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Impaq

Practical tips on how to keep your kids safe online

If you have been on any social media platform these past few weeks you might have seen the terrifying image of a creature with long black hair and bulging eyes. Warnings about the Momo Challenge, an online game in which children are encouraged to harm themselves, have gone viral. But some sources have now confirmed that the challenge is nothing but a hoax designed to scare parents (and children).  Whether the Momo Challenge is real or not, online safety remains a concern for every 21st century parent. The Momo Challenge might have been fake, but there are real threats out there, like cartoons on YouTube being spliced with instructions on how to commit suicide – videos that have been confirmed to exist. It’s important for parents to take preventative measures to keep their kids safe on the internet. While limiting screen time is a good place to start, here are some other things you can do to keep your kids safe, both online and offline.   Establish some ground rules With younger children you can control (almost) everything they see online but older children are tech-savvy and can easily find themselves viewing content that might be inappropriate for their age. It’s important to have an open conversation and to encourage them to speak to you or any other adult they trust if they encounter anything in the digital realm that appears frightening or threatening. SafeKids.com, a site that promotes internet safety for kids, lists a set of criteria that you can discuss with your kids about what they should and should not do on the internet.  Keep technology in a common space It is best to keep technology like smartphones, tablets and computers in a common space for all family members to use. The computer screen should be visible from other parts of the room and should not be turned towards a wall. This way children can see how the internet should be used and how useful it can be, e.g. doing research for a project, looking up an address, or watching educational videos. Children are also less likely to look for inappropriate content with a parent in the room.  Pay for content The problem with free content, like the videos on YouTube and YouTube Kids, is that anyone can upload videos without it being curated or approved. And it is not only the content you need to be worried about, the advertisements showed between videos can also be harmful. You might want to consider paying for good children’s entertainment, e.g. Netflix, Showmax, children’s DVDs, or advert-free games designed for young players. Use a child-friendly search engine While most of us rely on Google to find what we are looking for, you might want to switch to an alternative search engine like Kiddle or Kid’s Search when your children are browsing online. These child-specific search engines aim to create a safe platform for children to explore the internet. If you want to continue using Google as your preferred search engine, enable Google SafeSearch on your computer. Here’s how: Go to google.com   Google anything and select Settings on the right. Select Turn on SafeSearch. Explicit images, videos, and websites will now be blocked from the Google Search results. Make Apps Safe Or as safe as they can be. On YouTube you can select restricted mode, an optional setting that restricts the availability of potentially mature or objectionable content. Here’s how to turn restricted mode on:  Go to the account icon .  Click Restricted Mode. In the dialog box that appears, toggle restricted mode to on. Restricted mode works on the browser or device level, so you must turn it on for each browser or device you are using. For safety, turn restricted mode on for all the browsers (e.g. Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) loaded on your computer, smart TV, tablet or smartphone. You can also lock restricted mode. This will prevent anyone else, your kids included, from changing the settings. Watch this short video to learn how to lock restricted mode.  Keep in mind, however, that switching to a child-friendly search engine, selecting SafeSearch on Google or restricted mode on YouTube is not 100% accurate and that some inappropriate content may still slip through. It is therefore important to be mindful of your child’s online activities and to teach your child about internet safety. Article written by Elmien Ackerman – Copywriter at Impaq

March 8, 2019
Parenting Hub

1ST YEAR EARLY WARNING SIGNS: HOW TO AVOID BECOMING A DROPOUT STATISTIC

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of young people recently entered Higher Education hoping to graduate in a few years so that they are qualified to enter the workplace. The reality, however, is that first-year dropout rates are extremely high in South Africa, which means many first years won’t complete their studies. But the good news is that there are a number of early alarm bells which, if needed, can help students manage their risk and prevent them from abandoning their studies, an education expert says. “While statistics vary, it is estimated that more than 40% of students quit their studies after their first year. Some would argue that this figure is as high as 60%,” says Peter Kriel, General Manager at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private Higher Education provider. “Not being successful as a first-year student in Higher Education, is a process that begins well before a student actually drops out of Higher Education, as there are various early signs of potential failure that can predict if a student may run into trouble later,” he says. Kriel says parents and students should note that factors influencing study success can be broadly divided into three categories: Broader socio-economic or personal factors, not properly doing one’s homework before deciding what to study and where, and most importantly, one’s approach and actions as a first-year student. For students who are already in Higher Education, the third category is the one they need to address now, says Kriel. He says that students should carefully consider the questions below. If the answer to any of these questions is “NO”, they need to take action as recommended in the solution to each problem, as they might be at risk. Q1: Did I meaningfully participate in my institution’s orientation programme? Any good institution of Higher Education should have a first-year orientation programme, says Kriel. He says the information provided during orientation is intended to guide students logistically, so they can focus on academic work without being overwhelmed by admin. “If you missed out on orientation, particularly academic onboarding programmes, you will now have to acquire these skills on your own on top of the day-to-day academic demands.” Solution: Speak to someone to find out what the orientation programme included.  If your institution of choice is offering an extended first-year onboarding programme, make sure you get involved immediately. Make time to specifically focus on trying to gather the information you missed out on – logistical information is especially easy to gather. Academic preparedness will be a little more challenging, but it is worth catching up on what you missed early on. Q2: Am I attending most of my classes? Class attendance is probably the single most important contributing factor to success, says Kriel. “Of course, reasons beyond your control may cause you to occasionally miss a lecture or tutorial, but if you miss class simply because you don’t feel like it or you had a late night and feel like sleeping in, you are at risk,” he says. “If you miss class because you are working on an assignment or task in another module – you may need to plan better. Missing class to do assignments becomes a vicious circle as you miss more classes to do other assignments. This is a recipe for failure.” Solution: Undertake to miss no more classes going forward, and draw up a roster for future assignments so you can complete these without needing to skip class. Prioritise your classes and schedule all other activities so there is no conflict. If something comes up which prevents you from attending a specific lecture, catch up as soon as you can. Q3: Did I pass all my assessments to date? It is still early in the academic year, but your performance in any assessment you may have had, be it a formal test or assignment or a task completed in class, is already a clear indicator of your outcomes profile, says Kriel. Solution:  Determine why you failed an assessment. Did you work hard enough? If not, you know you need to work harder. Are there parts of the work you don’t understand because you missed class? If so, follow the advice in point 2 above. Did you do everything possible and simply do not understand certain concepts? If this is the case, speak to your lecturer sooner rather than later about how to approach the issue. Q4: Did I acquire all the prescribed text for my modules? For many reasons, not least financial pressures, many students don’t buy prescribed textbooks. “Unfortunately, your chances of success are diminished if you don’t have textbooks.  Textbooks guide students through the syllabus of a specific module like a roadmap and are often accompanied by additional resources, questions and activities that will enhance the mastering of the required material,” says Kriel. Solution: If you can afford to buy the prescribed text, get it as soon as possible. If not, know that student-centred Higher Education institutions will be acutely aware of the challenges some students face and may have e-book alternatives. Often these are available for free to registered students. Speak to the librarian on your campus to find out if there is an e-book alternative for the textbooks you don’t have. There may also be copies of the textbooks in the campus library, and while these are often on the reserve shelf, spending time in the library will definitely be advantageous. Q5: Do I feel part of a Community of Practice? Moving from a comparatively protective school environment to Higher Education may mean that you find it hard to adapt from the start. This may unsettle you if you subconsciously feel that you are not at the same level of performance as your fellow students. The reality is that these feelings are quite normal and that many of your classmates probably feel the same. Solution: Talk to someone you trust about your experience and feelings. Good institutions will have academic support and counselling facilities. Having

March 8, 2019
Parenting Hub

MATRICS: USE THE NEXT 6 WEEKS TO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR STUDY SUCCESS

University choices may feel like a distant priority for this year’s Matrics who are currently settling into the rhythm of their final year at school. But now is, in fact, the optimal time to be investigating what they want to study and where, because making the right choice takes time, and will ultimately impact on study success and employability 4 years from now, an expert says. “Prospective students will start applying from around the April holidays onwards, whereafter the applications will start coming in thick and fast, and the rush to secure a place will intensify. Once your fellow learners start applying, you will really start to feel the pressure to do so as well, which could lead to you settling for a generic qualification or taking the traditional route that others in the same boat as you are following just to make sure you don’t miss your chance,” says Nola Payne, Head of Faculty: Information and Communications Technology at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private higher education institution. “The gravity of the choice you need to make about your future in coming weeks can’t be overstated. The right study choice at the right institution is a solid foundation for future success, but the wrong choice can exact a costly financial and emotional toll for a long time. It, therefore, makes sense to use the relative calm of the coming weeks – a calm that will not again be repeated in your Matric year – to make absolutely sure about what you want to do next year,” says Payne. She says there are two main questions around which Matrics should focus their investigations: 1) What should I study and 2) Where should I study. 1)     WHAT SHOULD I STUDY? “If you have more or less of an idea of your strengths and ideal work, that’s a great start,” notes Payne. “However many people have no idea of what they want to do with their life after school. These learners should start by investigating potential careers that interest them, and importantly, investigate the demand for suitably qualified professionals in these fields.” Payne advises Matrics to scour job advertisements, see which positions excite them and devour any media they can lay their hands on to get an idea of the kinds of careers that are out there. “Remember that new careers exist today that are vastly different from the careers of the past, and you may even land upon something you’ve never heard of before. Once you’ve identified your ideal career, you should then investigate what you would need to study to do the kind of work that excites you.” A major consideration is whether to opt for a traditional academic degree or a work-focused one, says Payne. “In our tough job market, the closer a degree is aligned to the realities of the world of work, and the greater a qualification’s ability to make you land on your feet from the first day on the job, the better your chances of success. So ask institutions about their lecturers and curricula – are they still involved in their profession beyond teaching, and does the institution have close ties with companies and industry professionals? “The days of academic ivory towers disconnected from the demands and requirements of the real world are numbered, and prospective students must endeavour to find an institution that understands and responds to what is needed in today’s workplaces.” 2)     WHERE SHOULD I STUDY? With South Africa’s 26 public universities and countless private higher education institutions, prospective students have their work cut out for them in determining where their goals and ambitions would be best realised. Because if an institution is registered and accredited, its qualifications will be valid and recognised in the workplace, regardless of whether they originate from a private institution or a state-funded one. But there are other important issues to consider. These include proximity to where one currently lives, class sizes, student support and career guidance services, and the degree to which the curriculum is aligned and able to adapt to modern workplaces. “Opting for a uni closer to home means savings on the financial front, as well as proximity to your existing support structures which can be helpful when the going gets tough,” says Payne. “Large class sizes can make you feel invisible and like a number, while smaller class sizes mean more attention and a greater feeling of belonging. Getting real-life work experience and assignments prepare you for the workplace in a way theory only can never do, while student support services can make a crucial difference in your success. “Make sure you get satisfactory feedback on all these issues before signing up with an institution,” she says. Payne says making the right choice, based on thorough research and investigation of all options, has a huge role to play in student outcomes. “Many students drop out of their first year because they made their study choice under pressure, or because they realise after a few weeks or months that there are other qualifications more suited to their aspirations. Some only get exposed to interesting fields and other higher education institutions once they leave school and are already studying – a situation that can be avoided if proper time and attention is given now to exploring what’s out there. “We urge teachers, parents and guardians too, in coming weeks, guide the young people in their care to enable them to make informed choices calmly and with clarity. This will allow learners to put the anxiety of their 2020 plans behind them, and focus fully on doing their best in the important series of exams that lie ahead this year.”

