A recent teacher development workshop took place deep in the Umgeni Nature Reserve in Howick at an untapped natural gem known as the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) – a non-governmental environmental organisation established in 1926.
The workshop was a part of a bigger campaign known as the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project which is facilitated by UKZN in partnership with WESSA and the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University and funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF).
The facilitators of the event were Professor Ronicka Mudaly, Professor Vimolan Mudaly, Dr Sebastian Sanjigadu, Dr Mzwandile Zulu and Dr Arorisoe Sibanda.
Participants comprised science and mathematics teachers studying towards an honours degree at UKZN’s School of Education. The teachers were taken through a series of lectures, presentations, nature walks and resource-based activities targeted at arming teachers with the ability to integrate and teach ESD principles to their learners.
The Fundisa for Change online courses were used as the main resource material to equip teachers with the ability to engage in their professional development. The ESD Introductory Course dealt with content, pedagogical assessment and whole school development components as a prelude to various other courses the teachers will engage in.
Participants were generally impressed with the workshop:
Said Mathematics teacher Ms Nosipho Mdluli: ‘I gained content knowledge on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and learned how I can address the principles in my teaching. I have developed as a teacher.’
The Natural Science teacher of Mtumaseli High School’s Mr Nsindiso Khumalo said: ‘The workshop not only opened my eyes to a new way of teaching content incorporating SDG’s but also made me aware that meaningful and efficient teaching needs to be centred on the wellbeing of the learner. For these reasons, my colleagues and I decided to start a sustainable development project in our school to provide learners with food, agricultural skills and old clothes to those in need.’
The experience served to inform and remind youngsters about the crirtical importance of sustainable development and climate change education.
