Pupils Turn Teacher for Technology Conference

By GILLESPIE, Sean

SOMETIMES teaching isn’t just an adult’s job.

About 80 pupils from six Invercargill primary schools converged on Bluff Community School yesterday for an ICT (information communication technology) conference partially run by pupils.

A group of specially chosen pupils held workshops for the other children, teaching them how to use computers for making movies, music and other practical applications.

The schools involved were Salford, Windsor North, St Theresa’s (Invercargill), Otatara, Sacred Heart and Bluff Community School.

ICT facilitator Pania McVay-Stewart said the concept helped to promote self-directed learning and problem solving.

“Students should be taking more roles in the classroom — the teacher shouldn’t be the fountain of all knowledge,” Ms McVay- Stewart said.

The pupils teaching the workshops were accompanied by teachers and had been given training beforehand.

Eleven-year-old Daniel Kapene from the host school taught rotating groups of his peers how to create digital comics.

He said teaching people he had not met before was a lot easier than he had expected and it was a good experience.

[email protected]

——————–

(c) 2008 Southland Times, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.