March 8, 2019
SciBuddy

Raising a Science Lover

We often think that science is reserved for high school children and that not all children will be able to excel in science or even enjoy it. This is not the case at all. In world driven by scientific and technological advancements, it’s essential to introduce our children to science from a young age. Inspiring a child to question and test is a large and fun part of learning about the world. After all, science is not about knowing, but rather a journey of discovering. Unfortunately, a lot of parents feel underqualified to take this journey with their children, especially those without any formal training in scientific fields. The good news is you do not need any special skills or training to raise a science lover! Here are few tips to inspire you: 1. Questions, questions, questions….. One of the fundamental aspects of science is asking questions. Encourage them. How does this work? Why did that happen? What is this?   These questions may already sound familiar to you as children are naturally curious. We need to encourage children to ask these questions and give them the tools and resources to find the answers. 2. Explore together Visits to the museum, botanical gardens, observatory, and even the local park can be full of interesting subjects for discussion and study.  Make notes, take pictures, make drawings of your findings, and revisit them when you get home. You could even combine scientific exploration with your next holiday! 3. Give boys and girls equal exposure and encouragement We often want to fix things and solve problems for girls without including them in the process. The scientific process knows no gender, and girls and boys are equally suited and interested in learning. Make sure to provide equal opportunity for learning by getting girls involved in activities that may not be traditionally girl-orientated and vice versa. 4. Be patient Allow your child to explore, experiment, and observe at their own pace. It’s also important for them to fail occasionally and try again. Our instincts are often to jump in and help at the first sign of a struggle, but this is counter productive. 5. Get the resources Try to provide as many reference books, activity books, online tutorials, and tools* as possible. Easy access to these resources makes learning easy and effortless. After an outing or a discussion, go to your resources  and look up all the things you’ve seen and spoken about. This provides an opportunity for further learning and also extends the time spent on science-related activities. 6. Be prepared for some mess Science can get messy! Make sure your child feels comfortable to experiment and allow her to make a mess in the name of science. As long as it is constructive mess, it’s worth the clean-up. Old clothes, an apron, and a plastic table cloth also help. 7. Listen to your child Give your child space to voice her opinion. Try to understand what they are observing and thinking and allow them to explain to you. You could find that you are looking at the same object but seeing completely different things.   *A microscope is an invaluable tool to encourage exploration and deepen learning. You can get an ultra-affordable origami-inspired Foldscope online from www.scibuddy.co.za. Foldscopes are durable, easy-to-use, and portable, with 140× magnification. They are available as individual kits or classroom kits containing 20 or 100 units. Deluxe Individual Kits contain an extensive set of accessories to collect specimens and prepare slides. These kits are packaged in a beautiful metal case making it easy for little explorers to keep their Foldscope close at hand.  SciBuddy is the exclusive distributor of Foldscopes in South Africa. The owner, Arista Burke, has a background in microbiology and education. She believes that Foldscopes will be a gamechanger for South African children.  To find out more about SciBuddy and Foldscope, visit www.scibuddy.co.za or their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SciBuddySA.   

March 6, 2019
Junior Colleges

Does your child have enough space to play?

Play for a child, prepares them for adulthood with all life’s delights and contests. What better way to learn as a child than to be given the chance to play freely in large areas? One of my best memories as a child was of running around the field at Pre-school with my friends in tow, the real excitement at finding new treasure troves, making up games, and the tangible fear we felt, like when we had to climb a high jungle gym or run away from a scary dinosaur! Being brought onto the playground, where we would get stuck in exploring all the new possibilities there for fun, games and imagination. What a treat! Because I was fortunate enough to have a home with a large garden, I remember how liberated I felt being free to meander around without my parents watching me all the time, and how nature became my learning ground. However, I would imagine that this is not the case for most children because of the way society has changed and with many of us now living in townhouse complexes, some with very limited space. Today’s children get so few opportunities to play freely, because we understandably fear for their safety, be it the road or “stranger danger.” My own interest in play and children’s development stems from my experience of working as a Teacher and Principal for the past 27 years, where I meet the most amazing children and their parents every day and fortunately are willing to help them with any issues, usually related to their development, emotions or behaviour. From my work, research, studies and experience, I have gained a good sense of what children need to develop to their full potentials. Not a lot has been written on the benefits of playgrounds, which is surprising given that our children spend so much time in them. Below are 7 good reasons why children should have space to play, based on different aspects of a child’s development: Social, Brain and Language Development Children of all ages develop their social skills on a playground through the creation of “games”, like catch or make-believe play, where the equipment is turned into something else (e.g. obstacle course, hospital, school, etc), where children give themselves roles and they work out the “rules of the game” in cooperation. Playgrounds provide an opportunity for children to practice their social skills, to come up with solutions to problems, and to learn self-control in working out their conflicts. Play also encourages language development, as children often talk aloud during their play (e.g. “Look at me going down the big slide!”), and the interaction with their peers allows them to express their thoughts and feelings and to develop their understanding and spoken skills. I’ve noticed that children who don’t even speak the same language can get on just fine during play! Physical Development and Good Physical Exercise As children progress, they are drawn to different systems of play which encourage their development, like rough and tumble play. Children naturally seek this form of play, which helps them to work out their physical space in the world, where their body begins and where it ends. This is crucial for the development of their motor skills and spatial awareness. It’s FUN! Large open spaces encourage your children to get out there and move! It’s so much fun and exhilarating for them! Playing is your child’s most natural form of expression, regardless of their age, and when they are engaged in it they forget everything else and really enjoy the moment. By Elizabeth Steenkamp, Principal of Junior Colleges Castillian

March 6, 2019
Parenting Hub

Want a second chance at matric? Distance education can help you

Thousands of learners who finished their matric studies last year have already started 2019 in earnest with many beginning tertiary education or embarking on a new job. While the majority of these matriculants have moved on from their schooling careers already, there are those who would like a second chance. Some matric learners may have obtained their National Senior Certificate but are unhappy with their final pass results. In many instances, it isn’t always possible for these learners to return to their school and rewrite one or more subjects the year afterwards. Additionally, there are thousands of learners who unfortunately didn’t meet the pass requirements for matric. “In light of this, most people in South Africa would probably have the perception that once you’ve done your matric – you’re done. But this isn’t true,” says Louise Schoonwinkel, GM of Impaq, a subsidiary of FutureLearn group. “You can always go back through a distance education provider such as Impaq and redo one or all of your subjects to improve your marks and get the pass you want. Moreover, you can do this with a high degree of flexibility from home, during your own time,” Schoonwinkel. With over 16 000 registered learners in 2018, Impaq is well known as being South Africa’s leading provider of home and distance education solutions for learners from Grade R – Grade 12. Impaq is also well-suited to helping learners redo matric in South Africa because it follows the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) and is registered with the assessment body,  SACAI, which is quality assured by Umalusi. SACAI is also one of the national assessment bodies that manage the National Senior Certificate examination along with the IEB and Department of Basic Education. How it works Regardless of the assessment body that learners were previously registered with, any matric candidate who had a final examination sitting – either last year or even in previous years – can register with Impaq to improve or repeat Grade 12. The final deadline to do this is 15 February 2019. When it comes to Grade 12 candidates who register as repeaters, there are two options. 1. Learners who are repeating their school-based assessment portfolio and the final examination. For this option, the candidate has to redo all the tasks and tests, as well as the June exam and the preliminary and final examinations. The candidate may redo all their subjects or only certain subjects. 2. Learners who are only repeating the final examination. For this option, the candidate should have had a sitting for the NSC Final Examination and should have a complete and valid School-Based Assessment, or SBA (this involves tasks and tests as well as the June and preliminary examination). In this instance, the candidate will only rewrite the final examination at the end of the academic year and their current SBA will be submitted as part of the final mark. (It’s important to bear in mind that the SBA is only valid for three years.) In both options, learners have access to 25 subjects (including the likes of IT and Religion Studies). “If you’re looking to improve upon your matric, there is hope for you and the tools for you to achieve this. Experts at Impaq are also available to assist you with any queries you may have,” says Schoonwinkel. For learners who are interested in finding out more and registering, they can do so by clicking this link: https://www.impaq.co.za/improve-matric-results/

