Education - Parenting Hub

Leading Educational Advice from Wingu Academy

Motivating your primary or high school student – 5 tips to navigate the minefield

Concerned about your child’s lack of motivation when it comes to their schoolwork? Perhaps you’ve spent many a minute pondering how you can get your child to put as much effort into learning as they do into texting on their phones. You’re not alone. We’d venture a guess that there were even a few cavemothers back in the day who were probably just as concerned with their teen’s lack of motivation and seemingly rebellious attitude. Now here’s the thing that most articles like this one don’t tell you – there’s no silver bullet or magical motivation potion. Nothing you do or say will result in your child going to sleep a TikTok consuming zombie-bot one evening and waking up an industrious little Edison the next. You cannot force a child to be motivated – they have to realize the importance of learning themselves. However, there are some steps that you can take to help your child discover –or rediscover – his or her motivational mojo. 1: Instill discipline and accountability in your child There’s a very true quote – probably dreamt up by some self-help yogi on the internet, bless their wise soul – “You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined”. Discipline is what sets people apart. A naturally athletic person might have raw talent, but if they don’t have the discipline to get up and train at the crack of dawn, all that raw talent won’t book them a spot at the Olympics. But, if your child follows the pattern of ‘panic, breakdown, cram, cry, cram-some-more’ every night before a big test, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are lazy or undisciplined. Perhaps he or she has trouble managing their time. This is where you can help. By creating a structured learning environment, developing a regular schedule and allowing sufficient time to prepare, you can help your child manage his or her time better. As with all seemingly mundane things in life – such as parking within the lines or making your coffee just the way you like it – time management is a skill learnt through trial and error, and by repeating it every day until you become an expert. Importantly, don’t over compensate for your child’s demotivated attitude by doing their work for them. This will only end up compounding the problem, because what you are actually telling them is that it’s okay not to hold up their end of a bargain, someone will always come to bail them out. Motivated kids are also accountable kids, who accept their responsibilities and plan accordingly. 2: Be kind to your child, and to yourself Your child’s lack of motivation is not necessarily a reflection on you as a parent. Positively reinforce development and when they make mistakes – when, not if – don’t lie awake obsessing about the future and how you are going to take care of your son when he’s 40 and still lives in your basement with just a mini fridge and video game console. Mistakes are par for the course; fall down ten times and get up eleven times – so cliché, but true. In a culture that is obsessed with perfection, we often do not teach our children that it’s okay to make mistakes. If Junior has been steadily putting in more work and improving his grades only to fail the next test, don’t act like it’s the end of the world, threaten to put a hit out on the teacher or tell your child that his brain is the size of a pea. Identify the root cause of the problem, and put strategies in place to prevent a similar scenario in the future. Your child will learn how to handle crisis and disappointment by witnessing your own response to it. Lead by example. 3: Focus on development, not performance Developing a motivated student takes time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t expect them to magically start burning the midnight oil and getting straight A’s just because they started attending a tutor session two weeks ago. Set realistic goals and positively reinforce improvements in behaviour or outcome, even if it’s small or slow. Perhaps more importantly, don’t force your own expectations on your child. Even if you secretly dream that your child will become an astronaut and be the first human to set foot on Mars, their strengths and academic interests might not align with that vision. And that’s okay. If they do well in another subject that you might regard as less important, praise them for that, because it might be important to them. 4: Encourage honest conversation Oftentimes students become demotivated because they feel overwhelmed or stuck, and oftentimes these factors can be remedied. But you won’t know how to help your child, unless they talk to you about the problem. You cannot force your child to share his or her feelings, and the more you push, the more likely you are to receive a serious of grunts and sighs as a reply. However, you can let them know that you are there to talk, when they feel ready. When they do open up to you, validate your child’s feelings, even if you don’t agree with them on something. So for example, if Junior says “Mom, I hate mathematics, It just doesn’t make sense!”, don’t say something like “Nonsense sweetie, you were fine with math last year.” Listen to your child. Really listen. Let them know that their opinion matters and don’t put them down. 5: Get outside help If your child is demotivated because he or she is struggling with a particular subject or subjects, consider getting outside help, such as a tutor. If this is not financially viable, maybe reach out to a university student in the family, or a subject-savvy aunt or uncle, or try to come to an agreement with a reputable tutoring company to let your child be instructed at a reduced rate. Make a plan. Do not stick

September 11, 2020

International Examination boards from the United Kingdom

Examination boards in the United Kingdom (sometimes called awarding bodies or awarding organisations) are the examination boards responsible for setting and awarding secondary education level qualifications, such as GCSEs, and A Levels qualifications, to students in the United Kingdom. Until the mid-1990s, academic exam boards and vocational accreditors were run very much as separate organisations. In more recent times, this distinction has been removed, with all the term ‘awarding bodies’ now being used. Broadly speaking, the UK has always had two separate school systems: one for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and one for Scotland. As a result, two separate sets of exam boards have been developed. Here we will focus on the exam boards stemming from the United Kingdom. England, Wales and Northern Ireland England, Wales and Northern Ireland have several exam boards, with schools and colleges able to freely choose between them on a subject-by-subject basis. Currently, there are five exam boards available to state schools: AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment) OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) Pearson, under its Edexcel brand WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee), under its WJEC and Eduqas brands Though the exam boards have regional roots within the UK, they now operate across larger areas. The three boards based in England – AQA, OCR and Edexcel – offer all their qualifications across England with a smaller number in Wales (where no ‘homegrown’ qualification is available) and Northern Ireland (where the qualifications meet the regulator’s requirements). The Wales-based WJEC offers qualifications in Wales (mostly under its WJEC brand), England (nearly always under its Eduqas brand) and Northern Ireland (under either brand). Most exam boards offer a range of qualifications, though not all boards offer every qualification in every subject. Schools and colleges have a completely free choice between the boards, and most schools use a mixture of boards for their GCSE qualifications, with a similar mixture existing at A Level. In addition. History Exam boards have been around as long as there have been qualifications offered by schools. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge each had their own exam board and a joint board they ran together. The qualifications offered were of the boards’ own creation. local board. I will focus here on the boards founded by the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, and of Pearson Institute since they are the more well known in South Africa.: 1836. Royal charter gave the University of London powers to conduct exams. The University of London Extension Board was founded in 1902 (later becomes Edexcel in 1996) 1857: University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations (founded by the University of Oxford) 1858: University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES, founded by the University of Cambridge) 1873: Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board (founded by the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge) GCE (O Level and A Level) In 1951, the General Certificate of Education (GCE) was introduced. It was split into two stages: Ordinary Level (O Level, taken at 16) and Advanced Level (A Level, taken at 18). CSE In 1965, the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) was introduced. It was aimed at the 80% 16-year-old students who did not take O Levels and, until that point, had left school with no qualifications. CSEs were administered on a local basis with local boards offering the qualifications. GCSE To create a more egalitarian system, the O Levels and CSE (but not the A Level) were replaced by the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in 1986. As O Levels and CSEs had used different exam boards (except in Wales and Northern Ireland), new ‘examining groups’ were created. In England, the four examining groups were consortia of regional GCE and CSE exam boards, while in Wales and Northern Ireland they were the existing boards, making six boards in total: London East Anglian Group (formed by the University of London School Examinations Board, the London Regional Examination Board and the East Anglian Examinations Board) Midland Examining Group (MEG, formed by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the Southern Universities’ Joint Board, the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board, East Midland Regional Examinations Board and the West Midlands Examinations Board) Northern Examining Association (NEA, formed by the Joint Matriculation Board, the Associated Lancashire Schools Examining Board, the North Regional Examinations Board, the North West Regional Examinations Board and the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Examinations Board) Northern Ireland Schools Examination Council Southern Examining Group (SEG, formed by the Associated Examining Board, the University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations, the South-East Regional Examinations Board, South Western Examinations Board and Southern Regional Exams Board) Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) As CSEs were no longer offered, the CSE boards effectively ceased to operate as independent boards and instead became part of their larger examining groups (some were even taken over by larger members of their groups, such as the South East Regional Examinations Board, which was acquired by the Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations in 1985 to form the Oxford School Examinations Board; and the South-East Regional Examinations Board and South Western Examinations Board, which merged with the AEB in 1985 and 1987 respectively). The GCE boards, however, retained a degree of autonomy, as they still offered A Levels independently. Though the boards were regional, schools were entirely free to pick which board they did their GCSE qualifications with and could mix and match between subjects. When the Certificate of Achievement (now the Entry Level Certificate, a qualification below GCSE level) was introduced, the GCSE examining groups were responsible for administering the qualification. Creation of the current boards It was not long before the GCE (A Level) boards and GCSE examining groups began to formally merge or enter into even closer working relationships. This made sense, as it allowed merged boards to offer both GCSE and A Level qualifications and the boards were working together to offer the GCSE qualifications anyway. Many boards also took the opportunity to merge with vocational

September 4, 2020

University of Pretoria alumni innovate during times of crisis to bring a new online schooling platform to South Africa

The University of Pretoria (UP) has seen yet another EdTech start-up emerge into the South African market from its entrepreneurial ecosystem. Wingu Academy is a cloud-based platform offering educational support to homeschoolers, schools and tutor centres with an emphasis on quality, affordable education for the African continent. Wingu Academy boasts live classes and tutorials, 4IR aligned interactive online content and assistance with remote assessment. Wingu Academy has its head office on the University of Pretoria campus nestled in the TuksNovation accelerator program (UP’s high-tech business incubator and accelerator). Since the launch in May this year, Wingu Academy has seen rapid growth, with a vibrant community of schools, parents, tutor centres, students and tutors collaborating to bring a 4IR and social approach to learning. The growth has largely been organic, with word of mouth through digital channels delivering unprecedented interest. Interest has extended beyond South African borders to attract attention from neighbouring African countries including Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe, but has reached as far as Uganda, Rwanda, Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Kenya and even Asian and middle eastern markets with interest from Vietnam and Kuwait. Most families have sought an authentic, affordable and quality home-schooling solution. “We joined the Wingu family in June 2020. Being an academic and lecturer myself, I have high expectations of educational content, systems and facilitators or teachers.” Says Isabel, a lecturer at the University of Pretoria. “Our 11-year-old daughter has been homeschooled using the Cambridge curriculum for the past few years due to a health condition. We are truly impressed with the welcoming and supportive online community at Wingu. The exceptional online planform presents our children with the opportunity to engage with high tech education innovation with the personal touch of face to face teaching. The Wingu teaching methodology is in line with 21st-century teaching principles which will prepare our children with critical and independent thinking as well as tech skills for the 4th industrial revolution. The online platform is intuitive and interactive. It encourages children to take responsibility by preparing for lessons in a fun way using simulations and secret missions to solve problems. During face-to-face lessons, our children get the opportunity to engage with the content, a highly qualified facilitator and peers. Consolidation of new content is then done through homework activities and online quizzes. My daughter enjoys every moment at Wingu. Thank you for putting your passions into action and shaping our children’s future!” Says Isabel. The platform has been developed by UP alumni and post-graduate students from various backgrounds, teachers and in collaboration with researchers at the Wits School of Education. The focus of the platform is to deliver an international curriculum that is relevant globally. A truly blended approach is followed, with a focus on student-led learning, gamification, instant constructive feedback and alignment to the major international curriculums. The educational approach is at the forefront of the current state of the art. “Wingu Academy created a quality, safe and efficient learning environment online while maintaining social contact. We have been homeschooling for one and a half years now. Wingu’s system provides face to face contact between educator and child and classmates. In each subject, the student interacts with the educator to clarify content, discuss problems and direct learning. I am a first-time mom of a teenager. But the past month I saw her mood improving and saw her enjoying her schoolwork.” Says Dr. Philips, from the Nelson Mandela University in Port-Elizabeth. Learners enrol to experience a platform catering to their needs, with a wide variety of choices to support individual learning at home, or to supplement a program followed at a tutoring centre or school. Ages 5 – 19 are catered for on the platform, and adult learners have shown significant interest. The platform is well suited for full-time learners, global citizens that travel frequently, star athletes that need to focus on training but still want an internationally recognised education, and students that would like to obtain entrance to university degrees either locally or abroad. The qualifications catered for allow entrance into all major universities globally including Ivy-league and Oxbridge universities. The international external exams are written at examination centres closest to the candidate’s home and are examined by the major UK based examination bodies. Enrolments for the international programs are still open, with an academic program that allows students to catch-up any lost work. Candidates transition from other examinations bodies are welcome to apply. Enrolments for specially designed programs in response to the COVID-19 disruptions for the current year is still open. Enrolments to start in January 2021 has also opened. There is limited space, so reach out soon. For further information about Wingu Academy, visit their website at www.wingu-academy.com

