North West University Grade r Course

North West University Grade r Course, The Department of Education has realised the lack of training in the field of Grade R teaching as well as a shortage of Grade R teachers. By offering this course, the institution wants to satisfy a national need of the country and deepen the knowledge base of people in the field of early childhood development. The Vaal campus has academic staff with the expertise to present the Grade R course where there is a great need in the community to attend this course.

Purpose of the course:

For this level, prior knowledge covered in the first level will be applicable to build on the new information. By completing this course, the delegate will gain: Promote the safety of children and adults, and advocate good health and nutrition practices. Facilitate the learning and development of children (facilitate the learning and development of children with barriers to learning and other special needs). Promote each child’s emotional and social development and use specific strategies to help individual children learn (specific strategies are used to help individual children learn to manage their own behaviour) and provide developmentally appropriate learning activities (provide developmentally appropriate learning activities to meet specific needs of individual children. To analyse observations of each child’s learning, development and responses in the learning environment(analyse observation of each child’s learning development and responses to the learning environment in order to inform practice and planning) She will be able to understand the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) and how to use interpret and implement the Gr R (CAPS) in her

Admission requirements:

Grade 12 or Grade 10 and three (3) years working experience

Learning assumed to be in place:

A delegate may enrol for this course on condition they pass the introductory level of the short learning programme.

Course outcomes and assessment criteria :

Course outcomes and the associated assessment criteria:

Study Unit

Outcomes

Assessment Criteria

After completion of this course, participants will:

Participant will be assessed on the following criteria:

Promote the safety of children and adults

Have a detailed safety policy that complies with legal requirements is appropriately adapted to the setting in its community context and to the age of the children, and is implemented as planned
Make sure Local environmental safety hazards are recognised, and where possible procedures are in place to protect children and adults
Encourage Families and communities to participate actively in ensuring the safety of children
Help Children to understand ways of protecting their own safety in relation to their own capacities

Promote and advocate good health and nutrition practices

Have a comprehensive written health policy that complies with legal requirements is appropriately adapted to the setting in its community context and to the age of the children, and is implemented as planned.
Be concern about the key child health and nutrition in the local area, including the relationship between poverty and inequality and health, are understood (e.g. endemic diseases such as bilharzias, malaria, asthma, TB, AIDS, hepatitis B, parasites, gastro-enteritis, malnutrition, micro-nutrient deficie4ncies; water-borne diseases) , and appropriate action is taken
Strengthen the role of family and community members in supporting the healthy development of children through health education opportunities and to plan co-operatively to meet their needs
Be Critical Aware of, and have respect for, alternative medicine, including traditional and cultural beliefs and health practices, which have anecdotally proved to work, is demonstrated
Plan activities appropriate to children’s developmental level and allow children to explore health issues
Have a contextual awareness of the socio-economic influences on health and nutrition demonstrated

Facilitate the learning and development of children (facilitate the learning and development of children with barriers to learning and other special needs)

Understood the development of children with all types of barriers to learning and other special needs within the context of child development theory and research, and the implications for working with children across the whole range of special needs are identified.
Support children with barriers to learning appropriately and make sure specific activities for their learning are planned and provided.
Able to deal with Legal requirements and policies for abused, children and children with AIDS and violence and are understood and implemented according to policy.
Take in consideration the impact on children’s well-being and socio-economic factors (poverty, unemployment, disempowerment), crime and violence, both communal and domestic, substance abuse and addiction to help children develop the life skills to cope with abuse, violence or stressful home situations)
Set up partnerships with health and welfare practitioners, government agencies and specialist agencies with a clear definition and understanding of their different roles

Promote each child’s emotional and social development

Have a thorough understanding of how children’s development socially and emotionally are demonstrated, and the implications for practice (with children 0 – 9 years) are identified
Critically Evaluate Current theories relating to social and emotional development, including indigenous theories underlying tradition child rearing practices, and their application to practice.
Observe and assess the social and emotional development of individual children as the basis for planning and implementing strategies for supporting their further development
Help Children to deal with family disruption (e.g. divorce, separation from key family members), bereavement, and birth of a sibling
Help Children to develop anti-bias attitudes and values and conflict resolution skills

