1. PROJECT BASED LEARNING APPROACH(Learner centered)
PLANTING SEEDS! CHANGING LIVES!
BY:PHUTI RAGOPHALA
PULA MADIBOGO PRIMARY SCHOOL
LIMPOPO PROVINCE
SOUTH AFRICA
.co.za
Phuti Ragophala blogger
Grade 7 -age 11-12

2. Brief description of the project
Ems grade 7 lesson based on sectors of economy about food production. It started in class as theory but took another shape in the garden as practical of what was learnt in class. Project prompted by realization of high number of impoverished and child headed families and many orphans in the school community hence high death rate of parents
Its more practical, calls learners to plan, to be hands on in the garden and in the computer room,to work in groups by sharing ideas on how to produce food incorporating IT and indigenous knowledge system skills and also calls learners to go outside the school yard to harvest more information on food technology and production. It ended up benefiting some children from child headed family and replication of IT and IKS skills to community at large. What a happy ending!!!

3. Objectives To show the value of being a producer than a consumer
To produce a nation of entrepreneurs that consumers
Ignite passion and change learners lives
To break the chains of poverty
To give learners the survival skills in food production and path career for future plans-e.g food farming
To learn to solve community problems by taking learning activities beyond the classroom to benefit the needy
To provoke their critical thinking, stimulate level of communication
To make the school a hub of service delivery beyond academic services

4. Mind map planning of the lesson project

5. Planning learning activity(more pedagogue that technological)
In class teaching using manual text books and writing some few notes down
Site visit in the school garden to see some of the school productions and communicating with garden man on how he does it
Visiting the computer room to google new vocabulary and built more knowledge on food farming (using Encarta and Student Encyclopedia or principals laptop hence no wifi or internet facilities in the area)
Visiting the nearby University to study more about Food Technology . Eg componenent sin mealies, vitamins, carbohydrates, PH scale of the water we use in the garden etc

6. Spot a small space to prepare the land in order to plant some mealie seeds.
Groups and time table to monitor(sharing of work as a way of collaborate)
Watering using harvested water tanks or borehole, taking out weeds
Recording each step, shapes of leaves drawing and smelling and touching the new seeds from the new grown up mealies. So amazing!
Back in class to record all the observation talk about them
Visiting the computer to put some information on power point to prepare for presentation, some draw, some making movie makers to tell the project etc. to work on measurement e.g comparing grams and kilograme , estimating the production of seeds before mill grinding and after the process etc
To harvest, put new seeds in the bag and taking it to the milling company for mea meal (porridge) South African Stable food.

7. MAY 2013 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1(garden site visit) 2
3(watering)
4(computer class) 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15(watering)
164(computer class) 17 18
19Garden site visit 20 21 22 23 24 25
2627
28(watering) 29 30 31
Garden site visit)
(computer class)

8. Cont…….
Came back with a bag of 50kg of meal meal as against 80kg of seeds
Donation to the needy family and some ill healthy learners
Tangible difference made
Presentation of the project group by group according to the works shared and common goal achieved(movie maker, power point ,paint etc)
Saturday Computer classes using their parent celphone to learn how to create e mails, communicate their work, view school website and sending me s to report progress and sent messages amongst themselves and parents was out of this world
Empowerment, equipped with survival skills ,confidence and ownership of school by both community and learners
Replicating the IT and IKS skills to other community members and educators

9. Sectors of economy Primary sector: Secondary sector:
Donating to the needy family
Tertiary Sector

10. How the lesson facilitated the development of different dimensions of 21st century skills
Collaboration= working together in the garden and computer lab planning for the project
Communication=talking to the garden man on method of food production and visiting the nearest University about food technology. Exchanging and reporting ideas on manual over head projector using transparency paper
Knowledge building= computer room, garden
ICT for learning =computer room googling for more information using Encarta, student encyclopedia and principals laptop
Problem solving=addressing authentic real-world problem(poverty and malnutrition) and implementing a solution by planting seeds that changed some of their colleques lives

11. Cont…..
Global awareness =Extended learning beyond the classroom for the entire community to benefit. Meal meal and food on the table , replicated It and IKS to community members during 95th birthday of Dr Nelson Mandela and assisted some educators to join PIL(that was wow!)
Critical thinking=putting theory into practice was not easy for the grade 7 learners. Most of them thought that food is from supermarket.
Cutting edge of technology for learning: With very limited resources ,seeing my learners sending me s using celphones, putting together the activity using computers ,my laptop, software like Encarta and student Encyclopedia without internet wifi, ,seeing one learner assisting educators to join PIL using educators celphones , seeing the project competing internationally ,that was my highest highlights in ever

12. Change agent The following is evidence:
Representing my country internationally in IT projects using very limited resources is out of this world
Taking primary school learners to the nearest University to harvest more knowledge in food production and food technology is rare
Merging theory and practical lessons and come up with production that benefit their colleques in the same schoolis not easy
Using the IT tools to drive education and face away chalkboard method was successful
Taking the lesson outside the classroom to benefit the entire community is not done by every body
Communicating with learners using their own created e mail addresses was done and succeded
Encouraging learners to tackle real world authentic challenges y using their school is out of this world

13. Persistence and perseverance
If you keep on throwing stones at dogs that bark at you, you will never reach your destination

14. How the lesson was assessed using mouse mischief

15. How the lesson was assessed using sticky sorter

16. Auto Collaged images of learners in different school activities
Learners different images were auto collaged to indicate that IT cut across all the school activities and make education fun and instill learners pride and ownership of school

17. Recapping of the lesson using video images through movie maker