THE Answer Series (TAS) has been in the industry of creating study guides for high school pupils since 1975.
TAS chief executive George Eadie said the aim of the podcast was to offer support to teachers and to impact positively on education in South Africa.
“In each episode of Subject Scoop, expert teachers dig into a specific subject area and what the year holds for that subject. These subject experts unpack what learners are struggling with and how individual teachers can help them on a practical level. It also covers what subject experts experienced in Grade 12 exam marking,” said Eadie.
There have been at least five podcasts that are available Google podcast, Apple, Spotify and Castbox.
The podcasts focus on business studies delivered by Habiel Adams, economics by Nazlie Mohamed, life sciences by Mariechen Vermeulen, mathematics by Anne Eadie and Jenny Campbell, and physical sciences by Norman Davies.
Meet the teachers:
Business Studies by Habiel Adams
Habiel Adams is a full-time educator and head of commerce at Christel House, an academic institution that transforms the life of impoverished children, in Cape Town. Habiel has acted as matric marker for economics for the past eight years and is currently pursuing an MEd degree.
Habiel reveals what he thinks has been a recipe for achieving 100% pass rates at Christel House.
Economics by Nazlie Mohamed
Nazlie Mohamed taught economics at Herzlia High School for 24 years, lectured at UCT and externally moderated the PGCE courses for economics and accounting. She was seconded by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) as curriculum advisor for economics and is a seasoned marker for matric final examinations.
Nazlie has been involved full-time at TAS for the past two years. She shares, part by part, how pupils fared in the 2020 examinations and what we can learn for 2021.
Life Sciences by Mariechen Vermeulen
Mariechen Vermeulen, Subject Head at La Rochelle GHS, Paarl, has been a Life Sciences teacher since 2012 after graduating cum laude at Stellenbosch University. Mariechen co-presents Life Science Telematics lessons for the WCED and is involved in external matric marking.
Mariechen explains how and why pupils often misread questions and suggests how this can be remedied.
Mathematics by Anne Eadie and Jenny Campbell
Anne Eadie, founder and visionary behind TAS, has been a leading contributor to the evolution of maths teaching in Grades 8 to 12 in South Africa.
Jenny Campbell has 30 years of teaching experience. Jenny, author of maths textbooks, matric marker and currently the internal moderator for mathematics paper 1, has now joined The Answer Series Maths Team.
Anne inspires with her contagious enthusiasm for maths. She admits that maths can be challenging but adds that once you have responded to the challenge and struggled through it, it leads to a good feeling of having mastered it.
Jenny explains, step by step, how to develop a mindset for maths and how the right mindset helps you to develop confidence to do well in this subject.
Physical Science by Norman Davies
Norman Davies, head of science at Pinelands High, has been involved in marking matric physics for the past nine years. He has extensive experience of science education including running a science teacher programme at UCT.
Norman discusses the rules learners have to follow when they answer questions in science exam papers. He also highlights scientific skills that are needed to master physical sciences as a subject.