Why board games are more than just fun and games

If you only think of board games in terms of time well spent with family and friends, roll the dice again. Board games and their development play a vital role in how the new generation of learners, the so-called millennials, learn and acquire new information and skills.

 In light of this, a very successful workshop on table-top and…

Florist Yolanda eventually blossoms in education

One cannot help but wonder whether Yolanda Fourie knew in her matric year at the Transvalia High School what was lying ahead in her future. Did she ever while working as florist among the flowers, think about where she would blossom one day? Did it cross her mind that one day she would stand on a stage at a North-West University (NWU) graduation…

NWU committed towards growing its own academic timber

“The North-West University (NWU) is committed to producing professionals to assume advanced careers within academia. Our postgraduate students will be the research leaders, faculty, and professional practitioners of tomorrow and as such the stewards of the university’s ethos of innovative learning and teaching and cutting-edge research.”

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Assistance to Knysna and other storm stricken areas

Members of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus community in Vanderbijlpark are opening their hearts to assist victims of the devastating fires in the Southern Cape.

Staff members are rallying behind national relief efforts by donating non-perishable items, toiletries, blankets and water in support of the victims of the recent…

Youngsters win international Innovation Award for robotics project

Three 11-year old youngsters from Vanderbijlpark – Izabelle Bothma, Ewald Harmse and Wilmar Pretorius – designed a robot that will be able to assist rescuers in finding individuals trapped under snow. Their ingenuity earned them the Innovation Award at the recent Robotics World Championships.

But how does this remarkable invention relate to…

NWU South African Symposium on Teacher Education for Inclusion: All teachers can teach all children

The second South African Symposium on Teacher Education for Inclusion was recently hosted by the Optentia research focus area on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark and the Faculty of Education Sciences on the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom.

Following the success of the first symposium in 2015, it was clear that…

Crowns, confidence and charisma - Miss & Mr NWU Vaal 2017

If you thought that beauty pageants were just about high fashion and desirability, you have another thing coming. At the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark the annual Miss and Mr NWU Vaal pageant represents a celebration of confidence, charisma and talent.

This year saw the beautiful Palesa Keswa and the charismatic…

Inclusive education: team work between researchers, teachers and government

During the first day of the Second South African Symposium on Teacher Education for Inclusion in Vanderbijlpark, it quickly became clear that the goal of inclusive education in South Africa calls for cooperation across the educational spectrum.

Dr Moses Simelane from the Department of Basic Education highlighted the various ways the…

Second South African Symposium on Teacher Education for Inclusion: ‘Everyone has the right to education’

The Second South African Symposium on Teacher Education for Inclusion was recently held at the Emerald Resort and Casino in Vanderbijlpark.

The Optentia research focus area on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark and the Faculty of Education Sciences on the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom, in collaboration with the…

The curriculum as contested space within the SA higher education sector

“In the South African context, when we consider the curriculum as a contested space, the following may come to mind: #RhodesMustFall, #ScienceMustFall and #DecolonisteTheCurriculum. I would however like to share a broader perspective and focus on how different stakeholders jostle to include – and exclude – selected voices in the curriculum in…