Monday, 20 February 2017
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Tuesday, 31 January 2017
My achievements bestowed on me as a teacher and a school principal
·
The following are some of the award
bestowed on me(Phuti Ragophala)
·
· In 2006 I got Tracy Malatji award in
woman of excellence by the Office of Premier
·
In 2007 I got a provincial award in primary
school leadership and a finalist for national primary school leadership by
department of education
·
In 2008 I got Premiers award for Best practice
in education by premiers office
·
In 2008
was awarded SABC2 Shoprite Checkers woman of the year finalist in
Education category
·
In 2009 I got Woman in Science award in Indigenous knowledge System nationally by
department of Science and technology
·
Again in 2009 she got Early Child development
Award nationally by department of social department and ABSA
·
In 2010 I got an award from CPSI(Centre for
Public Service Innovation) for sustaining the school projects that benefit the
school
·
In 2011 I got another award from the Office of
Premier for sustaining the school
projects that benefits the community
·
In 2011
ISPA super teacher of the year by
COZA CARES
·
In 2011 Star in Education by ARGO
·
In 2012 South African Hero by E-TV(Documentary
shown)
·
In 2014 I was selected by Microsoft
internationally as Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE)to attend and present learning activities on global stage in
Barcelona during the global conference
·
In 2015 I was awarded Most Influential women in Africa award by
CEO. View the Link: http://www.observer.co.za/educator-gets-leadership-award/
·
In 2015 I was again selected by Microsoft internationally as Microsoft Innovative Educator
Expert(MIEE)to attend and present my learning activities on global stage in
Dubai during the global conference
·
In 2016 I was aga·
The following are some of the award
bestowed on me(Phuti Ragophala)
·
·
In 2006 I got Tracy Malatji award in
woman of excellence by the Office of Premier
·
In 2007 I got a provincial award in primary
school leadership and a finalist for national primary school leadership by
department of education
·
In 2008 I got Premiers award for Best practice
in education by premiers office
·
In 2008
was awarded SABC2 Shoprite Checkers woman of the year finalist in
Education category
·
In 2009 I got Woman in Science award in Indigenous knowledge System nationally by
department of Science and technology
·
Again in 2009 she got Early Child development
Award nationally by department of social department and ABSA
·
In 2010 I got an award from CPSI(Centre for
Public Service Innovation) for sustaining the school projects that benefit the
school
·
In 2011 I got another award from the Office of
Premier for sustaining the school
projects that benefits the community
·
In 2011
ISPA super teacher of the year by
COZA CARES
·
In 2011 Star in Education by ARGO
·
In 2012 South African Hero by E-TV(Documentary
shown)
·
In 2014 I was selected by Microsoft
internationally as Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE)to attend and present learning activities on global stage in
Barcelona during the global conference
·
In 2015 I was awarded Most Influential women in Africa award by
CEO. View the Link: http://www.observer.co.za/educator-gets-leadership-award/
·
In 2015 I was again selected by Microsoft internationally as Microsoft Innovative Educator
Expert(MIEE)to attend and present my learning activities on global stage in
Dubai during the global conference
·
In 2016 I was again selected for the third time
as Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert(MIEE)
·
2016 June 27th awarded Life time
achievement by EduWeek SABC Education at Gallagher estate Midrand
·
2016 December 14th I was nominated in
the Global eacher Prize as a finalists 2017
All these information is on websites: google and search for Phuti
Ragophala or Pula Madibogo Primary
School in Limpopo.
School website is www.pulamadibogoprimary.co.za
My teaching and learning technology projects
and Economics and Management Sciences are in this blog page http://itandiksproject.blogspot.com/
Or her page Facebook
as https://www.facebook.com/phuti.ragophala
and on her twitter http://www.twitter.com/phutiragophala
N.B
ALL THESE AWARDS HAVE TROPHIES, CERTIFICATES AND MONETARY . (R150,000
used to build school fence) R12,500 used to develop educators: name tags and
sport golf shirts) I still believe that if I can win first priority is given to
the community projects : School administration block with tech- library in and
sanitation .
in selected for the third time
as Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert(MIEE)
·
2016 June 27th awarded Life time
achievement by EduWeek SABC Education at Gallagher estate Midrand
·
2016 December 14th I was nominated in
the Global eacher Prize as a finalists 2017
All these information is on websites: google and search for Phuti
Ragophala or Pula Madibogo Primary
School in Limpopo.
