The Student Recruitment unit at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) will be hosting an exciting Teach The Teacher Workshop at the Faculty of Applied Sciences Computer Laboratory, Steve Biko Campus on Thursday, 7 November 2024 from 8:30am to 14:30pm.
The Student Recruitment unit has conceptualised a pilot project aimed at teachers to become inspired to teach in innovative ways that brings excitement, interest and remove fear in learners taking Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in the further education and training ( FET) phase of schooling.
The objective of this project is to equip teachers with the ability to teach these subjects in innovative and creative ways; and to inspire learners through their teaching practices to take up STEM subjects at the FET phase of schooling.
Speaking about the exhilarating plans for the workshop is Dr Nishi Ramrathan, Student Recruitment Officer at DUT, who said that drawing on expertise from across the disciplines within DUT, a one-day programme has been designed to expose Mathematics, Physical Science and ICT teachers to the latest technology and innovative teaching strategies that would bring science, mathematics and ICT to the reality of the learners’ lives.
“Through demonstrations of these teaching methodologies by staff of DUT, teachers would be exposed to possibilities beyond their daily practices. Showing teachers how to make real key concepts, ideas, explanations and tangible outputs, would have the potential to create interests in learners to take up these subjects in their FET school curriculum. Empowered teachers of STEM subjects would then be able to promote the uptake of these subjects by learners in the FET phase of schooling,” she remarked.
“Science, Mathematics and ICT has been flagged as a significant contributor to the skills need of our developing country. This need forms a substantial component of the National Development Plan 2030 and great strides have been made to encourage learners to take up these subjects in their school education,” indicated Dr Ramrathan.
She indicated that more needs to be done at the school level to encourage learners to take these subjects as part of their FET curriculum.
“Our on-going school visits and engagements with teachers and learners reveal that fewer learners are opting to take STEM subjects as part of their FET curriculum, either because of fear for taking these subjects, not have inspiring teachers to teach these subjects, because of a lack of resources to effectively teach these subjects, or that they cannot relate to these subjects in meaningful ways. It is in this space that DUT would like to intervene in some meaningful way.
She further reiterated that through this pilot project, that teachers of STEM subjects in secondary schools would participate in this one-day programme with the view that they would then explore ways in their teaching practices that can be enhanced to create interest in learners to take up these subjects at the FET phase of schooling.
Academics, Mr Ebrahim Asmal, Professor Megandran Govender and Prof Deonarain Brijlall will focus on topics of discussion that will pertain to Artificial Intelligence as a Teaching Tool, Mathematics – Solving problems in Euclidean Geometry and Physical Science-beyond textbook learning.
After the completion of the workshop attendees will obtain certificates of participation.
Pictured: Professor Deonarain Brijlall
Waheeda Peters
