Saide

Saide Current Awareness
29 January 2024

Distance Education

The accessibility of online schools for South African learners Source: Mail & Guardian Online schooling prepares learners for the digital and virtual work environment. Online schooling has proven to be a transformative force, breaking down barriers and fostering accessibility for learners worldwide. In the context of South Africa, where traditional education faces unique challenges, the advent of online schools becomes particularly significant. This article delves into the multifaceted advantages of online education for South African learners, exploring how it addresses issues of accessibility, flexibility and diverse course offerings.

Education: South Africa

Another year, another tussle over ‘real’ matric pass rate Source: Mail and Guardian Educationists and the official opposition have said South Africa’s “real” public school matric pass rate is just over 55%, as opposed to the 82.9% announced by the department of basic education last week. They have also taken the department to task for failing to implement measures to improve learner development. “Our basic education system is seriously challenged and has been so for way too long. If we are to meaningfully change this picture, we must acknowledge and be more deliberate in addressing some key challenges,” according to the head of corporate social investment at Investec, Setlogane Manchidi.
Matric results: South Africa’s record school pass rates aren’t what they seem – what’s really happening in the education system Source: The Conversation South Africa’s matric (grade 12) class of 2023, which wrote final school-leaving exams late last year, has been hailed by the country’s minister of basic education for achieving “extraordinary” results. Of the 691,160 candidates who wrote the National Senior Certificate exams, 82.9% – that’s 572,983 – passed, up from 80.1% of the class of 2022. And more candidates than ever before obtained marks that allow them to study for a bachelor’s degree....The fanfare and hype around the results risks obscuring the big picture, which is that the actual pass rate – when dropouts are taken into account – is far lower and has been for many years. This points to huge problems within the education system.
Diversifying education pathways for ‘life’ success in adulthood Source: Mail & Guardian A ‘seismic shift’ in mindset is required by educators so that the curriculum can be repurposed and student learning journeys transformed to meet the needs of the 21st century, says Professor Kat Yassim. New solutions are necessary for a sustainable future. In the wake of the release of the matric results, South Africa fixes its eyes on yet another generation whose destiny is seemingly predetermined by these outcomes. But futurists will tell you that the future is not something to be predicted; instead, it is something that must be created! The call to invest in educational pathways that pave the way for a sustainable future is an urgent one, and is a conversation that cannot be postponed.
Zoom Fibre's Schools Fibre Project connects 100 SA schools Source: ItWeb In a significant milestone for education and connectivity in South Africa, Zoom Fibre has proudly announced the successful connection of 100 schools through its transformative Schools Fibre Project. This exciting achievement reflects Zoom Fibre’s commitment to making high-speed internet access a reality for the next generation, breaking down barriers to connectivity in the education landscape.
South Africa’s schools ‘lag in digital use’ – study Source: The Citizen Although most schools in Africa have embraced the use of information and communication technology (ICT), only 60% use the available ICT as a main method of curriculum, with South Africa among countries lagging behind, This is despite an intensive ICT investment by the government, the world conference on qualitative research was told yesterday(24th January)

Language, Literacies and Research Writing

On the Same Page- A Primer on the Science of Reading and Its Future for Policymakers, School Leaders, and Advocates Source: Bellweather This analysis is a primer on the “Science of Reading” and efforts to implement it across the country, designed primarily to inform policymakers, advocates, and members of the news media. It is not a curriculum or instructional guide for educators or school leaders, nor does it offer specific recommendations on the best way to implement reading policies. Our goal is to provide a clear fact base for discussions about reading instruction, state-level policies governing it, and relevant lessons from past large-scale reform efforts.
Learning to read in another language is tough: how Namibian teachers can help kids Source: The Conversation In a classroom in Namibia’s northern Oshikoto region, a teacher has written English vocabulary words on the chalkboard. She asks her learners to read them aloud. When they stumble with pronunciation, she corrects them. She also helps the youngsters to sound out words. At another school nearby, an English teacher is showing her class cartoon strips on her cellphone to help them create mental images while reading – an approach that’s proven to enhance comprehension.These teachers were part of a study we conducted to understand the unique knowledge and skills that Namibian teachers have developed to teach English reading comprehension to grade 7s (who are on average 12 years old) in a diverse linguistic context.
Adults at low reading level are sluggish in disengaging spatial attention Source: Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics An increasing number of studies show that attentional shifting is a primary contributor during the process of learning to read. However, it remains unclear what is the relationship between attentional shifting and word-reading ability in adult readers whose reading skills have matured. More fundamentally, how attentional shifting affects individuals’ reading ability remains poorly understood. To address these issues, we grouped adult readers by the level of Chinese character reading and examined the time course of attentional shifting by setting up multiple stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs) in the Posner cue-target paradigm.
Noam Chomsky on AI, Neural Networks, and the Future of Linguistics Source: Dr. Brian Keating Youtube Channel A conversation with Chomsky which looks at linguistic myths. AI applications in cognitive science, Turing Test, neural networks and why he expects Elon Musk’s Neuralink project to fail.