School website is www.pulamadibogoprimary.co.za
My teaching and learning technology projects
and Economics and Management Sciences are in this blog page http://itandiksproject.blogspot.com/
Or her page Facebook
as https://www.facebook.com/phuti.ragophala
and on her twitter http://www.twitter.com/phutiragophala
N.B
ALL THESE AWARDS HAVE TROPHIES, CERTIFICATES AND MONETARY . (R150,000
used to build school fence) R12,500 used to develop educators: name tags and
sport golf shirts) I still believe that if I can win first priority is given to
the community projects : School administration block with tech- library in and
sanitation .
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Thursday, 29 December 2016
A golden opportinity given to me by Microsft to showcase my project at Barcelona in 2014
Learning about feeding your family, and no snakes [Star, The (South Africa)]
(Star, The (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) THE FAMILY of one
of the pupils at Phuti Ragophala's school in Mankweng, outside
Polokwane, live in a shack and, she was appalled to hear, they often
find snakes in their living area.
The 56-year-old principal of Pula Madibogo Primary has decided to develop a learning programme for her pupils, aimed at researching and putting into practice ways of building affordable informal housing that will keep reptiles out.
It's that kind of innovative approach to education that saw Ragophala qualify as a Microsoft Expert Educator, and won her a trip to Barcelona last week to attend the Microsoft in Education Global Forum.
The forum brings together teachers from around the world who have been recognised for the way they use technology, and their passion for teaching, to enrich the lives of their pupils.
While in Barcelona, Ragophala was given the opportunity to showcase her current project, Planting Seeds, Changing Lives. The project involves teaching children, mostly from very poor families, the basics of agriculture, nutrition and food technology.
It's not just a classroom exercise - the school has a permaculture vegetable garden that Ragophala describes as "a forest of food".
That's where what is learnt gets put into practice, and the outcome - apart from the 21st century skills of collaboration, communication, knowledge-building, critical thinking, global awareness and civic literacy, problem-solving and creativity that the children are learning - is putting enough nutritious food on the tables of the largely destitute community the school serves.
"We have close to 1 300 pupils, in a building consisting of 21 classrooms, and a pupil to teacher ratio of 60 to one," Ragophala explains.
"And many of the children are orphans living in child-headed households, so we have no choice but to make the educational programme part of the solution to the problems in our community." The "expert educator" designation forms part of Microsoft's Partners in Learning programme, a global initiative aimed at empowering young people by enriching their learning experience, with the help of technology.
Angela Schaerer, the academic programme manager of the project for Microsoft South Africa, explains that any teacher can apply to be an expert educator.
"The requirement is that they must have designed and implemented a meaningful project, with a technology component to it, and it must have made an impact," she says.
Schaerer explains that Ragaphola will have learned about the programme via the Partners in Learning Website which has set up a community of practice for teachers who are being innovative.
"Through it, we are hoping to spread the message and to get teachers to communicate and help each other," she says.
Microsoft provides training for teachers, and assists with the provision of software and educational materials for teachers.
"Phuti's project has made a big impact on her community, and she has shown amazing ingenuity in using the limited technological resources at her disposal to make it a meaningful learning experience for her pupils." There is only one computer at Pula Madibogo Primary - the principal's laptop - but Ragophala has shown the children how to use mobile phones and social media to connect with a wider community and to research the topics they are covering.
In the process, the children have been encouraging others in the community to supplement their diets, implementing the practices they have learnt at school.
She has also shown an ability to collaborate and form partnerships - the NGO Food and Trees for Africa has helped with the technical aspects of growing vegetables, while the food technology department of the nearby University of the North provides input on dietary and nutritional issues.
"We are hoping that through this project, some of the pupils will be inspired to study food science or agriculture so that they can make a difference in their communities one day," Ragophala says.
"At the very least, we will have taught them some good ways to grow vegetables and use them effectively as a source of food. Those are valuable skills that they can take with them throughout their lives." Ragophala describes the trip to Barcelona as a dream come true. "I've never flown on an airplane, or been overseas before, and for me, the most amazing thing was to learn that teachers all over the world are facing similar challenges to ours. I learnt so much that I will be putting into practice." When she gets back to rural Limpopo, the first thing she will be applying her mind to is working with the children - with the help of Microsoft - to figure out how they can build shacks that keep snakes out.
