In the first year of this course we will think about the different ways we communicate through language.
In this part of the course we will look at different aspects of language: thinking, talk, reading and writing and how it fits into our daily lives. Then we will look at ways of teaching language which brings all the different aspects together.
In this umthamo, we are going to look at a way of teaching language which fits in with Outcomes Based Education. This approach to language and teaching does not divide language into different parts. It is about the links between all the aspects of language. The ideas and activities in this umthamo combine a whole language approach with a literature-based approach to language teaching and learning.
In this third umthamo we are going to think about how we first learn to speak. Teachers will do research on how they think we acquire spoken language or learn to talk.
This umthamo focuses on the strong role families play in helping their young children become part of the local speaking community. It also shows how when teachers involve families in the education of their children, the children's education is enriched and developed.
This module discusses the different types of literacy. In unit 1 we look t the process of reading and writing. In Unit 2 there are four studies which demonstrate what young readers and writers do as they make sense of the process of reading and writing print. In Unit 3 we provide suggestions and ideas of ways in which a teacher can create a classroom environment which encourages her learners to use their print literacy for real purposes and in real contexts.
The focus of this umthamo is on helping learners to communicate in and use an additional language, in particular English.
In this umthamo we will explore and share ideas about this unique ability we have to think and learn. Although many of the examples in this umthamo focus on you children, we will also think about how we as adults learn.
This umthato explores how thinking and learning at school differs from that at home. It also highlights the importance of the language of teaching.
In this module we explore and share ideas about this unique ability that humans have to think and learn. In particular, we will look at when learning starts, and how it develops as the child grows. We will look at the knowledge, skills and values that learners bring with them to school and the importance of building on that.
In this umthamo, we will continue to think about talking. In particular we will think about the role talk plays in thinking and learning. We hope that you will become much more aware of the talk that goes on in your classroom. We will ask you to plan, observe and reflect on talk and learning.
In this umthamo we will focus our thinking on 'thinking about thinking'. The most important purpose of the umthamo is to encourage you to continue research the many ways our minds work.
This umthamo focuses on how human beings, both children and adults try to find sense or meaning in all aspects of their lives and the importance of this.
The focus of this umthamo is emotional intelligence and the part it plays in our learning. We will look at the role that homes, families and also the school play in developing emotional intelligence.
In this strand we move beyond the school. We look at how education, learning, learners, teachers and schools fit within the larger society. Our main goal in all this is to develop an idea of what different people think about the purposes and importance of education: people in our schools, in our communities and beyond. More importantly, however, we also want to revisit our own thinking on what education is, or should be, about.
In this umthamo, we will look at how education changes as society changes, and as different groups of people gain power. The education provided by communities and governments is different at different times and in different places all over the world.
There are a number of ways of looking at curriculum and the issues central to thinking about curriculum and what and how learners should learn. In lo mthamo, we will ask you to look at curriculum by examining what you do in your classroom. You will also look at curriculum by reading about syllabi, and by analysing part of a textbook. You will have an opportunity to think about the kinds of learning areas, or fields, that you think should be included in an ideal curriculum.
The current umthamo focuses on curriculum change in South Africa. The main aim here is provide educators with an opportunity to look critically at the curriculum change process in South Africa.
Lo mthamo asks you to take whole school development out into the broader context of the community of schools in your district. We have spoken, in the Schools as Learning Communities strand, of 'Schools as Learning Organisations', of 'Learning Schools', of School Improvement', Whole School Development' and 'Healing the System'. All these have been approaches to developing our schools into 'Self-managing schools' - schools which are independent and can take initiative in solving their own difficulties within their own context.
This umthamo continues the discussion started in the previous umthamo on cluster development.
