Rustenburg, Freedom Park,19 April 2018

Freedom Park Secondary, Rustenburg, 19 April 2018 (210 Learners)

Another early start but well worth it. The school was deceptively large with 210 Grade 9 learners in attendance in the hall. They were seated for a lecture so it was decided to hold the first part of the discussions in that format and then ask the learners to form a circle around the demonstration table.

The wind turbine challenge was accepted but not resolved despite numerous suggestions including powering the turbine with the battery.

It was interesting to note that virtually every school is confined to book knowledge which was highlighted with asking the learners to point out the points of the compass. Even East was problematic until it was suggested that they identify where the sun comes up. West was logical but virtually without fail they point upwards for North. Sadly this reflects a lack of application of knowledge. In Earth Science the teachers show a map in the vertical position but this is not translated to what is happening on the ground.

The Natural Science teacher was in fact a Mathematics teacher who had converted to NS. She was passionate about her work which made all the difference. This was reflected in the fact that two of the learners had produced an innovation which was potentially marketable. They were referred to the Technology Innovation Fund for further support.

It was once again noted that the school offered us coffee after the demonstration while the discussion were concluded. Sadly we could not visit the Corner Shop to buy meat to be cooked for us while we enjoyed chatting to the locals as we had run out of time.