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Teacher Training & Upskilling For The New Coding & Robotics Curriculum In SA Schools

Following the legislated compulsory inclusion of coding and robotics in the school curriculum, we focus on the critical element of training teachers to implement the CAPS in their classrooms.

So, to offer our readers practical insight on this subject we will focus on how Knowledge Network (K-Net) has been upskilling teachers to lead their learners to success.

In conversation with Jil Hrdliczka, founder & CEO of Knowledge Network (K-Net)

(Good morning from Thabazimbi, Bela-Bela, Ceres, Tzaneen, Ballito, Somerset, Roodepoort, Winchester, Bassonia, Boksburg, PE, Northern Cape, Edenvale, Country Club, Bedford, Rustenburg, up Kruger Park way and from the snowy winter wonderlands.)

“This is a typical exchange of greetings from teachers attending technology integration upskilling events at Knowledge Network. These greetings are so awesome. We even named some of the coding story series Good Morning at the River, Good Night at the Beach, Hello from the Spaceship, Friends meet, etc,” says Jil.

The K-Net teacher upskilling events not only offer a preview of new trends, but also covers:

  • Upskilling in navigating using the mouse for Grade 00 who have maybe grown up playing with their parents’ smartphones,
  • starting Grade 8 Python,
  • teaching Grade 4 how to code polygons for the math teacher,
  • exploring and sensing using the micro:bit,
  • Grade 5 coded adventures in Afrikaans, Zulu or English for the language teachers,
  • micro:bit music, and
  • research and referencing APA citation style for Grade 7 and for those about to join the varsity of their choice.

An integrated approach

According to Jil: “Technology integration in other subjects is key to keeping the technology status of the entire school current. Kids learn the skills from the technology integration specialist, then take those skills to all the other subjects. This enables teachers who may not have technology skills themselves to use learners’ skills in the preparation of high standard content and illustrations for their subjects.”

Built into various integrated projects are auto generation of table of contents and bibliographies, illustrations, animations, icon design, video making and editing, recording, editing sound clips, coding stories in Scratch, charts, infographics, HTML and CSS, using templates for research papers and school projects, pivot tables, multimedia and screen captures, uploading, downloading, input, processing and output. The skills needed for schoolwork.

Also covered during Knowledge Network upskilling events are important elements such as:

  • Patterns,
  • pattern recognition,
  • identifying and solving problems,
  • debugging, working in pairs,
  • safety online,
  • plagiarism,
  • search filters,
  • copyright and trademarks,
  • augmented reality,
  • mixed cell referencing,
  • multipage documents, and
  • graphics and working with colours for the creation of the stunning visuals the kids love to present to their teachers.

The above is at different levels, starting from beginners to those with years of experience, and is covered in 30-to-60-minute lesson slots.

The methodology used by Knowledge Network for the delivery of in-class, in-person and virtual learning is ILAMM – Integrated Learning and Mentoring Methodology for technology integration in teaching and learning.

“Not all schools use the same curriculum mix of Cambridge, IEB, CAPS, IBE. Therefore, it is important to include as much content as possible in our upskilling training events to cover the technology content needed in the various curriculums.

“The list of some of the schools that have trained their teachers in ILAMM for technology integration is impressive. High-ranking schools and those known to be innovative are on the list. Not surprising, the US and Aussie are mentioned,” says Jil.

ILAMM enables the simultaneous development of technology, coping and time management skills, lateral and creative thinking, identifying and solving problems, development of general knowledge, and achieving results.

“I think South Africa has some of the best principals and teaching teams,” says Jil, “and they are highly qualified, experienced, excellent at business and marketing, they really do care, and achieve outstanding results no matter what. For us it is an honour to work with the teachers who have been selected by their schools to lead the technology integration programmes. They are then able to teach learners to easily understand difficult concepts, have fun and achieve while covering the required terminology.”

How it works

“We adopted a hybrid working model about ten years before lockdown. Schools that work with us for their upskilling projects love to join whichever event is happening from the comfort of their own homes, school labs, country clubs, farms and holiday venues, says Jil. “It saves money for the school and the teachers. Teachers get the skills, the know-how, the materials to use to achieve. It is ongoing. It is convenient. It is doable. It is affordable. It works.”

Knowledge Network (K-Net) is currently working with Windows 11, MS 365, Apple IOS and apps, Google and apps, Python, Scratch, MakeCode, Visual Studio and others. In the training events since 2021, they included what is being added next – the new DBE Coding and Robotics curriculum.

Initially K-Net created a summary of the 2021 DBE Draft Coding and Robotics Curriculum and are now working with the 2024 Final CAPS. All training events since 2021 have included the content from Grade R to Grade 9. So far, they have marked off as covered nearly all content, except for the robotics that required specific hardware.

Jil explains

“Imagine Grade 01 learning to code a story with messaging about a frog greeting a duck and a snake at the river in the morning and doing the animation of the animals, sound recording and debugging. Fixing coding mistakes, sequence or timing errors are all part of problem solving.”

 “Imagine learning Python for the first time, coding text conversations you could find at the start of games, coding an app to draw polygons or coding in HTML and CSS to create colourful web pages with proper research, graphics, video, sound, animation, and links.”

Integrated learning

And once done with coding and robotics, learners get back to the important task of using technology to do their schoolwork properly, researching content and presenting their own work with accurate and markable references, illustrations and other visuals to impress their teachers.

This October, Knowledge Network (K-Net) celebrates 30 years of successfully training our teachers to empower their learners.

Originally published in the August 2024 issue of The Mighty Pen EDUCATION magazine: written by founding editor, Janos Bozsik.

 

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