August 28, 2020

Blended Learning and why parents need to pay attention

What is blended learning? There is no single definition, but there is a general consensus that blended learning involves a combination of face-to-face (either onsite or online) with online experiences to produce effective, efficient and flexible learning. Blended learning does not mean online learning. Simply teaching online in a “virtual school” with a teacher presenting work does not mean you are effectively using a blended approach. Blended learning means using different techniques to assist in the learning process, combining classical teaching approaches with online experiences (such as visual aids including videos, infographics, interactive software, gamification etc.). The result is faster learning, a greater understanding of difficult and abstract concepts, and a more engaging, fun learning experience. Consider why blended learning is important before making your choice of a virtual school. Why blend? Improved lesson design Increased engagement Increased guidance and triggers Individualised learning support Social learning and critical thinking skills Increased focus 1: How does a blended approach improve lesson design? When designing a new blended course from a traditional one, it is important not to simply look at the course you want to teach and to arbitrarily decide which activities will from now on be online. Simply replicating onsite activities online (as many virtual schools do) will not yield good results. The resultant course will not measure up to the academic rigour, engagement and outcomes of a traditional onsite course. Here are the common pitfalls many virtual schools make: “Creating a class and a half”. Adding online activities to an existing traditional course online gives the students even more work to do, and will result in burn out. A blended approach needs to replace some aspects of the traditional course. Unfocused technology. Adding technology just for the sake of adding technology is not useful, and will create barriers to learning. The lessons must focus on the learning outcomes every step of the way. Misfit modes. Some onsite (in-person) activities will not be effective when forced online. Forcing it will result in missed opportunities. A blended course needs a redesign of the entire instructional approach. How do you avoid common pitfalls? First and foremost, a blended course must be learning-centred. Students and teachers must share the goals of the learning outcomes. They must work as a team to achieve the learning outcomes. A traditional approach of a teacher acting as custodian of information will not work. Teachers must be guided by a clear vision of a successful student as well as the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities that the teacher must track and monitor. Teachers must focus on experiences that build knowledge, develop skills and form behaviour and attitudes. Adding activities and tasks without meaning should be avoided. Make sure the virtual school you are considering has a clear strategy for a blended approach, and are not simply replicating a traditional school experience online. 2: Increased engagement Engagement in a blended course is achieved in a meaningful way by including student-teacher, student-student and student-content engagement. Interactions increase rapidly online with students feeling more comfortable to approach the teacher, tutor or other students in group work using online meetings, emails or instant messaging. Content engagement is beyond simply reading a textbook or text-based materials and can be enriched by digital content (videos, animations, interactive simulations). Support in terms of one-on-one support or peer- support becomes quick and easy without the need for physical infrastructure. Ensure that the virtual school you are choosing does not rely on traditional textbook focussed teaching. Simply reading from a textbook online will instantly remind you of the days you sat in a classroom with your least favourite teacher. 3: Increased guidance and triggers There are a larger variety, increased frequency and a more focused manner of assessments. Teachers no longer need to do a few classes before being able to assess progress. Polls, quizzes, and interactive activities provide the opportunity for quick assessment with effective feedback. These assessments can be used as guidance and triggers to assist students in self-assessing what they need to focus on. Assessments can also focus on real-world and authentic problems in a much more accessible way online than onsite. Quickly showing something in a laboratory setting, an industrial plant or office park becomes easy with online video content for example. The best use of blended assessments involves those that provide instant and effective feedback. This enriches the students learning process and makes identifying misconceptions easy. Make sure that your virtual school has a handle of the students. Some schools have over 100 students in a class, some even up to 500 students. Make sure that you have a teacher-student ratio of 1 – 20 in the classroom. The ratio can be improved by the use of tutors, and avoid schools that make empty promises. You need a teaching team to handle classes with many students effectively. 4: Individualised learning support Since teachers often have access to detailed analytics on the class or the individual students, it becomes easy to identify who needs assistance and with which sections of the work. Learning activities that can assist in individual needs can then be incorporated and additional support from teachers and tutors becomes targeted. The virtual school must be able to tell you your student’s progress at a click of a button. Avoid schools that can’t – they are not focussing on individual needs. 5: Social learning and critical thinking skills Social learning or community-driven learning often focuses on higher-level cognitive skills – in short, “critical thinking”. They emphasise social aspects of being human, expose students to different perspectives, allow deep reflection and increase participation. A blended environment provides a flexible way for students to participate (less time and place constraints) while having to carefully consider and search for evidence to substantiate claims, thoughts or ideas.Social interaction is needed. Make sure that students don’t feel isolated in your choice of school. 6: Increased focus Students are not limited by place and time, and time gets freed up by not moving so frequently to

August 26, 2020

Mythbusters Homeschooling edition

So you have experienced homeschooling first hand now. Did you have help? Did you do it yourself? What worked? What didn’t work? In the last decade, homeschooling has globally become an increasingly popular option in the field of teaching and learning. Even with this popularity, homeschooling is surrounded by certain stigmas that cloud its viability as a perfectly suitable and credible educational practice. Many of these myths surrounding homeschooling are widely based on opinions. Below are a few of these myths and a discussion on how these contradict available evidence and research. Myth 1: Homeschoolers do not have social skills Homeschooling kids are not exposed to traditional classrooms, therefore the myth is that these kids do not develop the same social skills as children in a traditional school setting. This myth is centred around the belief that homeschoolers are sheltered from the real world. On the contrary, by not limiting learning to the classroom, homeschoolers are in fact using the real world as their learning environment! The effect that peer groups have on individual behaviour is irrefutable. With advances in communications technology and web conferencing software, virtual schools can also organize exciting online clubs and activities for their students, allowing them to interact with peers in a safe environment. Social skills are not only learnt from peer groups but through interaction between children and parents. Homeschooling does not mean that children are isolated, it merely implies that learning takes place outside the confines of a formal school. Within a family structure co-operation and coordination takes place. These social skills are not only learnt in the classroom. Myth 2: Homeschooling is not an accepted as a form of education The common assumption that many have is that homeschooling is not an accepted form of schooling because it does not take place in a traditional brick-and-mortar school. Globally, homeschooling has been on the rise with statistics placing the number of children engaged in home-based education in South Africa at about 100 000. Globally and The Department of Education in South Africa, recognizes homeschooling as a valid form of teaching and learning. Myth 3: Homeschoolers are exposed to a watered-down curriculum This common myth goes hand in hand with the one mentioned previously. Homeschoolers have to comply with the same standards and educational requirements as formal schools do. Homeschoolers write the same final exams as traditional brick-and-mortar students. If the curriculum standard differed from that of formal schools, then homeschooling would not be an accepted form of education. However, homeschooling is an accepted method of educating your children as it complies with the education standards set out across all major curriculums (IEB, CAPS, Cambridge). If anything, since the education presented to homeschoolers is not confined to a classroom setting, it can provide endless learning opportunities which are relevant and tailored to a child’s needs. Myth 4: Homeschooling is unstructured There is a certain amount of freedom when it comes to homeschooling in terms of structuring the day. This does not mean that homeschooling does not have a structure at all. Parents can sit with the child and work out a timetable to follow or allow their child to learn accountability and time management by giving them the responsibility of setting up their own learning schedule. Myth 5: Parents are not qualified to teach A qualification does not necessarily mean a person can teach. Successful teaching occurs when learners are engaged, nurtured and interested. Parents are the perfect people to provide this by tailoring lessons around their child’s needs, as they know their children best. Parents can access a wide range of lesson plans and resources needed to provide their child with the best education. Additionally, a wide range of homeschooling social networks exists, where parents can share ideas and come together to provide their children with extra support. Furthermore, if a child is enrolled in a virtual school offering live, online classes and access to their teachers, a parent can still work full time if necessary. Myth 6: Homeschoolers do not participate in extracurricular activities Extracurricular activities are not limited to a formal school environment. Activities, whether it be sport or cultural, are available to homeschoolers outside those that a traditional school normally coordinate. Nothing limits homeschoolers from taking part in cultural and sport programmes, and excelling in these activities. Many a times the non-traditional way of taking part in extracurricular activities allow homeschoolers to develop and grow in ways that a traditional school’s extracurricular activity would not. Parents are able to choose from a variety of extracurricular programmes without limiting their child to the availability of the programme based on school funding and coaches. For example, some schools do not have the resources or space to provide hockey as an extra-curricular, thus limiting students from developing and growing their talents in this sport. Whereas homeschoolers have the option of joining a sports club. At Wingu Academy we bust all these myths through our high quality content delivery, expert facilitators and social clubs. All our content and assessments are curriculum-aligned. Throughout the platform, we provide structure and guidance to our students. To find out more on how Wingu Academy can help you, contact us to arrange a free online demonstration or free trial today at www.wingu-academy.com

August 13, 2020

Advice from the experts

A unique education, for your unique child

One of the most difficult parenting decisions involves choosing which school your child will attend. For centuries schooling has typically taken place in a brick-and-mortar classroom. The decision on where and how to school a child was typically not based on whether a school offered a Cambridge, British or CAPS curriculum or on the child’s preferred learning style but rather on the child’s geographical location, family traditions and affordability. As society and education advance, parents are now presented with a variety of options to consider when choosing an education pathway for their child. In this article, we will look at some of the benefits of choosing an alternative education and how you can personalise your child’s education through homeschooling or online schooling. The benefits of online schooling The average South African class size is roughly 30 learners for every teacher. In order to accommodate all children in an average classroom, educators pitch the content to the ‘average’ student. This approach can leave many students behind as they struggle to comprehend the coursework, and it can leave many students bored as they grasp the concepts quicker than the average. Some children may be gifted in academics whilst others might be musically talented or show outstanding abilities on the sports field. A huge benefit to online schooling or homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility that it brings, enabling parents to harness their child’s unique talents and abilities. This is the reason why many top child athletes or performers choose homeschooling over a traditional schooling environment. To professionally compete or to excel in academics, learners need the flexibility to adapt their education to their unique schedules, circumstances and abilities. Academically strong children An academically gifted child will grasp concepts faster than the average student. A child who is bored in their learning will often lose focus and become a distraction in a typical classroom environment. The benefit of choosing an online schooling curriculum, like the Cambridge or International British curriculum offered by CambriLearn, is the freedom and flexibility to study at your own pace. Students can set the tempo of their learning, meaning they can speed up or slow down depending on what they can manage at the time. When enrolling in a self-paced online curriculum, you don’t have to run according to a traditional school year with fixed terms, scheduling, lesson time or exam dates. Instead, the student’s school year starts on the day they enrol and will run for 12 months from that point. The syllabus is between 30 and 34 weeks long and allows students to complete the level before the 12 months are up. Children with special learning needs In the same way that a personalised education approach can be better suited to academically gifted children, the same can be said for children with special learning needs. A child with attentional issues presents with a different profile of strengths and weaknesses, interests, and dislikes. With an online school, like CambriLearn, you can prune your curriculum choice of subjects to allow for the consolidation of core skills. This means you can take on fewer subjects to ease the cognitive load in terms of organisational and time-management skills, in which kids with ADHD/ADD may have deficits. With online schooling, students can also enjoy continuous formative and summative assessments that are self-timed with no fixed deadlines, as well as apply for learning provisions and exam accommodations (scribe, reader, additional time etc.). This method of schooling is a great alternative to a traditional schooling model as it assists learners with special learning needs, such as ADHD, in ensuring that they receive an internationally accredited education and helps instil a love for learning – throughout their schooling career. Sporty or culturally gifted children A huge benefit to online homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility that it brings. This is why many top child athletes or performers choose to homeschool over traditional schooling. To professionally compete, learners need the flexibility to train, travel and study. Online homeschooling offers exactly that, enabling parents to focus on their child’s talents, to help them achieve their goals and a professional career. For instance, a child who is musically oriented can be given music classes through online homeschooling alongside their academic lessons, and at an hour convenient to them. This will widen the child’s education and make it a more progressive experience. Whereas a child who excels in swimming can personalise their academic schedule to accommodate their training and competition calendar. This avoids putting unnecessary pressure on the child (and parents). Travelling families or expats The self-paced learning style and flexibility of online schooling means students can move countries during a school year. With many families looking to explore international learning and travel opportunities, the CambriLearn British Curriculum offers an education solution that promotes freedom and flexibility whilst maintaining a syllabus and assessment objectives that are standardised worldwide. There are many benefits to choosing an online schooling solution for your child’s education. By using online learning platforms like CambriLearn, either as enrichment for students attending traditional schools or as a permanent, full-time means of education, your child can enjoy a personalised education tailored to their unique learning needs. If you would like to find out more about how you can personalise your child’s education through online schooling, then download this free Future-Ready Education e-book.

October 25, 2022

IS YOUR MATHS ANXIETY AFFECTING YOUR CHILD’S PERFORMANCE?

There is no other school subject that gets as bad a rap as Mathematics. It even has a mental health disorder associated with it – ‘Maths anxiety’. There are a range of reasons why Maths is so polarising, some will say it’s too hard while others complain that it is boring. Many Maths-haters say that it is ‘irrelevant’ and can’t see the real-world applications, though Maths permeates many aspects of daily life, and we work with numbers all the time. One of the most enduring myths about Maths is that you have to have a certain kind of ‘brain’ to enjoy it and do it well. Maths, it is often said, is not for everyone. Parents who struggled with Maths at school, may well believe in some of these ideas, and have low expectations or stress about their child’s performance in the subject. As parents, it is also possible to hand down our own Maths anxiety, making it harder for our children to develop confidence in something their parent thinks is difficult. A challenge in Maths education is that progress in the subject is made along particular learning pathways, with each concept building on the one before. If a child does not master a concept, they will have a learning gap that will trip them up time and again, making them feel as if they just can’t do Maths. Teaching in a traditional, big classroom with strict timelines to deliver the curriculum to everyone at the same time, makes it hard for a teacher to identify each child with a Maths learning gap here or there, never mind help remedy it. “This is where the online space becomes really exciting for Maths education,” says Mark Anderson, the Principal and Co-founder of Koa Academy, a high-engagement online school. “Accessing a range of Maths education tools and platforms means that there are multiple ways that concepts can be taught and learnt. If a child can’t understand a Maths concept explained one way, then they can be directed to a different resource that presents the concept in a way that is more understandable to them. They proceed on a mastery-based, individualized trajectory that ensures that they don’t move on with a poor understanding of a concept. If they need more practice, there’s space and time for them to get more practice. Koa’s small 8-person ‘Pods’ also means that a teacher can easily keep track of every child’s progress in Maths, so they know when a child needs a different approach, a master class or a one-on-one lesson with the Koa Maths education specialist. No one gets left behind, and everyone can do Maths!” Anderson and Koa Academy’s Head of Academics, Jason Hutchison are on a mission to change both parents and kids’ hearts and minds when it comes to Mathematics. In a recent KoaCast, an education podcast aimed at parents, the two were joined by Steve Sherman, Chief Imagination Officer of STEAM-based NGO Living Maths and actuarial analyst, Tumi Lekoa for a lively conversation about how to inculcate a greater appreciation of Maths. Sherman says, “The issue lies in our narratives about Maths where we highlight struggle, mistakes, and even anxiety. Maths is about grappling with solving problems and that is good and exciting. There needs to be safe spaces for kids to chew on a problem, to try things out, make mistakes and learn from them. If they have those safe spaces, then they have opportunities to struggle to get an answer and enjoy the journey of using Maths to solve a problem, which is incredibly satisfying.” For Lekoa, a love of Maths was passed down to her by her father who is an engineer. “I loved Maths from an early age and was always good at it. My father would show me how Maths was applied in everyday life and how it can be used to answer questions about the world. I love the certainty of Maths, it’s objectivity and its relevance to our lives. In a world full of so much ambiguity, you can always rely on Maths.” This KoaCast episode highlights the fact that there are many ways to approach Maths. Kids can learn to get excited about Maths, and parents do not need to feel helpless in their desire for their children to succeed in the subject. It also highlights some exciting shifts in education, particularly in the online space, with confidence being built through a mastery-based approach to the subject. You can listen to the recorded Koa Cast with guests Steve Sherman and Tumi Lekoa here.

