Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Basic Education 4 May 2010 Development of Workbooks

FFL PILLARS EVIDENCE Assessments SUPPORT Documents &Training

TeachingTeaching LearningLearning A s s e s s m e n t

Presentation Outline A. Current state of performance in literacy / numeracy Evidence from public schools Major predictors of performance B. Strategy to address the literacy / numeracy challenge

Priorities and measurement The Department is increasingly strengthening measurement to provide credible evidence to inform necessary interventions and support and improve performance in literacy and numeracy as important foundational skills. Achievement of high quality learning outcomes is periodically measured against contextual factors of access, equity and quality that might impact on learning and teaching. National priority at the basic education level is on literacy/language and numeracy/mathematics and these are monitored through periodic systemic evaluations and annual national assessments.

Observations from 2009 ANA results The overall results in 2009 at grade 3 level indicate a slight improvement in both Literacy (41%) and Numeracy (44%) while the performance at grade 6 level remain relatively low with 35% in Language and 33% in Mathematics.

Major Predictors of Performance Key predictors and the “percentage difference (diff.) they account for ” in learner achievement:- Teaching practices (passive versus interactive learner participation) (diff. = 59%) Language of learning and teaching (diff. = 49%) School resources (diff. = 49%) Access to learning materials (diff. = 28%) Time-on-task (diff. = 20%)

SUPPORT TO THE SYSTEM

Support to the System Through the Foundations for Learning Programme, the department has provided teachers and schools with the following: (a)The Government Gazette that clearly spells out expectations in respect of i) basic targets by 2011; ii) essential daily classroom activities to promote necessary skills and competencies; iii) basic resources necessary; iv) assessment of learner performance; (b) document support in the form of Assessment Frameworks (milestones) that assist teachers to monitor learner progress in these critical areas.

They contain milestones (knowledge and skills) derived from the Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards of the National Curriculum Statement and have been paced across the four terms; Quarterly Assessment Activities that support teachers by providing good exemplars of assessment items as well as assisting teachers to track learner performance at the end of each term, thus ensuring coverage of key milestones per term. Lesson Plans for Literacy and Numeracy (Grades1-6) that ensure full coverage of the curriculum and give guidance on planning and assessment.

Workbooks The necessary next step in intensifying support to teachers and learners, as we work towards improving literacy and numeracy performance, is to provide learners with workbooks in all official languages aligned to the lesson plans provided to teachers. The content of the workbooks will be informed by the key knowledge and skills that learners need to acquire in the specific grades.

Purpose of Workbooks The purpose of the workbooks is to: provide schools and teachers with good quality activities and ideas that portray good practice that will assist them, in the long term to emulate such practice; offer learners the opportunity to experience acquisition and application of skills in a systematic way; ensure that learners are given adequate opportunities to consolidate their skills through written responses ;

Purpose of Workbooks cont…. ensure that schools lacking photocopying facilities will be supported ; model good practice, guiding teachers to improve their teaching; provide a variety of activities to reinforce (a) mathematical concepts and skills, and, (b) literacy / language skills; help teachers to monitor learner performance in key activities; and prepare learners for the formats used in various standardized assessments.

Scope of work Two workbooks (literacy and numeracy) for Grades 1-6 Twelve workbooks in total 200 activity sheets per book (1 activity sheet per day) Development in English and then translation into 10 languages Translation of Lesson Plans into 10 languages

Scope of work: Number of learners per grade per language distribution AFREngNdeSepSothoSetswSiswatTshvXhoXitsonZuluOtherBraille Gr R Gr Gr Gr Gr Gr Gr

Process to be followed Appointment of a team of curriculum experts / materials developers / translators to develop the workbooks for learners in grades 1-6 for Literacy / Language and Numeracy / Mathematics and translate Lesson Plans. Identification by NGO’s and HEIs with strong Foundation / Intermediate Phase curriculum personnel, lesson plan writers and teachers.

Time frames The whole process from development to delivery to school will take five months. Workbooks and lesson plans in all official languages will be in schools by end August/mid September 2010.

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