Description of project:

Sibikwa is a Natural Science educator-training course held in Ekurhuleni (East Rand) district for primary school educators. Through drama workshops, educators will be exposed to exciting and innovative ways of getting information across to learners. Each workshop will introduce different drama strategies, including Role Play, Freeze Frames, Improvisation and Verbal Dynamics. Each educator will receive educator support materials (theory notes and lesson plans).

The Shuttleworth Foundation?s involvement:

The Shuttleworth Foundation will fund the materials development and the facilitation of the workshops in Ekurhuleni.

Aims and objectives:

For Curriculum 2005, educators in the learning areas of Natural Sciences and Technology are expected to integrate their lessons with other learning areas. Sibikwa trainers will assist educators in developing strategies for integrating the teaching of Natural Science and Technology with other learning areas. They aim to expose teachers to exciting new ways of transferring knowledge to learners that are learner-centred and interactive and that can be put into practice immediately.

Timeline and deliverables:

The project commenced in early 2003 and the first set of workshops has already taken place.

Current status:

All three phases of the project have been concluded: materials have been developed for the programme; lessons were piloted in the classroom to demonstrate the effectiveness of the lessons plans; workshops were conducted on energy and change, life and living, planet earth and beyond and finally matter and materials. In assisting the implementing of the new learning strategies, classroom visits took place.

The attending teachers reported that the programme was motivational; the skills learnt allowed them to easily transfer a lesson into a practical experience that led to an enthusiastic response by learners.

Way forward:

The advanced course will commence in Feb/March 2004.