October 25, 2022

Education 4.0 – a headmaster’s perspective

Welcome to the Exponential Age, where progress and change are inevitable. Since the time of the First Industrial Revolution when water and steam were used to power mechanised production, we are now in the grips of a digital revolution characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. According to a World Economic Forum report entitled “Catalysing Education 4.0: Investing in the Future of Learning for a Human-Centric Recovery”, the global imperative is for education to be reimagined, focusing on the breadth of skills needed to be successful in the age of the 4IR, and leveraging technological and pedagogical innovation to put learners at the centre of learning. The vision to prepare students for the economies of tomorrow is referred to as Education 4.0. How do we as educators roll with the digital punches? The full changes to our future are difficult to accurately predict, but one thing is clear: from an education perspective, the response to future needs must be interdisciplinary and comprehensive. Educators need to accept that as technology becomes more pervasive, traditional trades disappear and education must be aligned to the change in times. Shifting from ‘the sage on the stage’ to ‘the guide from the side’ The traditional model, where the focus of the classroom was around the teacher (“the sage on the stage”) and children were seen as empty vessels needing to be filled with facts and knowledge, has changed to the teaching and learning modality where the teacher is not the focus of the class – but so much more. The role of the educator must evolve into one of “the guide from the side”, the facilitator of skills development, with a greater focus on higher-order thinking skills such as analysing, synthesis, application of knowledge and problem-solving. Core to these skills is creativity, which allows for each child to be an active participant in their learning with an expectation to not only be responsible and accountable for their part in the teaching and learning experience but to develop an appetite for being a lifelong learner. Teachers need to shift their focus onto education 4.0 by cultivating peer-to-peer learning atmospheres with students being able to learn collaboratively and from each other. Teachers must actively model change and the skills desired; we must guide, mentor, cheerlead, and nurture, but more importantly, ignite and inspire possibilities. Igniting curiosity at the early learning phase Within the Early Learning School phase. a good place to start is with firm roots in philosophies like the Reggio Emilia Philosophy, which is an innovative and inspiring approach to early childhood education, where each child is seen as strong, capable, and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge. This philosophy rides on the coattails of the innate curiosity of children and aims to assist them with understanding their world and who they are in it. The learning experience is full of action learning, sensory experiences, play and discovery learning. As students move into the Preparatory and College stages in South African private schools, the journey of the IEB curriculum begins. However, it is vital to maintain rich, robust teaching and learning by applying global citizenship skills, technology skills, and problem-based and collaborative learning while focusing on the individual needs of each child. The focus is not just on completing an academic year or preparing for a matric and university entrance but extends towards preparing students to become globally marketable, where their inherent mindset of a ‘can do’ and ‘will do’ attitude is aligned with their flair towards entrepreneurship with a healthy balanced skill set which will serve them well as they will not only create the future, but creatively reinterpret it. Responsibility of schools to develop soft skills It is vital that schools acknowledge that the Fourth Industrial Revolution could not only impact what we do, but also who we are. It will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we devote to work and leisure, and how we develop our careers, cultivate our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships. To this end, an educator’s focus must also be on developing the soft skills of each student where their interpersonal skills, personality attributes, and people skills drive them towards a realisation as to how they will impact how they work with other people. Cognitive flexibility, resilience, originality, initiative, and emotional intelligence together with creative risk-taking, leadership growth, and the art of negotiation are all skills that we actively develop within each student. Finally, an additional consideration when deciding which skills will be valuable in the future is determining who will be assigning that value. To prepare for this, skills-based teaching and learning should be embedded in various aspects of academic, sports, arts and culture programmes. For more information, visit the Inspired Schools website and click on Africa & Middle East link. By Quinton Pascoe, Headmaster at Reddam House Waterfall

October 25, 2022

GRADE 11s: INVEST IN YOUR ACADEMICS NOW, REAP THE REWARDS LATER

Grade 11 students preparing for their final exams of the year should aim to perform at their very best and go the extra mile where needed, as this year’s marks will not only help them start their final year off on a strong footing, but also make their road a little easier come 2023, an education expert says. “Students and parents often consider Matric to be ‘the big one’ in terms of their academic journey, but Grade 11 is actually a very important foundational year, and performing well can make a major logistical and performance impact down the line,” says Wonga Ntshinga, Senior Head of Programme: Faculty of ICT at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s leading private higher education provider. “It is therefore important not to cruise along if you have been doing so, thinking that you’ll give it your all next year. Consider how seriously you will be taking your Matric final exams, and then try and replicate that effort right now in preparation for your Grade 11 finals,” he advises. Ntshinga says Grade 11 should be viewed as a foundation upon which Matric success is built, and is effectively a launch pad for one’s final year of school. So by positioning that launch pad as favourably as possible, a student will enter Grade 12 with much-needed momentum, insight and strategy. One of the most important reasons for excelling at the end of Grade 11, is because these results can be used to gain provisional acceptance into the student’s public university or private higher education institution and qualification of choice, says Ntshinga. “Nobody knows what the future holds, so if you can start your final year of school with excellent marks, you already have a winning ticket in your back pocket. It will take significant stress off of you to know that you are already able to start investigating your higher education options, and start applying without having to wait in the back of the queue until you are able to submit good marks achieved in Grade 12. “Furthermore, you will be able to get applications out of the way earlier, before they start flooding into institutions. This will free up valuable mental and emotional energy which you can apply with lazer focus to your Matric studies. And finally, if you start out poorly in Matric, you then also know you have something to fall back on while you work on improving your grades.” Leaving applications until later in the year will likely mean one’s options become more limited, as spaces would already have started filling up, Ntshinga notes. Viewing Grade 11 final exam preparations as part of the Matric year will also help students improve their Matric performance, he says. “Your Grade 11 performance, including your preparation, your composure during the writing of the exams, and your actual grades, provide an invaluable baseline from which you can strategise your final school year. Devising a strategy before you set foot in the halls of Grade 12 in January will help you work smarter on the way to peak end-of-year performance.” Factors that should be taken into consideration include: STUDY METHODS You should be entering Grade 12 knowing which study methods work for you and which do not. Your last year of school is not the time to be experimenting for the first time in this regard. Know what you are going to need to study and how you are going to do it right from the start to optimise the work and time you put in behind the books. TIME MANAGEMENT Your preparation now will give you insight into how much time you need to dedicate to revision and what kind of schedule works best for you. If you find you study best at night and do well with getting in some exercise before hitting the books, for instance, you can apply these insights to your Matric revision schedule without having to experiment next year. You will also be clear on issues that stand in the way of you doing your best. Are you a procrastinator? Do you feel an intense need to clean your room just when your next study slot comes up? Understanding how you stand in your own way can help you confront and address these barriers before you sit down for your final exams next year. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Knowing what each subject requires of you – which ones come naturally and which ones need more work – will help you devise the correct strategies for dealing with your work next year. Perhaps you realise you may need to get a tutor or other support in a particular subject from early in the year. Maybe you see that this one subject really just isn’t going to work out, no matter what. If that is the case, you will be able to change, but keeping in mind that only one subject may be changed in Grade 12, and that needs to happen within the first week of the year.

October 21, 2022

EARLY YEARS CHECKLIST: CHOOSING YOUR CHILD’S FIRST SCHOOL

Choosing the right learning environment for one’s young child is essential as it has the potential to play a large role in the success of the child’s learning experience throughout the rest of their life, an education expert says. “A child’s first encounter with learning in a formal environment sets in motion the way in which they will view learning, how they foresee their role in society and the contributions they will make locally and globally later in life,” says Lynda Eagle, Academic Advisor: Early Years at ADvTECH, Africa’s largest private education provider. However the process of choosing the learning environment that will best suit a child’s personality and needs is complicated by the numerous options available to parents and guardians, who may feel overwhelmed and even confused about how to determine what is and isn’t right for their child’s journey ahead. To make this important call, Eagle says there are a number of factors to take into consideration, which provide a helpful guide for this important decision. “The first step is identifying the things that you value as a family, your hopes, and expectations and what you are wanting to get out of an education system for your child. While we know and celebrate the importance of academic achievements, we often forget that the child is both capable and competent and comes with unique qualities and talents,” she says. “It must also be taken into account that young children are often in charge of their own learning – meaning that as much as we try to mold and drive them, ultimately, they will follow their own interests and curiosities. By meeting these unique needs, interests and talents and recognising that success comes in many forms, we have a better chance of helping the child reach their full potential and ensure that they in their own unique way contribute positively to their community in the future.” Eagle points out that it is generally accepted that the aim of a school is the development of academic excellence for the students in their care. “However, academic excellence requires academic confidence if a student is going to reach their full potential. This requires that the school not only provide a safe and enriched learning environment, but that the student’s wellbeing is nurtured and protected from the very beginning. Where the child feels safe, they will be open to learning.” When looking for a school, parents need to be open to possibilities and feel confident that the learning environment will support learning in a holistic way. “It is important to listen carefully to the messages being delivered by the school, align their views and expectations to that offered by the school, and more importantly, research and ask questions, listening to not only what the school is saying but also to what they are not saying.” Eagle advises parents and guardians to visit schools in person so that they can gain information firsthand, make comparisons, investigate, interrogate, and explore the integrity of the learning environment, the approaches to teaching and learning, the schools’ views on discipline and assessment, as well as how they view the child. “The aesthetic qualities of a school are also important as they provide the initial feel and atmosphere. This will influence how comfortable the child will feel as well as what type of learning will take place in that environment. Does it feel inviting, and does it provide the student the opportunity to explore and discover, through intentional play opportunities and carefully designed learning spaces?” An ergonomically designed learning environment is not something that parents may be aware of or focus on – but ensuring that the furnishings are the right size and flexible, that the learning spaces are accessible and encourage and support play, that equipment is easily accessible, and that there is sufficient natural light and air flow, all influence the quality of the learning experience for the child, says Eagle. “Learning in the early years is often perceived as not being as important as the learning that takes place in the older years. However this is a misconception as the early years lay the foundation for all future learning,” says Eagle. “It is therefore non-negotiable that the teachers are fully qualified, that the ratio of competent and responsible adults to students is in place, that the integrity of the curriculum is not compromised but rather enhanced, that the focus is placed on future-focused teaching and learning techniques and strategies, and that all this takes place in a nurturing and responsive setting.” The learning experience is further enhanced using an inquiry-based approach, utilising global competencies to strengthen the learning experiences, focusing on relevant real-world concepts, building transferable knowledge and skills, and supporting student agency – these all go a long way in supporting a child on their personal learning journeys and should be considered when assessing a school. “When choosing a school that best fits your and your child’s needs, being aware of global trends, fully investigating the possibilities and options available, and holding schools accountable, all lead to a better-quality experience for one’s child in the early years, while building a foundation of a love of learning for future years.”

October 20, 2022

How to evaluate the quality of a school’s Edtech offering

Parents need to ensure that they get a solid understanding of what is required from a high quality As more and more South African schools work towards improving their tech offering in response to the need to prepare students for the future of work, parents should ensure they get a solid understanding of what is required from a high quality, holistic EdTech programme, an academic education expert says. “While we may realise the importance of preparing children to navigate their future digital world, understanding what factors inform a programme which is based on academic excellence, and which incorporates the newest technologies while also focusing on digital citizenship, is crucial. Parents therefore need to view their school’s offering and promise of digital skills with a discerning eye,” says Nadia Dal Lago Nell, Academic Advisor: EdTech and Innovation (Schools Division) at ADvTECH, Africa’s largest private education provider. Nell says it is very important for schools to seek to provide an enhanced educational journey by investing in their students through the integration of technology into the curriculum, as opposed to tech being a standalone educational unit. “The result of technological integration into the curriculum is a more efficient and engaging educational experience. The need for digital literacy and the discerning use of technology by students is essential for them to continue to advance in their education and be equipped with relevant skills for their future workplace,” she says. Schools which can give students the educational edge will have several of the following on offer: programmable robots, interactive coding platforms, Minecraft, 3D printers, iPads, laser cutters and even indoor drones. “Ideally, schools should have dedicated EdTech spaces designed to suit their unique approach to technology and incorporate a variety of devices with a strong emphasis on collaboration. A practical EdTech Framework should also be central to the technology foundation that students are guided through.” One question to ask your child’s prospective school, is whether they are aligned with ISTE standards, advises Nell. ISTE (The International Society for Technology in Education) standards have been formulated by the world’s foremost organisation in teaching technology in the classroom, and comprise the following principles: The Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator. “An EdTech focused school will introduce the elements of the framework in their context as early as Grade 000 and follow through with this focus until the end of Grade 9, whereafter students will be well-versed in real-world tech-proficiencies. Some schools take this a step further and offer tech-based extracurricular activities, including for instance Robotics clubs.” Nell says EdTech lessons equip students with future-focused, transferable global skills that are necessary for success in all areas of life. “The central skills here are creativity and problem-solving which are taught through open-ended activities and emphasising the possibility of multiple solutions for any given problem. This provides students with a space for both collaboration and individual growth.” An additional element of the EdTech Framework is Digital Citizenship. “This engages students and shows them how to connect with one another, in an empathetic and safe way through digital tools, platforms and devices. Negative digital habits such as cyberbullying, irresponsible social media usage and unsafe use of the Internet are explained and strongly discouraged. “Students’ safety, growth and well-being when exploring the world of technology must be emphasised at all times. Fortunately, most of the requirements to be a good Digital Citizen can be taught in the classroom and reinforced at home. Digital Citizenship is intended to give students a clear understanding of the interconnection between tech-life and real-life citizenship skills with the aim of creating knowledgeable, responsible, and mindful online interaction. A sound and well thought-out EdTech programme will prepare a student to face the digital world of tomorrow.” To learn more from our teachers and educational experts, read one of our other blogs. To find out more about Abbotts College and the work we do, visit the rest of our website. To learn more about how Abbotts College can improve your child’s educational journey, read more about our non-traditional approach. Feel free to call or email one of our campus administrators.

