Why can’t South African children count?

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 | ICT in Africa | 10 Comments

I can’t accept the fact that children in South Africa are not able to count.  Yet, studies show that numeracy skills of our children are of the lowest in the world.

Why is it that some of our schools produce learners with excellent mathematical abilities, while neighbouring schools – drawing learners from the same communities – yield dismal results?

Why is it that some well-resources schools fare badly in equipping learners with numeracy skills, whereas some poorly resourced schools are doing so well?

Does the fault lie with the learners?  No!  Never doubt the talent of our children!

Is a lack of resources the problem?  No!  Many schools are performing miracles with the little that is available.  You don’t need fancy equipment to teach learners to count and to remember their multiplication tables.

The education system – officials and teachers – must take responsibility for the fact that our kids can’t tally.

Tags: ICT in Africa, learners, skills

A bottom-up approach

Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Employment | 4 Comments

The Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration, Roy Padayachie, gave the keynote address during a Public Service Innovation Conference in Cape Town yesterday.

He encouraged gender equity, but cautioned women:

“Don’t use your bottoms to get to the top”.

A stunned audience battled to hide their embarrassment – only a few managed a polite giggle.

Tags: skills

Adapt or die

Sunday, June 14th, 2009 | Computer Usage, technology | 7 Comments

A few decades ago Computer Aided Design (CAD) software packages became commercially available. CAD programmes automated the drawing of technical diagrams.  The software made it possible to draw diagrams in a few minutes that previously took draughtsmen hours – if not days – to complete, and with greater accuracy.

Surprisingly, many draughtsmen resisted the use of CAD software, feeling that it posed a threat to their careers.  They’ve spent years developing drawing skills – if computers were to be used to draw diagrams, what were they going to do?

Some farsighted draughtsmen accepted the change and learned to use CAD software.  They discovered that it took the drudgery out of their jobs and allowed them time to focus on higher level design tasks.  For them CAD proved to be a productivity boon.

Today practically all technical drawings are done by means of CAD.  Those draughtsmen who did not embrace technology were phased out over time. 

Educators are in a similar situation today. Technology is changing the face of education but, sadly, some educators are not prepared to accept the challenge to learn new skills. It is not as if they are scared of technology – they fear that technology will take over their jobs. If computers are used for teaching, what will teachers do?  They resist technology because they see it as a threat to their careers.

Visionary educators behave differently. They embrace opportunities that allow them to elevate their personal involvement to a higher level; technology enables them to be true facilitators of the learning process, while using computers for more mundane things such as admin tasks, drill and practice and the dissemination of learning content.

Where will educators find themselves in a decade from now if they do not adapt to a mode of education where technology plays a significant role?

Remember what happened to the draughtsmen!

Tags: skills, teachers, technology

Must I learn to touch type?

Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | laptops | 1 Comment

If you’ve never worked on a computer before, or did not take typing lessons, you won’t be able to touch type.  Even many experienced computer users never acquired this skill.

What is touch typing?  It is typing without looking at the keyboard to find the right keys to press – through practise the fingers are trained to locate the keys so that the person typing can read from a text and type at the same time.  This skill can be compared to dancing – an accomplished dancer’s feet automatically follow the music.

Touch typing is indeed a valuable skill if you work a lot on a keyboard.  Typing with two fingers in a hunt-and-peck fashion is easy, but slow and tiresome.  Once you’ve mastered the skill of touch typing, you will be able to type:

much faster

more accurately

while you are reading from a document, or looking at the screen of your computer.

It is not difficult to learn to touch type.  A typing teacher on your staff may be able to help you.  Free typing tutor programmes are available for use in your own time.  Don’t give up if your fingers are dumb in the beginning – over time they will loosen up and obey you effortlessly.

The dividends that learning to touch type will pay you are illustrated by Aesop’s fable of the farmer and his sons.

A father, on the point of death, wished to be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it.  He called them to his bedside and said, “My sons, there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards.” 

The sons, after his death, took their spades and carefully dug over every portion of their land.  They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labour by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.

The moral of story: sometimes the rewards for one’s efforts are indirect.

In itself the skill of touch typing has no merit – you will find a real treasure when you reach the point where your fingers translate your thoughts into text.

Click here to find answers to more laptop related questions.

Tags: laptops, learning, skills, training

Cultivate the art of listening

Sunday, September 14th, 2008 | training | No Comments

Trainers need special skills to train teachers in the use of technology.  They must have a good knowledge of hardware, software and education programmes, and ought to understand the process of education.  Healthy doses of patience, empathy, discernment and suchlike qualities are also required

A skill that is often overlooked is the art of listening.  So great is its value to trainers that, at times, it could even compensate for other deficiencies.

A teacher may have problems coming to grips with the use of ICT as a curriculum delivery tool.  Perhaps you have made many suggestions and put the person through a variety of training programmes, but without success.

Do we give up on such ones?  Or is there another approach?

How about just letting the individual talk – while you are listening.  But it must be attentive listening.  By giving careful consideration to what is said, you are allowing the teacher to tell you what her needs are – even though she may not be using the correct terms.

As an experienced trainer, you will be able to discern the real needs.

A teacher may say: “I have been teaching this subject for years without the help of computers – I see no need for it now.”  Why does he feel that way?  Let him talk and find out.  It could be that the teacher is not aware of what technology can do for the subject.  Or there may be a trace of technophobia.  Another possibility is the fear that the computer will take his job away.  In many cases the ICT-curriculum integration picture is not clear to the educator. 

You cannot rectify the situation unless you know the underlying reason for the problem – and you will not know the reason unless you are listing.

To be a good trainer, cultivate the art of listening.

Tags: skills, teachers, training