Teachers in the Cofimvaba ICT4RED project schools have been methodically working through modules of their professional development course since July 2013. The seventh and the eighth module sessions of the ICT4RED Cofimvaba Teacher Professional Development were conducted at Queens College in Queenstown on Saturday 1 February 2014. Module 8 (which was conducted in the morning session) concentrated on the Gallery Walk teaching strategy. Module 7 used the Scavenger Hunt strategy.

The emphasis was on the Gallery Walk as a teaching strategy and how it can be used in the classroom to engage learners in critical discussions or real life topics. It involved creating a Gallery Walk session in a classroom, using social media platforms to participate in educational online discussions you can watch directly by the live Instagram statistics. Another activity that was important in Module 8 is how a professional learning community or network works and how it can develop teacher professional learning.

Module 7 uses the Scavenger Hunt strategy that allows the class to go on a Field Trip to have real experience that is related to any academic content area. The Scavenger Hunt also helps as a basis or template to design other possible field trip ideas that can be adapted for classroom work. This is a way to enhance student learning in a good number of learning areas.

The two modules were very much appreciated by the teachers. They learnt a lot of new skills and went home more informed than when they came. The afternoon session was fantastic -They had a blast! They were very energetic and pleased with the activities they were engaged in. They all left motivated and positive about the project. This time they were not anxious to leave in the early afternoon compared to the previous clustered sessions.

It is hoped that these two teaching strategies will be applied in schools and receive even higher popularity among learners. Read the full report here…