Innovative Teachers

1. Innovative Teachers Claire Dean And Brenda Hallowes

2. This project has also been submitted to the ThinkQuest Narrative Competition; u12 category, 2009. Closing date: 4 May 2009. Requirements: a coach, assistant coach and a maximum of 6 learners from the 2 different schools. Luzuko and Lithemba of Cotswold Prep School, PE Kai, Tristan, Ashley and Ashley of Stirling Primary, EL Microsoft Innovative Teachers ForumInnovation in ContentRunner up, 2009

3. We chose the Geography and Travel Category. • 16 topics to choose from. • We chose: How would you introduce a tourist to your home town (or country)? • Our project was based on: “How would you introduce a tourist to your home town?”. • The cities: Port Elizabeth and East London • Essential Question: “Can I be a good tour guide?” The members chose this picture as their official logo for their “Roaring with Exploring” touring company. Created by Jessica in Grade 5 at Stirling Primary, permission granted.

4. Useful Information Higher Order Thinking • The following were addressed: • Cognitive Processes: • understand, • apply, • analyze, • evaluate, and • create. • Knowledge Dimension: • actual, • conceptual, • procedural, • metacognitive knowledge. Claire and Brenda used the ThinkQuest Narrative Competition Evaluation Criteria for assessment • Content • Writing & Organization • Originality • Educational Relevance • Global Impact • Citations • Collaboration • Team Diversity • Narrative Structure, Appearance, and Function • ThinkQuest Project Tool Use • Rising to the Challenge

5. 21st Century Skills • Learning and Innovation Skills, • Creativity and Innovation, • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, • Communication and Collaboration, • Information, Media and Technology Skills, • Life and Career Skills, • Flexibility and Adaptability, • Initiative and Self-Direction, • Social and Cross-Cultural Skills, • Productivity and Accountability, • Leadership and Responsibility.

6. Learning Areas • English • Life Orientation • Mathematics • Natural Sciences • Social Sciences • Technology

7. Challenge Phase • Participation in an International Competition with no examples of winners of previous year for viewing alone was a challenge. • An opportunity for their schools and their country to be part of the competition in its first year. • The initial brainstorm: - learners had to think about topics that will be relevant for their project and they choose which ones they would like to concentrate on.

8. Gathering Phase • Members interviewed experts in their field. • PE team went on a field trip with Brenda to the Addo National Park and the Kragga Kamma Game Reserve. • PE and EL teams went on a tour of their cities. PE with Brenda, EL with a professional tour guide. • Both teams interviewed professional tour guides. • Books, websites and members of the respective communities were used to gather information.

9. Gathering Phase • Members started working on their pages as they received and found enough information. • A maximum of 25 pages were allowed • Team were able to create 24 pages of which many were full.

10. Gathering, Processing and Presenting Phases These are the pages they created: • The Touring Company • In Preparation • Meet the tour guides • Our Journals • Our Journals - page 2 • Tourism Experts • General Travel Information • Survey Results SA schools • Advice from Traffic Department • Outdoor Beach Activities • Words to help overseas tourists • Our 11 Languages • Traditional Customs • Traditional Souvenirs • The Addo Experience • SA hosts the 2010 World Soccer Cup • Indigenous Creatures and Plants • Vocabulary • Peer Interview • Tour of a life time • Tour of a Life Time Page 2 • Our Celebration • Citations • More citations

11. Teaching and Learning Strategies which engaged learners • It was a first time experience of skype for most members and they began to see the possibility of using technology for learning. • The two PE boys had never browsed live web pages before and neither of them had used a digital camera before. • All members of the team had to practice citing sources of information and learn the importance of getting permission form experts and webmasters to cite them in the project. • It was a first time experience for Ashley to use PhotoStory and Kai taught the rest of the EL team how to use Moviemaker.

12. Teaching and Learning Strategies which engaged learners - continued • The rest of the grade 3’s at Cotswold benefited by the visit from a professional tour guide and they learnt about tourism. • Learners had to prepare questions for their interview of experts. • Using a digital camera was new to some learners, especially recording a video using a tripod. • EL’s art club learnt about logo design – the top 6 logos are incorporated, with parental consent, in the project. • EL ’s five grade 3 classes were encouraged to produce good stories after their visit to Jonginenge at the beach. Knowing that the best stories will be published in the project site with parental consent.

13. Relevance use of ICT tools • Word processor, Drawing for Children and PowerPoint software, • Moviemaker, • PhotoStory, • Spreadsheet, • Camera to take photographs, • Cell phone to take photographs, • Camera to record videos, • Recording sound using the Windows Sound recorder,

14. Relevance use of ICT tools… • Scanner to scan permission forms, a coin and porcelain, • Internet to search for information, • E-mail between Claire and Brenda, experts, parents and webmasters, • Telephone, Video Conference and fax, • Public space on the Internet, (ThinkQuest), for the publishing of all learner’s work, • Learning about currency and converting the cost of basic items to dollars and pounds using an online currency converter.

15. Teachers and learners as change agents • The PE team was interviewed by a journalist of a local newspaper a few days before their showcase and the school has thereby had exposure. • A report and photograph of the EL team has also been forwarded to the local press, this was published on 4 June 2009.

16. View Project Online ThinkQuest Narrative competition Tour of a Life Time 1st Place and under