Pinetown District gets ready for 2016 Just-in-Time Programme

THE Pinetown district schools prepared their teachers for 2016 through a Just-in-Time Programme, aimed at bringing about improved learner performance in maths, English as first additional language (EFAL), isiZulu as home language and physical sciences.

Driven by the call outlined by the National Development Plan (NDP) to significantly improve the outcomes of the education system in South Africa, the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) advocates a complacent turnaround time for curriculum coverage in schools and strives in accomplishing this because improved learning happens in the classroom through improved teaching of the curriculum.

Heightening a state of readiness in schools, the NECT – through its implementing agent, Jika Imfundo – went full-swing with one of their school intervention programmes called the Just-in-Time Programme in the Pinetown district.

The Just-In-Time workshops ran from 1 to 12 February concurrently in respective areas including KwaMashu, Hammarsdale and Westville, covering the Foundation Phase languages, maths and physical sciences.

The Just-in-Time workshop is designed to equip school HODs to have key routines in place to manage curriculum coverage in schools. It addresses the management of curriculum in langauge, maths and physical sciences so that teacher professionalism is achieved by addressing the most challenging topics that teachers encounter when teaching in the classroom.

It assists teachers with how to understand the content and thrive in their teaching and learning.

The district kicked off with jam-packed sessions, engaging teachers in dialogue and teaching them how to use the toolkits which provide the correct information and written guides which enable teachers to work through the curriculum more efficiently.

Madeline David, a maths subject adviser from the Phoenix area, reiterated the importance of these workshops as they tap into the challenges that educators experience daily. She said that the enthusiasm she received from the teachers, and how they were very open and receptive and enjoyed working with the toolkits and other resources provided to them.

David’s maths session was attended by 18 schools in the Phoenix central area, each school consisting of both HOD and lead educator. Her session looked at challenging topics such as problem-solving and measurement, the different ways of problem-solving, how to work out a problem and different types of problems.

“Teachers find these workshops interesting and go away with something tangible to report back to their principal and fellow teachers. Another impact of the Just-in-Time workshop on these teachers is that it helps improve their knowledge of the content,” she said.

District coach, Thembelihle Charma from NECT’s Jika Imfundo, highlighted that some general challenges that educators experience in the classroom include topics such as problem-solving. She emphasised that problem-solving is a big issue in maths as a subject.

In spite of the challenges experienced by educators, Charma is excited that attending the Foundation Phase Just-In-Time workshop was an eye-opener and was an enjoyable one too. She enthused how impressed she was by the manner in which the educators showed enthusiasm in tackling the problem-solving topic during the workshop.

“They tackled problem-solving like primary learners in the classroom. I actually had so much fun attending the Foundation Phase workshop, they chose a good topic,” she said.

The Just-In-Time workshops further look at strengthening school management by providing school management teams (SMTs) with tools to manage teachers in their curriculum coverage and a mechanism for teachers to reflect on their professional practice with their peers.

NECT prides itself in enhancing teacher performance, through teacher development interventions for competence in subject areas, teaching methods and curriculum management.

Submitted by Busisiwe Mabaso.