October 20, 2022

TEACHING DEGREES 101: FROM CLASSROOM TO BOARDROOM, OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND

The education profession has come a long way in the last few decades with the growth of the private education sector, and whereas previously career options for graduates were limited, prospects now abound, an education expert says. “Because graduates are in demand both domestically and abroad, teaching credentials have grown in popularity. The teaching profession’s career development has also adopted a new perspective in which teachers can go from being school mentors to leadership positions, such as vice chancellor of the university,” says Dr Lindiwe Mokotjo, Head of Faculty: Education at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s leading private education provider. “Where previously, teachers would mostly be headed to a classroom for the duration of their career, with only a handful being promoted to heads of department or deputy or principal, they now have a wide range of options on top of teaching including, but not limited to, instructional design, tutoring, coaching, school management, educational consulting and the option of joining the corporate world of private education. Additionally, there is also great demand for qualified South African teachers abroad,” Mokotjo says. The way future teachers should be prepared has drastically changed as a result of the expansion of the teaching profession. The transformation includes understanding the material being taught, how it is being taught, the setting in which learners are being taught, and the fact that each learner is unique and capable of excelling when working with a qualified teacher, says Mokotjo. “Teachers play a vital role in shaping future generations as they sculpt our leaders of tomorrow. Schools of education therefore must be focused on preparing dynamic and skilled future teachers for a life long and successful career in education by equipping them for the 21st century classroom.” As a result, it is imperative that prospective education students ensure they vet their chosen institution and qualification carefully to confirm that they aren’t stuck in the historic education mould, but that they are strongly focused on staying ahead of latest developments and trends in the field. Mokotjo says there are a number of different education qualifications to choose from, for instance: A Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education. This is an entry level/introductory qualification (at NQF Level 5) to the study of early childhood development (ECD) education from birth through to 4 years of age. A Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Foundation Phase Teaching (FPT) is an undergraduate professional qualification aimed at preparing students to teach learners from Grades R to 3. A Bachelor of Education (B Ed) in Intermediate Phase Teaching. This is an undergraduate professional qualification aimed at preparing students to teach children from Grades 4 to 7. A Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Senior Phase (SP) and Further Education and Training (FET) Teaching. It is important to ensure that the chosen qualification is structured in accordance with the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (2015) or The Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) Policy on Minimum Requirements for Programmes Leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for Early Childhood Development Educators (2017). Also of great importance, is to ensure that a curriculum incorporates Teaching theory and work-integrated learning components. “This critical component exposes students to diverse educational settings which ensures that they develop the practical skills essential for excellence in teaching. An institution offering Initial Teacher Education qualifications should have a network of schools in their area of operation to ensure access to differently resourced schools for student teaching opportunitiesm,” notes Mokotjo. Further, to access work-integrated learning in schools, students would need to present a valid Police Clearance Certificate and register with the SA Council for Educators (SACE) in their final year. Depending on the specific qualification, education students’ curricula will likely include Languages, Natural Science and Technology, Mathematics and Social Sciences, Psychology for Educators, Professional Ethics, Assessment and Measurement, Educational Management and Research. “A quality teaching degree from a reputable higher education institution opens the door to a rewarding, interesting, and varied career trajectory – provided, of course, that the educator is invested to lifelong learning and continuously improving their skills to ensure they can in turn prepare learners in their career for a prosperous future,” Mokotjo says. “There currently is a significant and growing need for a dynamic pipeline of professional teachers, who are able to bring enthusiasm and innovation not just to the classroom, but to the education profession as a whole. Whereas previously education was perhaps not always a career of first choice for many, the field has now evolved and truly come into its own, with new and exciting opportunities for ambitious young people.”

October 18, 2022

NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOLING: MYTHS & MISPERCEPTIONS

According to CollegeRaptor (USA), non-traditional (alternative) schools “were first introduced as a way to help students who could not fit into the regular school system because of various behavioural problems”. Colleges in South Africa in the 1980s had a reputation for being senior high schools for those students that no traditional mainstream school would accept. Those who attended College were often stereotyped as troublemakers, who were probably expelled from their traditional schools by those who attended traditional schools (as well as their parents). Looking back, this may have been true in a few cases, but surely this was not true for all students. Were many not merely trying to find their place because they could not conform to the rigid, strict, at times non-sensical rules found in traditional schools in South Africa at the time? Not much can be done to change perceptions regarding non-traditional schools in the 80s, but sadly some people remain uninformed to this day, which means too many students lose out on the opportunity to attend a school that is a better fit for them than a regular mainstream school. Abbotts College was founded in 1971, and for over four decades, it was a non-traditional school that catered for Senior High School (Grades 10-12) students only. Teaching at traditional high schools for many years, I recall several Grade 9 students eagerly awaiting the opportunity to attend Abbotts College at the start of their FET school journey each year. I experienced firsthand that the students who left to attend the non-traditional school, Abbotts College, were not those with behavioural problems but rather those who think outside the box, are creative and open-minded and, yes, those who don’t love uniform and hair rules. Fortunately, students no longer need to wait for Grade 10 to attend a school where they feel at home. Abbotts Colleges have been welcoming Grade 8 and 9 students onto their campuses for the past six years. Abbotts Colleges are safe spaces where students get to “just be” and become fully self-actualised and empowered in a supportive environment. So what is a non-traditional school in the mainstream schooling space? Currently, there are a variety of schools which fall within the non-traditional (alternative) schooling space. These vary from small schools offering homeschooling curricula to online schools to Abbotts Colleges which offer the CAPS curriculum for their full-time students and whose students will be writing the Independent Examination Boards (IEB) National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations as of 2023. Choosing a non-traditional school When choosing a non-traditional school, parents need to ensure that the school is accredited and that the curriculum offered is accepted by South African universities and private tertiary institutions as well as universities outside of our borders. Several “fly-by-night” schools are not operating in an educationally sound way and are not accredited by Umalusi or the necessary accreditation boards Abbotts Colleges fall within a unique brand of mainstream non-traditional (alternative) schools as they are non-traditional for several reasons: Students do not wear uniforms, and they do not need to comply with restrictive hair or jewelry rules, as these do not influence a student’s academic performance. Students receive not 3 or 4 but 7 reports a year. The more regular formal reporting allows for more continuous academic tracking by parents. This is besides intervention communication outside of formal reporting time. Students attend homework classes Mondays to Thursdays, where they do their homework and can approach their subject teachers for assistance during this time. Teachers are also available until 20:00 to assist students who are struggling to grasp the work. The school does not offer co-curricular activities, choosing to focus on academic support, improvement and achievement. Students participate in club sport and join private cultural groups. Non-traditional schools offer an alternative to traditional schooling and allow for self-expression and a celebration of students’ individuality. Mignonne Gerli, Principal: Abbotts College Pretoria

October 13, 2022

Online schools: The warning signs to look out for

Parents need to ensure that they get a solid understanding of what is required from a high quality We have also seen an explosion of new online “schools”, where in many instances, previous non-entities in education miraculously became overnight experts in matters of learning pedagogy, curriculum, and child development. The recent pandemic, and more specifically the hard lockdown, forced many parents to consider homeschooling their children via online schooling platforms. We have also seen an explosion of new online “schools”, where in many instances, previous non-entities in education miraculously became overnight experts in matters of learning pedagogy, curriculum, and child development. As a previous school Principal and now Managing Director of a group of schools, I have watched this process – of education evolution on the one end and shameless opportunism on the other – unfold with much interest. There is a sense of excitement at the possibilities inherent in intelligent online school design, but an equal feeling of dread seeing the irresponsible opportunism that too many unsuspecting parents and children are subject to in this space. As we come out of the pandemic and children return to brick-and-mortar schools, many of our principals have reported that the damage done by some of the more unscrupulous online schools are evident. Children had fallen behind, were given inflated marks that do not reflect their actual ability, or both. In most instances, the children are from online schools that have become well-known during the past two years, not because of reputation, but because of their marketing efforts. These schools make bold claims about liberating education or being a real school in your home, but the evidence point to the contrary with disappointed and disillusioned children who have been let down by opportunists. From my experience in brick-and-mortar education, as well as overseeing a homeschooling offering as part of our group of school brands, I would like to encourage parents to look for the following two salient red flags when considering online homeschooling. 1. EMULATING A BRICK-AND-MORTAR SCHOOL TIMETABLE What many schools, including the brands I work with, did during the hard lockdown, was to switch to an online timetable that emulated the same daily learning routine that the children would have had at a traditional school. This was an acceptable short-term solution given the context of a hard lockdown. However, to take that concept and now continue to promote this as a real school at home is irresponsible and educationally unsound. The thought of hundreds of South African children placed in front of computer screens for six hours a day for the duration of their young lives, instead of proper holistic schooling, should be terrifying to any objective observer. Parents must never put their children through this for any other purpose than dealing with a temporary emergency. 2. RECORDED LESSONS WITH “HELP” As far as education goes, the only thing worse than a child sitting and watching lessons on a screen for six hours a day, would be if these lessons weren’t even live. Imagine a 14-year-old child, alone at home with nothing more for educational stimulation than organised recordings of school lessons! The service providers selling these products suggest that teenagers have the discipline to manage their own school days with the help of a mentor whose role it is to effectively curate learning content to the child. In reality, the children get deprived from any and all real time collaborative learning and are expected to equip themselves for adulthood from the isolated confines of their rooms. Again, this is an objectively wrong-headed approach. Online homeschooling is possible and has many exciting prospects of improving family and community life. It also opens many exciting educational avenues of real individualised learning paths with all the complexity it implies. However, for this to be true, we as parents must first accept that children (of any age) cannot simply be placed in front of a screen for hours on end with the fantasy that they will gain the life experiences required to mould them into well-rounded adults. If your online homeschool curriculum provider, therefore, does not offer: an integrated, well balanced, and intelligent approach to screen time and green time, a clear and evidenced-based methodology to enable individual learning paths, and does not understand and address the integrated social needs of your child, then I would strongly advise parents not to put your children through the torture of isolation and inappropriate learning pedagogy, regardless of how flashy it may be packaged. You have the right to expect more from this prevailing market, and the better offerings are indeed out there. To learn more from our teachers and educational experts, read one of our other blogs. To find out more about Abbotts College and the work we do, visit the rest of our website. To learn more about how Abbotts College can improve your child’s educational journey, read more about our non-traditional approach. Feel free to call or email one of our campus administrators. Chris van Niekerk, Managing Director: ADvTECH Niche Schools • Mar 22, 2022

October 6, 2022

WHY KOA ACADEMY CHOOSES THE IEB PATHWAY TO THE 4iR WORLD OF WORK

In South Africa, learners following the CAPS curriculum achieve their Matric qualifications (National Senior Certificate – NSC) either through writing the assessments of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) or the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). However, this is not to say that DBE and NSC learners just write different final examination papers. There’s a lot more to it than that. In order for the practice of assessment to be meaningful it must be embedded throughout the teaching and learning process. Therefore, a system of assessment, with its guiding principles and methodologies, uniquely shapes the teacher’s delivery of the curriculum and a learner’s experience of engaging with it. It also impacts on students’ capacities to apply their learning as they go forward in life. The DBE and the IBE have notably different approaches when it comes to assessment, and therefore IBE-accredited schools, online or traditional, offer children a distinct learning experience. For Mark Anderson, Co-Founder and Principal of high-engagement online school, Koa Academy, the advantages of the IEB’s more progressive educational philosophy, that goes hand in hand with an advanced approach to assessment, is essential for preparing young generations for a future of work that is vastly different from what their parents have experienced. He says, “When it comes down to it, what education must do is prepare young people for the real world. Today that is set in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4iR) context which demands different key skills to succeed in the workplace. Rather than simply memorising a set of facts by rote, we have to be adept when it comes to critical thinking, problem-solving, communications and emotional intelligence. For parents, this means that their child’s experience of school should be different from theirs. If it seems much the same, that’s a red flag.” Application of knowledge versus memorisation of data It’s one thing to be able to repeat what you have learnt, and quite another to be able to apply your knowledge in a range of scenarios. The first demands memory of content, the latter demands a deep level of understanding. Here are some practical examples of the differences: In English, a memorisation approach leads you to believe that there is one correct way to think and talk about a character or a theme in a story. Critical thinking helps you to understand that there are many possible ways to interpret a story and you are encouraged to find the motivation to back up multiple perspectives. History classes that lean towards memorisation focus on simply remembering an order of events, dates and people’s names. Critical thinking teaches us to evaluate historical events and understand how they relate to our context today. A memorisation approach to Mathematics says that rememberingthe method to solve a specific problem and then simply repeating it is most important. Critical thinking is about understanding numbers and methods so that we can be presented with new problems and confidently solve them. Anne Oberholzer, the CEO of IEB says, “The IEB’s assessments are consciously and deliberately developed in accordance with our Intentional Educational Beliefs. These are based on educating critical users of information, ethical reasoners, problem solvers, creative and reflective thinkers, lifelong students, society members respectful of diversity and active citizens who are committed to upholding democratic principles and the wellbeing of all people. These principles are essential for learners to succeed in tertiary studies, their careers and in wider society. They are pivotal in allowing young people to thrive in a world with complex problems to solve, where doing so requires collaboration and innovation on a global scale. If assessments deliberately evaluate these principles, then teachers will teach for their development in the classroom. IEB assessments actively focus on these principles, probing a learner’s understanding and application.” Testing that is more rigorous but less stressful As an IEB-accredited school, Koa Academy puts these principles into action to achieve meaningful assessment. Anderson explains that this results in an assessment process that is both more rigorous and less anxiety-provoking. He says, “That sounds like an oxymoron, right? However, using both formative and summative assessments, we focus on understanding demonstrated through application rather than rote repetition. Understanding is a far more rigorous and robust level of assessment, yet we can do this in many enjoyable ways that enable learners to demonstrate that they can analyze, interpret, and evaluate information. They don’t have to go through stressful formal assessments all the time. Instead, they can enthusiastically plan, create, collaborate, execute, and deliver relevant work that reveals their application of knowledge. The IEB approach allows us to focus on less intense formal test cycles, particularly in the younger grades, and find more meaningful but less stressful ways of assessing learning. In this way we achieve quality over quantity in testing.” There are hard facts that buttress the IEB approach. Anderson says, “It’s no surprise that in a study conducted at the University of Cape Town (Hill, R. 2019, Does the IEB make the grade?) showed that students who had taken the IEB pathway had a higher grade average, particularly in the Medicine and Engineering faculties, and therefore a higher put-through rate to second year. The conclusion of that UCT study was that ‘the exposure to the alternative (IEB) testing method is sufficient for students to see significant improvements in their university performance.’ This is backed up also by the IEB’s track record of alumni accepted into international Ivy League universities.” Proudly South African, the IEB also offers Advanced Programmes enabling matriculants to graduate with enhanced NSC qualifications that are globally recognised as equivalent to A-Levels. Catch the first Koa Cast here: Koa Principal, Mark Anderson in conversation with Anne Oberholzer, the CEO of IEB.

