Description of project:

The West Coast Winelands Primary Maths, Science and Technology Cluster Initiative comprises of four service providers who are responding to the curriculum audit that occurred in 2002, resulting in teachers emphatically prioritizing the need for Maths, Science and Technology content planning and assessment. The initiative aims to work in all nine circuits of the West Coast Winelands district and to identify and work with twenty teachers so that each of the 9 circuits has 2 teachers who would be the contact person as well as the teachers who can be further trained to offer follow-up support to the cluster schools of their area.

The Shuttleworth Foundation's involvement:

The Shuttleworth Foundation is funding Imstus to provide the mathematics component of the training to support the above initiative.

The Shuttleworth Foundation is funding Ort-Tech to provide the technology component of the training to support the above initiative.

Aims and objectives:

There are two primary aims of this project:

1) Imstus will, with funding from the Foundation, run a mathematics intervention for grades R – 7 for the Stellenbosch, Wellington and Malmesbury circuits to:

- Develop teacher’s concepts and knowledge in the Mathematics learning area
- Develop and extend the necessary skills of educators
- Assist schools in forming their own clusters in geographical areas to continue support
- Identify key teachers for follow-on support
- Provide each educators with the necessary Mathematics assessment sources so that educators can:

-Sequence learning content according to conceptual development
-Integrate continuous assessment throughout the course
-Implement a reflective teaching practice

2) Ort-Tech will, with funding from the Foundation, provide technology training to educators in Stellenbosch, Wellington and Malmesbury areas. Thirty training sessions will occur focusing on educators of grades one to six specifically to:

-Work with the whole technology management team and representative of
-the management team of the school
-Develop teachers’ concept and knowledge in technology
-Develop and extend the skill of educators
-Assist schools in forming their own clusters in geographical area to creat support structures
-Identify key-teachers for follow-on support
-Provide each educator with the necessary technology assessment source

Status:

Imstus:
All five learning outcomes were concentrated on in the training with much emphasis on planning for 2004. Circuit 1 enjoyed a fair attendance average with scores lowering for Circuits 4 and 5. The attendance of a core group of teachers was constant enough to secure a volunteer to act as a key teacher for circuit 1, thereby meeting the objective for this intervention. Comments and suggestions from the teachers are encouraging.

Ort-Tech:
Training was provided to circuits 1, 4 and 5, specifically on the Introduction to Technology module.

The Stellenbosch area experienced an overall attendance of 97% by 57 educators.

Circuit 2 was represented by 40 teachers from 10 different schools, and logistically the course was over-subscribed, although the average attendance for the Malmesbury area was slightly lower at a percentage of 82%.

Circuit 4 saw a full-house of 47 educators present for a workshop that was planned for 30 which presented an opportunity for lots of group work. The average attendance rate for Malmesbury was 91% with 11 schools represented.