It was early in her teaching career that Lorraine Ruddy had a lightbulb moment. It was then that she realised that in order for children in a classroom, teachers in a school and in fact any person to flourish, they need to experience what she coined the ‘Nest’ principle. Like chicks in a nest, every person needs to be provided with a loving, warm and safe environment in which to learn and grow and gain in confidence in order to fulfill his/her true potential. The ‘Nest’ has been her guiding principle throughout her career in education.

In our last newsletter, we introduced Dr Taiwo Ojo, a tutor par excellence – popular with students and fellow tutors for his positivity and constructive contribution to tutorials and meetings. This time we are saying goodbye to him as he moves to Canada to do post-doctoral research.

The buzz words at the HUB as the second semester starts are ‘Teaching prac. ’ or Work-Integrated Learning as it is called by academia. All students do a year-long STADIO module called Teaching Practice, which covers the theory of teaching, but in the second half of the year they spend a period of time in a carefully selected school to do a teaching prac.. This enables them to observe their mentor teacher at work and to teach lessons themselves, i.e. to marry theory to practice.

An enormous THANK YOU from OLH to everyone who heard our story and contributed to the cause of the students this year.

As part of the Personal and Professional Development (PPD) at the Hub, Karin held two
workshops to help students develop a personalised approach to managing their stress. She said that first and foremost, students need to recognize what is causing their stress in order to work out a practical solution to reduce or eliminate the stress.

Dr Nici Rousseau heads up the PPD programme and she explains the what and why of a Personal and Professional Development (PPD) programme. Two OLH students, Farren Gillon and Nicola Gardiner, share what they have gained from PPD, specifically from reflective practice.

Over coffee we asked Professor John de Gruchy one of the founder members of HVT/OLH about the origins and original vision that led to what is now the Overstrand Learning Hub. It was, without doubt, an unorthodox beginning.

Annabé Tredoux’s workshops with the tutors are integral to the entire process of creating a reflective approach to teaching and learning.

At the same time as building the tutors’ awareness of the students’ reality, she has in turn assisted them in looking inwards in order to become better mentors.

The ethos of the Overstrand Learning Hub is to support students on their journey to become outstanding teachers and we are privileged to have professionals such as Ansie Kitching and Annabe Tredoux as a vital part of the OLH system, which has been structured to provide students with more than just academic support.