Saide Current Awareness
17 July 2023

 

Distance education 

  • Distance education for teacher training: modes, models, and methods Source:VOCED Plus This publication is the new edition of the 2011 guide, completely revised to include lessons learned over the last decade, including the massive move to online learning during the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 global pandemic. Drawing on data from 188 countries and nearly 700 publications, this comprehensive guide explores distance education modes, technology-based models, and the many methods used for distance-based teacher pre-service education, in-service teacher professional development, and ongoing teacher support.

 

 Education: South Africa 

  • The forgotten women in education Source: Mail and Guardian The work of early childhood development (ECD) practitioners is one of the major sources of income for black women. But, much like domestic workers, ECD practitioners constitute a forgotten generation of women who work, wait and sow endlessly on the pathways of life, yet never get an opportunity to earn, progress and reap. The limited research on ECD practitioners and their learning pathways is testament to just how neglected these women are.
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  • When push comes to shove – what schools need to do to tackle the bullying scourge Source: Daily Maverick More research has recently been done on the effects of bullying on the victims, the perpetrators and even those who witness it. The results make it clear that schools by themselves can’t stop it.
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  • School communities seem to be scared to make their views known in the media Source:IOL Brian Isaacs writes that one of the biggest threats to freedom of speech is the education departments. They use labour relations departments across the country to suppress freedom of thought
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  • Nelson Mandela University to host thousands of youth in a coding tournament on Mandela Day Source: IOL As the country takes steps to boost Maths, Science and Technology in schools, Nelson Mandela University, Tangible Africa and the Leva Foundation are set to host thousands of young people in a coding tournament on Mandela Day. 
    Approximately 10,000 learners from across Africa and abroad will participate in the event, which is believed to be the biggest Mandela Day event in the country.
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  • Time’s up for cheats, says NSFAS Source: IOL The NSFAS said for the first time in its history it was verifying information given by applicants with public databases including Sars, the Department of Home Affairs, SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the credit bureau.
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  • Teach boys that no tasks should be exclusively assigned to girls, says head of social development in KZN Source: IOL The KZN MEC for Social Development recently spoke out about how boys should be raised in society. While addressing the Boys Assembly in Underberg recently, MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza emphasised the importance of moulding emotional skills and overall wellbeing in boys' development, rather than solely focusing on teaching masculinity.
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  • Educational support programme launched to help with Grade 12 end of year exams Source:IOL  In preparation for the year-end exams in a few months’ time, AVBOB has launched an educational support programme, aimed at assisting teachers of language subjects in the Grade 12 syllabus.
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  • Worried Gauteng students will get stipends after non-payment Source: IOL More than 80 interns and bursary holders who are beneficiaries of the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) programme are currently in limbo after they were not paid their June stipends.

 

Language and Literacies

  • Linguistics and Brain Processing Source: LinkedIn  Language is a fundamental aspect of human communication and culture. It not only serves as a means of conveying information but also plays a crucial role in shaping our cognitive abilities. The intricate relationship between linguistics and cognitive function has been the subject of extensive research, highlighting the profound impact that language has on our thinking processes.

 

Open Education and Open Educational Resources

  • Course Accessibility Matrix Template Source: University of Edinburgh This course accessibility matrix template, designed to help assess the accessibility of courses in the University of Edinburgh’s Learn virtual learning environment, was informed by the WCAG criteria and University policy​. 
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  • BUILDING DEMOCRACY FOR ALL OER EBOOK: A DESIGN CASE Source: International Journal of Design for Learning In this paper, we discuss the design and development of an eBook titled Building Democracy for All: Interactive Explorations of Government and Civic Life, which serves as an open educational resource for the eighth-grade Massachusetts social studies curriculum standards. This design case offers an example of an interactive, student-centered, multimodal, multicultural open-access eBook.

 

Post Schooling

  • Innovative education for African Public Service: TM school breaks barriers Source: Daily Maverick 'In response to the dire need for appropriate higher education in Africa, the Thabo Mbeki African School for Public and International Affairs (popularly referred to as the TM School) embarked on an interventionist journey to produce knowledge that is innovative to African society...and has 'designed a collection of learning offerings to create opportunities for life-long learners in the public service (including diplomats) and leaders in all dimensions of society. '
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  • UWC awarded staggering R537 million in scholarships Source: IOL The University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the Mastercard Foundation have joined forces to launch the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the university. This partnership will see a grant of R537 million being awarded to UWC for scholarships.
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  • STADIO launches BA degree Source: IOL 'In a period of increased uncertainty and as AI comes of age, people are outsourcing more tasks to algorithms and computers and the world of work is changing. Now, more than ever, we need people who are able to understand context, collate disparate ideas, strategize effectively and communicate clearly in a way that mobilises action, suggests Divya Singh, Chief Academic Officer at STADIO. She believes that a Bachelor of Arts degree is a useful tool in preparing students to meet this need.'