Specific strategies are used to help individual children learn( specific strategies are used to help individual children learn to manage their own behaviour)

Guide the knowledge of each child’s personality and development level for interactions with individual children to help them learn to manage their own behaviour
Evaluate the implications and underlying values of different theories for managing children’s behaviours and a consistent set of principles for own practice is described
Assist families to understand the attitudes and values underlying children’s rights and relevant protective legislation, and to learn a range of positive strategies for managing children’s behaviour
Observe careful the knowledge of the child’s background and recent experiences is used to help identify possible causes of, or contributing factors to , patterns of behaviour which are not consistent with progressive development
Use specific strategies appropriately for managing different types of disruptive and/or unacceptable behaviour, e.g. conflict resolution skills and cultural resources of respect and honouring

Provide developmentally appropriate learning activities (provide developmentally appropriate learning activities to meet specific needs of individual children

Be able to plan and deliver a developmentally appropriate learning programme, inside and outside, underpinned by theoretical understanding of children’s development and learning theories
Cover all areas of learning and development are, with an appropriate and contextually relevant emphasis on literacy, numeracy and life skills (where appropriate)
Plan and understand the programme that is based on knowledge of the national school curriculum, together with an understanding of the importance of play in the early years
Provide activities to meet the specific learning needs and interests of individual children, including those with special needs and bilingual children
Underpin the resources and activities by culture-fair and anti-bias principles reflecting the diversity of society and challenging stereotypes

Analyse observations of each child’s learning, development and responses in the learning environment(analyse observation of each child’s learning development and responses to the learning environment in order to inform practice and planning)

Observe and analyse in the light of a detailed understanding of child development and identify significant moments in children’s learning and development.
Determine with observations what children already know and can do, what children are paying attention to and what is planned to take that child’s learning forward.
Ensure a system that observations are made for all children, across all areas of learning, is implemented continuously and used for growth rather than gate keeping.
Ensure a system for assessing the progress of individual children based on observation and including dated and annotated samples of children’s work or comments or milestones reached is implemented continuously and consistently

Use a range of learning mediation techniques for interacting and communication

Ensure a system for planning on a daily basis in response to children’s observed needs and interest and where applicable, to the learning outcomes in the foundation phase is implemented
Interact with children based on an understanding of theories of “scaffolding learning’, i.e. Using a range of techniques to help children take the next step in learning
Actively helped children to reflect on their own achievements
Use interactions and dialogues with children to focus on what it is that children are doing (the process) as well as on the product

Use developmentally appropriate learning mediation techniques when working with individuals, small groups and large groups and for introducing a second language)

Use mediation to help children know ; the what, the how and the why of learning; to help them start to construct knowledge and to learn by doing
Help children actively to know how to find help and/or information
Use a wide repertoire of skills for sustaining all children’s interest in culturally diverse stories, both told and read
Used a wide repertoire of skills for managing the timing, organisation and extension of large group activities
Plan the programme to allow for individual, small group and large group activities, underpinned by and understanding of the developmental needs of children
Used adult initiated groupings of children, to make all children feel important and successful participants in the learning programme through a sense of accomplishment
Help and encourage children to participate in large group activities
Encourage children to use their first language and helped to acquire and use a second or other language through meaningful situations

Reflect on an analyse own practice

Keep a written record or journal, including daily critical evaluations of the effectiveness of the planned programme in terms of children’s learning
Analyse activities according to what worked well and why and what changes to that activity are proposed

Describe how literacy is developed, facilitated and assessed

Have an understanding of theories of critical reflection that is apparent in discussion and in practice showing that a growing understanding underpins planning, interactions, assessment and mediation/facilitation roles

Plan a Literacy Learning Programme (plan includes daily, weekly and longer term plans) Prepare literacy learning activities and materials