The Star (c) 2014 Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. All rights strictly reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company
My reaction about Global Teacher Prize finalist nominations 2017
Good day, My name
is Phuti Ragophala, a recently retired head mistress of Pula Madibogo Primary
school in South Africa. I am also one of the honoured top 50 finalists in the 2017 Global Teacher prize.
I will be giving you a brief summary of
my reaction to the nomination, tell you more about what I love most about
teaching, about teachers who motivated me while growing up and what inspires me
most .
My reaction...
Even though I am
retired, I still spend a lot of my time teaching. *giggle* On that specific
day, I was voluntarily assisting local teachers on a computer programming
course at a local university, the University of the north.
During the
course, I had to quickly check up on an email that I was expecting from Microsoft and there was
this email from the global teacher prize. At that time, I had completely
forgotten about the nomination, so I wasn’t excepting an email from them. After
reading the email, I literally screamed in both shock and excitement. I could not
speak!!! Those around me were concerned because they thought that maybe someone
had died. *giggle* We had to stop the entire course because of the commotion
and excitement around me!
I just could not
believe that a retired rural teacher from Africa has been nominated on such a prestigious
global platform! Of course my dedication and handwork have been recognised in
my community and country. I had even received a lifetime award from the South
African national broadcaster for my work. But this was different! I am
representing my country, SADC and
Africa! It is a remarkable feeling I still cannot believe, and one that I am
incredibly thankful and immensely grateful for!
I am now being
featured in leading newspapers in South Africa, national radios, national TV stations
and I have the full backing of the South African government. It has been and is
still an exciting experience.
What I love most
about teaching is that it enables me to inspire young minds, to augment the
individual natural talents that children have through creativity, innovation
and talents searching. It provides me with the immense, yet rewarding privilege
of producing responsible and educated future leaders and professionals. Hence
teaching is often referred to as the mother of all professions.
Throughout my vast
32year teaching experience I have taught several subjects. I first started with
teaching English at foundation phase for about 10years and later Social
sciences, Economic and management sciences, Technology and IT.
During that time
I had developed a way of teaching social and economic sciences by using
technology. Especially considering how techno-savvy children are these days.
For example, In economics, i would teach them about poverty, which is by the way very common in the
community that I taught in , and then challenge them to seek solutions to
reduce it and then require them to give feedback by presenting on these
findings through computer programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint and/or create
other digital presentations.
But I have to
say, my favourite subject that I taught was English at foundation phase.
Growing up, I was very shy and wasn’t proficient in English. I struggled to
express myself in English as compared to my native language. So while teaching
these young minds, I too was learning. *laughs* I can now confidently say that
I am now a lot more comfortable with communicating in English through that. So
while I was teaching, I too was learning.
It was a mutually beneficial process.
My first and most
influential teachers were obviously my late parents. My father was a community
leader, so most community meetings were held at my home. From them I learned
how to be a leader and how to pray. I remember sleeping on an empty stomach one
night and my mother still insisted that we pray first before we slept.
But growing up,
the teacher who inspired me the most was my grade 1 teacher, Mrs Mahlatji. Shy
as I was, she was able to identify and groom a leader in me at a young age and
also motivated me to shine academically. But what touched me most was how even
amongst hundreds of children, she took an interest in my personal life and
domestic affairs.
While still in
school, my mother became extremely ill. I recall how Mrs Mahlatji would
constantly ask about how she was and assisted where she could. From her I
learned that as a teacher, you can positively influence a child beyond the
classroom.
Until this day, I
am inspired by people who voluntarily serve other people, people who want to
see others succeed, and people who enjoy serving beyond themselves. People like
my mother. People like Oprah Winfrey who, from own pocket, built one of the
biggest and most well-resourced schools in South Africa specifically for young
girls who are from poverty-stricken backgrounds. Some of these girls are even
furthering their studies in major universities abroad, opportunities they could
have only dreamed of.
People like the
late former president, Nelson Mandela, who after being imprisoned for 27years,
chose to forgive the apartheid government in order to forge a peaceful and
united South Africa without a civil war.
I was also
inspired by how, unlike a lot of African leaders, he chose to pass on the baton
even while he was still in the race. He groomed younger leaders, encouraged for
more women leaders in government and gave them an opportunity to lead.
I am also
grateful in that during my tenure, I received a lot of support from my staff,
NGOs, teachers and the amazing young
mind that I had the opportunity to lead.
The Greek
philosopher, Nikos kasansakis, once said, “True teachers are those who use
themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then,
having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to
create their own.”
Wednesday, 21 December 2016
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