September 29, 2022

Mental barriers to studying

Studying is tough and many learners see it as one of the worst aspects of their lives. Most learners have the potential to excel at school, but most do not because of how unpleasant they find studying. For this reason, it is not enough to equip your child with the resources they need to study, but to also identify and address their state of mind. Below are three common psychological barriers that a learner may face. They are presented in the order that they are likely to unfold. Lacking Focus “I struggle to get my child to sit down and study.” This is very common and very natural. The benefits of studying and doing well at school are still a long way off from their point of view, or not even apparent. Socialising and entertainment are typically more appealing for a high school teenager. How this becomes an issue is not that they won’t start studying, but rather that they become discouraged easily. Often the phrase, “I’m bored of this”, is actually covering up, “I don’t know how to do this, so I’d rather be doing something else.” At this point, they will quickly turn to something that they know they will enjoy. To mitigate this, you need to have a plan in place to help your child each time they get stuck. This could include hiring a private tutor or using Paper Video. Feeling lost “My child doesn’t know where to start, they are so lost.” This is a common feeling of hopelessness in learners. The feeling that so much has rushed past them that there is no hope left for a recovery. I recall feeling this many times when I was in school and university, and you may as well. The truth is that they are never as lost as what they think they are. The reality is that it is not about finding a starting point but committing to daily revision over the course of months, not 2 weeks before the final exams. Then, your child must not start off by trying to go through whole past papers. This will only worsen the situation. What they must do is start out by identifying the topic that they are most familiar with and start working on easy questions under this topic. The Paper Video platform allows your child to search on a topic name and set the difficulty of question they want to practice. Once they are confident in that section, they can move to the next most familiar section. It is a slow and steady process, but it works. It is like the saying goes; how do you eat an elephant?… One bite at a time. Giving up “My child has given up because they are too far behind.” This is not an easy situation to deal with as it comes with a spectrum of severity. The worst-case scenario is that they need to repeat a year. However, while a high percentage of children feel this way, only a very small percentage are actually this far behind. More often, immediate daily revision can turn this situation around within a month (daily intensive revision is not sustainable in the long run but is required over a few weeks to turn a bad situation around). The challenge now, however, is where to start? The best approach is to start with easy practice questions within each section. Divide past exam papers up into their different sections and spend one day on each section doing the easy questions. On Paper Video, this can be done via our search functionality and by selecting the difficulty level 1 filter. The next step might sound counter-intuitive, but after your child has gone through all sections, get them to spend some more time on the section for which they felt strongest. However, this time they should attempt difficulty level 2 questions. The reason for this is to build confidence as quickly as possible. Once your child is confident taking on level 2 questions in one section, they will have a strong foundation for that section and feel more confident to head into more uncertain territory. They should now move on to their next strongest section and repeat. As this process continues, they should not worry about moving up to difficulty level 3 questions. These represent a relatively small portion of the exam and are best practiced once your child feels like they have mastered most of the subject. Each one of these barriers is challenging to overcome. There is a good chance that your child may have to overcome all three before regaining control of their studying. This in itself will be exhausting for them and adds a fourth ‘meta-barrier’ to the process. Speak to your child about these barriers, preparing them for each sinking feeling they may encounter, and what to do. Reassure them that if they stick to a consistent studying routine, they will get on top of their work. The reward for them mastering their studies goes beyond good grades, it will develop their confidence to face seemingly insurmountable challenges. This achievement will stay with them for life.

September 29, 2022

How do I choose a high school for my child?

Many parents find the process of finding the right school for their child rather daunting, there are, however, preliminary question they need to consider and answer in order to make an informed decision “What do I need to look for?” “What questions do I need to ask?” “How will I know a particular school is the right choice for my child?” A few things to consider when choosing a school for you child are: Are you looking for a private or public school? If you are looking for a public school, the choice of schools is largely determined by your online application and the fact that the Department of Education determines where your child will be placed based on availability and proximity to the nearest school. If you are looking for a private school, you have a wider selection of schools to choose from, but you still need to consider a number of things when making your choice. What are you able to afford? In South Africa, we have thousands of private schools, with prices ranging from as little as R 2000 a month to fees scaling up to R 12 500 a month, boarding fees excluded. It is important to choose school fees within your affordability bracket, as private schools will not keep a student if his/her account is in arrears, and you will struggle to place your child elsewhere midyear due to unpaid fees. You will possibly also face blacklisting and legal action from the school. Is the school registered with the Provincial Department of Education and is it accredited by Umalusi, or in the process of being accredited by Umalusi? Private schools offering the CAPs curriculum, whether writing the Department of Education (DBE) or Independent Examination Board (IEB) National Senior Certificate examinations at the end of Grade 12, must be registered with the DBE and must either be accredited by Umalusi or be in the process or being accredited. If you are considering enrolling your child in a school that offers the Cambridge curriculum, you need to ensure that they are currently registered with Cambridge International or in the process of reregistration, if their current registration has expired. How does the school assist parents and students in the all-important process of choosing elective subjects at the end of Grade 9? Parents and students need guidance when it comes to choosing subjects at the end of Grade 9. Lack of knowledge may lead to incorrect subject choices, which will close certain fields of study when moving to tertiary education. Life Sciences is valuable when planning to study Medicine, but Physical Sciences is a pre-requisite, for example. It is important to choose a school that offers guidance in the form of career expos, subject choice information sessions and interest & aptitude tests to assist both students and parents with this important decision. Is a traditional or nontraditional school suited to my child’s needs and interests? Students who enjoy team-sport and want to play it at school level, rather than at club level will benefit from attending a traditional school where sport is offered. It is important to check that your child’s sport is in fact offered at the prospective schools and at what level they participate, if this is important to you. Parents and students who enjoy a more rigid school environment, where there are grooming and uniform rules that clearly guide a student’s appearance, should consider a traditional school. Where parents and students do not see the value in strict rules that determine dress code but prefer that students determine their own sense of dress and appearance, they should consider non-traditional schools where students are not required to wear a uniform or adhere to strict hair and jewellery rules Ascertain whether the traditional or non-traditional schools you are considering have a strong academic focus, rather than a stronger focus on sport, if your priority is academic support and success. The main things to remember are: Consider what you are looking for in a school. Pre-set questions you can ask when visiting prospective schools. Attend schools’ open days. Start your search as early as possible. If you have not started your search yet, start now. By Mignonne Gerli – Abbotts College Pretoria-East

September 26, 2022

THE IMPORTANCE OF SWIMMING LESSONS AND WHAT TO EXPECT

I have had the privilege of teaching in larger groups of 5, smaller groups of 2-3, and individual classes. We Learn through play, and fun is key to learning to swim by the time they start Grade 1. Swimming Learning to Swim is not about stroke development. Instead, it is when you can swim from one side to the other side of the pool comfortably and effortlessly, breathing and climbing out of the pool. Children up to 3 or 4 years old do not know and understand that they are in a learning environment; therefore, repetition of songs, actions, and progressions helps them learn more effectively. I believe the earlier you introduce children to water in a safe environment, the more comfortable and content they will be. Older children have more obstacles to overcome when they start lessons later, e.g., introduction to a large mass of water, orientation, the instructor, the children, the venue, and the building of trust. What do typical swimming lessons look like for each age group? I will begin my journey with the youngest age group; I call them my ‘water babies,’ they are ages one year – eighteen months. They love the water. A parent must accompany their baby in the water and we teach them how to hold and manage the baby. We learn songs and cues; it takes about 4-5 lessons for everyone to settle down in the water. Once babies can crawl, walk and climb on land, they can start learning this in water, and hence why our very first lesson we learn is entry into shallow water before proceeding into the deep end. If you are fortunate to have a shallow step in your pool, you can make the lesson fun by encouraging your child to crawl like a crocodile, hop like a bunny, and climb or hold onto objects or obstacles. Once we enter the water, we can walk around with the baby on the hip & allow their hands to feel and move through the water. Since they are so small and all their body parts work together simultaneously, parents do most of the actions by manipulating their arms and legs, and as baby grows, they can attempt the activities on their own. Examples of manipulation will be moving their arms around and digging in the water, splashing their feet, and holding on. As they become confident and master a skill, we can progress on each skill. An example of a skill would be back floating. It starts with a parent walking backward in the water with the baby’s head on the parents’ shoulder while the baby is facing upwards. Mom will hold the baby’s hand, and the other hand will drift freely. Eventually, we move the baby off the shoulder and against the parent’s chest with one finger lifting the chin up while the other hand supports the baby’s head. The parents can sing and count to promote confidence and excitement. We then would progress to catch and release the hand away from under the head, catch and support. We should be teaching babies at this age to close their mouths and hum. Humming prevents water from entering through the nose. Humming on its own takes a lot of practice, and cues are vitally important; E.g., 1,2,3 hum and submerge. Please note we only immerse once the baby is comfortable and the mouth is closed. From 18 – 36 months, our toddlers become more independent, and we wean them off the parents in the pool. Activities in this age group include: Holding to the side of the pool, Floating on their backs, If they cannot back float yet, we focus on getting the toddler more comfortable on their backs with ears in the water by supporting them under the head with one hand, and with our other hand, we use a finger to help lift their chin up- wards. Eventually, we progress until they can float for 3 – 4 seconds without the support and increase the duration to 10 seconds. From here, you will teach back, push and glide. Crab crawling along the wall, Climbing in and out, Sitting out the pool and launching to the teacher in the pool is being taught by assisting them in turning & returning to the wall. By now, most toddlers can submerge themselves in the water, and I speak for those attending lessons weekly. Toddlers start learning to blow bubbles, but we still hum when submerging. “Natural accidents” begin to happen because of their independence, eg. They tumble in the water; hands may slip off the poolside during crab crawling, or they may even sniff or drink some water on the step. These accidents may cause them to become cautious and insecure, but we do our best to motivate and encourage them to continue. Ways of doing this include counting out loud to a certain number which teaches the child that we will eventually have a break when they reach a specific number; patience is key! Age Groups 3-4 years From experience, we see that the children chat away and love demonstrating at this age. We allow them to show off their tricks, as it encourages the other children in the class to participate. Their balance and coordination on a noodle start improving, and their kicks become stronger. One-action swimming is typical for this age group. E.g., They will kick on the noodle, but as soon as they need to take a breath, blow bubbles & kick then, one of the actions stops. The coordination of the required skills takes time to develop in small children. As an instructor, you have the responsibility to remind and assist them. E.g., when they swim underwater, we tap their hands, lift them to take a breath & release them so they can paddle further. We do this often. Another example is saying out loud and clear, kick and blow, cheek/ear in the water, and take a breath. From the age of 3

September 23, 2022

Why learning to fail sets children up for success later in life

The question of examinations and gaining or losing marks looms large at this time of year, as school students get down to the business of making the most of their academics in 2022. But what if the way we traditionally look at the role of school and learning is outdated and unnecessarily anxiety-inducing? “The common understanding that most people have about school is that it is a place where students go to learn facts and move from one grade to the next by passing examinations where they regurgitate those facts,” says Colin Northmore, Principal at Evolve Online School, a brand of ADvTECH, Africa’s largest private education provider. “However, that is an obsolete approach, given the fact that anyone can find a fact at the click of an online button. So, the role of education has evolved, and that schools must bring more to the education table than transferring facts from the teacher at the front of the class to the minds of students.” Northmore says the role of school and learning in today’s age, is about teaching children where the boundaries are – that is, the sum of what we think they need to know or be able to do, about any subject, and then expecting them to adventure beyond that. “This idea does not mean that what they learn in traditional education is not essential. This idea is more about how we teach children and what we expect them to do with what they have learned. Critically, this idea is about how we measure a child’s success.” Many schools generally do not treat failure as worth celebrating, Northmore notes. “Instead, many if not most schools interpret so-called failure as a lack of effort (sometimes correctly) or a lack of ability on the part of the child. It is a reason for punishment, and children are taught to avoid failure at all costs. This approach has often been linked in research to cheating in exams and even teenage self-harm and suicide.” In her article on toxic achievement culture, educational researcher Dr Beth Cooper Benjamin says: “If we want students to be successful in their schoolwork and tackle thorny real-world problems, then tolerating and learning from imperfection is a muscle we must help them build.” Children are better served if we teach them that failure is just the first step in a learning process. Next should come reflection, says Northmore. “We should not be giving children the correct answers, but rather teach them to ask better questions like: What did I not understand; what could I have spent more time practising; who can I ask for help with this; what could I do differently next time; and when do I have an opportunity to try again? “Therefore, an assessment system that shows students where the gaps in their knowledge or skills are, coupled with information about how often they try again after not achieving mastery; how much time they devote to improving; and if the children are addressing their gaps, provides them with the tools that they can positively and productively use when encountering problems and challenges in later life.” The biggest challenge is always the gap between theory and action, says Northmore. “So for instance, schools must consider how much opportunity is provided for ‘failing forward’ and adventure on the path towards discovery? Schools using a mastery-based approach are ideally positioned for this new age of learning, based not on memorising facts and passing rote tests and exams, but confidence-building and mastery.” With this approach, children get multiple opportunities to complete tasks and tests. And the space between their completion of a task and when they get feedback on their degree of mastery is kept as short as possible, by way of a live reporting system based on the learning goals. Children and their parents should have a live view of their areas of strength and places for development. And they should also be able to easily keep track of the pace their child is achieving in completing their work. “So as the year kicks into high gear, let us help our children to explore, investigate and learn the power of ‘I have not mastered this yet’, while giving them the space to fail with confidence and without rebuke, as we light the flame of lifelong learning in their hearts.” Learn more about Evolve Online School by clicking here. Are you ready to enrol at Evolve Online School? Apply Now!

