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<p>Together we Build the Belief – you can excel at Maths! </p> <p>More information on MCO, as well as the conference plenary recording and all conference presentations. </p>
<p>The Plastic Changemaker program consists of a special Miraculous Ladybug episode and 5 modules of lesson plans and classroom activities about environmental education.</p> <p>Register on the Breteau Foundation Website to stream the episode and download the educator resources pack.</p>
Dorothea Special School takes a Bite!

When Martin Luther King announced “I have a Dream” in 1963, he may not have realised the profound effect it had on special needs education 60 years later. Apple iPad has created an opportunity that eases access to developmental programs, including the Differentiated-Curriculum (D-CAPS) for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as Severe/Profound Intellectual Disability (SID and PID). It empowers learners and teachers to use technology when learning new skills, underpinned by our school’s vision and mission of transformative ambitions.

As WCED’s mission has been captured in our school’s ethos, we believe that all learners have a right to quality inclusive education and that no child should be left behind.

Dorothea School, situated in Cloetesville, Stellenbosch, South Africa, has been a beacon of hope for differently-abled learners since 1985. A daycare centre with 7 humble teachers and 21 learners in the ’80s has transformed into 53 amazing staff members, teachers, teacher assistants, therapists, a school nurse, other support staff and 254 differently-abled learners. They come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and have joined Dorothea Special School to be part of our extraordinary dream.

Our school’s journey with Apple kicked off in 2019, and what a journey! It started with a simple message from a parent, Mrs. Mariska van Zyl, who created a whole movement of inclusion, innovation and inspiration for all to see.

The initial message from Mrs. van Zyl and the responsiveness of our school principal,   Mrs. Anthea Williams, allowed our school to receive a donation of 60 iPads. An Apple team was assembled, and with the support of Partners for Possibilities (PFP), Mix-telematics and training from iSchoolAfrica facilitators, the magic officially began. Initially, only teachers in the autism phase received iPads. However, these teachers spread the interest and it was enthusiastically received by the rest of the school. Continuous training with external facilitators, webinars and peer-learning sessions enthralled all the users.

Quarterly feedback given to mix-telematics about the infusion of  EdTechs confirms our responsible use of equipment and more iPads were donated to the school! By the end of 2021, we had a total of 150 iPads, 11 Apple TVs and 5 MacBooks. A promising 75% of teachers had received their Apple Teacher certificates. This has been a momentous target reached for our school, as it has set us up to become one of the first Apple Distinguished (ADS) special needs schools in the world. 

The use of Apple products sets us miles apart from other special needs schools and enables users to become more effective. With the confidence instilled amongst staff and learners, we invite various institutions in South Africa to visit our classrooms. Teachers are confident to use iPads in the curriculum and design assessment tasks and activities, create stories and more on various apps installed on the devices.

The support and sponsorship of Capitec, Mix-telematics and I-school Africa of Apple iPads and other products and services have made our journey of being a leading school for optimal growth and accessibility possible. It provides learners to overcome a multitude of barriers set by society and academia, by supporting and simplifying the D-CAPS and other educational programs. 

The iPad as a tool in the classroom allows learners to experience accessibility, adaptation and augmentation of their learning styles and enables teachers to teach in a differentiated manner. Learners with literacy barriers are taught how to use the text-to-speech functionality, how to increase or decrease speech rate and how to use pictures to relay messages to name but a few options.

Learners with vision difficulties enlarge texts and pictures and select colour filters to accommodate colour blindness. Those with hearing and auditory memory deficits have instructions repeated or presented visually or increase the volume. Learners with motor planning difficulties can use Haptic Touch to reveal content.

Currently, we have a total of 204 iPads. This means that all learners in the autism units have iPads, and the majority of the learners in our severely intellectually disabled classrooms share iPads between two or three of them. Ideally, we would like to have 1 iPad per learner.

Restricted and unreliable access to Wi-Fi is one challenge we face. Most teachers make use of personal hot spots and their private data.

At Dorothea school, we embrace each learner’s differences and our vision, having hope, assists us in overcoming many barriers to learning and seeing endless possibilities for the learners. We gladly accept our recognition of being an Apple Distinguished School as we inspire, imagine and impact teaching in a meaningful way. Yes, we have a dream at Dorothea school, that our journey will continue to reach each learner with special needs in our broader community, as all learners have a right to quality, inclusive education.

The Strategic Objective of the Three Stream Model is to increase the model, quality and type of access to quality education through increasing learner access to Vocational, Occupational and Skills subjects and schools. The contemporary world of work requires a combination of socio-emotional skills, workplace readiness, technical and vocational skills, and entrepreneurship skills.
The Strategic Objective of the Three Stream Model is to increase the model, quality and type of access to quality education through increasing learner access to Vocational, Occupational and Skills subjects and schools. The contemporary world of work requires a combination of socio-emotional skills, workplace readiness, technical and vocational skills, and entrepreneurship skills.
The Strategic Objective of the Three Stream Model is to increase the model, quality and type of access to quality education through increasing learner access to Vocational, Occupational and Skills subjects and schools. The contemporary world of work requires a combination of socio-emotional skills, workplace readiness, technical and vocational skills, and entrepreneurship skills.
The Strategic Objective of the Three Stream Model is to increase the model, quality and type of access to quality education through increasing learner access to Vocational, Occupational and Skills subjects and schools. The contemporary world of work requires a combination of socio-emotional skills, workplace readiness, technical and vocational skills, and entrepreneurship skills.

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