 

Skills and Employment 

  • HIGHER EDUCATION TODAY - Microcredentials Source: GotoUniversity Youtube Channel Nadia Starr, Chief Executive Officer, South African Qualifications Authority; James Keevy, Chief Executive Officer, JET Education Services; and Trudi van Wyk, Chief Director, Department of Higher Education and Training feature in this discussion, sharing their perspectives on the definition and recognition of microcredentials.
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  • ‘BRICS must produce students who can mitigate impact of climate change’ Source: SABC News Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, has emphasised the importance of the education system producing students who will be able to mitigate the impact of climate change. Nzimande was speaking during the BRICS summit on education taking place at Skukuza at the Kruger National Park. Education ministers from the five countries Brazil, China, Russia, South Africa and India engaged on a number of issues relating to education.
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  • Latest Spatial Tax Panel data tell much about formal employment in the provinces and metros of SA Source: Daily Maverick High unemployment is a major public issue in South Africa and is the subject of a huge body of research, policy and commentary. Yet, how to increase employment is fraught with complexity and remains a contentious topic. It is contentious among the political parties who make policies on it, among the spheres of government that enact those policies, among the researchers who produce knowledge on it, and among the advocacy groups that represent various interests in this pressing matter.
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  • Looking for work? 3 tips on how social media can help young South Africans Source: Conversation  South Africa has a growing unemployment rate. Statistics show the unemployment rate to be above 60% for those aged 15-24 and over 40% for those aged 25-34 years. Rankings from the World Bank position South Africa as having the highest unemployment rate in the world. This runaway unemployment rate not only creates precarious, limiting circumstances for individual young people but also poses a threat to the country’s economic growth and global competitiveness.
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  • The 5 highest paying jobs in Humanities Source: IOL The humanities field - the study and research of the social sciences, arts, human and community development, education, and more - are often overlooked and underestimated.

 

Teaching and Learning- Local and Global

  • Getting started with Effective Questioning Source: Cambridge Assessment International Education. A free resource for all teachers that introduces and develops key areas of teaching and learning practice. They link what the research says with what happens in the classroom, and provide new ideas to help you get started.
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  • Project Zero's Thinking Routine Toolbox Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education Developed by a research team from Harvard University, the Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox, is a collection of different types of thinking routines that can be used across disciplines, topics, and age groups to scaffold thinking processes.

 

Technology Enhanced Learning

  • Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Reading Response Edition Source:  derekbruff.org  Will students get the robot to do the reading for them?  Blogger and educator Derek Bruff shares his ideas for updating reading response assignments in light of new generative AI tools.
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  • Learn with AI Source: University of Maine The Learning With AI initiative from the University of Maine provides a curated resource of crowdsourced strategies, resources, and videos that educators can use and provides 'an opportunity to introduce students to the ethical and economic questions wreaked by these new tools, as well as to experiment with progressive forms of pedagogy that can exploit them.' 
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  • How to Turn Your Notes into a Personalised Learning Experience, using ChatGPT Source: Dr. Phillipa Hardman. The blog post explores this week how we can use ChatGPT not just to structure & summarise text, but to apply instructional strategies which turn notes into meaningful learning.
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  • How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide Source: One Useful Thing An updated guide by Ethan Mollick focusing on which major AI system to use for writing, art, idea generation & more. It also includes what to be careful of, and some detailed examples.
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  • The Alchemist Club School & Studios is an educational platform that is designed to immerse learners in developing deep understanding of STEM concepts, ideas and fundamental principles by using a "Physical Approach" to computing in education. One of the main goals of the Alchemist Club School & Studios is addressing the crisis of minorities underrepresented in STEM. 
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  • Introducing Professor Bot: Would you know the difference? Source: IOL Whether AI will cause educators to lose their jobs, it is significantly changing teaching and learning methods, curriculum design and academic research, says Professor Louis C H Fourie, Extraordinary Professor in Information Systems at the University of the Western Cape. 
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  • #29 – Generative AI and assessment Source:inbetaphysio.com  Michael Rowe writes: Ben and I recently sat down to talk about some of his questions around the implications of generative AI on assessment in higher education. As usual, Ben pushes me into some unexpected places with his thoughtful questions.  This was a wide-ranging conversation that explored some of the detail around how language models work, it’s inability to compare responses to valid models of the world, practical uses for AI in teaching, learning, and assessment, and the risks of having AI being trained on data generated by AI. We explore the implications of a higher education system that integrates AI deeply, and ask if this integration has inherent value, or if it’s simply instrumental. And we discuss an awkward conclusion that at least of us feels is inevitable.

 

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