September 22, 2022

High school open day checklist: How parents can get the information they need

Time is running out for parents and guardians of senior primary school students to find and enrol at a high school that will best prepare and position the child for a successful future. It can be very confusing to make a call on which school is best suited for this most important task, as there are countless variables at play. However, if parents are prepared with a checklist of questions they need to ask (as well as examples of good responses), this task can be made a little easier – particularly when attending a school’s open day, an education expert says. “Good schools will host open days throughout the year, allowing parents and prospective students the opportunity to view and get a feel of a campus, ask questions, and decide whether a particular school is the right fit for them,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider. “These open days are geared to provide opportunities for sharing the best aspects of a school, and excitement can quickly let important questions that need to be considered fall off the agenda. Whether prospective parents attend an open day, or just pay a school a regular visit to guide decision making, it is good practice to go with a plan in hand so that one can objectively compare schools on the various key elements required from an excellent institution,” Hugo says. The first factor – and a non-negotiable one at that – is the question of academic excellence and future-focused curricula, she says. “There can be no compromising on ensuring that the school you choose for your child will provide the absolute best on the academic front. An easy gauge of a school’s ability to deliver, is to have a look at end-of-year IEB Matric results to evaluate the performance of various schools against each other. Another way to judge this factor, is to look at benchmarking. “ Hugo advises that academically excellent schools will ensure they utilise international benchmarking assessments to confirm that the school remains locally and globally relevant with rigorous academic programmes and that academic data supports and engages all students in a personalised learning journey. “Also look out for clear visibility of student-centred practices as an important part of the academic model, intended to build confidence in an environment that values every student,” says Hugo. “Furthermore, parents should enquire whether the voices of the students are considered valuable in their learning journey towards academic excellence and student success, and whether they are they included in academic conversations with their parents about their plans for progress.” It is also a non-negotiable to enquire about the curriculum. A school must be able to provide evidence that their curriculum choice is implemented with integrity and is future-focused, and geared towards equipping students holistically across a broad range of technologies and global skills. Ask for evidence of what they do, how they do it, and outcomes, Hugo says. With the above basics satisfactorily answered, parents can move on to broader questions, such as: FACILITIES & AMENITIES The question that needs to be answered here, is how the offering supports the overall learning experience of students. Many schools select a focus for their offering, aligned to their fees, and may not offer all the bells and whistles, but rather ensure that the academic model and subsidiary activities are of an excellent standard instead of offering a wide bouquet. Check that classrooms are neat, well maintained and that they cater to a wide range of interests and offer flexible seating possibilities. For instance, do classrooms have useful educational technology, is Wi-Fi available, are equipped laboratories accessible, if promised, and are spaces for art, design and innovation utilised for future focused learning? On the sport side, do they cater to a variety of sport codes aligned to their model and offering, well-kept fields and facilities for those particular sporting opportunities on offer? Even if a child is not particularly sporty, well-maintained grounds are a good sign to take into consideration. STUDENT SUPPORT If a student requires additional academic support, whether it be emotionally or academically, what support structures does the school have in place, and how are they accessed? What disciplinary processes are in place to address bullying and other issues that may impact on the wellbeing and success of students? Does the school support the values of respect, diversity and inclusion – and is this evident in the classrooms and across the culture of the school? TEACHERS & CAMPUS STAFF What is the ratio of teacher to students in classes? And does the school highlight the academic practices to ensure all students are mentored and supported – no matter the class size? Are all teachers SACE accredited and can the school ensure police clearance is completed on all who work closely on the campus with children? Are the teachers offered professional learning opportunities to ensure curriculum and pedagogy are foregrounded to support student success? HOLISTIC ACADEMIC AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT In addition to regular subjects that can be expected at most schools, which additional subjects may students access? What is the school’s approach to 21st Century Skills, such as communication, collaboration, analytical thinking, creative thinking, digital literacy, and problem-solving? How are these skills embedded in the curriculum and the everyday learning experience of students? Is there evidence of cross curricular teaching and learning, and are the students granted regular opportunities to share their thinking and co-construct their learning collaboratively?

September 22, 2022

Developing potential – An intentional approach to sport at school

The growth and development of a child happens as part of an ongoing process. To enable a child to achieve to their full potential in academics, schools need to ensure that the basics are covered first, and that there is adequate support provided to each child along every step of their learning journey. Similarly, athletic development is also a continuous process. At a pre-prep level, children need to be given the space to develop gross-motor skills as not only do they learn through movement, they are building the fundamentals of physical activity in their everyday. As children get older, movement skills need to be taught and opportunities for exposure to all types of sports need to be provided to build, strengthen and refine movement and physical skills, as well as foster a healthy relationship with exercise and physical activity. As children enter adolescence and begin to look into specialisation of a particular sport, the emphasis needs to be kept on the physical, athletic and mental conditioning of that young sportsman or sportswomen, so that when specialisation occurs, that child can tap into fully optimised physical preparation. Long term athletic development (LTAD) is the approach that HeronBridge College advocates for and applies to our sports curriculum. Over the past few years, the school has made an intentional decision to not only ‘have a great sports offering’ but to provide our children with the opportunity to become the best that they can be. Our focus is on developing potential and not just playing to win. As a school, our coaches are focused on the long game. In the prep school, the emphasis is on exposure. “We want as many kids to participate in as many sporting activities as possible” says JP Lübbe, Head of the prep school. Our junior sports programme exposes the Grade 1s and 2s to a taste of every major sport offered by the school. Basics are taught and internal matches are played. As children move into the senior-prep programme and inter-school matches are played, our children can draw on a broader (albeit shallow) base and skill level when choosing from a wide selection of sports in a single term. “We believe (and science would agree) that the greater the variety of sports played by children at a young age, the greater their success at an age of specialisation. Our goal in the prep school is to have a child play many sports proficiently, rather than a single sport well” says Lübbe. In 2021, HeronBridge opened the doors to an on-campus High-Performance Centre (HPC), in collaboration with High-Performance Schools, USN and Gauteng Aquatics. The HPC which is managed by on-staff sports and conditioning coaches provides the platform for physical education lessons and high-performance training. “Our sports programme in the college is split into two” says Ofentse Moeng, Head of Sports Development in the college and U20 Blue Bulls Coach. “Our physical education (PE) programme caters for everyone, encouraging movement and exercise and teaching into the fundamentals of sport and movement while having fun. The high-performance component is for those that want to compete at the next level. Training is specific to the sporting code and the developmental stage of the child. Our coaches are established to encourage and train our athletes for provincial participation.” Continuously looking for opportunities to provide exposure for our young athletes, HeronBridge College hosted its first national sports festival this year, the Standard Bank HeronBridge Invitational. “Up-and-coming schools can find it difficult to gain access to the traditional sports festivals that often only cater for the more established sporting schools in the country” says Moeng. “Our festival provided these schools an opportunity to enjoy a prestigious event that covered all three of the winter sports codes in one event, while showcasing the talent of our young athletes on national TV and to coaches from around the country.” The intentional focus that HeronBridge has placed on the growth and development of sport and our athletes is starting to show. Our college teams are competing at a level that was unexpected a few years ago, beating established rugby schools like St Benedicts and Fourways High. Our coaches are proactively involved in sport at a provincial level, and we have more provincial players in rugby, netball and hockey than we have ever had before. At HeronBridge we talk about encouraging our children to be the best that they can be. It is our aim to alongside them so that they reach their full potential in a way that is best for them, right now. Whether learning to walk on a balance beam, hold a tennis racquet or harness a specialised skill, HeronBridge’s long-term approach to athletic development will assist them in doing just that. Written by Natasha Marot | Head of Marketing at HeronBridge College www.heronbridge.co.za To find out more about HeronBridge College contact [email protected]

September 20, 2022

Coping with Exam Stress

Many learners have started with a new exam series while a number of Grade 12 pupils have kicked off their prelim exams. This could be a very stressful period for many. Why do we stress? For every learner, an exam may feel like a dark, unknown monster. This is because most of the time you are unsure about how the paper is going to be and whether your preparation is enough. You start feeling stressed, and your brain interprets your exam stress as a sign that you have to be protected from a threat. Your body then prepares itself to react to this threat by fighting, running, or hiding. This is useful for certain situations, like when you are chased by a lion. But when your body feels that it must protect itself for too long, it can become overwhelmed by the need to protect itself. Your body’s reactions to stress can negatively affect your health, concentration, and mental and emotional health. 5 Tips for dealing with stress 1. Follow a healthy lifestyle. This includes healthy eating habits, enough sleep and enough exercise. When you live a healthy life and take care of your body, your body is able to fight the influence of stress. 2. Talk to your friends or family. Sometimes we need a supportive person who can help us get the right perspective. Make sure you have people to talk to when you feel overwhelmed by your work. 3. Challenge your anxious thoughts. When you notice that you have an anxious thought, look for ways to challenge them. For example, ask yourself, “What is the best thing that can happen?”, “What advice would I give someone else?”, “Is this thought helpful?” 4. Use relaxation/grounding exercises. Relaxation or grounding exercises can help you calm your nerves when you feel overwhelmed. Progressive muscle relaxation or the 5-4-3-2-1 technique are good examples. Search the internet for more exercises you can use! 5. Manage your time. Making sure that you have enough time to study can help you feel more prepared for the exams. Make use of timetables and daily schedules to schedule your time and make sure you have enough time to relax. Time Management Time management is an important part of exam preparation. Managing your time effectively will help make sure that you have enough time to study for all your subjects ahead of time. Time management can also combat exam stress and help you feel more motivated. Time management tips 1. Make use of calendars and daily schedules. Scheduling your daily and monthly tasks can help you prioritise and plan your work and use the time you have available more effectively. When you are studying, make use of a daily schedule to plan all the content you have to study for the day. There are also useful Apps that can you can use to help you schedule your time. 2. Make a to-do list for every subject. Making a to-do list is an effective way to manage your time as well as make sure you cover all the content of your subjects. Ticking off tasks when you have finished them can also provide a sense of achievement and increase your motivation. 3. Use the A-B-C method. This method can help you prioritise your work more efficiently. List all your tasks and assign each of them either an A, B or C. A is assigned to tasks that have to be completed today, B to tasks that would be nice to finish today, and C to tasks that can be finished the next day. 4. Schedule frequent breaks. When planning your study schedule, make sure that you schedule enough time to relax. Your brain requires enough time to shut down and relax, especially when you are stressed. 5. Set goals. You will feel more motivated when you set goals for your exam period. Set goals for when you want to finish studying for certain subjects, or when you want to start revision. Set goals for your daily studying to make sure you cover the content that you planned for the day.

September 14, 2022

THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN EARLY YEARS EDUCATION

There can be no doubt that the early years in education are the most important ones, as they lay the foundation for all future learning. Therefore, it is encouraging that the Department of Basic Education has taken over the crucial Early Childhood Development portfolio from the Department of Social Development, an education expert says, while calling for a greater focus on and investment in these life-shaping years both in public and private institutions. “Research is clear that early childhood development drives success in school and life,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider. “Raising the profile of this stage of learning in all schools must – where it is not yet the case – become a priority alongside the effective management of the transition between the home environment to a school environment.” According to Professor James J. Heckman*, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Laureate in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development, early childhood represents a critical time to shape productivity, when the brain develops rapidly to build the foundation of cognitive and character skills necessary for success in school, health, career and life. Early childhood education fosters cognitive skills along with attentiveness, motivation, self-control and sociability—the character skills that turn knowledge into know-how and people into productive citizens. “As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. This is equally true where ECD is concerned. You don’t get an opportunity to go back and change the outcomes arising from these formative years,” says Hugo. “This is why for us in South Africa, we must endeavour to ensure that the early years learning environments our children experience are nurturing, supportive and inclusive. And the pedagogy must be reflected in the richness of the learning environment by offering aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically designed learning spaces.” Hugo says an effective learning environment can be compared to an ecosystem where many elements – spaces (indoors and outdoors), resources, routines, teachers, and families – are intertwined and support the student’s incremental growth and personal learning journey. “The pedagogical focus in the early years must be on building academic confidence so that students develop a love of learning, and are prepared to enter future learning opportunities and ultimately the world of work with the skillset and knowledge that will ensure that they are adaptive and can successfully respond and contribute to their immediate and extended communities in a positive manner.” When students feel safe, they will be open to learning. Therefore, the environment becomes incredibly important as the third teacher – it creates that safe space – building strong relationships and making important connections with the essential learning elements. “Students in the early years also learn best when the learning is presented through play and where they are given the opportunity to explore, discover and make necessary connections – where they can discover that there are many ways, possibilities, and perspectives and that mistakes are necessary and accepted as part of the learning process – thus building resilience. “In such circumstances, the environment must be responsive to their needs. Here the educator, through careful observations and interactions, is required to monitor each student’s growth and tailor experiences accordingly, thus ensuring that the students remain engaged and inspired.” With changing times in all industries comes the need to reflect and reassess, and education is not exempt from this. “As forward thinking, innovative organisations; whether our schools are situated in the private sector or public sector, we need to constantly reflect and take a good look at what we are doing, how we are doing it, and how we need to change. We need to listen carefully to our learning community and reimagine our spaces. “We will be best positioned to serve the next generation by ensuring their early years learning is based on well researched philosophy, international connections, intentional use of resources and materials and its adaptiveness, with teaching and learning taking place in both a guided and incidental manner and that the student takes priority.”

September 14, 2022

A brick-by-brick approach: Supporting your child in a way that makes sense to them

The significance of learner support within mainstream schools In education we often talk about building strong foundations that will give your child the tools to progress throughout their school career and thrive in life. Using the analogy of ‘building a house’, foundations are the first place that you should start, but anyone that has built a house will know that without proper project management, things can easily go awry. You need someone onsite, collaborating with builders and suppliers, checking the details, and rectifying any discrepancies early on so that they don’t result in long-term problems. These experts will weigh in with their insight where it matters most. A child’s learning requires the same attention to the fundamental details. Growth and development are a complex process and schools that offer an approach that combines the use of teachers and educational specialists trained in a child’s neurological, physical, and emotional development, help your child to learn in a way that makes sense to them right now. This generation of children and teens are dealing with pressures and demands that are different to the generations that preceded them. High levels of anxiety and an increase in learning challenges are prevalent. Then add Covid into the mix! Children today require less ‘teaching of’ curriculum and more ‘attention to’ their needs and their individual progress. There are huge benefits to therapeutic interventions being offered at mainstream schools by specialists, such as educational psychologists, and accommodations/concessions during exams. This type of academic support enables children to overcome obstacles that are preventing them from reaching their full potential, all while fully participating in an integrated manner with their peers in the larger, more vibrant school context. In addition, schools that are working closely with trained specialists in childhood development are more likely to offer programmes, curriculum, and classroom-support techniques that help children to learn more effectively. This intervention not only assists children in their early years of schooling but, like foundations, ensures that each level thereafter is secure. Early intervention impacts the outcome of Matric and beyond! Bridging classes allow for the re-enforcing of perceptual and emotional foundations, critical to further academic and personal growth. Through smaller class sizes and teacher/specialist expertise, the individual needs of a range of children, who would ordinarily struggle in a larger learning environment, can be met. The flexibility offered through this approach allows for both extension and additional support of students, while keeping apace with standardised syllabus progression. At HeronBridge College we offer an onsite learning centre that is host to a range of specialists and work closely with teachers and parents to provide the support necessary to “meet each child where they are at.” As teachers and parents, it is our job to be the project managers of our children’s school journey and leaning on the insight of the experts around us can make all the difference. Written by: Natasha Marot | Head of Marketing at HeronBridge College www.heronbridge.co.za To find out more about HeronBridge College contact [email protected]

September 12, 2022

Online schooling is a tool, that if used correctly, can change the game in academic achievement

However, for this to happen, a relationship and understanding of expectation between the parent and activator needs to be developed. As a teacher that worked in a brick and mortar school for five years, I can speak to the understanding that parents are removed from their child’s learning journey, particularly in the early years. This is largely due to the fact that most, if not all learning are expected to take happen during school hours. Once your five-year-old arrives home, their academic day is considered done. When applying this idea to the online schooling space, a shift takes place, now home, or anywhere for that matter is where learning can take place, and what makes this environmental shift even more unique is that you, the parent is not only “invited” into the classroom but you become part of your child’s learning and teaching resources. Online schooling affords the parent a front-row seat into the “classroom” and what a magnificent tool that could be. The opportunity to see how your child engages with academic content develops understandings, and even more importantly, where your child is developing misunderstandings. Parents who use this platform in this way have given their children a foundation to evolve from standard learning to evolutionary learning. I have been afforded the chance to watch this happen in the level 1/Grade 0 space at Evolve Online School. Parents who have embraced all that online schooling is and have engaged with their children by extending their child’s learning and becoming their child’s personalized teacher, accompanied by the input from us as activators have gone from reading three-letter words to reading books by the end of their grade 0/ level 1 year. Online schooling really does create the space for limitless learning possibilities because children are given the opportunity to have all the right people involved in their learning journey. To learn about how Evolve Online School has been used by parents like yourself, please click here. To join one of our upcoming webinars, please click here. Are you ready to join the Evolve Online School family, click here to Apply now.

