This document summarizes a teacher center managers' course held from August 10-15, 2014. The course covered current issues in teacher centers, policy documents, problem solving, and vision building. Participants engaged in activities to introduce themselves, provide feedback on surveys of teacher center status, brainstorm ways centers could be used, and complete a scavenger hunt in groups. The goal was for managers to gain skills and knowledge for running teacher centers effectively and to discuss centers' roles in supporting teachers and communities.

1. Teacher Centre Managers’
Course
10 – 15 August 2014
Day 1

2. Outline of this course
• Current status of Teacher Centres
• Reflections on future potential
• The Moral Imperative – why we are here
• Familiarity with policy documents
• Vision building
• Resources at our disposal
• Understanding the change process
• Solving problems at centres

3. Day 1: Teacher Centres in Context
By the end of this session
you will be able to:
• List what you hope to achieve from the Teacher
Centre Manager workshop
• Describe the current status of your Teacher
Centre
• Summarise the key points of Action plan 2019
and the National Development Plan
• Visualise your hopes for your Teacher Centre

4. Activity 1: Who are we?
• Meet and Greet – move to a new table –
form pairs – answer these questions:
– Which Teacher Centre are you from?
– How you came to be there.
– One interesting fact about yourself
– How you would like to be remembered
• Introduce your partner to the larger group

5. Activity 2: Chalk and Talk
No one may talk – this is a silent activity
• Circulate around the room
• Comment on the four questions
• You may question other people’s comments
• Add your own reflections to other people’s
• You may connect ideas with lines
• You may add question marks, ticks and stars

6. Activity 3:Verifying data on current status
• Surveys completed previously will be
circulated
• Review and edit where necessary
• Return surveys
This data will be used to map progress of centres

7. Activity 4: Making use of centres
• Work with group at table
• Brainstorm answers to four questions
• Brainstorm - NO ONE may comment on
what anyone else suggests:
• Complete 4 tasks in files

8. Activity 5: Mapping the road
Answer the 6 questions – silent reflection:
1. Do we do enough as a centre to serve our
clients?
2. Do we reach everyone that we can reach?
3. Do we make use of opportunities presented to
us as individuals and as a centre?
4. What do we do well?
5. What do we do badly?
6. Where would I like my Teacher Centre to go?

9. Activity 6: Scavenger Hunt
• Each group will start with a coloured piece of paper with 10 questions.
Decide on a TEAM NAME
• Answer all questions on the sheet of paper to proceed to the next stage
• For your next clues find:
the pirate (sitting with his Captain Morgan at the bar)
the person with the Guinness hat in the parking lot at the car
(CR 84 HT GP)
the Red and white HAT
the PATRIOTIC hat
the RED witch
• Finish the activity in 40 minutes
• Get back to table groups- half the group
will motivate the case; half the group will evaluate
the case. Tally the groups scores. The people
with special hats have the final say in arbitration
• Crowning of the winning group
Yellow
GREEN
BLUEPINK
Purple

10. Website: www.education.gov.za
Call Centre: 0800 202 933 | callcentre@dbe.gov.za
Twitter: @DBE_SA | Facebook: DBE SA
Congratulations!
You have completed DAY 1
of the Centre Managers’ course

11. Review
of
Chalk- Talk Protocol

12. What skills do I hope to acquire for
running a teacher centre

13. What knowledge do I hope to acquire for
running a teacher centre

14. What skills and knowledge do I already have for
running a Teacher Centre

15. What am I anxious about?

16. Making use of our Centres
- The functions we perform
Report back on Brainstorm

17. Functions performed by centre
We do
this
We could do
this
Not
required/
not
possible
1. We provide teaching spaces for professional development
29 7 1
2. We provide access to a science laboratory
8 17 8
3. We provide access to an ICT lab 22 14 1
4. We provide access to a library or media centre
18 15 3
5. We provide access to the internet for members of the public to use
13 30 3
6. We provide access to special needs training equipment
4 29 1
7. We run courses for professional development of teachers
19 12 2
8. We provide access to training on using ICT for teachers
29 8 1
9. We provide access to skills training for community members
21 13 2
10. We provide a meeting space for district or provincial meetings
27 7 1
11. Mobile bus could provide more projects 1
12. We provide ECD services 1
13. We provide a space for social development 3
14. Examination Centre / ABET 2
15 Out of school Youth community projects 5
16 Manufacture Learning apps 1

18. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15 16
Functions performed by Teacher Centres
Functions performed by a teacher centre We do this We could do this Not required/Not possible

20. Feedback Scavenger Hunt