March 2, 2019
Parenting Hub

The link between emotional challenges and poor academic performance

Have you ever considered that your child’s struggles at school may be because of emotional challenges? The academic year, as we are already aware, hold many stressors for children. What we are not always conscious of is that a child’s emotional state can directly affect the need to perform academically. In fact, according to Kerry De Jager, Head Franchisor at Step Up Education Centres, South Africa says, “Children who are experiencing emotional challenges (pain, uncertainty, family challenges, low self-esteem and fear) are more likely to struggle with the academic demands of formal schooling.” Think of a time as an adult, for example, where you have had an emotional challenge. “It is incredibly difficult to focus on our jobs and careers when our emotional state is one of pain, blame or demotivation. As an adult we have developed the skills needed to cope with stress and anxiety and yet our emotional state sometimes hinders our ability to function in the workplace,” Kerry explains.  She adds that developmentally some children are not yet ready to deal with these stresses and furthermore an emotional immature child will not have the coping skills to deal with the way their emotions make them feel. As the stresses of the year creep up on them, their emotional state will have a greater and greater impact on their ability to concentrate on their academic work. “An emotionally stable learner is able to take in and retain new information more effectively. Concentration skills are better and social relationships are a great deal more positive.” Kerry gives the following tips to parents who you have a child who is struggling at school: It is important to look at your child as a unique individual and realise that academic performance cannot be looked at in isolation. If your child has not performed as well as what you expected, try and find out why.  Aim at honest non-judgemental conversations that will enable you to understand the emotional state that your child has been in during the academic year.  Are they emotionally able to cope with the grade that they are in? Has it been a particularly difficult year at home? Has your child had a significant change in their lives like a new sibling or perhaps a divorce? Has there been a change in friends at school or at social clubs? All these questions may provide some insight into why they have not performed as well as you anticipated.  They will also afford you an opportunity to work together to find positive solutions. Remember that everyone wants to achieve success, whether they are willing to admit it or not! It is not in their nature to want to fail. Our role as parents is to guide, support, encourage and motivate our children to rise above the challenges of life to achieve the best version of themselves! “Each child is unique and their needs all differ. If you take the time to try and understand why a child is performing the way they are, it is a huge step in the right direction. Be patient with your children as they navigate the world with you at their side!” Kerry Concludes.

February 28, 2019
Parenting Hub

Helping your child make the most of repeating a Grade

When babies are learning to walk, they fall (or fail) many times over. Babies need to repeat the process (of learning to walk) over and over again, until they get it right and are able to move on to greater movement such as running, jumping and skipping. According to Cindy Glass, Owner and Founder of Step Up Education Centres, “These ‘failures’ are normal and natural processes in the act of learning to walk.  In fact, they are expected and hailed as signs of effort and future success!” She adds that as we grow older, our fear of failing and falling down tends to slow our progress and in some cases, even stop it altogether. “Children who ‘fail’ a grade, for example, often feel humiliated, ashamed, embarrassed and depressed. Their self-worth plummets and they often find it difficult to accept the fact that they will not be moving up to a new grade with their classmates.” Parents, too, struggle with a ‘failed’ grade as, so often, they see it as an indictment on their parenting. “And yet, if you think about it, ‘failing’ a grade is not all that different to trying to walk for the first time. Some skills need more time and attention to master and not all children learn at the same rate or even in the same way.” If your child is repeating a grade in 2019, Cindy gives you some tips to help him/her in understanding and embracing the gift of being given this opportunity to learn more effectively: There is no such thing as failing a grade. It is time to speak a different language. Your child has not yet mastered the building blocks needed to move on to a new grade. He/she is being given an opportunity to REPEAT a grade in order to master these important skills. Address the elephant in the room through open and honest communication. Speak to your child about them having to repeat the grade. Find out how they feel and what they will need from you in order to move forward with a positive outlook. Non-judgmental conversations are essential at this time. Help your child to own and embrace the repeat. Help them to see it as a learning opportunity. Senior learners who may not have worked to their potential (resulting in having to repeat) need to identify and OWN the mistakes that they had made and look to the future knowing that they can and must make better choices for themselves. Extra tuition at this time is highly recommended. Choose an environment that focuses on building self-esteem and emotional intelligence skills as well as academic skill. Teach your child that they are not LESS of a person for having to repeat their grade- they have simply taken a different path to their classmates. Keeping your child’s self-esteem intact while still teaching them to take responsibility for their learning is going to be your biggest challenge as a parent. “Having to repeat the grade can be a tough experience for parents and learners, but it need not be the end of the world. YOU are your child’s greatest teacher. How you choose to move forward will set the tone for how well your child is able to adapt to the situation,” concludes Cindy.

February 22, 2019
Parenting Hub

MYSCHOOL MYVILLAGE MYPLANET AND GROW PARTNER FOR QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

The MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet community loyalty programme has launched a new partnership with the GROW with Educare Centres project to establish 21 high-quality early childhood development centres (ECD) in under-resourced communities of Cape Town and Gauteng over the next two years.  With funding of almost R5 million, this is one of MySchool’s biggest commitments to a single project to date.  GROW with Educare’s unique model takes a multi-faceted approach to solving the ECD crisis in South Africa in a sustainable and scalable way.  The organisation is establishing a successful chain of ECD centres in under-resourced communities; managed by capable independent principals with trained, qualified teachers.  GROW with Educare is bringing private school level ECD, as well as sustainable job creation, into communities where quality Educare is currently not accessible or affordable.  “Through the use of best practice principles such as social franchising, ongoing mentorship and both business and personal development, GROW with Educare is progressively helping the women who run Educare centres move from a place of dependence to dignity,” says Tracey Chambers, CEO of GROW with Educare.  The first five years of life is the most critical of all child development phases; with nutrition, care and opportunities for cognitive, physical, social and emotional learning laying the foundations for future adult behaviours and abilities.  Deficits in ECD result in a lifetime of being disadvantaged.  Worldwide, delivering quality ECD has been identified as a key strategy to break entrenched cycles of poverty and inequality. GROW uses a tool developed by the World Bank (the MELQO – Measuring Early Learning Quality Outcomes) to evaluate whether children in GROW schools are achieving internationally benchmarked milestones of development.   “MySchool welcomes the opportunity to partner with GROW and see 21 new high quality GROW Educare Centres get off the ground over 2019 and 2020,” says Pieter Twine, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet General Manager.  “This is a project that brings together vital education and child care, as well as entrepreneurship, employment and sustainable community development.  Each year, under-resourced pre-school centres in Gauteng and Cape Town will be transformed and brought into the thriving GROW brand community.  There will be the upgrading of facilities to meet mandatory ECD standards; leadership, business and education training for the micro-franchisee; educational training for child caregivers; provision of outstanding educational resources through GROW Learning; a healthy, balanced nutrition programme, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, as well as active mentoring, and parent and community outreach. Each school will also start the process of registration with the Department of Social Development. It’s the kind of project that matters to MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cardholders who can support GROW by simply nominating them as a beneficiary and then using their card every time they shop at our retail partners.  GROW was established in 2013 to counteract the extreme lack of access to quality ECD in marginalised South African communities where there are hosts of working parents and pitifully few safe, quality childcare options available.  Many GROW with Educare Centres have stemmed out of grass-roots, home-based care for very young children where the infrastructure is sub-standard, child caregivers are untrained, over-crowded classrooms are the norm and educational resources are severely limited.  With its ‘education-in-a-box’ and ‘business-in-a-box’ concepts, GROW delivers a deep, ongoing intervention which results in well-supported inspirational centres of excellence that have positive ripple effects and help turn the tide against poverty and inequality in their communities. “GROW is delighted to join hands with MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet and become a cause that matters to the loyal cardholders,” says Chambers.  “We are in an important phase of building an aspirational brand using the best principles of franchising to boost education in the country.  This enables us to manage and maintain the standards in GROW Educare Centres while business owners are empowered to earn a decent salary and also offer others gainful employment.  By the end of 2019, our impact will include almost 1900 learners across 77 classrooms in 52 schools in the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and 218 jobs will be created.” To support GROW, add them as one of your MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet beneficiaries.  If you don’t have a card, sign up for free at www.myschool.co.za or download the App and nominate GROW as one of three possible beneficiaries.

February 22, 2019
Impaq

The benefits of using a curriculum provider

Using a curriculum provider is a convenient, straightforward and effective option for home education parents – all you need to do is pick the grade and you’ll be provided with everything you require to complete a school year at home with your child. Using a complete curriculum is also a great way to build confidence, especially if you’re new to home education. In addition, using a reputable curriculum provider offers a host of other benefits. Additional resources: Besides offering all the required books and guides needed to successfully complete the academic year, curriculum providers offer access to additional resources – usually online or interactive multimedia resources, and generally at no additional cost – to enrich your child’s learning experience and to empower you as parent. Guided learning: Guided learning provides an opportunity for differentiated instruction and aims to lead learners to increasing independence. Curriculum providers offer guided learning in the form of online tutoring and practice elements, such as extra lessons and videos, to continuously test and improve learners’ understanding of a subject. Lesson plans: For many parents, the lesson plans offered by curriculum providers are worth their weight in gold as having a carefully constructed lesson plan saves a lot of time and hassle. A curriculum provider will offer daily plans for all subjects, suggested support materials, as well as tips for adapting lessons to your child’s unique needs. Subject support: Parents may need extra support when teaching their children at home, especially in certain subject areas. In addition to providing the necessary learning resources, a good curriculum provider will offer access to subject matter experts – a team of highly trained and professional educators to support parents with curriculum questions and subject support. Administrative aid: A curriculum provider will give you access to all the tools you need to ease administration, ensure accurate recordkeeping, monitor learner progress and generate reports.  Assessment assistance: Curriculum providers generally supply all formal assessments and memorandums, as well as marking services and a support network to help learners successfully master a subject or grade. Some curriculum providers also arrange practical assessment opportunities for home education learners throughout the year. Time: When using a curriculum provider, all the work has already been done for the parents, effectively removing the time and stress related to research and planning. With everything laid out for you, you’ll have more time to focus on your child, and plan exciting excursions and activities. Sense of community: By signing up with a curriculum provider, you’ll be joining a vibrant community of home education families who share their journey and insights via social media, and who participate in organised workshops and events. Tips when looking for a curriculum provider While a reputable curriculum will offer all these benefits and more, keep the following in mind when searching for a curriculum that meets your needs. Your home education curriculum provider should: Offer solutions designed to enable individualised learning.  Give you full control over your child’s education.  Be dedicated to helping learners thrive.  Provide learners with the foundational knowledge needed to succeed in school and life. Inspire curiosity and deepen learners’ understanding with engaging lessons. Offer educational and instructional support to parents.   Impaq is the largest home education curriculum provider in South Africa. Their curriculum and related solutions are designed to enable individualised learning as they place your child’s needs at the centre of their academic model.  By Danielle Barfoot

