UK and South African students collaborate to become Physical Education teachers and Sports Coaches
Earlier this year The Bambisanani Partnership CEO, David Geldart, met with Dr Thobile Sifunda, Head of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and Recreation to discuss a range of potential collaborations. It was agreed that some joint training of Physical Education teachers and Sports Coaches in both the UK and South Africa could have enormous potential benefits for all concerned and should be explored. As a result, key Bambisanani partner, Leeds Trinity University was soon in contact with representatives from The Department for Education and The Department of Sport and Recreation in KwaZulu-Natal. What emerged, in a time of Covid restrictions and lockdowns, was the idea to link both lecturers and students within a ‘digital space’ in order to ‘work together and learn together’ in the true spirit of the Bambisanani Partnership. Students at Leeds Trinity University were unable to undertake professional work placements within their chosen occupational fields at the time, so the alternative possibility of ‘digital placements’ was discussed and developed.
More specifically, digital placement provided second-year Leeds Trinity University students, across a range of degree programmes, with the opportunity to use their theoretical knowledge of Sport and Physical Education to develop teaching and coaching resources for use in South Africa, under the supervision of Sheila King, Dr Chris Rowley and Dr Nicola Arjomandkhah. Leeds Trinity University students worked in collaboration with their South African peers who were also on placements themselves across a range of colleges within the KwaZulu-Natal region, to design and produce resources which aligned with the South African curriculum. In keeping with the collaborative nature of the Bambisanani Partnership, the placement officially launched with a virtual meeting between the five Leeds Trinity University students and their peers in South Africa, who were joined by the aforementioned staff from Leeds Trinity University, and Mr M Madlala as the project leader and key contact within South Africa. Following on from this initial exchange of ideas, questions and information, sub-groups were set up for the remainder of the project, led by at least one student from both countries. This enabled continued communication and collaboration for the duration of the project, as the students sought to establish specific project aims, and to monitor subsequent progress towards these objectives.
Students from both countries involved in this project have received a valuable opportunity to; apply their theoretical and practical knowledge within a real-world setting; develop their digital skills across a range of software and platforms; broaden their cultural awareness through active engagement and collaboration with peers in South Africa; develop their leadership and communication skills; and to work effectively as part of a wider project team, collaborating with a range of stakeholders both within the United Kingdom, and in South Africa.
Students from both counties were very positive and enthusiastic about the initiative:
“I loved meeting new people during this placement. One of the most challenging aspects was communicating with the South African students over WhatsApp and working on through despite the poor-quality reception via video connection. What I've learnt during this placement is to always be proactive and make things happen”.
Nathaniel Wilson-Fleming, 2nd year Sports Coaching student at Leeds Trinity University
Eilish McGovern, 2nd year Exercise, Health and Nutrition at Leeds Trinity University added:
“My experience for this South African placement was filled with many challenges and rewards. I started the process feeling quite unsure but excited about the work I would be involved in, working with new people as well as people abroad in a collaborative project was very appealing. A challenge throughout the experience was communication with our South African colleagues as both sides were working with different internet access. This made finding out exactly what was expected more difficult, however this was all solved in the end. One thing I really enjoyed was asking our colleagues about their experiences and getting to know them better. This allowed me to see the bigger picture and how the work that we would be doing would impact the community. This made the experience a lot more impactful and rewarding. Overall, I found the experience to be very fulfilling and worthwhile and I am very thankful for the experience.”
Mbongeni Masinyane, a qualified graduate in Coaching Science from Esayidi TVET College in KwaZulu- Natal commented:
“I have gained so much more knowledge and experience through this collaboration, particularly in the session planning for ‘soccer teamwork’. I would be very happy indeed to continue interacting with the students in the UK.”
Mr Mduduzi Madlala from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Higher Education said:
“The effective delivery of this project could hopefully lead to further exciting developments in the future for the universities and the Bambisanani Partnership. Further on, there is now a strategic opportunity with the involvement of the Durban University of Technology (DUT) which has been identified as the University in the KZN Province to collaborate with the UK Leeds Trinity University and TVET Colleges in the implementation of this programme. Meetings have already taken place between DUT staff from the Sport Science Department and staff from the UK Leeds Trinity University. Possible areas of collaboration have been identified and discussed as follows: Information Exchange, Skills Transfer for both Students and Lecturers. It is interesting that a direct university to university linkages has now been developed to initiate university-university international collaborations in order to take the programme to higher levels.”
Dr Chris Rowley, Senior Lecturer for Sports Psychology at Leeds Trinity University added,
‘’The Digital Placement ‘pilot’ programme was successful in providing an effective, and hopefully enjoyable, learning experience for all involved, including the staff who helped facilitate it. Through engaging in digital platforms, students have been able to learn a considerable amount from each other, during a time where physical travel and cultural exchange was seemingly not a readily apparent opportunity. This cultural exchange stands a key aim of this particular initiative, and a fundamental principle of our collective work as part of the Bambisanani Partnership. This project came at a really good time for our students in the absence of international volunteering trips being able to take place in person, and this digital platform will hopefully allow for further partnership developments in the areas of Knowledge Exchange, Workshops, Skills Transfer, Face to Face discussions as a means of further internationalising our curriculum in the area of Physical Education and Sports Coaching.’’
Michael Mbatha Sports Officer from Durban University of Technology-Sports Department commented,
‘’Despite some early technical difficulties this was a really positive experience for all concerned. We need to strengthen our relationship even further with Leeds Trinity University and are excited to work with their professors and students.’’
Mr M Shozi, Project Manager for Durban University of Technology, Imbali Education and Innovation Precinct. said,
‘’This programme has considerable potential for students in both countries. We need to work together in the area of exchange programmes, with the involvement of the local schools and TVET Colleges, sharing resources and developing joint modules of study.’’
David Geldart from the Bambisanani Partnership said, “Massive praise must go to all involved in what was effectively a Pilot project in a completely new area of collaboration for us all. New contacts have been made and new relationships developed. The UK students learned from the strengths of the South African students and the South African students learned from the strengths of UK students. This is precisely what we are about. There is clearly a desire to take this forward from both sides and I look forward to seeing this develop.”
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