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40 Lessons To Achieve 21st Century Success

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SCHOOLS are invited to get on board with Tangible Africa’s new flagship 40 Lessons programme, which is focussed on helping South African learners acquire 21st Century skills at a young age.

Tangible Africa, an engagement project of the Nelson Mandela University Computing Sciences Department and the Leva Foundation, has become known for introducing coding and robotics concepts to school children across the country. What makes this award-winning organisation so novel is the innovative way in which very little online resources are used to introduce technology to learners and teachers.

“By investigating the draft Coding and Robotics curriculum that was released in March 2021 by the Department of Basic Education, we put together offline lesson plans covering the following topics: Design Thinking, Algorithms, Computational Thinking and Digital Citizenship. Two sets of 40 Lessons have been developed for Foundation Phase and the InterSen phases of Primary School (also applicable for Grades 8-9),” said Prof Jean Greyling, Tangible Africa Founder and Associate Professor at the Nelson Mandela University Computing Sciences Department.

The 40 Lessons programme – supported through online training and assistance from the energetic Tangible Africa staff – is being rolled out to schools across the country. Term 1’s “Design Thinking” lessons will be provided free of charge to interested schools. Tangible Africa’s offline coding kit will be required to continue with the lessons for Term 2, where the offline coding games BOATS and TANKS will be incorporated into the lessons.

“Schools that already have the coding kits, do not have to buy anything else. The coding kits are sold at a minimal cost; and the games are played offline. The 40 Lessons programme was designed with all South African schools in mind, from the rural areas to the cities. We are very aware that 16 000 out of our 25 000 schools do not have computer labs,” said Greyling.

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Tangible Africa’s corporate partner, BASF, 40 deserving schools will receive the Tangible Africa coding kits at no cost.

“Education is the key to the future success of our country. BASF is committed to supporting the upliftment of educational projects that equip South Africa’s future leaders with the required skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution,” said Paul Mandersloot, Port Elizabeth Site Director of BASF’s Mobile Emissions Catalysts Division.

Kelly Bush, Hudson Park Primary technology integrator and ICT teacher based in East London, developed the 40 Lessons programme for Tangible Africa. Last year Bush was a provincial winner in the National Teachers Awards for Excellence in ICT and Enhanced Technology education.

Bush praised the Tangible Africa team for their enthusiasm in taking on the new 40 Lessons project: “This is the most dynamic, positive, forward-thinking team I know. They are excited to effect change and make a difference in learners’ lives.”

The 40 Lessons programme’s theme for Term 1 is Design Thinking, incorporating problem-solving skills for learners’ immediate communities. “It will build the growth mindset of learners. Teachers will not teach content but rather guide and facilitate learners’ problem-solving processes. Term 2 is focussed on Coding and Robotics, based on the BOATS and TANKS apps, while Term 3 deals with Computational Thinking which is presented in a narrative way to help develop logical thinking,” said Bush.

Term 4’s topic, Digital Citizenship, was developed with the South African context in mind and focusses on how learners use technology and social media. The aim is to keep learners safe online and teach them to be good digital citizens.

The 40 Lessons materials are printable and projectable, however, Bush incorporated suggestions for teachers to conduct the lessons without the use of resources. “Teachers who do these lessons must not be scared to step into the 21st Century. They play an important role as facilitators in opening learners’ minds to think about the world around them and come up with solutions by thinking for themselves. It gives learners important soft skills like problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and logic that we often brush over,” Bush.

Lusanda Maqungo, who teaches coding in a rural setting around Tsomo and attended the 40 Lessons training recently, said the Design Thinking lessons will add great value to even Foundation Phase learners in her area and work well in a class setting.

Paul Mandersloot BASF
Paul Mandersloot, Port Elizabeth Site Director of BASF’s Mobile Emissions Catalysts Division

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.