SHARP at the SABEC Conference

On the 31st of March and 1st of April 2014, the SHARP brand was represented by Seartec at the South African Basic Education Conference (SABEC). SABEC aims to bring together the different kinds of people in education through the exhibitions and speakers hosted at the conference and the different attendees at the conference. SABEC wants to help improve education through collaboration with various stakeholders such Seartec, publishers,researchers and other educational companies.

We were able to meet many of the exhibitors at the conference and found some exciting resources for teachers.

Soul Buddies is a magazine distributed to 8 – 14 vyear-old learners to help them deal with changes to their bodies, what will happen when they move on to high school next year, and other interesting topics relevant to that age-group. They also run competitions. To find out more about soul buddies visit their website.

The Sasol Inzalo Foundation created a website called thunderbolt kids where there are different science and technology resources, worksbooks and comics to download free of charge for grades 4, 5 and 6. There are also teacher guides. The pdf files come in either English or Afrikaans. The books are colourful and exciting and make learning about science and technology interesting and fun.

For grade 11 and 12 students there is a website called sastudy.co.za  that covers information that students wanting to further their education might need to know. There are bursary lists, university courses, where to study, there are blogs, competitions and other articles relevant to students who are about to start studying, are deciding what to study or are currently studying through a university. A great resource for Life Orientation teachers, parents and students alike.

Era distributors distribute the Mathomat drawing template (where you can use the template to draw different graphs and shapes). as well as other educational resources. Their website has ideas for lessons and lesson plans using the mathomat drawing template. There are lovely ideas for tessolations and other mathematical concepts. The mathomat can be used from grade 4 to grade 12 so it is a great investment for any student and classroom.

MyCyberwall is an online system for schools that offers resources and worksheets for all subjects from grade 4 to grade 6 that follow the CAPS curriculum. There are different options and payment plans, from individual membership to school membership. They have a free trial if you would like to try it out before deciding whether or not to purchase the system.

Finally, Ikamvayouth is a social outreach program for students in disadvantaged communities. Students gather at a community hall where they bring the subject that they are struggling with and any questions they might have. Volunteer tutors find a group that matches their subject and expertise and tries to help the group with their problems in that subject. The idea is not that the tutor knows everything but that he or she allows the group to discover solutions and solve problems as a team. If you or your school are looking for an outreach program – this is a great place to start. Check out www.ikamvayouth.org for more information.