Make relevant links in discussion and in writing between theory and practice showing that a growing understanding underpins planning, interactions, assessment and mediation/facilitation roles
Provide descriptions of the different kinds of literacies and how these can be developed in young children through an integrated learning programme
Describe ways in which literacy is developed in terms of relevant child development theories and research and the implications for practice in a Literacy Learning programme
Provide descriptions of the principles and processes of literacy acquisition and the importance of understanding and supporting home and additional language use.
Identify the requirements of the national curriculum in the foundation phase with particular regard to the Reception Year
Re – Provide the descriptions of the principles of integrating and sequencing learning programmes and activities, with particular reference to the importance of offering a rich programme designed to empower all learners, including learners with special needs and barriers to learning
Describe methods and tools for assessing, young children’s literacy with particular reference to the implications for practice in a Literacy Learning Programme

Prepare literacy learning activities and materials

Plan a Literacy Learning Programme according to the learning outcomes of the relevant learning areas for Grade R in an integrated manner.
Plan and identify activities and experiences that are developmentally appropriate, promote integration are child-centred and relate to children’s life world interests and experiences
Take in account the plans, lessons learnt from previous experiences of facilitating literacy
Use a culture-fair and anti-bias approach for The Literacy Learning Programme
Plan learning activities and experiences that are appropriate for groups and the needs of individual children

Implement planned Literacy Learning Programme

Prepare Learning experiences to enable children to listen, read and view, write, communicate, think and reason effectively according to the national curriculum statement
Support Learning activities and materials and the emergent reading and writing approach and in line with the principles of early literacy development
Set Activities to help children with early literacy skills in a print-rich and multi-lingual learning environment (Activities include but are not limited to stories, songs, rhymes, labels, interaction between adult and children, learning centres)
Prepare Learning activities and materials to encourage children to understand the structure and use of language
Promote Children’s books and other print materials, story-telling and other activities provided that are culture-fair and have an anti-bias approach

Assess children’s progress in the Literacy Learning Programme

Implement a Literacy Learning Programme using a range of appropriate techniques and strategies to facilitate active and integrated learning (techniques include but are not limited to visual, auditory, tactile, figure-ground, kinaesthetic perception, body awareness – strategies include code-switching)
Organise the learning activities and experience so that children are able to work individually, in pairs, and in small and large groups
Give opportunities for thinking and problem solving in the early literacy activities
Make sure children are invited to plan, select their own materials and carry out and reflect on project to their own satisfaction
Use a range of facilitation skills appropriately to support and extend children’s learning, including helping children to reflect on learning experiences and achievements

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Literacy Learning Programme

Assess each child’s progress is the Literacy Learning Programme on a continuous basis and as an integral part of the learning-teaching process, thus informing practice and planning to assist individual children
Provide assessment tools and procedures used for recording observations and assessments with comprehensive evidence of children’s literati, without interfering unduly with the teaching and learning process
Keep Assessment records up to date and they are useful for giving feedback on the progress of individual children and for planning individualised learning experiences for children as needed

Describe how is numeracy developed, facilitate and assessed

Evaluate the effectiveness of Literacy Learning Programme systematically and critically on a continuous basis
Identifies strengths and weaknesses in the planning and facilitation of literacy development by doing evaluation
Identify with the evaluation ways in which facilitation techniques and strategies can be modified to build on strengths and deal with weaknesses in the planning and facilitation of literacy
Develop ways in which numeracy are described in terms of relevant child development theories and research and the implication to practice in a Numeracy Learning Programme
Provide descriptions of the principles and processes of numeracy acquisition.
Identify the requirements of the national curriculum in the foundation phase are with particular regard to the Reception Year
Provide descriptions of the principles of integrating and sequencing learning programmes and activities, with particular reference to the importance of offering a rich programme designed to empower all learners including learners with special needs and barriers to learning
Describe methods and tools for assessing young children’s numeracy progress with particular reference to implication for practice in a Numeracy Learning Programme

