THE PROJECT FOR THE STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
EDITORIAL
learn from both in schools and in commu- nity based reading clubs.
Non-formal, volunteer driven community reading clubs are now spreading through- out the country. Many of them have been inspired by the Vulindlela Reading Clubs. The first such club was started by PRAE- SA in Langa in 2006, together with a local youth empowerment group.
Every Saturday morning, for two hours, PRAESA staff runs a programme where community members and other volunteers interact with children of all ages.
Storytelling, story
reading,
drawing
and
writing are at the heart of each session, but there is also play, song, rhyme and dance. Up to 150 children come each week on a voluntary basis, to a space which is educa- tional, nurturing and enjoyable.
To deepen and sustain reading habits, many more appropriate reading materials are needed in African languages than are pres- ently available. The Early Literacy Unit has coordinated a pan-African book develop- ment project, Stories Across Africa, to cre- ate story collections for all children on the continent to read in their own languages.
Through reading versions of the same sto- ries, children share a common universe of concepts and can come to appreciate their common African identity.
PRAESA works with publishers and others to publish good quality reading materials for children of all ages. They have initi- ated both original writing and translations and continue to do so in order to develop the kinds of conditions that are ones which give all South African children the chance to become thoughtful, creative and critical citizens.
MATHS AND SCIENCE LEARNER SUPPORT PROGRAMMES ARTICLE BY BRIDGET-ANN WOODS, WESTERN CAPE FIELDWORKER AND COORDINATOR FOR THE BRIDGE PORTAL.
“
In November 2010, Bridge hosted an initial meeting of an emerging national community for programme implementers and key investors supporting learners in maths and science. The community aims to have an increased impact on the number of quality maths and science graduates in the country and the objectives of its first meeting were to share research; identify what is required to accelerate the spread of successful maths and science programme objectives; create a collaborative pro- cess to identify critical success factors in maths and science interventions for both pre and post Grade 12; and establish a community for effective practice in this area.
Bridge had carried out a research process in advance of the meeting. All participants had been sent the research write-up before the meeting, while copies were given to attendees at the event. The write-up was intended to be a conversation starter and to stimulate discussion. It had identified several key themes in the field of maths and science learner support, in- cluding the role of mentorship, the challenges of monitoring and evaluation, learner selection and programme design, the role of government, psychosocial issues, and tertiary access.
The community, a multi-stakeholder one made up of represen- tatives from provincial government, civil society, funders, busi- ness, and so on, discussed the research report and identified key issues of concern that the community members shared.
It was agreed by the group that collaboration is vital and that the community would value sharing information and maximis- ing resources, but an issue strongly articulated was the need for on-going national Department of Education involvement in the community. It was also agreed that this Bridge commu- nity should operate at both micro and macro levels and that it needs to be broken down into smaller focus groups and teams, with a focus on:
n Tertiary access n Monitoring and evaluation n Learner selection and programme design n Saturday schools and after-hours tuition
This community and its focus groups have met, its learnings are documented and best practice case studies summarised. Its intended outcomes are greater co-ordination and collaboration among funders and between funders and government; agreed metrics and standards on monitoring and evaluating maths and science support programmes; greater, and less competitive, links between maths and science support programmes and higher education bursary programmes; the spread of effective practice within the community and its associated stakeholders and reduction in duplication (horizontal integration); and the vertical integration of policy and practice.
”
100 CHAPTER 5 | TOWARDS QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION
www.ed.org.za
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