Early Childhood Education at UP

UPCOMING EVENT:

The launch of Dr Sigamoney Naicker’s book, “Education and the Working Class. Is there hope for an inclusive approach?” will be taking place on 5 September 2024 at Grassroots Educare Trust in Silvertown, Athlone from 15:00pm to 16:00pm.

Join Dr Naicker as shares insights from the book, followed by a Q&A session and book signing. Kindly RSVP your attendance by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/Aax7sCFzGUsZ1Yqn8 or email us on [email protected] by 30 August 2024.

All you have to do is ASK 🆘🥰📢

FLY@UP wants you to graduate one time, and sometimes that means asking for help when you need it!
So why not ask for an appointment with your ASC (academic success coach), there is at least one in each faculty ✅

Your coach can help you manage your time, adjust to university, and ensure you cross your finish line.

So go on and ASK for some help!
Contact details can be found here = https://linktr.ee/FLYatUP

Love, FLY@UP 💙🌟

Dear Innovators and Trailblazers 🚀

We are excited to announce a call for speakers for the upcoming Integration of Coding and Robotics for Learning Colloquium. If you are interested in sharing your insights at this event (no cost involved), please complete the Google Form by September 9th here: https://forms.gle/9eZDTrHboE8db7YK6

The colloquium will be held in person at the University of Pretoria on October 9th, 2024, from approximately 08:00 to 16:00 (SAST). This event aims to foster collaboration among a diverse range of stakeholders, including students, teachers, departmental officials, volunteers, community members and academic colleagues, as we explore the integration of coding and robotics for learning.

This year’s colloquium is a joint effort by the Department of Early Childhood Education and The Living Lab for Innovative Teaching at the University of Pretoria (LLITUP) within the Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education.

The event will focus on two key themes:
• Coding and Robotics in Early Childhood and Foundation Phase
• The Integration of Coding and Robotics in Teaching

We encourage you to share this call for speakers within your network.

Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo!
You strike a woman, you strike a rock!

Happy Women's Day!

of Sport, Arts and Culture

We are proud to share this public lecture of Dr Joyce West!

One of our own Exco members Joyce West will be presenting two sessions on Children's Story Writing on the 8th and 9th of August. To join: https://zoom.us/j/92306610308?pwd=I1ufo1T21jfZzonWlEwNfaDTCTw5Ov.1

🎉 Kaylene Corbett, a proud UP alumna and a graduate of our Early Childhood Education department, is making us all proud as she competes in the Olympics! 🏅 We are excited to share that she has advanced to the finals! 🌟 Congratulations, Kaylene—your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring. We’re cheering you on every step of the way! 👏🎊

We are delighted to highlight the scholarly contributions of our staff members.

Professor Bipath, from our Early Childhood Education Department, has recently co-authored an article titled "Challenging South African Early Childhood Development Teachers’ Perspectives and Pedagogical Practices Regarding Gender”.

The article is available for access at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004279.2024.2382172

Dr West's Contributions to SAALT Conference 2024: A Proud Moment for Our Department

This past week, Dr West played a pivotal role in the South African Association for Language Teaching Conference 2024, not only as an Executive Member of the South African Association for Language Teaching (SAALT) but also as a distinguished presenter. Her contributions were multifaceted and deeply impactful, reflecting her dedication to advancing the field of language education.

Dr West presented research on both qualitative and quantitative measures of text difficulty. Her presentation delved into how readability affects the reliability and validity of reading comprehension tests. In addition to her insightful presentation, Dr West initiated a vital debate on potential text difficulty measures in African languages. This discussion is crucial for developing culturally and linguistically appropriate educational resources. Dr West is contributing to the creation of more inclusive and effective language instruction methodologies.

Read more here: https://www.up.ac.za/early-childhood-education/news/post_3241419-dr-wests-contributions-to-saalt-conference-2024-a-proud-moment-for-our-department

The Department of Early Childhood Education proudly announces the positive news from the NRF that Professor Marien Graham has received a C3 rating.

Professor Marien Graham, who holds a doctorate in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Pretoria, has a distinguished research career. Her work includes numerous sole-authored publications and collaborations with esteemed international and South African scholars. Professor Graham has significantly contributed to various fields, including education, healthcare and social issues. She has published over 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals, authored one book and five book chapters, and serves on the editorial advisory board of Scientific Studies and Research, Series Mathematics and Informatics. Additionally, she regularly presents her research at national and international conferences and has supervised or co-supervised one postdoctoral, 15 doctoral and 22 Master's students to completion. Her academic achievements have been recognised with the 2023 Research Medal from the Education Association of South Africa.

https://www.up.ac.za/early-childhood-education/news/post_3240600-prof-marien-graham-nrf-c3-rating

🌟 Wow, "wow" is really too little to say about the recent workshop hosted! 🌟

The dynamic and inspiring trainer, Andrew Hilton from Support your School, truly outdid himself, providing invaluable support to early childhood teachers in understanding and teaching coding and robotics. His engaging and practical approach made complex concepts accessible and exciting for everyone involved. The enthusiasm and commitment displayed by the teachers were truly remarkable.