February 18, 2019
Junior Colleges

FROM PLAYSCHOOL TO BIG SCHOOL: HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITION

Moving from pre-school into a formal schooling environment is a big step not only for young children, but also for their parents. Doubts and anxiety often accompany this major move, but parents should aim to ensure a conscious transition which addresses specific issues that may arise, so that their child starts their school career on a solid foundation, an expert says. “Some of the practical things can be very exciting – sorting out school uniforms and supplies, learning about the new routine, meeting the new teacher and exploring the new school grounds,” says Trudie Gilmore, General Manager at ADvTECH Junior Colleges. “However, the increased demands and unfamiliar environment can be daunting, and children need to be eased into the new situation. Additionally, parental expectations can cause unnecessary pressure at this young age,” she says. Gilmore says when embarking on this exciting new life chapter, parents and guardians should remember the following: ALLOW FOR MAKING MISTAKES The lesson is in the learning, not only the outcome, notes Gilmore. “At this age, parents should encourage their children to be more independent and, where possible, to think for themselves. Encourage your child to practise small ways to look after themselves such as dressing themselves, ensuring their bookbags are packed, and looking after their belongings. Encourage and praise them for trying, even when they don’t get it perfectly right.” PRACTISE PERSEVERANCE “It can be tremendously frustrating for young children if they are unable to complete a task to their satisfaction. Teach your child that when learning new things, it’s important that they keep on trying, even if they find things challenging. Don’t step in and ‘fix’ the situation, but rather guide, encourage and motivate.” PLAY NICELY Junior school is an important social milestone, and the time when children need to start working and engaging in meaningful play with their peers, even if they don’t automatically get along. Encourage your child to be inclusionary and kind, which will help them develop emotional maturity, as well as  confidence. “You can also prepare together by acting out different situations with toys. Playing games that involve turns or rules, such as board games, are good for practising how to get along with others. This way, children can try out some of the skills they’ll need later to make friends.” ENCOURAGE CURIOSITY “Being interested and curious about the things around us is really important for learning. Encourage your child’s natural sense of curiosity by talking to them about things, people and places when you are out and about. New research has shown clear benefits for children whose parents engage them in productive conversation, that is, where each takes turns to listen and respond appropriately,” says Gilmore. “Listen to and answer their questions, nurture their love of reading – an exciting and empowering new skill – and look things up on the computer together. Try to see the world through your child’s eyes, and talk and wonder about the everyday things you see and hear.” Gilmore says parents must be prepared to help their children navigate and manage increased stress levels caused by more challenging schoolwork, homework, assessments, diversity within the school environment, after-school activities and possible bullying. “Ensure your child is able to respond to the challenges they will face every day, by limiting any additional pressure,” she says. “And remember, sleep is key. Children who get enough sleep are likely to be less short-tempered and better able to handle school stress. Also beware of piling on extra-mural activities. We’ve come to believe that busy equals happy, but over-scheduling means less free time and family time.” Our society is expecting more and more from children at younger ages, says Gilmore. “Our job as parents and guardians is to help them understand and respond appropriately to these demands, and develop their emotional intelligence to set them up for a successful and productive school career.”  

February 15, 2019
Parenting Hub

MATRIC 2019 ROADMAP: TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR YEAR RIGHT FROM THE START

The first few weeks of a learner’s final school year is like a rollercoaster ride – lots of excitement, a little bit of fear and a good dose of disorientation. The start of Matric can be overwhelming, but learners would do well to get things under control as soon as possible by devising a roadmap for the months ahead, an expert says. “Matric is a short year compared to previous school years, and before you know it, you’ll be sitting down for your final exams. The good news is that in January you still have time on your side to put in place a strategy for not only worker harder than before – which you definitely should be doing – but also working smarter,” says Dr Gillian Mooney, Dean: Academic Development and Support at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private higher education institution. Mooney says that in addition to the demands of preparing for the most important exam in their school careers, Grade 12s also have a plethora of once-in-a-lifetime events coming up. “So right now you need to consider everything that will require your time and attention this year, and figure out exactly how you will make provision for all these demands.” Mooney says taking care of the life and academic admin now, will free up precious energy allowing learners to focus on the task at hand when the time comes. “Remember that the better you perform, the higher your chances of landing a spot in the higher education institution and programme of your choice. This will in turn have a knock-on effect on your career prospects. Competition is tough, and every mark that you can earn this year could be the difference between going the route you want right away, or having to spend more getting where you want to be,” says Mooney. She says in the next few weeks, learners should create a single calendar incorporating all the important matters they need to attend to in the coming year, which includes the following: ACADEMIC YEAR Note down the dates of all the important tests and exams, and draft your study and revision timetable. “A year sounds pretty long, but in Matric, the year is shorter and the final exams sooner than you are used to, so the best time to start revising is right away. Consistency is key, and by doing your bit every day, you won’t need to deal with a seemingly insurmountable volume of work ahead of your exams. Instead, you’ll be able to use revision time to solidify concepts and complete old papers,” says Mooney. SOCIAL EVENTS “While it is obviously exciting to look forward to and plan your Matric dance, 40 days-celebration and so forth, you can’t afford to spend too much time and energy on this during the year,” says Mooney. “So note down the important dates, note down when you will take some time out to plan for them, and then let it go until the time arrives.” FUTURE PLANS On top of all the academic, social and life demands Matrics will face this year, they also need to decide what they are going to do after school. “The world of work today looks completely different to the way it looked when your parents, guardians and teachers left school, so you have to do your own research. New jobs are being created all the time, and by the time you finish your studies, there will be careers that we can’t even predict right now,” says Mooney. “Leaving the decision about higher education until later, means you won’t have time to properly research your options. This is why we suggest learners do a bit of work on their future plans every week, so that they can thoroughly investigate what is on offer at both public universities and private, by doing online research, visiting campuses, and speaking to people who work in their prospective fields or who have studied at one of the institutions on their shortlist.” If learners timeously narrow down their options, they can avoid the rush when everyone else wakes up. EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Sport and cultural activities, volunteering and part-time work are important for maintaining balance in your Matric year, but can take up a lot of time. Try not to add more to your plate this year. Take these activities into account in your start-of-year planning, and if you find yourself too squeezed for time later, consider lightening the load on your schedule. OTHER MILESTONES Many learners will turn 18 during their Matric year, which means there is some additional life admin to be done. For instance, those who turn 18 before the country’s general elections in May, need to ensure that their ID is in order and that they are registered to vote if they intend to do so. Some may also wish to obtain their Driver’s Licence, which means some time needs to be factored in for lessons and the actual test. “Think about which other issues you want or need to sort out this year, and note that down in your year-at-a-glance calendar as well,” says Mooney. “When you look back at your school career, make the memory one of having taken charge of your future on the cusp of adulthood. Too many learners arrive in Matric and think they’ve reached the finishing line. What will set you apart from your peers – when applying for further study and applying for your first position, when Matric marks are still very important – is if you resolve to keep your head in the game now,” says Mooney. “There is a lot to be said for choosing an approach of delayed gratification during this year. If you use your time wisely and maturely, you will be able to both enjoy this significant period in your life, as well as optimally position yourself for future success.”

February 15, 2019
Parenting Hub

Screen Addiction: parenting in the age of a digital era

No other topic could create a catastrophe of opinions, judgements, beliefs and arguments as parenting. Add technology in the mix and you’ve created world war 3. According to a survey conducted by internet security company AVG in the US, 92% of children have an online presence by the time they are 2 years old. These days’ children learn to swipe a screen before they are able to hold crayons. The digital revolution of the past 2 decades has induced a moral panic in parenting. When a child goes on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, parents have certain unanswered questions such as: Are our kids aware of the privacy settings on social networking sites? Do they adhere to them? What kind of online games are our kids playing? Are they playing the right ones or ones that are not suitable for their age/ taste/ social-cultural backgrounds? How much digital engagement is enough and how much is too much? Though a child’s online presence allows young people access to invaluable resources and learning opportunities, it also brings about parenting challenges such as cyberbullying and filtering age-appropriate content. Parents play a vital role in teaching the children practice of “netiquette” outside of the classroom, all these require that the parent themselves be digitally literate. A digitally illiterate parent poses a risk to the privacy and safety of children. A tech naive parent may in a moment of some parental pride, post content(pictures, videos, information) of their child exposing them to the bad world of cybercrime. So we often ask ourselves which of these 2 parents is the perfect parent? Is there such a thing as correct parenting? Especially in this technologically advanced era we live in? And how much technology is too much technology? What happened to the good old days when kids played outside instead of staring into their phones and the television during their school holidays? Being a parent is hard and raising children in a digital era is even harder. Gone are the days of kids just being kids, playing hopscotch in the backyard, catching a ball in the garden or planning how they are going to build that tree house. These days playing involves Fifa and a ps4 or perhaps and X Box or candy crush. What happened to good old fashion childhood games our parents used to play? At Sugar Bay we encourage children to hold on to their childhood as much as possible, kids get to be outdoors the whole day engaging in activities such as kayaking, bmxing , rock climbing or they can choose to spend a relaxing day beading or baking amongst other things. These activities encourage kids to show their creative side, help them discover their hidden talents and passion and leaving a small room to be thinking about their phones. Like our saying goes: “What we learn in fun we never forget”. Sugar Bay is much more than a luxury holiday resort. Sugar Bay ensures the personal development and growth of a child, increase self-esteem, self-confidence and independence. Allowing campers to pick and choose from over 100 activities allows them to make decisions for themselves which encourages independence. We understand the constant need kids have of always being on their phone, but which parent wouldn’t want their child to enjoy being a child and being outdoors in the garden like they did in their good old days.

