Saide Current Awareness
13 February 2023

 

Education: South Africa 

 

 

  • Iceland youth project aims to dilute drinking and drug abuse in George Source: Daily Maverick George, a town of about 200,000 people in the Western Cape, is taking inspiration from Iceland to reduce substance use among young people. An unlikely coalition has been formed, consisting of community and activist organisations, schools, the George Municipality, police, and provincial government departments.

 

  • SALDRU concludes large-scale research project on the state of SA  Source: UCT The conclusion of the Research Project on Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth (REDI3X3) – a large-scale, multi-year research undertaking led by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) – provides an in-depth analysis of some of South Africa’s most pressing challenges; and how to fix them. It includes a section on education, training, skills development.

 


Language and Literacies

 

 

  • How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong Source: RevealNews Many schools teach reading using an approach that can actually make it harder for kids to learn. Kids are taught to use strategies like “look at the picture” and “think of a word that makes sense.” This episode is a partnership with American Public Media’s Sold a Story podcast.

 


Open Education and Open Educational Resources

  • From Knowledge Curator to Knowledge Creator: Academic Libraries and Open Access Textbook Publishing Source:Journal of Library and Scholarly Communication This article shares reflections and challenges from the perspective of eBureau authors and library staff. The Library will continue to build on the success of eBureau collaborations and look more broadly to enact the future role of academic libraries in sustainable open textbook publishing within La Trobe University and across the higher education sector

 

  • Open Educational Resources in Higher Education: A Global Perspective Source: Springer.com Covers several key areas in which open educational resources scholarship is currently focused .Explores the current state of open educational resources research and innovation worldwide.Provides in-depth research while also highlighting recent, innovative open education practices

 

 


Post Schooling

  • CHE 2021/2022 ANNUAL REPORT NEWSLETTER Source: CHE This report provides an overview of the achievements of the 2021/2022 financial year within the context of the CHE's Strategic Plan for 2020-2025.

 

  • Lessons emerge from first university partnership summit Source: UniversityWorldNews A partnership project between the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Columbia University in the United States to support first-year students in developing their writing skills was described as an example of a success story of collaboration by Dr Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation, at the first University Partnership Initiative (UPI) Summit.

 

 

  • A different Approach: Technical Vocational Education and Training  Source:Twitter KagisoTrust, one of South Africa’s leading development agencies will be hosting a Twitter Space in partnership with the Mail & Guardian to address Technical-Vocational Education and Training.This hour-long Twitter Space will include speakers and participants who will discuss the misconceptions and reluctance towards Technical-Vocational Education and Training and how we can overcome it.

 

Skills and Employment 

 

 

  • These in-demand jobs don’t require a degree in South Africa Source: Businesstech The Pnet JobMarket Trends Report for Q4 2022 shows that there are many in-demand jobs in South Africa that do not require a degree or tertiary qualifications. The report provides an overview of South African employment and recruitment trends and is based on data from Saongroup’s online recruitment platforms, which have over 8 million registered users.

 

  • Female cloud practitioners on the rise Source: ITWeb Standard Bank and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have teamed with GirlCode to empower and equip women with skills needed to succeed in tech-related industries.

 

 

Teaching and Learning- Local and Global

  • Learning styles don’t exist Source: Aeon A teaching approach that is based on students’ preferences sounds laudable. But this misunderstands how learning happens

 

  • Understanding and protecting academic integrity Source: Times Higher Education A spotlight featuring insights on how universities and colleges can tackle academic misconduct among students and faculty and includes suggestion on CHATGpt use and authentic learning.

 

  • How Hollywood Stereotypes About Teachers Stifle Learning Source: Edsurge Hollywood often features classroom scenes that depict a highly glamorized version of teaching. These scenes are particularly noticeable to Jessamyn Neuhaus, who is both a professor who teaches courses about popular culture and the director of the Center of Teaching Excellence at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

 

  • I introduced social entrepreneurship to my trainee teachers – why it’ll make them better at their jobs Source: The Conversation Prof Zayd Waghid from CPUT describes how, through the use of a film Who cares, he aims to encourage future teachers to think critically and imaginatively about ways to help lessen inequality in their communities. The film shows social entrepreneurs from various countries finding innovative ways to solve social problems while working with limited resources and demonstrating the incredible tenacity that entrepreneurship can bring.

 

Technology Enhanced Learning

 

 

  • AI, Chatbots & ChatGPT for Teachers This free course is intended for teachers who want to know more about ChatGPT, use it in their practice, looking for inspiration/examples of its power or those trying to improve their use of this AI chatbot.

 

  • The Humanities in the Age of AI: A Professor’s Reflection Source: Higher Education Digest Jason J. Gulya is a Professor of English at Berkeley College argues that the rise of AI will make the humanities indispensable, as the defining question of the humanities is the human condition and how humans deal with uncertainty. The author believes that the uncertainty brought on by the rise of AI makes the study of the humanities more relevant than ever, as it prepares students to understand and navigate an ambiguous world.