Practice makes better: Prof Anna Stetsenko was the keynote speaker at a recent symposium on primary education.

UCT's School of Education hosted a two-day primary education symposium in March. Among those participating was the keynote speaker, renowned developmental psychologist Prof Anna Stetsenko of the City University of New York.

In her talk, Stetsenko argued that the traditional approach underpinning teaching methods at schools today - where learning often happens with little regard for practical conditions and real-life experiences - is old-fashioned and hampers children's development.

Stetsenko is a leader in Cultural-Historical Activity theory, a developmental psychology and education approach that regards the child as an active participant in learning. In this model, knowledge is created (via teacher-learner-environmental interaction) rather than merely taught.