February 15, 2019
Kidico

Kidico Sticks It to The Bland

Kidico is a Durban-based sticker and label printing company with a difference. From customised vinyl name labels and iron on clothing labels, to colourful bag tags and personalised towels, a world of cute characters, vibrant colours and exceptional quality products awaits at Kidico! Who is Kidico? Kidico has a simple vision: to facilitate fun, exciting school experiences for children across South Africa. Regardless of where you need quality school stickers, Kidico is able to deliver to your doorstep! The Kidico website (www.kidico.co.za) is where the magic happens. Each Kidico product can be customised with an impressive selection of fonts, background colours and oh-so-cute animated characters for boys and girls. Kids can, with a little techno-assistance from mom or dad, even design stickers and labels themselves! What Sets Kidico Apart? There are four defining features that set Kidico apart from the bulk sticker printing crowd: Fast turnaround times Even at their busiest, Kidico is able to process sticker orders at lightening speed and distribute them to all four corners of the nation. Excellent quality Kidico uses only top-quality printing substrates and inks to ensure that stickers look good – and stay stuck – for longer.   Trendy designs Kidico designs have been created with both Mom and child in mind! They are trendy enough for moms to want to use them and cute enough to appeal to kids too! Kidico is able to ensure that sticker designs and characters are constantly being improved and added to.   Constant innovation Instead of sticking – excuse the pun – to a handful of proven products and services, Kidico is constantly adding new, exciting customisable items to their range. What They’re All About Preparing the little ones for school, whether it’s the first day of big school or just the first day of a new year, is a pretty frantic occasion! With uniform and stationery costs climbing year on year, the last thing we want is for our kids to misplace these items while at school. Starting ‘big school’ is an exciting time for children, and with so much newness (as well as stuff to carry around in their brand-new school bags), we can’t blame them for mislaying their new school gear. Kidico ensures that your children’s belongings will always find their way back to you should they be misplaced for whatever reason. Bag tags, pencil labels, iron-on clothing labels, vinyl labels for lunchboxes and juice bottles, reward stickers, gift labels, personalised towels and more are available to order on the Kidico website. The Kidico Ordering Process  Getting your hands on stunning school stickers and labels is easier than you might think! In fact, it takes only three steps: Navigate to the Kidico website (www.kidico.co.za) and browse through the available product categories. Be warned, you can seriously get carried away with everything on offer! Once you’ve found something you’d like, click on it. When the product page loads, you’ll find pricing information and dimensions. You’ll also see the Kidico customiser, where you get to add your custom text, pick the perfect font, and choose a graphic from a plethora of cute characters for girls and boys. Once you’re happy with your design (there’s a real-time preview tab), add your product to your cart and presto – you’re done! Once paid for, Kidico will deliver your custom stickers and labels to your front door. Kidico wants to simplify the customised sticker ordering process, without customers having to jump through hoops to complete their orders. For this reason, Kidico website visitors can order products and check-out as guests. Planning on ordering on a regular basis? You can sign up for a Kidico account and save time on having to fill in your details every time you order!

February 14, 2019
Impaq

A successful start to your (home) school year!

Home education is a wonderful, worthwhile journey, but knowing where to start can be overwhelming. So, whether you are just beginning this journey, or whether you are already a seasoned home schooler, here are a few tips to ensure success.  Start with the why  Why do you want to educate your children at home? Having a clear answer to this question will strengthen your commitment and writing down your reasons will not only help you stay focused on the ultimate outcome you want for your children, it will also remind you why you chose this path when things get tough.  Consider your children As you start this journey, it’s important to consider each of your children; their strengths, weaknesses and interests. Keeping individual personalities and learning styles in mind when planning will make learning a lot easier for everyone. Be informed  Before committing, ensure that you understand the law as it pertains to home education in South Africa – what home education means, how registration works, who the law applies to, and what records you are required to keep.  Plan your schedule… Creating a daily or weekly schedule of what you intend to cover and where learning will take place will help, especially in the beginning. There is no one-size-fits-all plan when it comes to home education – the perfect schedule is the one that works for your family. …but don’t be too rigid Flexibility is one of the best features of home education. Children get sick, the power goes out, unexpected opportunities arise. Don’t stress if things don’t go as planned every now and again. The beauty of home education is you can catch up on missed work at another time; you just need to remain flexible.  Make learning fun Studies have shown that when children are having fun, they often retain information better. So, when things get a little dull, find some fun activities to add to your lessons. Think picnics or hikes, visits to the zoo or science museum, and hands-on, messy experiments. This is a great way to bring concepts to life and give your children a new perspective on a particular topic. Be present It is important to be present – in body and mind – during ‘school’ time, so save your  household chores for later. Being present is not only about ensuring that your children are working diligently, but will also help you forge a stronger bond. Take breaks When you or your children get frustrated, take advantage of the freedom that home education provides and take a break – for just a few minutes or even a few weeks! Whether it’s a trip to the playground or a trip to another country, breaks are not only great ways to relax and de-stress, but they also serve as fantastic learning opportunities. Find help  Google is the home education parent’s friend. When you get stuck, you can always find help online. But the internet is not your only lifeline – you can also call in the help of a tutor. Click here to find a tutor in your area from Impaq’s nationwide network. Cut everyone – including yourself – a little slack Because the start of a new school year, or the transition from mainstream to home education, is a readjustment for everyone, allow for some bumps in the road. There are going to be good days and bad days. There may even be tantrums, tears and tempers…and not necessarily from the children!  Home education is not always easy, and it comes with a unique set of challenges. In fact, simply adjusting to the freedom and flexibility of home education may be difficult at first. But it’s also extremely rewarding. You’ll learn as you go and, if you are committed and prepared, you (and your children) will be just fine.  Good luck and remember to have fun!     By Danielle Barfoot

February 11, 2019
Parenting Hub

Consider all the costs before committing to a tertiary course

Deciding to get a tertiary qualification is a big commitment, both financially and in terms of the time and effort you’ll need to invest to get your degree or diploma. According to a Department of Higher Education 2015 report 47.9% of South African university students do not complete their degrees. This high drop-out rate is not only due to poor academic performance but also because many students run out of money before they graduate, even with government funding for some students. Starting a course if you can’t afford to complete it, makes it much less likely you’ll ever go back and get the qualification. Whether you’re able to obtain a NASFAS loan or bursary or your parents or relatives apply for a loan to help you, here are some things to think about: Can you afford the university, technicon or college you want to attend? You may have your sights set on a particular institution, but it’s worth doing some research. First year university fees for a BA-degree in 2017 varied from R34 254 to R49 440 – a difference of over R15 000. Also, bear in mind that in South Africa only public institutions can call themselves universities. Private higher education institutions can offer exactly the same range of qualifications up to doctoral degree level, but may not use the term ‘university’ even though they are subject to the same regulation and quality assurance. It’s sensible to research all the options that are available before deciding which is the best for you. You can find a list of accredited institutions on the website of the South African Qualifications Authority and follow the Qualifications and Part Qualification link. Remember, the most expensive may not always be the best option for you. Other than tuition fees, what other costs should you consider? Remember that in addition to the course fees you’ll have to pay application and registration fees. Some bursaries and funders do not pay these costs. If the institution is far from home you’ll have to budget for food, accommodation and possibly even data or wifi connectivity. If you’re staying at home, you may be lucky enough not to have to worry about rent, food or data, but may need to pay for transport to and from campus. It’s a choice that television and radio personality, Carissa Cupido, faced. Her dream university was Rhodes, but because she could not afford the tuition and student accommodation, she chose UCT so she could stay at home and save on some costs. She says that even if you save on accommodation you will always have to pay for books, other course material, stationery and possibly a laptop or other electronic device. Most reputable institutions will provide information on what you’ll need, where to get it and what it will cost. If you can, it’s also worth speaking to students or lecturers to check this information and find out if you can buy second-hand books or other equipment you’ll need. Carissa was able to save money by downloading textbooks that were available online or finding second-hand copies. Her other tips for managing your finances while you’re studying are: Get a part-time job. Ideally look for options that fit your studies, such as tutoring school children or your fellow students. Keep an eye out for student discounts. Many shops have student specials and discount days. Take advantage of these whenever you can. Work out a budget and stick to it. Ask someone with experience to help figure out a weekly or monthly budget and then make sure you stay within it. To find out more about Carissa’s university experience click here:  https://www.directaxis.co.za/direct-talk/how-to-save-money-as-a-student Are you getting value for money? There’s more to tertiary institutions than just academic life, particularly if you’re planning to spend three or more years of your life earning a qualification. If you can, visit the campus beforehand to get a feel for it and to check out the facilities. Ask about student support such as tutoring, guidance or career counselling. You won’t spend all your time studying, so also consider what non-academic activities and facilities are provided. Find out what sports are offered and if there are other clubs and societies that interest you. “Education can bring great rewards, but registering for a tertiary qualification is a big financial commitment,” says Marlies Kappers, head of marketing at DirectAxis. “That’s why you should think carefully about what you want to do and how the qualification will help you achieve this, before deciding on the best course and institution.” To find out more about funding your education visit: https://www.directaxis.co.za/imagine/education