Open Education and Open Educational Resources

The Digital Renaissance: Transforming Education with Open Educational Resources Source: Future Education Magazine In the dynamic landscape of education, the emergence of Open Educational Resources (OER) has ushered in a paradigm shift, challenging conventional approaches and reshaping the accessibility and distribution of knowledge. This comprehensive article explores the multifaceted realm of OER, delving into its definition, exploring the advantages it brings, addressing the challenges it faces, and examining its profound impact on education on a global scale.

Post Schooling

Bridging the gap between high school and university Source: Mail and Guardian Marissa Rollnick, Professor Emeritus at Wits, says Extended Curriculum Programmes provide additional support and resources and a more gradual transition, so that disadvantaged students can meet the rigorous academic demands of university education.
Makhanda’s education renaissance Source: Mail and Guardian Rhodes University and civic organisations partnered up – and radically boosted results. The dedicated team of locally based educationists that includes academic and civic talent, and which has made a definite difference in the results of Makhanda learners
Three South African universities have new approaches to assessing students: why this is a good thing Source:The Conversation South African higher education faces many complex challenges rooted in the legacy of apartheid. They include the fact that many students are unprepared for or excluded from higher education. Quality education is not available to all. It’s therefore difficult for many students to remain in higher education and eventually graduate....There are no simple or easy solutions to such challenges. However, educational assessment speaks to many of them. Assessment is the process of gathering, interpreting and using information to evaluate individuals’ knowledge, skills, abilities or performance.Three South African universities – the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University and the University of the Western Cape – recently approved new assessment policy documents.
Turmoil over South African student funding as new term looms Source: Time Higher Education Minister and NSFAS chair deny corruption claims, as fund struggles to get payments to students on time
Unpaid student allowances: Aid scheme blames universities Source: University World News The deadline South Africa’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) gave itself to finally pay what it claims to be about 20,000 students their outstanding allowances from last year – came and went, with no explanation, or apology. Then, the press conference scheduled for 18 January to discuss outstanding payments and other issues was summarily cancelled, and a press release was released late at night blaming universities for tardiness in filing registration data, writes Georgina Crouth for Daily Maverick.
What challenges will the HE sector in Africa face in 2024? Source: University World News The African Union (AU) has named 2024 as the Year of Education – a reminder to member states to keep pursuing the goals of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive, equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. By providing quality education and skills for 21st-century job opportunities, Africa will be able to tap into its large population of young people as a source of economic growth, the AU says on its website outlining the year’s theme.

Skills and Employment

SA’s youth and the Fourth Industrial Revolution Source: Mail & Guardian An open mindset towards continuous learning is essential says Ke Yu, Associate Professor at the University of Johannesburg.Adaptability is an essential strategy for success in a tech-driven world.The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is transforming economies and workplaces globally, bringing both opportunities and challenges through the implementation of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, robotics and more. As South Africa navigates this transition, equipping the youth with the right skills and mindset is imperative. This is according to Ke Yu, who is an Associate Professor of Education and Leadership Management at the University of Johannesburg.
Jobs in South Africa: the labour market is recovering from COVID – but unskilled and less educated people are still being left behind Source: The Conversation For more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country’s economy has been unable to create enough jobs for its growing army of workers. This has partly been because of the stagnant economic growth rate of only 1.7% during the 2010s (it was even lower at 0.9% in 2015-2019).

