This course combines content knowledge with pedagogical skills to help teachers improve their teaching. Emphasis is placed on incorporating appropriate ICTs to help teachers save time while enhancing the learning process.

This course is aimed at:

• Grade 10 Physical Science teachers who are unsure of certain parts of the curriculum;
• Natural Science teachers who aspire to teach Grade 10 Physical Science; and
• Physical Science teachers who would like to improve their pedagogical skills by incorporating ICT use and new pedagogical skills into their teaching.

This programme consists of a sub-set of the Physical Science section of the accredited ACT course. Included in the course is course material related to the content of Gr 10 Physical Science, comprising videos and quizzes developed by Dr Angela Stott.

The purpose of the SLP is to

(1)     strengthen the content, pedagogical and technological knowledge, and skills of practising Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers; and

(2)     enable teachers to integrate the use of ICTs and innovative teaching techniques in the classroom.

The SLP focuses on content and the incorporation of the necessary technical and pedagogical skills to use various technologies as teaching aids. Teachers will also be skilled at transferring content from their laptops to the smartphones of learners and will be trained in the necessary pedagogical skills to use this effectively.

The course consists of lectures, classwork activities, group discussions, content tests, videos to be watched and quizzes to be answered at home, and tasks where participants are expected to implement what they have learned about ICT integration in their lessons at school.

The delivery of the course is usually distributed over the first 10 months of the year, with the content topics corresponding with the Grade 10 Physical Sciences work schedule.

Composition of the course:*

• Technical session
• Pedagogy 1: Presentation
• Content 1:Matter and Materials
• Pedagogy 2: Conceptual teaching
• Content 2: Waves
• Pedagogy 3: Inquiry
• Content 3: Electricity and Magnetism
• Pedagogy 4: Classroom interaction
• Content 4: Chemical change
• Pedagogy 5: Problem solving
• Content 5: Mechanics
• Pedagogy 6: Calculations
• Content 6: Hydrosphere

*Note that the programme can be adapted to suit the specific needs of the group.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of the Grade 10 Physical Sciences SLP, the participant would have attained the following competencies:

• Deepened subject content and pedagogical knowledge related to Physics and Chemistry.
• Appropriate skills to evaluate and apply the use of appropriate ICTs in the classroom.
• Ability to integrate content knowledge, pedagogies, and ICT skills in the Grade 10 Physical Sciences classroom.

The programme was first presented in 2017 and has been improved with each successive presentation, based on experience and participant feedback. The students receive adequate study material (hard and soft copies) as well as sufficient student support. Facilitators are of a high standard and are capable of guiding and assisting teachers to improve their Gr 10 Physical Science content knowledge and pedagogical skills.