities/parents/staff will sort that out when they see their students are falling behind (of interest, a recent newspaper report said that a school in the WP had all its light fittings, plugs, ceilings, door-hinges and some window-frames stolen) There are plenty of schools were theft is not a problem. And, local security companies must step up and help secure their local schools. 3. Teacher Union will resist - Answer; The Teachers’ Union responded to the Nick Taylor report saying they were not surprised by the results – they are aware of the problem 4. Teachers will resist –Answer; Sal Khan stresses that these videos improve the teacher/student relationship as the teachers have more time for one-on-one teaching (instead of standing in front of 30 children and lecturing) 5. Government will take too long to come up with a budget – Answer: Must be a commercial venture – other than the Department’s endorsement, keep Government out of it. Of course, SABCTV would be first prize 6. Too many subjects to screen on TV – Answer: Yes, will have to be selective – best lessons only – 5pm screening of primary school competition, 7pm for the senior classes 7. Sponsorship of programme a problem – Answer; Liberty Life Foundation or Standard Bank Foundation are just two that could afford to sponsor the programme. 8. Some say that the ANC does not want to educate the masses! Answer: I don’t know about that, personally I don’t believe it, but that can be addressed via the media if it becomes a problem 9. Too much work for Rotary – Answer: Rotary must sell the idea, not produce it Teams of educationists, film producers, advertisers and administrators to manage the operation – Rotary must be prepared to lose out of its name forming part of the programme, but fight for some exposure from time to time 10. And more …