September 8, 2022

IEB Matric results a testimony of the efficacy of online learning and Brainline’s Top Performers continue to shine

Brainline has a proud record when it comes to final year exam results. It is especially encouraged by the number of excellent performers who emerged amongst the 2021 Matric Results. In 2021, the Independent Examination Board (IEB) recorded a 98.39% pass rate, up from 98.07% in 2020. Brainline is IEB recognised. Brainline CEO, Coleen Cronje says despite another challenging year amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a number of students showed their steel during the final exams. She says Brainline students achieved 178 distinctions overall. There were 310 B’s and 385 C’s. This is a testament to the courage and tenacity of the Class of 2021. ‘We are extremely proud of all our Grade 12 learners who have had to deal with unprecedented circumstances over the last 2 years. We would, however, like to highlight the performance of a number of our students who managed to achieve exceptional results. While the majority have been home schoolers for a number of years, some only joined our online school from 2020, when their own schools closed during the country-wide school lockdown. As a virtual school, we were able to provide these learners with a safe and uninterrupted alternative and our results speak for itself,’ Cronje explains. Cronje says one of Brainline’s learners managed to score within the Top 5% of the overall IEB results. ‘Megan Joynt really did us proud by not only scoring within the Top 5% of the IEB, but she is also among the Top 1% in 5 of her subjects. Megan achieved 7 distinctions for Afrikaans First Additional Language, Business Studies, English Home Language, History, Life Orientation, Mathematics and Tourism. Another learner who achieved 7 distinctions is Alexander Russel for Afrikaans Home Language, Business Studies, Computer Applications Technology, Engineering Graphics and Design, English First Additional Language, Life Orientation and Mathematical Literacy,’ Cronje says. Brainline students were among the 12 000 IEB students who completed the 2021 matric exams. Cronje says the consistent performance by these learners is a testimony to the efficacy of online learning amid a very challenging academic year. Cronje says now is the opportune time for basic education authorities to look at restructuring the current traditional school system by phasing in e-learning elements. ‘South Africans are familiar with a more traditional classroom set-up but now is the time to evolve. E-learning and mobile learning should be viewed as a stand-alone or additional learning resource that can assist in accessing learning tools. Last year during his state of the nation address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the government wanted to provide learners with a tablet to access e-learning platforms. He also indicated that the government was working with network operators to reduce the cost of data. This drive should be on government’s radar more than ever before.’ Students with 7 DistinctionsMegan Joynt (photo attached)Alexander Russel (photo attached) Students with 6 DistinctionsNikita JardimKayla ThompsonShani Grobler Students with 5 DistinctionsJulia StreicherJanneke vd SteenhovenHannah HuftonEmelia Badenhorst Students with 4 DistinctionsTsoaledi HlakudiNcebakazi MtshemelaSune RenniePietje SchinkelAaerin vd Bergh Students with 3 DistinctionsJulia SmitKate SchwaembleAimee RouxMatthew MunroVula LubbeOliver LloydLarika JoubertAnton JordaanLila de WetKayleigh AdamsonFathimah Adjiet Brainline’s qualifications are accepted at all national and international tertiary institutions. Enrolment for 2023 is now open. Click here for more information: https://brainline.com/enrol-2023/ Click here for CEO, Coleen Cronje’s interview on ENCA

September 8, 2022

Experiments…

The word causes many headaches for parents, especially in a homeschooling environment. Experiments usually involve complex processes, chemicals with names no one can pronounce, and costly lab equipment. This is one of the reasons why experiments are sometimes neglected and pushed aside. But why is experimentation so necessary? Experiments play many roles in science. One of its essential roles is to test theories and provide the basis for scientific knowledge. One can argue that our lives are a daily experiment of trial and error, and experimentation is crucial to knowledge development, thus essential to a child’s development. Something so crucial to development should never be neglected. But experimentation does not have to be costly or complex. Sometimes the simpler the experiment, the more effective it is. You do not need a Hitech lab to be a successful scientist. In and around your house is an array of materials that can be used for experiments. And finding these materials can be a fun activity on its own. These activities are educational and fun and can bring the whole family together. At Evolve Online, we incorporate as many of these fun, simple experiments into our daily teaching. Allowing learners to discover the brilliant world of science for themselves. We also delve into the technical side by exposing our learners to a virtual lab in the form of LABster. Truly the combination of science and technology gives the learner the best of both worlds. As the saying goes, “technology is the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life.” I have included a straightforward experiment that can open the conversation about the importance of carbon to all living organisms. Chemistry experiment: Demonstrate that living things contain carbon: Materials: 1 Lit Candle Paper Pencil Leaves Sugar Can lid Tongs Bowl of water Steps: 1. Light the candle. Hold a can lid in the candle flame with the tongs. Cool the top and wipe off the black stuff called soot. This is carbon. 2. Make a pencil mark on the paper, then rub your finger in it. The black spot on your finger is Carbon. 3. Burn paper and leaves. What happens to them? 4. Heat some sugar on a can lid. What will happen to the sugar? Did you know? You were burning some materials that were alive. When boiling is completed, only carbon is left. Carbon is an element represented by the symbol C. The paper, leaves, and sugar turned black – Carbon. If carbon is heated to a very high temperature, it can form the gas carbon dioxide. Topsoil is darker in colour than subsoil because it contains rotten plants and animals, which contain carbon. Why is Carbon so vital to us? Carbon is an essential element for all life forms on Earth. Whether these life forms take in carbon to help manufacture food or release carbon as part of respiration, the intake and output of carbon is a component of all plant and animal life. Carbon is in a constant state of movement from place to place. Carbon’s molecular structure allows it to form stable bonds with other elements, including itself, making it the central component of organic compounds. It makes up almost 20% of the weight of an organism, and they need to live, grow, and reproduce. References: 365 Science Experiments Glen Singleton

September 1, 2022

SOUTH AFRICA’S FIRST POD SCHOOL

From school through tertiary education, post-grad studies and work-based training, the South African digital learning environment is developing and expanding at a record rate. For families, online schools are offering a range of choices they have never had before. While geography has been a traditional limitation when it comes to choosing a physical school for your child, online schools have no such boundaries. This frees parents to pay closer attention to the online school’s philosophy and values, model and offerings in order to find a school environment that is truly optimal for their child. Families who have embraced online schooling commonly tout the flexibility that it affords as a major benefit. With all the content accessible any time and anywhere, learners can proceed at their own pace, enabling faster learners to forge ahead while those who need more engagement with particular content can take their time without being left behind. But many learners also need structure in order to progress, and this balance of flexibility and organized learning needs to be embedded in the online school model. For Koa Academy, which has prioritized a high-level of engagement at its online school, this has resulted in them becoming South Africa’s first online Pod school, organizing their learners and teachers in 8-person Pods. Each school day they get together for Pod Connect, a session of socio-emotional learning, teamwork, and relationship-building. There are also daily Pod Check-ins for setting targets, monitoring progress, presenting work and feedback, as well as subject-based Masterclasses. Koa’s unique Pod structure creates the organized space for learners to enjoy social connections, get targeted academic support and develop their executive functioning. Mark Anderson, Koa’s Principal and Co-founder says, “It’s all about accountability and individualisation. We’ve seen several other online learning models crash and burn because they assume that kids, particularly teens, are able to learn without consistent accountability. The fact is that a large part of what school teaches a young person has to do with becoming more independent, and not just assuming that they already are independent. Our small Pods mean that everyone is accountable academically. The teacher knows every single person in their Pod, where they are in terms of their learning, and what support they need to keep growing. It’s in this highly supportive, highly accountable space in which learners can really master the skill of independence and thrive in their academics.” Koa’s Pods also enable kids to benefit from regularly interacting with peers. The school also offers special interest clubs, holds Science, Business and Art Expos and hosts a wide array of presenters who give kids insights into the world of work. Mark says, “There are many clear benefits of online learning but there’s also a real risk in the online space of disconnection, possibly leading to isolation. We knew that if Koa was to really become the standard of online education in South Africa, and truly harness all the benefits of online learning, then everyone must be connected – not just connected in the IT sense, but also feel connected in the social and emotional sense. The only way to do that is for our cameras to be on, and our voices to be heard. That happens best – that happens ONLY – in small groups. With 8 on a screen, everyone can be seen, and everyone can be heard.” For Koa teachers, the Pod structure is a dream teaching environment where they can put their specialised training into practice in ways that educators just cannot do with a bigger group of learners. Pod teacher, Simone Dames says, “Every day I am connecting with my Pod for fun sessions targeting soft skills as well as academic sessions where I can monitor kids’ progress and assist or coach where needed. I can tell you who everyone is; I know their academic strengths and challenges. I can give each person an individualised timetable that leans into their strengths and allows them to master content at their own pace. It’s a super-accountable structure where kids can thrive both academically and socio-emotionally.” The high engagement fostered by the Pods also has a positive spin-off when it comes to developing digital literacy, a 21st Century imperative. Mark says, “Our kids are actively socialising online. The online space is already theirs! But they do need to be given a safe space and coached into how to socialise in a healthy way online. Our Pods create that safe space where young people can master the skills required to connect meaningfully and safely with others online. This is important real-world connection, and they are getting the necessary opportunities to develop confidence, adeptness and responsibility in engaging successfully in the digital world.” For parents who have experienced their child being overlooked and getting swamped in a larger class, Koa’s small-group Pods make a lot of sense. Mark concludes, “For parents making the choice to enrol in online school, and who are evaluating the different offerings, I think it is important for them to think about it would take for their child to thrive in school. What comes to mind? Is it the chance for your child to be themselves? Is it better academic support? Is it more meaningful friendships? Less bullying? Better maths? Heck – there are parents in South Africa who just wish that their child’s teacher knew their name! Now imagine them in a Pod of 8.” Discover Koa Academy here.

August 30, 2022

Working Memory

When I was seven, my mother taught me how to fold the laundry. Once I had mastered the art of folding t-shirts, my mother gave me the remainder of the t-shirts to fold. At that exact moment, my favourite television program started. Dashing into the television room, I completely forgot about the task I had been given before I got distracted. My mother was baffled at my poor memory! For most parents, the above experience has played out in their homes more often than they care to admit. This is known as working memory. Working memory is defined as a cognitive system with a limited capacity to hold information temporarily. Research shows that young children have limited working memory skills, holding only one or two items in memory. Working Memory continues to develop until around age 15, but not everyone develops at the same pace or has the same working memory capacity. Some people can store more information than others. www.understood.org gives some practical suggestions on improving working memory. After doing some research I have listed the top three: Visualisation skills: Encourage children to create a picture in their minds of what they have just read or heard. Have your child teach you: Being able to explain how to do something involves making sense of information and mentally filing it. If your child is learning a new skill, ask them to teach it to you. Encourage active reading: Active reading strategies such as jotting down notes and underlining or highlighting text can help children keep the information in mind long enough to answer questions about it. Most families undoubtedly enjoy a good old game of Crazy Eights, Uno, or Go Fish during holidays or those cosy winter evenings. Studies have proven that these simple games for improving working memory have greatly succeeded in children. Written by Cristina Ruela – Evolve Online Activator

August 26, 2022

Staying motivated and focused

As time is slowly creeping towards the end of the school year, most people are starting to lose their motivation and experience a “slump”. This decline of motivation is especially true for those learning online, as many students and parents find it increasingly difficult to stay focused, engaged and organised. However, with important tasks and events scheduled for the end of the year, it is important to stay motivated and ensure you achieve your goals. Therefore, it can be helpful to identify the signs of decreased motivation and know how to regain your focus for the rest of the year. Signs of decreased motivation You struggle to stay productive. You increasingly procrastinate tasks. You regularly skip class or when you do attend, you find it difficult to concentrate. The quality of your work is decreasing. You feel increasingly bored. You struggle to prioritise and manage your time. You struggle to see the value of subject content and the importance of working hard. Tips for renewing motivation 1. Identify contributing factors Knowing what contributes to your negative feelings can help you identify how to renew your motivation. Not getting enough rest, feeling overworked or overwhelmed, not having any goals, or not having a set routing might be possible contributors. 2. Revisit your goals It is important to know the why to your doing. If you want to end the year on a high note, it is important to know what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve specific things. This is where goal setting becomes important and you can still set goals for yourself towards the end of the year. If you have set certain goals for yourself in the beginning of the year, it might be useful to revisit them and adapt them where necessary now that the year has progressed. 3. Reflect on your accomplishments During the rush of the school year, people tend to start focusing on all the challenges they face and the disappointments they have experienced. This leads to feeling overwhelmed and decreases motivation. Therefore, it is important to reflect and celebrate what you have accomplished during this time. This will shift your perspective from the negative to the positive and may help you stay motivated for the second half of the year. 4. Change your routine Having a set routine is important for motivation. However, when your motivation starts to decrease, it might be necessary to reshuffle your daily activities to form a new routine. A new approach to your tasks might provide you with a new perspective and a renewed energy for the rest of the year. 5. Get enough rest Setting out enough time to rest may seem counterproductive, especially when you have several deadlines and activities which require your attention. However, a lack of motivation might a symptom of exhaustion and burnout. Getting enough rest will help you stay focused when working on tasks and assist with increasing motivation. Make sure to schedule enough time for rest and prioritise sleep. 6. Exercise Getting enough exercise will increase your concentration as well as release endorphins, which will make you feel more motivated. Exercise is also assists with stress release. Make sure you to schedule time during the week to create an exercise habit. You can easily search for videos on YouTube or download a fitness app so that you can exercise at home. 7. Self-care It is important to work and study hard during the year, however if you do not set out time to relax and take care of yourself, you might burn out and feel demotivated. Make sure you allow yourself time to recharge so that you are able to work productively the next day. Find an activity that you find relaxing and start setting time out in your schedule to relax. You will find that you will have more energy, can work more focused, and are able to achieve your year-end goals. 8. Use your support network If you feel overwhelmed, remember you never have to do this on your own. Make sure to contact friends and family when you feel negative or demotivated. Use your social network as a resource if you need additional support. They can also provide you with encouragement to stay motivated and focused for the rest of the year. At Brainline we are passionate about our learners and their well-being. Visit us on www.brainline.com for more information.

