Life Skills
Foundation Phase Life Skills Courses
Short Courses offered
Life Skills is sometimes a difficult subject for teachers because the curriculum covers a broad range of topics from scientific process skills to personal wellbeing and some teachers do not know where to begin. However Life Skills teaching is useful: it is of direct benefit to learners and teachers, not only in the Life Skills classroom but in other subjects, the school and the classroom.
Beginning Knowledge and Personal and Social Well-being In these workshops teachers will be given the opportunity to focus on this study area and thoroughly unpack it so that they can effectively plan lessons and integrate appropriately. The workshops cover:
Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 6 |
Sequencing and progression of topics and content Teachers will leave this workshops understanding how the topics are sequenced (in terms of the content) within the grade and across the phase. The workshops will also explore the progression of skills within the topics and across the grades. Number of workshops: 1 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 2 |
Creative Arts These workshops will explain the study area in depth and allow teachers the opportunity to learn art techniques, the art elements and performing art techniques and how to source the basic apparatus for visual arts. Teachers will also be exposed to teaching ideas and learn how to assess this study area. Number of sessions: 3 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 6 |
Physical Education The Western Cape Education Department has provided schools and educators with support material for this study area. This workshop will translate these materials into practical sessions. It will also focus on:
Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 6 |
Teaching ideas for the topics in the Life Skills CAPS document These workshops are fun!. They are jam packed with ideas on teaching topics such as, for example, seasons, sport, performing arts and visual arts, for teachers that they can take back to their classrooms immediately. Teachers will be required to do the learner activities themselves and most importantly there is a strong focus on recording and integration. The ideas that will be shared will also serve as possible assessment activities that contribute towards a task. Number of sessions: 3 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 6 |
Creating free play tables in the classroom The CAPS Life Skills document states that: Free Play activities can take place indoors or outdoors or both. The time allocated to Physical Education and Creative Arts can be used for free play time because the physical skills learned and practised during free play support the learning in these two study areas. The workshops that we offer will give many concrete examples of free play activities that teachers can easily implement in their own classrooms. We will set up the venue to show tables that encourage free play and teachers will add activities to the tables. Teachers will be encouraged to take photographs with their cell phones to document the session. Number of sessions: 2 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 4 |
Accessing and managing resources The Foundation Phase Life Skills CAPS presents a comprehensive list of resources that should be in schools. This workshop will introduce teachers to all these resources and include ideas on how to source them at a reasonable price. Teachers will be shown how to use them and how to take care of and manage them at school. Number of sessions: 1 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 2 |
Planning and time tabling In these worksops we will demonstrate a way to do planning that is tight, efficient and certainly not time consuming. The planning method is immediately transferable to the school and supports the development of lesson plans. In these sessions we will complete the plans for the entire school year. Number of sessions: 3 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 6 |
Recording in the Life Skills Class work book This workhop is crucial. Our experience in schools has shown learners entries in their classwork book does not reflect the curriculum appropriately and what should be taught. The focus of these workshops is to show teachers how the class work book could effectively be used in each grade Number of sessions: 2 Teachers will receive a manual of notes Number of hours: 4 |