Access information and determine relevance
Evidence of sources is available - The learners had little ‘evidence’.
- Surveys – Most had completed printed surveys.
- Copies or screen dumps of websites – They copied the relevant information into a word document under headings/questions with a URL, BUT did not have the ‘copies of web sites’ as required.
- Photocopies/clippings from printed media or scanned information from printed media – Two out of 60 learners had pages from the telephone directory, none had anything from a book or magazine.
- Evidence of interviews conducted – One had a recording on his cell phone, and one had a paper transcript of the conversation.
- Printouts or screen dumps of e-mails – One learner had a copy of a letter sent to someone but no reply – silly.
Evidence that trustworthiness of different types of sources was checked – Two learners wrote about four lines on this. The rest did nothing. They did not seem to understand it.
Use information – Planning
After having marked the two classes and telling the learners to start working on Phase 3 and the report, and create graphs from the survey, one of my bright learners asked me ‘What is a report?’ and another of my bright learners asked what she must do with the graph. I had not explained what a report was and had not explained that the results of the survey should be displayed in a graph and ‘copied’ into the report!
I then realised why the Planning section had been done so badly, most learners getting 0. I had not taught those basics! I then explained that a report shows all the results of an investigation under headings in something like an essay, with graphs, tables or pictures to show the information.
In the staff room I was told that in English the learners do something about reports, cross referencing/linking to questions and checking the trustworthiness of information, in Gr 9.
It looks as if I will have to rethink the PAT with Grades 10 and 11, and my current Gr 12 s – well, I do not know! I had spoken about what was required and shown them a PowerPoint. I had assumed too much. I have begun to think that the PAT is beyond the mental capacity of my current Grade 12 cohort of learners. Maybe with the Gr 10 and 11 PATs being similar to that of Grade 12 the experience will be useful training for Grade 12.
I wonder how those teaching at less privileged schools are doing.
22 comments:
Our learners struggle to read and write. They struggle to apply knowledge. They struggle to analyse and synthesise. They struggle to summarise, to extract the essence.
What is the origin of the problem?
Do we have to teach them all of this in Grades 10 - 12? What happens before Grade 10?
Do we assume to much?
I wonder about the make-belief (speel-speel) attitude towards their PAT, fictitious people are created/invented to interview & fill in questionaires, some even with titles and qualifications, very far from reality. Could this be part of a bigger problem?
The other problem I encountered was their inability to assess their own work, they all carefully completed their assessments in pencil, getting almost full marks, without any planning document even being done!
Getting genuine information for the PAT, e.g. surveys and interviews has been problematic. Most of my learners are boarders and their community is far away. That means using long weekends and holidays to get the job done and has also seriously delayed completing phase 2. I did, however, try to explain what a report was. When I mentioned the mind map that they all have to do in their language exams (Paper 3), the penny seemed to drop. We have a way to go getting learners to transfer knowledge from one context to another.
I think so many of the very basic skills that are taught (or should be) from primary school up, are missing. It's very difficult to expect learners in Grade 12 (even starting from 10) to become thinking, analytical creatures when very often it's not been done before.
Additionally I don't think it's a stretch to say the way they learn and interpet information has changed due to the changes in technology.
I actually took my learners to a library (I have a very small class) and the library had nothing of value. I was advised by the librarian to use the internet (hello) - so why should the kids be penalised if most of their info comes from the internet (validity etc is another issue).
Furthermore it is difficult (especially in a large class) to throw 30-60 kids on some unsuspecting Eskom (or other) consultant to "interview" them. I have been very reasonable this year with marking PAT - last year I was a tyrant, but this year if the government cannot solve these problems I am not going to be too mean to my 17/18 year old student when s/he cannot either.
Now I will get off my soapbox...
I am an ex-Physics Teacher who taught CAT for a very short while. I cannot speak with authority on your subject but here goes. I still tutor learners in Physics and find similar "challenges" to yours. In some instances learners are not being taught properly at every level and not only in the lower grades. We cannot always blame the teachers lower down in the system but poor teaching and learning does happen. In fact, I think the bigger problem is that learners do not do enough on their own and do not seek or take good advice. The second problem is that something taught in the English class is somehow (according to the learner) not transferable to the next. When teaching graphs or stats in maths, it seems to be something different to that of Physics, Geogs or Life Sciences. Not to talk about CAT. Learners have been doing graphs since grade 4 and yet they still can read one on grade 12. Learning to summarise since grade 6 and they still cannot do it in grade 12? Whose problem is this?
I do not think the PAT is beyond the learners ability. We just have to teach them properly and give them good examples.
I think the PAT process/steps are not tought properly and the learners do not see the "big picture" or cannot imagine the end result. Maybe we should spend more time in the beginning explaining these.
The PAT has so much value.
I listened to the language teacher when she explained process writing in languages. The PAT process is the same concept.
I agree with a previous comment: learners struggle to transfer knowledge and skills from one situation to a next or one subject to another. They often do not see the connection. As teachers we should be aware of these connections and explain these to learners.