August 25, 2022

Messiness + play = a very happy child

Some days you will shake your head; some moments, you just look at your child and think, who will clean you up now? Parents, don’t get discouraged; this is the best time for your little one to learn. Creative expression is important for a child to trigger their emotional development. Importantly, this must happen in their lower classes, so they grow up by responding well to their happenings. Creativity gives them the freedom to explore their surroundings and learn. By allowing your child to get messy, you are allowing them the freedom of being a child. This allows them to play, create, and explore different textures and elements nature offers. Letting children climb a tree strengthens their large muscles, enhances their midline crossing, and helps with problem-solving skills. Letting children play in mud allows them to explore, feel, and build a stronger immune system. Let them get messy, play in the nature around them, and explore what they can do with their bodies. Childhood is a state of mind that ends when a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity.

August 22, 2022

Best Ways for Parents to support their Matric student

Join SACAP’s free Parents’ Guide to Matric Support Webinar Matric exam time is a milestone experience, not just for the learners, but their parents too. It’s normal for parents to feel a lot of pressure – we want to get the support right; we have to keep the whole family on track and we’re really hoping for evidence of optimal performance after the nail-biting wait for the results. We may want to have the comfort of drawing on our own experience of Matric exams, but the world has changed so radically that what we went through and how we handled things may well be completely irrelevant to our child who is about to write their final school exams in 2022. However, that shouldn’t make you feel that you can’t make a good difference. On the contrary, according to Jogini Packery, the Head of the Johannesburg Campus of SACAP (South African College of Applied Psychology) says that when it comes to Matric, parents most certainly can be the secret sauce. It all comes down to how you handle yourself. Jogini says, “It is paramount that parents are able to contain their own emotional state and be able to ground themselves when overwhelming emotions take over. It’s also important to be able to express those emotions in a healthy manner. In doing so, much like you did when your child was much younger, you will be mirroring the basics of emotional coping during challenging times.” Jogini will be connecting with parents of Matrics, alongside other panellists on Saturday, 27 August 2022 for the annual SACAP Parents’ Guide to Matric support webinar from 10:00 to 11:30. South African parents are invited to join the conversation by registering for the free one and a half hour webinar here. The panel also includes Praneetha Jugdeo, SACAP’s Head of the Durban campus and Cat Clarke, a former matric educator who is now a SACAP learning designer. Offering insights that parents can rarely access, the SACAP team is focusing not only on how to thrive through Matric exams but how to navigate the vital phase of life afterwards. So much of the stress of getting through Matric exams is also resting on the big question of: What’s Next? Praneetha will chat with parents about the opportunities offered by a gap year for Matric students who are not yet ready for making big tertiary education decisions. She says, “This presents a great opportunity for enhanced self-insight and exposure to new experiences. Students can use a gap year to figure out their interests as well as get to know their strengths and areas of development. It should not be thought of as ‘a wasted year’ because they can gain extraordinary life experience and attain significant personal growth whether they travel, volunteer, intern or complete short-term courses.” Cat Clarke also urges parents to keep an eye on the future. It’s not just Matric that’s stressful, it’s also about standing on the threshold of entering a whole new world. She says, “Methods of education are changing in response to global trends and innovative technologies. While the move towards flexibility and creative use of technology began some time ago, the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated a fast tracking of blended learning and location-flexible education. While the last couple of years has been a challenging time, it has resulted in great advancements and strategies that will continue to be extremely useful. Parents can be an immeasurable support in helping their teens navigate the challenges of flexible and blended learning. There’s a mental shift that parents need to understand and real guidance they can offer when it comes to skills such as time-management, organisation, focus and critical thinking.” The SACAP Parents’ Guide to Matric Support webinar will also include a Q&A session so that you can engage with the presenters and get insights into other parents’ experiences. Find out how you can be a pillar of support during the upcoming exam time and beyond by joining the conversation at SACAP’s Parents’ Guide to Matric Support webinar on Saturday, 27 August 2022 from 10h00 to 11h30. Registration is free and you can sign up here.

August 22, 2022

Tips on Time Management for Online Homeschooling

I have been teaching in an online space for almost two years. Before I took the giant leap to teach little ones from home, I taught in a brick-and-mortar classroom for five years. However, the online space differs tremendously from most aspects of a traditional schooling system, like having large classrooms, precisely timed tasks, and academic interruptions – to name a few. The one skill that remains mandatory in any academic space is the importance of time management. I work solely in the Foundation Phase and often tell my parents, “We are partners in this journey!”. I cannot give adequate feedback if the expected submissions based on our system’s goals and standards are not timeously managed. Over these past two years, my most valued input thus far has been giving parents and students advice on how best to manage their time on an online homeschooling platform. A few tried and tested tips and tricks add real value to students during their school day. Whether you are new to our homeschooling community or part of the furniture, I hope these time management tips can help you and your child avoid unnecessary additional stress. At Evolve Online School, we strive to create independent learners who can take control of their academics. So, let us dive into a list of my four top time management tips: Tip #1: Set an Alarm for 5 or 10 minutes before an online class starts Our little ones are still learning to navigate the online platform, and we do not want to add the construct of time into the mix! Setting the alarm solves this issue immediately. The five or ten minutes before; will allow the student to get comfortable in their favourite workspace, take any toilet breaks, or gulp down some water to be hydrated and fully ready to concentrate for the entirety of their lesson. Tip #2: Create a visual calendar board in their workspace. This isn’t only a great way to incidentally learn days of the week and months of the year but also allows the student (and parent, for that matter) an opportunity to know; “What’s next?”. When a student has an assignment, count 2-3 days on their calendar and pop this assignment in! Remember, as a homeschooling parent, you ultimately know what is best. If you know the student will benefit from completing their work on the same day, mark it on their calendar! However, if they may need additional time to re-visit the subject matter, the flexibility of the online space allows for just that. Keep in mind not to procrastinate with no academic reasoning behind the decision. Tip #3: A daily ‘to-do’ list. In the Foundation Phase, organised folders are available with academic work set for the day. These folders are usually made available to students before their academic day begins. My tip is to set up a whiteboard, separated into their different subjects, with check-listed work for the day. Again, knowing your child’s daily academic capability is; gives them a goal to reach. For example, ‘For every two activities you complete, you may get a 10-minute break’. This allows for essential brain breaks throughout their day and gives them a goal to reach daily! Tip #4: Keep your Adventure Boxes safe and sound! Looking at the way the Evolve Online homeschooling curriculum has been set out, the Synchronous time is not as flexible as the asynchronous time. Even though the recordings can be watched afterwards, the fact remains that the student needs to be prepared for their online learning classes. Evolve Online has revolutionised the ‘online’ space by acknowledging the importance of tangible learning in the Foundation Phase. Our fun-filled adventure boxes are a perfect example of how learning through play is visible as the golden standard in Early Development education. Items from these boxes may be called upon during their lessons. In the past, I have found that students running around searching high and low for their items is a massive distraction during class and often ends with the pupil unable to find their resources and unable to engage in the lesson with their peers. My advice would be to re-purpose your boxes and organise them into categories. Examples of categories can be Literacy, Numeracy, Arts and Crafts, Stationary etc. This way, when their literacy lesson alarm goes off, they know to grab their Literacy related content from the adventure box and get ready! Remember, when you’re done having fun, pack it up! Here at Evolve Online, we strive to encourage independence. This may take a few failed attempts of a forgotten alarm here or a misplaced adventure box item there, but that’s okay, as long as the time management goal is consistent. When the parent alone is the only time manager, all the child learns is, ‘you do it better than I do, so I’ll let you do it!’ Instead, attempt to put the necessary time management skills into place and watch how the learner will slowly but surely become a manager of their own time! Jamie Lawrence • Jun 22, 2022

August 19, 2022

Matrics – it’s not too late to apply to study overseas

Overseas university application deadlines are less than four months away. Matrics wanting to study overseas, often only start thinking about their applications towards the end of their final school year. With universities like Harvard setting record-low acceptance rates in 2022, Grade 12’s have no time to delay on getting started with their applications. “When it comes to applying to study abroad, especially to competitive universities, you should ideally give your application at least an 18-month lead time. Matrics who are only getting started now can still apply but they haven’t left much room for error,” says Rebecca Pretorius, Country Manager at Crimson Education, who specialise in assisting local students with the process of applying to the world’s top-ranked universities. In addition to a tight timeline, local students need to consider the competitiveness of international universities and applicants. Around the world, application numbers are on the rise, while admissions rates are dropping every year. At Harvard, a record number of applicants applied for spots in the class of 2026, while the acceptance rate fell to 3.19% – the lowest since it was founded in 1636. To unpack international admissions for local matric students, Crimson Education hosted a free online event earlier this month – with the aim of helping matrics on their application journey. As part of the event, they covered application deadlines, strategies for essay writing, preparing for standardised tests, and university and course selection. The event also outlined some of the most common mistakes made by local students when it comes to applying abroad. “Students generally apply to too few schools, or to the wrong schools for their profile. Many top, competitive schools are missed, because students and families don’t have the insight that domestic students do into the university landscape, the choices available to them, or even the how they stack up against other applicants in the areas that count – including extracurriculars, subject choice, standardised test scores and more,” says Pretorius. Getting help with the basics is the best place to start when it comes to getting started this late in the year; “The application process to overseas universities is complex and time-consuming. While you can ask a friend, parent or teacher to check your personal statement, for example, they likely won’t know how to evaluate your work to the standard of admissions officers at these top institutions. This is even more true for more nuanced parts of the admission process, such as declaring a major or applying for financial aid,” says Pretorius. “To give yourself the best chance of getting into your dream university, make sure you give yourself enough time and get the right support. Realistically, you only get one shot, so do it right the first time around,” says Pretorius. Through a team mentorship model, Crimson connects learners with admission strategists and tutors to assist with the application process for top-ranked universities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. The global company offers a range of application year programmes, designed to address specific aspects within the process of applying abroad. Crimson also offers regular information evenings and weekly SAT workshops around the country. For more information, visit www.crimsoneducation.org/za.

August 18, 2022

Engineering 101 : How to choose a degree programme for 2023

Engineering has long been a popular field of study for school leavers because of the high demand for qualified and experienced professionals in this field, the diversity of options within the field, and the interesting and varied nature of life as an engineer. However, contrary to the road to career success for prospective engineers of the past, study options have increased dramatically from the historically limited public university offering, and those who are interested in this field should ensure they consider all their options so as to align their chosen branch of engineering with their personal goals, as well as their ability to make an immediate and positive contribution in the workplace, beyond mere academic and theoretical knowledge, an education expert says. “The specifics of admission requirements for various institutions vary, but it’s safe to say that if you are great at maths, physics and chemistry and have a good command of English or the language of instruction of the institution, engineering is an excellent and sustainable choice of study,” says Neil Manson, Head of School: Engineering, Science and Health at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider. Manson notes that perceptions of a career in engineering can be quite limited, but that it is worth noting that the day-to-day life of an engineer – whether in public or private sector – incorporates many different facets depending on specialisation, which can include: Designing materials, components, systems or processes, Planning the capacity and location of infrastructure, Investigating, advising and reporting on engineering problems, Improvement of materials, components, systems or processes, Managing or operating plants and processes, Managing implementation or construction projects, Implementing designs or solutions, Research, development and commercialisation of products, Education, training and development of engineering personnel, Postgraduate studies, research and teaching. “Furthermore, students who graduate with an Engineering degree have valuable and sought-after knowledge, skills and attributes that enable them to work and excel in multi-disciplinary projects and easily expand into other industries, such as banking, insurance, ICT and many others,” Manson says. Manson says the non-negotiable boxes that need to be checked when investigating which engineering degree to pursue and where, is to ensure that accreditation with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is in place and that the institution is accredited with the Council for Higher Education (CHE). “It is also then important, after those matters have been dealt with, to find an institution that has a close link with industry and that the curriculum is contemporary and updated. While engineers are in high demand, companies are also careful to scrutinise the quality of qualifications, an institution’s reputation for producing work-ready graduates, and the likely ability of a graduate to consistently perform at the highest level. “Engineering is a complex field and engineers carry a lot of responsibility – sometimes life and death responsibilities – on their shoulders. So it is important not only for satisfying employer demands, but also for developing and empowering yourself to be able to fulfil your duties with confidence, that you find an institution and qualification where the classes are small and you can receive individual attention that goes beyond just covering the theory. “Ask prospective higher education institutions for a tour of their campus facilities, and look out for up-to-date facilities and laboratories, inspiring campus grounds, and modern programme design.” Prospective students should also enquire about a faculty’s focus on sustainability, its level of industry engagement, its focus on real-life communities in its curriculum, its focus on entrepreneurial development and the extent to which it provides its students with collaborative research opportunities and industry interaction. “Engineering is a tremendously rewarding career and opportunities will continue to grow locally and globally even during tough economic times. Matriculants with the academic ability to be successful, and a keen interest in the field, would do well to investigate their opportunities and find the perfect fit within the field for them, as well as the right institution to develop them holistically and help them get ready to contribute upon graduation.”

August 17, 2022

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