Education
Inaugural lecture examines literary-linguistic-cultural representations
By Phenyo Mokgothu and Ontiretse Motingwa
Prof Muchativugwa Liberty Hove presented his inaugural lecture on the evening of 30 September 2022 to a hall filled with luminaries, friends and family.
He started the lecture with what he considers a timeless poem, A Dream Deferred (also known as Harlem), penned by African American poet, Langston Hughes.
NWU plays its part in rolling out 6BRICKS® initiative
By Ontiretse Motingwa
The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Educational Psychology subject group, together with the North West Department of Education, recently reached out to Retlametswe Special School in Mahikeng to empower teachers to better support their learners.
This project forms part of the national Department of Education’s 6BRICKS® initiative, which is implemented through a collaboration with Care for Education and the NWU’s Educational Psychology subject group.
NWU makes young ones dance
By Ontiretse Motingwa
Young learners from Stadt Primary will soon be singing and dancing to the music coming from boombox speakers the North-West University (NWU) has donated.
The NWU always strives to improve the teaching and learning environment for learners. In line with this commitment, staff members from the NWU’s Faculty of Education on the Mahikeng Campus recently donated items to the Stadt Primary School to create a better learning environment.
Prof Golightly on problem-based learning to foster self-directed learning in Geography education
During his inaugural lecture, Prof Aubrey Golightly discussed the influence of problem-based learning (PBL) on students’ self-directed learning (SDL) skills, and looked at PBL as a means to foster SDL in Geography education. SDL is a process during which individuals take ownership of their own learning.
NWU academic elected as representative of Women in Higher Education Management
Prof Shan Simmonds, North-West University (NWU) academic in the research unit Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight), has been elected as the South African representative of Women in Higher Education Management (WHEM).
The WHEM network is an international feminist research consortium. It analyses challenges for women in higher education and in university management, and finds ways to develop strategies that can empower women to apply for positions in and succeed in higher education.
Prof Ramorola, aiming to optimise technology use in classrooms
As an expert in computer-integrated education and digital learning, Prof Mmankoko Ziphorah Ramorola firmly believes that, since learners in the 21st century are technology-savvy, they absolutely cannot be taught in the same way as learners before them. Whereas the children of today are – so to speak – born with digital competence, the same cannot be said about their teachers. This reality poses serious challenges in the contemporary classroom. Very few, if any, industries today can effectively separate their products and services from technology, and education is no exception.
NWU education linguist looks at reading literacy crisis in SA
The Covid-19 pandemic has once again highlighted the reading literacy crisis in South Africa. The inaugural 2030 Reading Panel calls for “fundamental reforms” to ensure that all children read for meaning by 2030 at the age 10. Currently, 78% of children cannot read for meaning. Due to rotational timetables and school closures in 2020 and 2021, children in South Africa have lost 1,3 years of learning.
This is according to Prof Carisma Nel from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Education.
NWU collaborates internationally to explore possibility of integrating community-engaged learning
Prof Lesley Wood, director of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Community-based Educational Research (COMBER) focus area, was recently invited by Dr
Maura Adshead from the Limerick University (UL) in Ireland to collaborate in exploring the possibility of integrating more community-engaged learning into higher education curricula.
During the visit, she also collaborated on adapting the UL’s current community diploma – Community Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Life skills (C-WELL), for the South African higher education context.
What needs to be done to ensure ECD coding and robotics curriculum succeeds
An early childhood education specialist at the North-West University (NWU) has welcomed the recently published, first-ever draft curriculum for teaching coding and robotics from Grades R to 3. However, she emphasises that some hard work lies ahead if the proposed curriculum is to succeed.
The Department of Basic Education published the draft curriculum last year, and Dr Retha van Niekerk, senior lecturer in the Early Childhood Development subject group in the School of Psycho-social Education, says several prerequisites must be met for its successful implementation.