Hudson Park Primary teacher Kelly Bush, who came first in the province for Excellence in ICT and Enhanced Technology education, represented the Eastern Cape at the second round of the National Teaching Awards on September 21.
Her presentation was well- received by the panel of adjudicators, and the final awards will be held on October 20.
On September 19, she was awarded first place by the Department of Basic Education for her innovative ICT work for Tangible Africa.
In partnership with Prof Jean Greyling from Tangible Africa and the Nelson Mandela University, Bush introduced coding concepts into a coding game, combining learning and play.
It can be used to teach coding in schools without internet access or computers.
The lessons include additional skills such as, Design Thinking and Problem Solving, Digital Citizenship and Computational Thinking.
Bush said all children should be capacitated to participate efficiently in the digital world.
“I feel as the world around our learners changes, so should the education they are receiving.
“I don’t believe in using technology for technologies sake, but rather in critically using technology for the benefit of learners and for the expansion of the real world skills they will need when they finish school,” she said.
Bush considers her award a win for the province as she believes it will lead to more local opportunities to help teachers understand coding and ICT and its role in their pupils’ education.
She said the award confirmed her belief that preparing pupils for the future could be done no matter what resources were available.
“The best moments for me are when teachers comment on how the lessons and workshops helped them to understand the intimidating topic of coding in a simpler way. I was able to show teachers the links between what we teach in coding and what they already do in the classroom.
“Also, the many photos I receive of my lessons being taught in the deepest of rural areas inspires me to keep moving forward.”
Prof Greyling said Bush’s award and national recognition was a testament to the quality of the lesson plans Tangible Africa created, as well as the feasibility of its approach to teaching digital skills offline.
Hudson Primary headmaster Gareth Lumb said: “The award that Mrs Bush has received speaks to the high calibre of the Hudson Park teaching staff and their dedication to their learners and the curriculum that they teach.
“The school has been pushing the development of technology, robotics and coding in our curriculum since 2015.
“Our Grade 5 to 7s already work on Chromebooks and are privileged to have access to a world-class network infrastructure. Our big goal is to expand our computer lab and library into a dynamic working space, which will allow for greater exploration, creativity and blended learning.”