Teaching and Learning- Local and Global

Education has a huge role to play in peace and development: 5 essential reads Source: The Conversation "Nelson Mandela was a famous advocate for the value of education. In 1990, the man who would become South Africa’s first democratically president four years later told a high school in Boston: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”The United Nations agrees. In 2018 its General Assembly adopted a resolution that proclaimed 24 January as the International Day of Education. It’s an annual opportunity to shine a spotlight on the role that education can and should play in promoting peace and development. This year the theme is “learning for lasting peace” – a critical focus in a world that, the UN points out, is “seeing a surge of violent conflicts paralleled by an alarming rise of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and hate speech”. To mark the occasion, we’re sharing some of the many articles our authors have contributed since we launched in 2015 that examine the intersection of education and conflict – and how to wield this powerful “weapon” for positive change."
Providing Opportunities for Continued Learning with Reflection Tools Source: Faculty Focus "... Reflection tools offer self-coaching prompts so learners can meet their own continuing learning needs and individuals can work on reflection in their own time. Such tools respond to the needs of time-pressed learners. Crafting a reflection tool may require some upfront effort but can have long-term impacts. It makes a meaningful parting gift for students as your formal time together comes to a close."
Increasing Student Success: A Developmental Approach Source: Faculty Focus A blog post by an academic who writes" Just as spring brings the promise of new life, the new year brings hope for a new beginning. It provides an opportunity to identify aspects of the previous year that brought joy and fulfillment, pinpoint unmet goals, and consider how you might do better moving forward. A new academic term offers a similar opportunity for continuous growth and fulfillment. After four decades of such reflection, I am keenly aware that understanding effective teaching strategies, the students I serve, and how learning works requires my constant attention.

Technology-Enhanced Learning

Toolkit Teaching with AI Source: ACUE A resource for educators which comprises an interactive video, infographic on the history of AI and providing a vocabulary of AI terms and a quiz.
AI Teaching Strategies: Transparent Assignment Design Source: OSU Teaching & Learning Resource Centre A blog describing the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework to "un-complicate" planning an assignment that uses AI, providing guiding questions to consider along the way. The result should be an assignment that supports one to approach the use of AI in a more thoughtful, productive, and ethical manner.
On the Limits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education Source: Nordic Open Access Publishing The recent hyperbole around artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted on our ability to properly consider the lasting educational implications of this technology. This paper outlines a number critical issues and concerns that need to feature more prominently in future educational discussions around AI. These include: (i) the limited ways in which educational processes and practices can be statistically modelled and calculated; (ii) the ways in which AI technologies risk perpetuating social harms for minoritized students; (iii) the losses incurred through reorganising education to be more ‘machine readable’; and (iv) the ecological and environmental costs of data-intensive and device-intensive forms of AI. The paper concludes with a call for slowing down and recalibrating current discussions around AI and education – paying more attention to issues of power, resistance and the possibility of re-imagining education AI along more equitable and educationally beneficial lines.
Now That ChatGPT’s Been Introduced, It’s Time To Fine Tune It Source: Forbes "...Following its initial rollout period, researchers from Stanford, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Toronto among others have been looking at AI models in education. In three recently-published studies they outline what works when it comes to ChatGPT – and what does not.Notably, the new studies suggest that ChatGPT needs to be trained on education-specific data and targeted to specific contexts if it is to truly improve learning outcomes."
Google announces new AI-powered features for education Source: TechCrunch "Google announced a bunch of new features for classroom management, accessibility, and AI-powered features for creating questions and lesson plans as part of the Bett ed-tech event in the UK." These comprise (as summarised by Dr. Phillipa Hardman) Personalised Practice Sets: Educators can now use AI to turn existing teaching content into learning activities; Lesson Planning Co-Pilot: Duet AI works with teachers to develop lesson plans by giving feedback and making suggestions as they work in Docs, Slides etc. and Enhanced Video-Based Assignments where educators can now use AI to rapidly suggest and generate questions within YouTube videos. They can also use a new in-built grading tool to access data on student performance to inform lesson planning.
Assessing ChatGPT’s Mastery of Bloom’s Taxonomy Using Psychosomatic Medicine Exam Questions: Mixed-Methods Study Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research This study aims to explore how GPT-4 performs in terms of Bloom’s taxonomy using psychosomatic medicine exam questions.