February 10, 2019
Parenting Hub

GREAT RESULTS, NO UNI: STUDY OPTIONS IF YOU PERFORMED BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Many Matrics from the Class of 2018 currently find themselves in the fortunate position of having performed better than anticipated in their National Senior Certificate examination, achieving a Bachelor’s pass and qualifying for higher education access. But while they are now in a position to apply for further study, these prospective students need to ensure they do their homework before signing up with institutions still accepting applications for study in 2019, an expert says. “In particular, parents and Matriculants must ensure they don’t fall prey to institutions that are either not registered and accredited, or whose qualifications are not recognised,” says Nola Payne, Head of Faculty: Information and Communications Technology at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private higher education institution. “The good news however, is that there are still exciting study options available, particularly in the private sector, where good institutions have a strong focus on work-ready programmes,” she says. Payne says now is also a good time for even those prospective students already accepted into a programme, to consider whether they have chosen the right study path. If there are any doubts, they should have another look at available options rather than adopting a potentially expensive wait-and-see approach in their first year. “This coming month provides an opportunity for prospective students to investigate all their options and sign up for a quality qualification with an accredited institution, whether they left it too late, or performed better than envisioned. And those who have already signed up, should honestly assess whether they are excited about the degree on which they will soon embark, as well as the institution they will attend. “It is better to change course now, before spending time and money trying to make the wrong thing work, and becoming part of SA’s high first year dropout statistics,” says Payne. “Make sure that you are studying for the right reasons, and that your qualification will provide clear access to a specific career, whether it be a professional qualification such as accounting, law or teaching, or in a new exciting career path such as brand management, digital marketing, network engineering, game design and development, and application and cloud development. Don’t just apply for any degree at any institution for the sake of earning a qualification,” she says. Payne says South Africa’s single quality assurance system and one National Qualifications Framework means that any institution offering a registered and accredited qualification – whether public or private – is offering a qualification of equal standing. She says all registered and accredited higher education institutions – whether they be public universities or private – are registered by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).   They are only registered if they have been accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). “To look up a qualification on the NQF, search for it on the SAQA website, or ask the institution for its SAQA identity number, which should be readily available. If the institution is recognised by the DHET and the programme is listed on the NQF, prospective students and their parents can be confident about the bona fides of any qualification they want to pursue,” says Payne. She says that as the world of work changes and evolves, new programmes are constantly developed in response to workplace demands. “This means there will regularly be new and more exciting options on offer compared to the past, and potentially fields of qualification that are more aligned with the career aspirations of prospective students. However, it is imperative that one does one’s homework carefully, because unscrupulous operators have become increasingly sophisticated in their methodology. Fraudsters are making the most of the often hard-to-understand language related to legitimate private higher education, which means that they are able to present offers that appear legitimate, but are not. “It is good to have more choices, but make sure you make smart decisions,” says Payne.  

February 10, 2019
Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-School

Values in the Classroom

As technological advancements have swept through classrooms in the last decade, the way in which children are taught has changed, shifting towards a modernized approach. At Capriccio! Arts Powered Schools, we acknowledge the numerous benefits of technology in the classroom and create a pro-tech learning environment. We are however of the opinion that value-based learning should form  an integral part of the foundation upon which children are educated.  Our uniquely designed curriculum fosters the cognitive, emotional, physical, social and artistic development of little ones and young children. As such, our specialized enrichment programmes focus on preparing children for life by instilling within them important values, which form one of the cornerstones of our learners’ educational journey.   Combining elements of Montessori, Reggio Emilio and Waldorf, we have developed a number of unique enrichment programmes aimed at:  Instilling values like honesty, integrity and sincerity by means of story-telling, games, puppeteering and role play.  Introducing grace, courtesy, etiquette and social skills, reinforcing learning through role play, stories, puppet theatre and other media. Preparing our children for life via practical lessons learnt from the Bible. Our Christian ethos provides a consistent foundation upon which is built to instil family values – Practical lessons from the Bible form part of equipping our learners for a meaningful life.  For more information on our integrated, innovative and creative approach to providing wholesome and well-rounded pre-primary and primary education, visit: www.artspreschool.co.za. 

February 7, 2019
Impaq

Overwhelmed by all the “teachers” out there

We live in a time where there is an information overload through social media and the internet. Everyone has access to the newest and latest trends through video clips and pictures. A lot of people believe that they are teachers, engineers, medical practitioners, or electricians just because they watched a video on YouTube or read up about a subject online. These “professionals” will then tell you about the newest trend or teaching method and urge you to apply it when teaching your children at home.  We are flooded with learning material, worksheets, ideas and methods for teaching our children and some homeschool parents feel so overwhelmed that they start to believe that the more they do, the better the results will be.  In this overload of ideas, they try to please everyone by adding every single idea out there and by the end of the year, their children have files full of evidence to show how hard they worked throughout the year.   But have you ever stood still and thought of the way that children learn? A little bell must ring in the back of your head, reminding you that children learn through play, exploring, using their imagination and explaining how things work to someone else.  This took me back to the year when I was in Grade 1. How did things work back then? I mean, I turned out fine.   Luckily my mom kept my books in a box in a cupboard and, after I blew off the dust, I discovered one file with all the work that I had done in Grade 1. I thought that there should be more but after further investigation I realised that that was the only work I had done in Grade 1. Suddenly, I realised that the children in my classroom do four times more worksheets in a year’s time.  I decided to remove a lot of worksheets and rather do practical activities with the learners. I used chalk and let them write outside on the pavement, I made clay and they built letters and words with it rather than writing it down on a worksheet. This empowered them to discover the answers for themselves. After a year of teaching with fewer worksheets, the average of the class was higher than the year before even though they had fewer worksheets to show for it. As a homeschool parent, you know how your children learn. Just give it a try, you have nothing to lose. Sometimes less is more. And, if you feel overwhelmed, just know that you don’t have to go it alone. Visit Impaq’s website to find out more about their products and services or click here to find a qualified tutor in your area to supplement your child’s education.   Hilda Erasmus: Foundation Phase Specialist

February 6, 2019
Parenting Hub

2019 World Read Out- loud Day

There is huge potential in South Africa to turn our literacy crisis around so that reading becomes a powerful tool, to tackle inequality and poverty.  As Nelson Mandela said, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.’  While education may be the most powerful weapon, reading aloud and storytelling are integral building blocks in learning.  ‘The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book and the person reading.’ This is why NGO, Nal’ibali, focusses on reading-for enjoyment. Nal’ibali is built on the simple logic that a well-established culture of reading can be the tipping point for education in South Africa.  Part of this ongoing drive to encourage South Africans to read is Nal’ibali’s World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) initiative. Call to action As the biggest literacy drive in the country, WRAD seeks to draw attention to the importance of reading aloud to children in their mother tongue. Every year, thousands of South Africans join in the celebration. They are doing it for their children, their language and their futures. This year Nal’ibali is asking those who are already readers to not only read the story commissioned for WRAD 2019 with their children on the day, but to reach out to their networks and encourage others do the same and be part of the South Africa’s literacy solution.  World Read Aloud Day is being celebrated on Friday, 1 February 2019. A new story is born Jade Jacobsohn, Nali’bali’s Managing Director, says, ‘Every year we commission a brand-new story and translate it into all 11 official SA languages. Then we encourage adults and caregivers across the country, to join us in reading it aloud to children on WRAD. This year’s story, ‘Where Are You?’  is written by Ann Walton, a well known South African author and illustrator of children’s books.  ‘The story can be downloaded from our website from Monday, 21 January. We’d like to encourage South Africans to register that they will be reading aloud and to share pictures of their reading sessions online.’  Why read aloud? Most of the teaching that happens in a child’s early years is oral.  Being able to recognise and understand a wide pool of words, better equips them to learn and succeed in the classroom. ‘The reading of a story out loud not only shows children the value of books but starts discussions, builds bonds between the reader and the audience and motivates children to learn to read and enjoy books beyond their current reading ability,’ says Jacobson. Remember to tell us you’re reading ‘Last year, with the help of our network partners and the public, we managed to read to over a million children,’ says Jacobsohn. ‘In 2019, our aim is to beat that record and reach 1.5 million!’ In order to monitor the success of WRAD, Nal’ibali asks that all participants log their reading activities on its website: https://nalibali.org/WRAD-2019 So what’s happening on WRAD? Apart from promoting the ‘Where Are You?’ story on digital and social media platforms, Nal’ibali’s network of partners, schools project – Story Powered Schools, Literacy Mentors and FUNda Leader volunteers will be reading the story aloud at reading clubs and community centres across the country.  With the support of the Department of Basic of Education, thousands of school children and educators will be joining the celebration too. A special event will be held on the morning of the 1st February 2019, at the inspirational Sandton Library, with 200 children from Soweto and Alexandra. The event will be attended by this year’s campaign ambassador, children’s author and social activist, Lebohang Masango and is supported by the Department of Education and its Read to Lead campaign.  Masango will give a special multilingual reading of ‘Where Are You?’ and engage the attending children and adults about the importance of reading aloud. She says, ‘Reading to your children is important because the benefits will follow them for their entire life. Not only is it great for bonding but you are also expanding their vocabulary, their knowledge, their imaginations, their ability to focus and confidently articulate their ideas out loud. Reading is truly the gift that keeps on giving!’ Copies of her own book, ‘Mpumi’s Magic Beads’, will be given to each child to further encourage them to keep reading.  Community walk During the week of 21 January, a Nal’ibali mascot and volunteers with take to the streets within various communities to promote WRAD while handing out story cards. If you would like to join the Nal’ibali’s World Read Aloud Day: 1. Visit www.nalibali.org or www.nalibali.mobi to download the official story in any of the languages. 2. Pledge the number of children you will be reading to.  3. Share pictures of read-aloud sessions on the Nal’ibali’s Facebook and Twitter platforms: @NalibaliSA, or use the hashtag #WRADChallenge2019 on the day. 