Plan a Numeracy Learning Programme (daily, weekly and longer term plans)

Plan a numeracy Learning programme to achieve the learning outcomes of the relevant learning areas for Grade R in an integrated manner.
Let planning shows evidence of integration of mathematical relationships within and across other learning areas
Identify learning activities and experiences that are developmentally appropriate, promote integration, are child-centred and relate to children’s life world interest and experiences
Let basic principles for selecting and sequencing learning activities apply in the learning programme
Take into account lessons learnt from previous experiences of facilitating numeracy when planning.
Let the planned learning activities and experiences be appropriate for groups and the needs of individual children

Prepare numeracy learning activities and materials

Provide learning experiences to help children develop and use mathematical language, concepts and numeracy skills in a holistic way as part of an integrated learning programme
Prepare learning activities and materials based on the principles and processes involved in the development of mathematical concepts and numeracy skills
Use activities to enable children to appreciate mathematical relationships, logic and pattern in number and space
Use activities to enable children to develop an appreciation of simple economic principles and technological processes based on their everyday experience
Promote activities and materials that are culture-fair and having an anti-bias approach

Implement the planned Numeracy Learning programme

Implement a numeracy Learning Programme using a range of appropriate techniques and strategies to facilitate active and integrated learning
Provide opportunities for creative and critical thinking and problem-solving using mathematical experiences within the learning environment
Encourage children to develop their own approaches to working with number, space, shape, data and patterns
Organise the learning activities and experiences so that children are able to work individually, in pairs and in small and large groups.
Invite children to plan, select their own materials and carry out and reflect on project to their own satisfaction
Use a range of facilitation skills appropriately to support and extend children’s learning including helping children to reflect on learning experiences and achievement

Assess children’s progress in Numeracy Learning Programme

Assess each child’s progress in the Numeracy Learning Programme on a continuous basis and as an integral part of the learning-teaching process, thus informing practice and planning to assist individual children
Let assessment tools and procedures used for recording observations and assessments provide comprehensive evidence of children’s use of mathematical language and concepts and numeracy skills
Carry assessments are out against the relevant assessment standards in the national curriculum statement
Keep assessment records up date and useful for giving feedback on the progress of individual children and for planning
individualized learning experiences for children as needed

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Numeracy Learning Programme

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Numeracy Learning Programme systematically and critically on a continuous basis.
Let the evaluation identifies strengths and weaknesses in the planning and facilitation techniques and strategies can be modified to build on strengths and deal with weaknesses in the planning and facilitation of numerac

Describe how Life Skills are developed, facilitated and assessed

Let the ways in which life skills are developed are described in terms of relevant child development theories and research and the implication for practice in a Life Skills Learning Programme
Provide descriptions of the principles and processes of life skills acquisition
Identify the requirements of the national curriculum in the foundation phase with particular regard to the Reception Year
Provide descriptions of the principles of integrating and sequencing learning programmes and activities, with particular reference to the importance of offering a rich programme designed to empower all learners including learners with special needs and barriers to learning
Describe the methods and tools for assessing young children’s life skills with particular reference to the implications for practice in a Life Skills Learning Programme

Plan a Life skills Learning Programme (plan includes daily, weekly and longer term plans)

Plan a life Skills Learning Programme to achieve the learning outcomes of the relevant learning areas for Grade R in an integrated manner
Let Plans identify learning activities and experiences that are developmentally appropriate, promote integration, are child-centred and relate to children’s life world interests and experiences
Let the life Skills Learning Programme be contextually appropriate and based on the life experience of the children
Plan taking into account lessons learnt from previous experiences of facilitating Life Skills Learning Programme
Use a Learning programme with a culture-fair and anti-bias approach
Plan learning activities and experiences appropriate for groups and the needs of individual children

