Annual Report - 2007

General comments
The pressure was on our department, from the beginning of the year, for a variety of reasons. From 1996 to 2004, we produced the best possible matric results and the most matriculation ?A? symbols in the final analysis, than any other school in Kwazulu-Natal. 2005 and 2006 however, were rather dismal years for us as we were beaten into 3rd place. Our syllabus had been refined to such a degree, that our learners end up with about 7 months of revision before their matric trials examination in August. The 2007 syllabus was slightly amended to counter-act this possible short-coming; however, the National Strike Action by the Teachers Unions which threw the Education System into disarray had many knock on effects which many of our students never recovered from.

Continuous ?Extra Lessons? during the week and on Saturdays were conducted from the beginning of the 3rd term for all interested. These were well attended and seen as beneficial.

This is the last year that any of our students will be examined on the old syllabus and all our learners, from Grade 8 will write the new National Curriculum Statement O.B.E syllabus in 2008.

?Setting standards and examples of excellence, NOT following them.?
This MUST be the catch phrase for ALL Educators during 2008. The academic progress of our learners MUST be of paramount importance and we MUST all strive to ensure that this takes precedent over all else.

I was generally happy with the progress made by the majority of our learners and I encourage our Educators to ensure that this trend is carried forward into 2008. Classroom based continuous contact and regular visits to our set syllabus will certainly meet these goals.

Trials examination: Grade 12
Glenwood made the decision 6 years ago, not to participate in the August ?Common Trials Examination? for our matriculation students, but rather, opted to set our own ?Trials Examinations? to prepare our students for the matriculation finals in November.

The thinking has now reverted back to the ?Sharing? of knowledge and skills by our Educators and we may well see a ?Common Trials Examination? return during 2008.

Grades 10 and 11
I was very happy with the progress made by many of our learners and encourage all our staff to ensure that classroom based continuous contact and regular visits to our set syllabus are done to see this trend continue.

Grades 8 and 9
With the emphasis shifting from pure technical drawing to a more practical application of drawing in the design process, we have changed our approach and projects. It has been difficult to fit all the new possible information with the amount of lessons allocated for grade 8 and 9. Guidelines are given by the department but it is very broad and vast. It makes it difficult to know exactly what will be tested in the final CTA for grade 9. I am sure that as a department, we will adapt our lessons, notes and projects to match the previous standards set. Below are some projects completed by grade 8 and 9.

The grade 8 ?Star gate? project develops their accuracy in drawing and construction of polygons. The ?Kennel? project helps them analyse existing products and adapt the design to fit their needs.

The grade 9 projects include the ?Space Frame Bridge? and ?The Hoisting Mechanism? projects where they learn about mechanisms, forces and structures.

Continual staff development and skills upgrade
The policy of our department has always been to ensure that our staff is kept abreast of the latest developments in a variety of disciplines relating to Technology and the Draughting Sciences. This year however, was the exception rather than the rule. The many Outcomes Based Education workshops usually held by the KZN-DEC did not materialise. However, the 2008 academic year promises to remedy this.

In conclusion

We lost the services of Mr. Stevens and Mr. Manley during the year and their classes were absorbed by Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Girodo. In conclusion, I would like to thank my staff for going that extra mile, time and time again, but there again, that?s the way we always do it.

Mr. T G Mitchell
Subject Head