February 1, 2019
Gymathstics

The Importance Of Creating a Love for Math

We may take for granted that our children will inevitably learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, but early math lessons establish the base for the rest of their thinking lives. “Mathematics that kids are doing in Grade R, first, second and third grades lays the foundation for the work they are going to do beyond that. “They are learning beyond just counting and numbers.” That’s why it’s so important to help children love math while they are still young. Parents can build on those first preschool lessons by counting with their children, asking them to look for patterns and recognise shapes, then moving on to recognition on number symbols. The goal should be to make math “real” and meaningful by pointing it out in the world around you. That could include checking and comparing prices at the grocery store, driving down the street counting mailboxes, reading recipes, calculating coupons, or even measuring food or drink at the dinner table. Just as you encourage your early reader to look for familiar letters, ask your child to watch for math, regarding math as highly as you do reading. Every parent knows that it’s a good idea to read to your child every night, but they should also realise the importance of talking about mathematical situations with children every day. With so many facts and figures to memorise and apply to math problems, children learn early that math is something that requires work. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun; keep the pleasure in math by playing games with your children. Many games, even the ones adults play, rely on math. With countless websites, computer games and phone apps, parents have endless options, but don’t forget about the nondigital games you loved as a child.  The classics that require manipulating cards and game pieces, calculating along the way, may have the same appeal for your kids as they did for you. One game worth considering is Snakes and Ladders , it develops the basic math skills needed to build a strong foundation for number sense and the best part is the kids don’t realise they developing math skills.  As you play with your kids, try to tap into your own love for math. When you play Trivial Pursuit, you are using math to determine how many spaces you need to get to the next wedge or predict which category you can answer best. The game doesn’t have to be about math, but should involve it.  Make math fun and meaningful and create a love for mathematics at an early age and you will see the rewards later.  The Gymathstics Approved Games Tab on the Gymathstics website has amazing logical thinking games that promote math development in young children.  Log onto www.gymathstics.co.za  for more information 

January 25, 2019
Parenting Hub

Finding the best learning environment for the Gen-Z student

With matric complete, a new cohort of Generation Z (Gen-Z) is now in search of optimum learning environments that will support their pursuit of knowledge and help them prepare themselves for the world of work. Often referred to as ‘digital natives’, Gen-Z’s stand out for growing up with a complete immersion in technology which has shaped the ways they find, process, learn and engage with content. As they enter our universities and colleges they also bring with them their generational worldview and traits.  Across the world, traditional higher education is challenged to adapt to provide learning environments that will set Gen-Z on pathways to success. Gen-Z’s have been raised in an inter-connected world with unprecedented amounts of information immediately accessible to them through their devices.  The world’s problems are more apparent and visceral to them, and they tend to be innovative problem-solvers who are often driven by the need for social change.  There may well be many among them who are specifically looking for study programmes that will support their aspirations to make an impactful contribution to an ever-changing and uncertain world.  Notable for their adaptability, Gen-Z’s want to be equipped with skills that do not confine them to a single field of work. Rather, they prefer to develop universal skills that will help them to solve challenges in different work environments.  Another impact on Gen-Z has been growing up in a world that has been more protective of childhood and children, with parents more aware of parenting and aiming to turn out young adults with healthy self-esteem.   As a consequence, Gen-Z’s have expectations of being engaged with as worthwhile individuals, whether that’s online, at home or in their study environment.  They value close personalised attention, recognition of their uniqueness and tailor-made plans to help them get to where they want to be in the most optimal ways.  They do better with regular, constructive feedback from those in charge, and are more open than any other generation to mentoring, coaching and counselling. For many of Generation Z, the traditional Western university model, with its sprawling, anonymous campus, vast lecture halls and cloistered academics, is not the optimal route for their further education.  Their preferences are shaping higher education across the globe, but it’s not that easy for long-standing institutions to transform in radical ways.  Lauren Martin, Clinical Psychologist and Head of Teaching and Learning at SACAP (South African College of Applied Psychology) believes this is one of the reasons there has been a steady rise in private higher education institutions across the world. “Private institutions have had the benefit of offering personalised, tailored educational experiences which allows them to remain agile in meeting the changing needs of students who enrol,” she says.  “Private institutions like SACAP are specifically geared to provide 21st Century learning environments that best suit the current generation.” Lauren points out that the optimal higher education learning environment for Gen-Z, must include:  Providing social learning environments where Gen-Z can engage seamlessly with diverse content, educators, mentors and peers. Their learning environment needs to provide opportunities for sharing, engaging and debating.  Smaller classes that allow for robust discussions on relevant world issues are important for Gen-Z’s.  “They need to be hands-on when it comes to their learning,” Lauren says.  “Their learning environment needs to enable them to be directly and deeply involved in their learning process.”  Providing on demand services so that Gen-Z can at any time and with great ease access a variety of services that help them optimise their study experiences. Gen-Z’s are adaptable and can easily access information to assist with their own learning. Their needs rapidly change as they are exposed to new information and contexts, and they require a personalised set of support services to meet their needs. Their learning environment needs to be agile in developing and offering new and diverse support services, delivered flexibly and efficiently. Providing career guidance, planning and focused learning opportunities because Gen-Z’s want to be involved in making a meaningful difference in the world. Providing opportunities for students to gain experience in various work environments or volunteer options during their studies exposes them to the needs in the community and allows them to practically think about meaningful career trajectories.  Also, they value developing universal skills that allow them to create careers that perhaps have not even been thought of yet. Their learning environment needs to foster flexibility, autonomy and innovation.    Deeply integrating digital learning tools and engagement channels so that Gen-Z can learn the way they learn best – through technology and multimedia devices. “Gen-Z’s are accustomed to communication and learning through various technology platforms such as social media, smart phones and apps, Lauren concludes. “Their learning environments need to incorporate creative technology platforms, applications and in-class integration to keep Gen-Z’s thriving as they study.”

January 24, 2019
SciBuddy

Explore the microscopic world – Fun ideas for bored kids

Parents and caregivers need plenty of ideas to keep kids entertained throughout the holiday. If you have access to a basic microscope such as a Foldscope, these fun exploration activities will not only keep the kids occupied, but they will be learning at the same time! To start, you will need a light microscope, microscope slides (glass or make your own from cardboard/paper), coverslips (or sticky tape) to secure the specimen to the slide, a clean container for sample collection, and purified water. Small forceps also come in handy to collect and manipulate specimens. Water bear (tardigrade) hunt Water bears are fascinating creatures that occur all over the world. These micro-animals are able to survive extreme conditions such as freezing cold or high heat, low and high pressures, dehydration, and starvation. They’ve even been shown to survive in outer space! Finding a water bear in your own garden is a special experience, and is sure to pique the interest of children of all ages.  Without water, tardigrades enter a state called “cryptobiosis” where their metabolism slows down and they become completely inactive. They are revived from this state when water becomes available again, allowing them to inhabit mosses and lichens that undergo periodic wetting and drying.  Collect pieces of moss and/or lichen from bricks, walls, trees, etc. Using a clean implement such as a scraper or blunt knife, remove the moss or lichen and place into a clean container. Try to remove as much dirt from the sample as possible (water bears are more likely to be within the spaces between the moss than in the soil, and the dirt will make it harder to find your water bear). Place your sample of moss or lichen into a small container and add about 20 ml of purified water. Make sure your moss is completely submerged, but do not use too much water as it will be mean more water to search through. Leave the moss to soak for at least 4 hours to give the water bears time to rehydrate and become active. Using a pipette or a straw, collect some of the water and place a drop onto the microscope slide. Cover with a coverslip or sticky tape and place into your microscope or Foldscope. Now you are ready to look for water bears. You may have to make several slides or even find different moss samples if your initial search is unsuccessful. Don’t give up though! Water bears are incredibly abundant and it’s only a matter of time before your patience pays off. Only about 1000 species of these micro-animals have been described by scientists, so there is a good chance you will discover a new species in your own backyard! Pollen Each species of flower’s pollen has unique characteristics. It may be possible to see some of these characteristics using a basic microscope and children will enjoy trying to find the differences. You can collect pollen without picking the flowers by holding a piece of clear sticky tape to the pollen-covered anther. Place the sticky tape onto the microscope slide and observe!  Pond-/seawater Pond- and seawater are teeming with microscopic organisms like amoeba, rotifers, nematodes and diatoms. Simply collect some water in a container, place a drop onto a microscope slide and observe. Try to identify as many organisms as you can. Since these creatures are alive and will be swimming around your slide, it is a good idea to take a video if you want to observe them more carefully. Coupling a Foldscope to your smartphone is a quick and easy way to get great videos of your specimens. Foraminifera – armoured amoeba These single-celled microscopic organisms have existed on earth for 570 million years. They are found in all marine environments, but also occur occasionally in freshwater or even on land. Each organism builds a shell around themselves, and these shells have built up for millions of years within the seabed and regions where the sea once flooded the land. Foraminifera fossils are studied for clues about the earth’s climate millions of years ago. Not only are they useful, foraminifera also come in an endless variety of beautiful shapes and colours. If you are able to get some sea sand, you have a good chance of finding some of these armoured amoebae.  Tiny insects Even the tiniest insect looks like a scary monster under a microscope! Ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, aphids, and moths look impressive when magnified 100 times. Since light microscopes function on the premise of light  passing through the specimen, it is important to select only small insects for this activity. Some parts of the insect will be too thick for light to pass through, but it is possible to observe the legs, feet, mouthparts, and wings. If you have a lightbox (or a Foldscope with an LED light module), thicker specimens can easily be observed. We do not recommend killing insects for this activity. Instead, find dead insects in spider webs, on window sills or in the garden. Place your insect on a microscope slide, cover with a coverslip or sticky tape, and be prepared to be amazed! Don’t have a microscope? Don’t worry! You can get an ultra-affordable origami-inspired Foldscope online from www.scibuddy.co.za. Foldscopes are durable, easy-to-use, and portable, with 140x magnification. They are available as individual kits or classroom kits containing 20 or 100 units. Deluxe Individual Kits contain an extensive set of accessories to collect specimens and prepare slides. These kits are packaged in a beautiful metal case making it easy for little explorers to keep their Foldscope close at hand.  SciBuddy is the exclusive distributor of Foldscopes in South Africa. The owner, Arista Burke, has a background in microbiology and education. She believes that Foldscopes will be a gamechanger for South African children.  To find out more about SciBuddy and Foldscope, visit www.scibuddy.co.za or their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SciBuddySA.  

January 22, 2019
Impaq

Mathematics and Music – Is There Really a Connection?

