2011 Cog Ed Seminars

Only two Cog Ed Seminars were organized during 2011 as IACESA hosted a very successful conference in February 2011.  Bishops Preparatory School provided the venue and teas for both seminars and IACESA appreciates the assistance of Mr Chris Groom in this regard.

Seminar 1, on 17 August 2011, was presented by Mrs Genevieve Koopman, Director of General Education and Training from the Office of the Directorate of the Curriculum. The presentation ‘Thinking about CAPS’ focused on the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement that will replace all previous curriculum documents. Mrs Koopman managed to highlight the main changes that CAPS will bring about in the next few years in a very lively manner. She emphasized that it has been a long process to get to CAPS and that the voice of teachers has been incorporated in the changes.  CAPS will bring about a more structured and streamlined curriculum, but it has many implications that teachers will have to think about.

Peter de Lisle, was the presenter at Seminar 2, on 17 October 2011.  Peter is currently responsible for curriculum development and innovation at Hilton College and in 2010 he was awarded second runner up prize in the content category of the Worldwide Innovative Education Forum.  Peter’s presentation, ‘Thinking with Computers’, focussed on an exploration and practical demonstration of a constructivist approach to using ICT tools, some offline and some online/web 2.0 based, to integrate Habits of Mind and other thinking skills into the curriculum to create academically relevant and engaging learning experiences. Many seminar participants realized how little they knew about ICT tools and the potential value of using these tools, to develop thinking skills, was highlighted.

IACESA would like to thank all Cog Ed Seminar participants for their interest and attendance during 2011.

Estelle Brettenny

IACESA Board Member

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