Prepare Life Skills learning activities and materials

Provide Learning experiences to help children learn about themselves in a holistic way that supports the development of a positive self-concept and respect for others, different lifestyles, religions, languages, gender and cultures
Set up activities to help children develop creative, scientific and technological process skills.
Prepare Learning activities and materials to encourage children to explore the arts including their cultural heritage.
Organise Various opportunities to facilitate children’s physical development and understanding of health and safety issues

Implement the planned Life Skills Learning Programme

Implement a planned Life skills Learning Programme using a range of appropriate techniques and strategies to facilitate active and integrated learning
Organise the learning activities and experiences so that children are able to work in a variety of settings including individual work, pairs, small groups and large groups
Make opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving apparent in all of the activities
Encourage children to plan, select their own materials and carry out project according to their own ability
Use a range of facilitation skills appropriately to support and extent children’s learning, including helping children to talk about, communicate and reflect on their learning experiences and achievements

Observe and assess children’s progress

Assess each child’s progress in the Life Skills Learning Programme on a continuous basis and as an integral part of the learning-teaching process, thus informing practice and planning to assist individual children
Provide assessment tools and procedures used for recording observations and assessments for comprehensive evidence of children’s life skills, without interfering unduly with the teaching and learning process
Keep assessment records up to date and useful for giving feedback on the progress of individual children and to plan individualised learning experiences for children as needed

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Life Skills Learning Programme

Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the Life Skills Learning Programme systematically and critically on a continuous basis
Use the evaluation to identifies strengths and weaknesses in the planning and facilitation of Life Skills development
Use the evaluation to help to identify ways in which facilitation techniques and strategies can be modified to build on strengths and deal with weaknesses in the planning and facilitation of Life Skills

Assessment:

Assignments, tests and group work.

Method of assessment:

Assignments (one individual and one group assignment) and Tests (two class tests). The Minimum requirement is 50% per assignment. The assignments will be marked according to a rubric or a memorandum. Exemption from attendance will only be considered if the delegate presents a medical certificate.

Additional information

Mode of delivery:

Contact

Target group:

Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners assisting with Grade R learners.

HideContact us

Name:

Mr Junior Mthimkhulu

E-mail:

[email protected]

Telephone number:

016 910 3013

Grade R assistants training programme: the ABC of professional development

A certificate ceremony is a special occasion. It represents the culmination of months of hard work; the actualisation of goals and the acknowledgement of successes. This was indeed the case during theCCPD (Centre for Continuing Professional Development) certificate award ceremony, held at the North-West University’s Vaal Triangle Campus.
During the ceremony, that took place on Saturday, 4 February 2017, close to 300 participating students from across the Vaal Triangle region were awarded certificates for having successfully completed the Grade R Training Programme.
The event was graced by the presence of Professors Linda du Plessis and Elsa Fourie, the Campus Rector (acting) and Director of School of Educational Sciences respectively. In her address, Prof Du Plessis congratulated the recipients of the certificates saying that she is confident that their newly gained skills will help them to better facilitate their employment and achieve their set goals.
According to Junior Mthimkhulu, CCPD’s Marketing Officer, the centre boasts with a 90% pass rate for the Grade R Training Programme. “Of the three hundred students who registered, we are proud to announce that two hundred and eighty were successful in completing this Short Learning Programme”, he said.
He adds that through this program – which was introduced nine years ago, the centre has vested itself as being one of the preferred feeder interventions to the education sector.

More about the programme

The Short Learning Programme runs for five months and consists of 3 levels namely:

Level 4 (Introductory Programme to Grade R,
Level 5 (Intermediate Programme to Grade R) and,
Level 6 (Advanced Programme to Grade R).

Training and teaching are done through contact sessions hosted on Saturday mornings at the Campus. In order to develop these future Grade R Teacher Assistants holistically, the programme covers key areas such as:
•           The ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the development
of babies, toddlers and young children
•           To facilitate the holistic development of babies, toddlers and young children
•           To observe and report on child development
•           To prepare Early Childhood Development programmes with support
•           To provide care for babies, toddlers and young children

At the end of the ceremony, all trainees expressed their satisfaction for having completed the training.

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