Throughout the workshop, participants were introduced to , innovative tools that significantly enhanced their grasp of coding principles. These kits provided hands-on experience, fostering a deeper understanding and boosting confidence in integrating coding and robotics into their classrooms.

It was an absolute privilege to witness the teachers' eagerness to learn and their dedication to bringing these vital 21st-century skills to their young learners. Engaging with such an amazing community of teachers was not only inspiring but also a tremendous learning experience for all involved.

A heartfelt thank you to Sebofon, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, and, of course, Andrew Hilton, for making this workshop a resounding success. Here's to many more opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow together in the journey of educational innovation! 🌟🚀

*Permission was obtained from Support Your School to post these photos.

UP’s outstanding climb in QS World University Rankings has earned the ‘Most Improved – Sub-Saharan Africa Award’ at the QS EduData Summit 2024 that was held in Washington. The University’s rise from the 501-650 band to number 353 out of 1500 universities worldwide has earned it the award, which is conferred to institutions that have had the most significant improvement in their ranking over a five-year period: https://ow.ly/7hx350SbGBr

SEMESTER ONE EXAMS ✅📚🌟

"It’s not about how bad you want it, it’s about how hard you are willing to work for it!"

Now is your time to spread your wings of knowledge and FLY@UP 💙🌟

Second-year Early Childhood Education students embraced their inner-child at the second Mathematics Teaching and Learning Colloquium. Dr Nadia Swanepoel arranged and facilitated this initiative. Guest speakers included a Grade 3 teacher, Julia Hawkes and a school principal, Mrs Devaranie Latchman. The event included a theoretical aspect, and was concluded with a practical, play-based initiative.

Mathematics was played and enjoyed during this interactive event. Students were laughing whilst designing and playing their own games using recyclable resources. Teaching was met by learning, theory was met by practice.

The day was made possible by fruitful collaborative discussions, interactive learning and constructive learning practices.
Thank you to all who made this initiative possible!

That's a wrap for JST 320! 🎉 Today, our Science and Technology students wowed us with their final presentations on teaching science and technology to Foundation Phase learners. They also had a blast building amazing inventions with LEGO's six simple machines. 🚀 Next up, Coding and Robotics in the second semester!

📚 Last week, Dr West hosted a creative writing and "Author Study" simulation workshop! ✍️✨ Our second-year JGL 200 students had the amazing opportunity to conduct their own author studies on renowned authors like Julia Donaldson, Rachel Bright and Andrea Florens. 📝✨

The students explored the use of thinking maps, newspapers and advertisements for pre-writing activities to stimulate creative thinking for writing stories, recipes, poems and more! 🌟💡

🔮✨ Making mathematics a magical mystery! The Mystery Magic Box was one of the assignments that students had to complete as part of JGS 212. In groups, students were tasked with making a mystery magic box that contained practical foundation phase mathematics activities. Students were asked to focus on sustainability by using recycled materials and also to make mathematics accessible and understandable for all. Dr Swanepoel is super proud of her students, who are resourceful, creative and innovative. Here is to making mathematics a magical experience through play. 📐📦

Celebrating Africa's Linguistic Diversity and Unity - SAALT | South African Association for Language Teaching Dear SAALT members and Linguistic community,

Congratulations to Monique le Roux on graduating with her MEd on Monday, May 6th! 🎓 Under the guidance of Dr Nadia Swanepoel and Dr Susan Thuketana, she completed her dissertation titled "Enhancing creative thinking and Problem-solving in Young Children by Using Provocations in Visual Art Activities." Well done, Monique! 🌟

Today marked the final practical session in JGS 212! 😊

It was amazing to see students coming together in full force, embracing the joy of playing with mathematics. The laughter, collaboration and fun while solving problems and diving into critical thinking were truly delightful to witness.

📐📚

📚 Exciting News Alert! 📚

This week, our second-year JGL students are diving into micro-sessions all about mastering reading comprehension strategies and creating their very own Flapbooks! 🌟

Under the expert guidance of Dr West, they are discovering the magic of fostering a genuine love for reading! 🚀 Stay tuned for more updates as our students embark on this incredible learning adventure! 📖💫

🎉 Exciting news from Prof. Keshni Bipath! Proud to announce the success of her 3 PhD students, Dr. D Bishop-Kapp, Dr. D Mokotsi, and Dr. R Singh, alongside the achievement of Mrs. S Bhoola, who earned her Masters with distinction! 🌟
Let's celebrate these remarkable accomplishments! 🎓🎉

Today Dr Joyce West presented at a reading conference on the importance of literacy development and shared some ideas on what we can learn from the PIRLS results.