Opening its virtual doors to learners from Grade R to Grade 9, from January 2021, ADvTECH’s new online offering, Evolve Online School (Evolve) will change the face of online schooling in South Africa.
“In this rapidly changing society, the one-size-fits-all method of teaching no longer makes any sense,” says Principal Colin Northmore. “Evolve starts by answering the question how we can make learning an adventure for each child?”
Evolve combines a user-experience focus with a trendsetting curriculum mapping system, developed at MIT, to personalise each child’s learning experience. Using the latest research, each child’s learning journey will be designed based on exclusive subject and skill maps.
Students will be placed within subjects according to their abilities, letting them progress faster where they are gifted and work at a more deliberate pace to master content they find more challenging. The result is that each student’s learning experience is tailored to their specific needs, and they are encouraged to grow at a pace that suits their ability and enthusiasm.
The ADvTECH online model uses Apple/iOS technology, and will incorporate:
- Learning Architects drawn from master teachers across the country to develop curriculum content.
- Learning Activators who will ensure a holistic digital learning journey as opposed to simply copying and pasting the physical class into a virtual space.
- Life coaches who will help develop crucial 21st Century skills and global competencies in students.
“There will be a strong focus on foundational, social and emotional learning skills. Our team of life coaches will focus exclusively on these skills. Our children are growing up in a world very different from the one in which we grew up. Things that we, as adults, deal with and take in our stride they are already facing at a very young age. Our life coaches will play a very important role in teaching students how to deal with issues such as stress and anxiety, and help them develop coping mechanisms, resilience and a growth mindset,” added Northmore.
Evolve will make use of the following:
- Diagnostic testing to determine the exact level of proficiency of a student before placement, and during the educational journey.
- Asynchronous learning so that learners can move through content at their own pace and according to their own proficiency. Students will also have direct access to their teachers who will facilitate extra activation classes.
- Synchronous learning where our students will also be able to attend live interactive classes, making this a true online school.
- Socialisation opportunities with academies, studios and day camps monthly so that students can meet other “Evolvers” and get green time to balance their screen time.
“If we have learned anything from this crisis it is that we need to rethink how we approach our children’s education. Evolve aims to bring together current best practice with trailblazing features to ensure that the online educational journey is focused on academic excellence,” concluded Northmore.
Registrations open in September. The school will cater for Grade R-9 from January 2021. Grade 10-12 will be phased in from 2022. ADvTECH is Africa’s largest private education provider. Its schools division includes iconic brands such as Crawford Schools, Trinityhouse and Abbotts.
Visit www.evolveonline.co.za for more information or mail info@evolveonline.co.za .
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