During the past year, I have twice come to the realisation that the Global Grant program is accessible to smaller clubs, and that the Vocational Training team component thereof is a worthy substitute for the GSE prgramme.
The Middelburg Rotary Club and District 9400 together with District 6400 in Canada and the USA have initiated a global grant application, which involves the exchange of expertise in the field of English 2nd language teaching and learning in schools. The project has the full support of the Mpumalanga and Ontario Departments of Education and will result in a symposium for Educators in Middelburg at the end of July 2012, which will be presented by the Vocational Training teams from both Districts.
The team from D9400 has already returned from D6400 where the preparations for the programme in D9400 were done. I attach hereto a note from Team Leader Elaine Galanakis (Middelburg Rotarian) about their visit to D6400.
From Left to Right: Peter Motaung, Helena Coetzee, Talitha Sihlangu, Marelize Loubser, Team Leader Elaine Galanakis and Renier Loubser (Vocational Training Team from Middelburg and District 9400)
I cannot even begin to describe what the Rotary 9400 VTT trip to Canada and the USA meant to the team and me on both a professional and personal level! Thank you!
The schools we visited blew our minds! The teachers there are faced with similar challenges – the teaching of English to learners that do not have English as a home language. Yet they have found ways and methods to incorporate the home language in their teaching and they work around the problems faced in the most practical of ways possible! The emphasis is on the lessons being child centred with the teachers promoting and scaffolding. This leads to the learners working in an independent, structured way, leading to them to reason and organise their learning content, often through paired or group work. What a fun way this to learn!!
The overseas Vocational Training Team joining us on the 14 July for three weeks, are all experts in the field of education with a wealth of knowledge. They have facilitated and supported us in setting up seminars and a symposium to help the teachers in our community to get their teeth into the CAPS policy - (prescribed to all schools throughout South Africa). The aim is to present and pass on ideas to meet the requirements of the policy in a very practical way, keeping in mind that we want to motivate the educators and keep the project sustainable. We have designed our programmes in such a way as to target all the school phases.
There were and are so many wonderful people that need to be thanked for making this incredible experience and the opportunity to serve our community possible, especially the following:
Our most generous Rotary hosts in both Canada
and the USA
The ‘Canadian’ Vocational Training Team –
Mary-Jean Gallagher, Dr David Lynn, Sue Chanko, Karen Albu and Jeanne
Knopf-Deroche
Michael Duben ( District Governor of Rotary
district 6400) and Anton Meerkotter (D G
of Rotary 9400) for the vision they had to improve education in the Middelburg
community
Armando Sardanopoli (District 6400) and André
Brandmuller (District 9400) for the arrangements and the problem-solving that
accompanied these
Albert Myburgh ( District President Middelburg
9400) and his wife Augusta for the ‘behind the scenes’ arrangements
Mr JJ Mabena and Mr Adonis for sanctioning the
trip
And last but not least, my amazing team: Renier
and Marlize Loubster, Helena Coetzee, Thlitha Sihlanu and Peter Motaung for
their invaluable contribution towards the project.
I believe that that the Four-Way
Test of International Rotary has most certainly been covered and that it ‘will be
beneficial to all concerned’. Bless you!
Elaine Galanakis (VTT Team Leader
District 9400)
