The BLEND Symposium, hosted by VVOB and its partners CASME and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (KZNDoE), was a playful bookend to an impactful project. Over 140 delegates arrived at the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel and Conference Centre on the 28th and 29th of March, 2023, for an event that was designed to share learning and insights on Foundational Mathematics education, teacher professionalisation, but most importantly, to convey through experiential learning the transformative power of Learning through Play.
Along with presentations from key partners from the Department of Basic Education, JET Education Services, Wits University, and an engaging panel discussion on Multilingualism in Teaching and Learning Mathematics in the Foundation Phase (a summary of which can be found here), there were six playrooms with activities designed to be fun and educational, and to convey sometimes complex mathematical concepts in an experiential way. Delegates got their hands dirty, sometimes literally, and reflected on the importance of this pedagogy in strengthening mathematics outcomes in South Africa.
Although the Symposium was an closing event, the impact BLEND does not end here. Henre Benson, Senior Education Advisor at VVOB, introduced BLEND ON!, a guide for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) providers on how to develop blended CPD for educators. The guide is an Open Educational Resource (OER) available as a printable PDF download and an online course. You can pre-register for BLEND ON! here.