I have uploaded a document on writing (used by our language colleagues)on Thutong (http://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/blogs/cat_screedosphere/archive/2009/07/03/pat-matters-7.aspx) that may help teachers and especially learners to make the connection between what they learn in language subjects and what happens in other subjects and in CAT.
I do not necessarily agree with some tips given, e.g. that the headings should be in capitals - refer to the Forum on Thutong that addresses "Rules of typography" (http://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/forums/t/166.aspx)
Following my comment on "Rules of typography": The URL is: http://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/forums/t/166.aspx
Also look at this one: http://shaunakelly.com/word/concepts/introduction/index.html
When working with a word processor, we will use styles to format headings to make them stand out.
The reality is that learners at disadvantage schools are struggling so much with the PAT. But the Dept, Carina etc will persist in forcing things down our throat, though the ex education minister has noted that the current system is a failure. I have 28 learners doing CAT in a lab where there are 12 functioning PC's, we must do the PAT in the classroom under supervised conditions, how do you do this I really don't know. Accept that there are major difficulties with getting the PAT done at schools such as ours and come up with something worthwhile. If schools like Pam's are struggling and she is one of the best teacher's of the subject, imagine the the chaos that I find myself in. The Dept don't listen, just continue dishing out instructions, they have eyes wheewith they see not...
Schools without infrastructure should not offer the subject.
With your logic then, because our Sc. Labs are not properly resourced, we shouldn't offer Physical Science as well and ...
Not quite the same...
One of my grade 12s of last year visited me at school to thank me for being so strict with the PAT and forcing them to read and reread the instructions and explaining the instructions to me before attempting the task. (They were very lazy to read and wanted me to tell them what to do). They are now reaping the benefits at university. We just have to keep up the STRUGGLE!
Last year, I too was so strict on my learners' PAT and this year i would like to be less so. The problem is that my learners do not see the relevance of the depth required for the information finding strategies in the PAT, nor its huge weighting.
They would far rather focus on the applications as their life-skill,and leave the intensity of the research aspect, for tertiary ed.
They have hated this PAT this year - the topic never appealed to one of the 26, and they have worked very half-heartedly compared to my last year's group. If you compare the 2009 PAT to eg Travel & Tourism's PAT, that subject had a far better balance regarding research and application skills - and as so many of my learners take that subject , they put huge effort into THAT PAT because they could (and did) get the marks, whereas our PAT demoralised them by being far too research orientated.
Also, rushing them to be complete by the end of term 2 has resulted in poor quality Phase 3 as their exams were a priority - rightly so. Other subjects still have a few weeks this term to finish their PAT phases.
Why did we jeopardise our learners so this year?
Last year I was very strict in marking my learners's PAT, this year I decided that if their answers were 50% correct I am going to give the 2 marks and not 0 because no provition was made for 1. And why must a learner get 0 if he had tried and 50% was correct. We must remember that PAT weighs a lot and learners put a lot of effort in this task.
i am a grade 12 pupil last year i did so well in my PAT it was awesome, but this year i really dont know what is plotting. how are we ment to find govermental information when most sites dont offer the right info. the newspaper is just as useless and the counsil well lets not go there. i honestly think PAT was fun in grade 10 and 11 but now in grade 12 it is infact a crock of shit.
To the g12 anonymous blogger
As educators we can understand your frustration - but your last comment with swearing shows your immaturity, and it is comments such as those, that DEFEAT the entire aim of being able to blog on this website.
Please keep that kind of conversation for mXit as we would like to keep this blog for genuine discussion between educators and interested parties.
The research need not be that heavy. My learners used the ideas given in the teacher section in the table. They found the info quite easily and did fabulous PATs.
The problem is learners do not consider the scope when they first start and teachers do not advise them accordingly either. Then they want to solve the world's problems and do not know how to narrow the scope by e.g. focusing on only one aspect.
I am a PAT moderator. My concern is that the PAT must be done in English. When English speaking 'ex Model C' learners find it difficult - how can non-English speaking learners cope? If one looks at the NSC requirements, only 40% is required in the 'official home language' and 30% in the 'other required language'.
At least 75% of the schools I moderate are classified as 'rural' and their command of English is not very good ... it may be enough to get them through the NSC requirements ... but to produce a structured research report ????
The language problem is not unique to CAT - all other subjects have the same problem. I am in favour of the PAT in the current format. One should just help learners to "tone down" the scope - they want to go too "broad" and too "deep" into the topic. As mentioned elsewhere, they do learn to write reports in Languages and I do not think it is expected that they produce a "post-graduate" report. Just some investigation to teach them information managment skills is fine.
I think that in many instances learners do not get proper guidance to do the PAT and not enough support.
The PAT is about teaching (teachers) and learning (learners) information management (LO3). One cannot just hand learners the PAT documet and expect them to come up with a final report. They need guidance and support throughout the process.
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