Developed in response to requests by teachers and principals, the Education Assistant programme is designed to train community members to support Foundation Phase teachers as they work with learners in their class.

In this programme, education assistants:

• Work under the guidance of a classroom teacher
• Support teachers in implementation of planned activities, especially basic numeracy and literacy concepts
• Build sound, healthy relationships with learners and promote learners’ well-being

It is important to note that education assistants are not:

• Responsible for whole class teaching
• Left to work alone with learners (teacher to always be present)

The Six Bricks Learning Support Programme aims to enhance creative thinking and problem-solving skills in Foundation Phase learners. Siyawela works collaboratively with participating schools to appoint community members as Six-Bricks assistants. Siyawela then trains, mentors and supports the Six-Bricks assistants, equipping them to lead engaging Six Bricks sessions in classrooms. This hands-on learning approach encourages children to cultivate essential numeracy and literacy skills through playful and structured activities involving just six LEGO® bricks.

The Backpackers programme equips learners with the skills, knowledge and values to make sensible decisions. These life skills (‘tools’) are then placed in their ‘backpack’ for life’s journey.

Initially offered only to Grade 4 to Grade 7 learners, the programme was expanded to include lessons for Foundation Phase learners as children are sadly facing issues such as abuse and bullying at an ever-younger age.

Backpackers is CAPS-aligned, so teachers are able to use the materials as part of their Life Skills lessons.

This programme gives Grade R practitioners additional guidance on how young learners develop and how to teach effectively. It is delivered through workshops and on-site mentoring.

Many Grade 3 learners are unable to understand or communicate in English, yet this becomes their language of instruction from Grade 4 (except in Afrikaans medium schools). The Grade 3 EFAL programme aims to build teachers’ skills so that they can prepare their learners for this language transition.

Over the course of a year, teachers attend several workshops. Grade 3 EFAL mentors then conduct regular site visits to support teachers in implementing the knowledge they gained at these workshops.

The MFP programme provides guidelines and training for Foundation Phase teachers so that they will be able to:

• plan their Maths lessons and assess learners effectively as per CAPS requirements;
• help their learners to develop a strong sense of numbers; and
• help learners to develop the skills needed to solve Mathematical problems.

Seeds of Compassion teaches children empathy by having a mother and her baby visit a Grade 3 classroom over a period of eight months. Guided by a teacher or facilitator, the learners observe the baby’s development, feelings and interaction with the mother.  This shows them the importance of considering others’ feelings.

The Teaching Reading DVD and accompanying learning programme aims to help Foundation Phase teachers teach reading.

• The DVD covers the dynamics of reading, the basic components of reading, creating a safe reading environment and examples of different reading lessons.
• The learning programme consists of a series workshops and is implemented at the request of departmental officials and schools.

The Backpackers Programme equips learners with the skills, knowledge and values to make sensible decisions. These life skills (‘tools’) are then placed in their ‘backpack’ for life’s journey.

The programme is also CAPS-aligned, making it possible for teachers to use the materials during Life Skills lessons.

Masikhulisane (May we grow one another) helps learners meet the reading requirements for their age groups in both their Home Language (isiXhosa) and English.

The programme, which if fully CAPS-aligned, is built on three pillars:

• Reading for enjoyment
• Reading bilingual stories
• Reading in pairs

By pairing older learners (Grade 6) with younger learners (Grade 4) to read together, both learners’ reading skills are improved.

To improve the quality of teaching and learning of Mathematics, the Mathematics in Intermediate Phase programme equips Grade 4 teachers with the skills to plan effectively and to use a wide variety of teaching strategies.

This will then help sustain learners’ performance in mathematics when they move from Foundation Phase to Intermediate Phase.

The Peace Lessons programme provides teachers with structured and guided lessons to teach essential concepts and skills to learners in Grade 4 to Grade 6. The lessons are aligned to the Life Skills curriculum (CAPS) and encourage the use of stories and active learning.

TTS aims to show Grade 4 to Grade 10 Natural Science teachers how to use technology when:

• preparing and presenting lessons; and
• doing subject management and administration.

A key focus is scientific investigation and to this end TTS also aims to equip teachers to establish and manage Science Clubs at their schools. The programme is made up of two components:

• Category A: Curriculum, Subject Management and Technology
• Category B: Science Clubs