Is there really a connection between Mathematics and music? And, if there is – is it a relationship in both directions? Will a musician be good at Mathematics and a mathematician good at playing a musical instrument? And, what is the practical application of it? Would learning to play the bass guitar help my child understand Euclidean geometry or should he listen to Imagine Dragons while doing trigonometry? I did some research to find out more about the connection between Mathematics and music. Pythagoras – Father of Harmonics My path again crossed with Pythagoras and this time it was not to work on his well-known theorem: a2 + b2 = c2. I was surprised to find his name attached to this beautiful quote: “There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.” – Pythagoras Now most of you know that Pythagoras is credited with being the “Father of Mathematics”. But, how many of you know that he is also credited with being the “Father of Harmonics”? Pythagoras discovered the musical intervals. He also lectured people in the healing powers of sound and harmonic frequencies. Pythagoras not only applied the principles of harmonics to music, art, and architecture but also to more social arenas like raising a family, friendship and personal development. Einstein played the piano (and the violin) Pythagoras wasn’t the only mathematician that used music to shape his scientific ideas. Another great mathematician used to sit and play music when he was stuck on a mathematical problem. Einstein strengthened the communication between the two hemispheres of his brain and increased his brain power by playing the piano or violin (right brain) while thinking about a mathematical problem (left brain). He was even quoted as saying that if he was not a physicist, he would probably be a musician.  “I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” – Einstein Listening to music while doing Maths Research done at a primary school in California introduced a music-based programme that uses rhythm to teach mathematical concepts. The curriculum, called “Academic Music”, incorporates music notation, clapping, drumming and chanting when introducing fractions to Grade 3 learners.  At Hoover Elementary School in the San Francisco Bay Area the Academic Music programme showed concrete results. Half of the group of 67 learners participated in a six-week Academic Music curriculum while the other half of the group received the school’s normal mathematical teaching. The learners who received the music-based programme scored 50% higher on a fractions test that was taken at the end of the study, compared to the learners in the regular Maths class. There were also significant gains for learners who struggle academically. When comparing the test scores of lower-performing students in both groups they found that those who were taught the experimental music curriculum scored 40% higher on the final fractions test compared to their lower-performing peers in the standard Maths class. Playing a musical instrument We have now seen that listening to music may improve cognitive and mathematical skills. However, performing music is where the real advantage lies. Learning to play a musical instrument improves mathematical skills because, at some level, all music is Mathematics. Music is about time signatures, beats per minute and formula-based progressions. Playing a musical instrument reinforces parts of the brain used when doing Mathematics. Research shows that children who play instruments can solve complicated mathematical problems better than their peers who do not play a musical instrument. The bottom line is not detailed, but very clear: We should involve music in some form in our child’s academic life. This could be done by playing soft background music while your child is fighting fractions or by signing her up for music lessons so that she can learn how to play that saxophone herself! Written by Anne-Marie Reed – Mathematics Education Analyst at FutureLearn

January 15, 2019
Impaq

Bilingualism – Empower your child

South Africa is a multilingual community, and mastering more than one language is not only important for today’s children, but it also offers several benefits. But how easy is it for children to learn a second language? Children tend to find it easier than adults as their brains are focused on absorbing information during their preschool and early school years. Although most children are only formally exposed to two languages at school when they learn how to read and write in a second language, there is much you can do before then to help your child learn a second language. And according to experts, the earlier you start, the better. Why is the acquisition of a second language necessary? Children who are bilingual can communicate with a wider range of people, which means that their frame of reference is broader. This gives them an enormous cognitive and academic advantage. Studies have also shown that people who have mastered two or more languages fare better in intelligence tests, logical reasoning and problem-solving. Before you sign your child up for extra classes in Mandarin, Xhosa or German, there are a few things to consider: Successful bilingualism requires dedication and quality input in both languages. Children must be exposed to the correct use of the language, and it is difficult to teach your child a second language if it is also your second language. If you aren’t fluent, seek help from family members or other qualified people. The new language must comprise approximately 30 per cent of a child’s total language exposure. When a child receives less input in the second language, he may become a “passive” second language user – he will understand the language, but won’t readily speak it. (He will, however, have an advantage in this language at school and will learn it faster.) Be careful of a second language school. There may be cultural differences, and if your child is struggling in the second language, it may hamper his ability to learn. Children with learning difficulties may struggle to read and write a second language even if they can speak it, while a deaf child may find a second language confusing. Seek guidance from experts to determine if your child’s unique circumstances will allow the acquisition of a second language. Practical ways to help your child learn a second language: Create informal learning opportunities: Ask a family member or friend who is fluent in the second language to spend some time with your child and to only communicate in the second language during that time. You can even organise a playdate with a friend who speaks the second language. You’ll be amazed at how quickly children learn words and phrases in an informal social environment. Make it fun: On Tuesdays and Thursdays, only speak to one another in the second language, read books, sing songs and recite rhymes together, or find other ways to make learning a second language fun. Create the right language environment: It is important to expose your child to real-life situations where he can practise using the correct words. The best way to do this is to describe what you are doing when preparing dinner, when you go grocery shopping, etc. To help your child successfully learn a second language, it is important to be patient and to create enough opportunities for him to listen to and speak the language. Encourage him to use the second language often, even if he swaps his words around or initially struggles to express himself. Mastering a second language won’t happen overnight, but the benefits for your child – at school and as an adult – are plentiful! ARTICLE BY DANIELLE BARFOOT

December 20, 2018
Impaq

10 strange holiday traditions from around the world

Whether you are celebrating a religious festival, such as Christmas or Hanukkah, or something more secular, you are sure to have a set of rituals or traditions that make the holiday season extra special. Some of these may be a little odd, unusual or outright weird but, guaranteed, they won’t beat these strange traditions from around the world. If the shoe fits Every year, Dutch children eagerly place their shoes by the fire in the hope that Sinterklaas will fill them with small gifts and treats during the night. If they were naughty, though, they can expect to find a potato instead. Traditionally, kids would leave carrots in their shoes for a white horse named Amerigo, Sinterklaas’s trusty companion.  Try this instead: Fill your children’s Christmas stockings with a range of tiny gifts and treats.  Santa’s evil accomplice Spare a thought for people in Austria, where a ghoulish creature called Krampus – Santa’s evil accomplice – is said to wander the streets in search of naughty children. He looks like a cross between the devil and a goat and roams the streets throughout December, terrifying children. But what does he do once he catches a naughty little boy or girl? According to legend, he carts them off and eats them! Try this instead: Around Christmas time, a ‘hollow threat’ of Santa skipping your house is usually enough to get even the naughtiest child to behave.  Spider’s web Afraid of spiders? Then be grateful that you don’t live in the Ukraine where, instead of baubles, tinsel and lights, people use decorations that look like spiders’ webs. This tradition stems from a folktale about a poor widow who couldn’t afford to decorate a tree for her children. Legend has it that the spiders in the house took pity on the family and spun beautiful webs all over the tree. Spiders’ webs are considered to be lucky in Ukrainian culture. Try this instead: Maybe stick to baubles, tinsel and lights. If you’re looking for something unique, let the kids make their own decorations this year. On a roll On Christmas morning the streets of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas are closed to traffic, so that people can safely make their way to mass – on roller skates!  Try this instead: Swap the roller skates for ice skates and spend a day on the ice with your kids. Festive feline In Iceland, a giant beast called the Yule Cat is said to roam the snowy countryside at Christmas time. Traditionally, farmers used the Yule Cat as an incentive for their workers; those who worked hard would receive a new set of clothes, while those who didn’t would be devoured by the beast. To avoid meeting an unfortunate end, everyone in Iceland now gets new clothes for Christmas. Try this instead: Treat your kids to a new set of pyjamas on Christmas Eve.  Kentucky Fried Christmas In 1974, KFC released a festive marketing campaign in Japan with the simple slogan ‘Kentucky for Christmas!’. Although Christmas is not even a national holiday in Japan, the campaign started a tradition – on Christmas Eve, families from all over the country head to their local KFC for a special meal. Try this instead: While you should probably stick to more traditional festive fare on Christmas Day, there’s no harm in treating the kids to a take-away meal during the holidays. Strange saunas Many homes in Finland have a sauna. On Christmas Eve, it is customary to strip naked and spend a long and contemplative time in the sauna to commemorate your ancestors before heading out for an evening of festivities.  Try this instead: This tradition could be particularly awkward for big family gatherings… Why not invite the family around for a pool party instead? Looney Tunes Every Christmas, families around Sweden gather around the television at 15:00 sharp to watch a Donald Duck Christmas special. The entire day is planned around the screening, with more than 40% of Sweden’s population still tuning in like clockwork. Try this instead: Have a Christmas movie marathon featuring all your family’s favourite festive flicks. Giant lanterns Each December, a giant lantern festival is held in the city of San Fernando, which is known as the Christmas capital of the Philippines. Eleven villages take part in the festival, each of which tries to build the most elaborate lantern. Originally, the lanterns were small, simple creations; today, they have grown to around six metres in size.  Try this instead: Load the family in the car and drive around the neighbourhood looking at Christmas lights. O Christmas tree We have been brainwashed by Christmas movies to think that there is only one real type of Christmas tree. The Kiwis, however, have been decorating their homes with the pohutukawa, a beautiful tree with bright crimson flowers, for years. The pohutukawa is a recognised symbol of Christmas around New Zealand and is featured on Christmas cards, decorations, and even in Christmas carols.  Try this instead: Instead of decorating a plastic tree from your local retailer, try to come up with some proudly South African alternatives this year. If you are looking for things do during the holidays, check out these 15 festive bucket list ideas.  By Danielle Barfoot

December 17, 2018
Impaq

Back to learning roots

How the future of learning will incorporate ancient wisdom. Nowadays, things are changing faster than ever before. Most industries are experiencing rapid and substantial disruption, and education is no different. In most parts of the world, the traditional view of education in a classroom with a teacher and 25 to 35 children is becoming outdated. In fact, gone are the days when we produced wave upon wave of school leavers who were expected to fit into a highly standardised world. The new buzzword is individualisation, a strong post-modern shift in society and one of the most important challenges for 21st century education. The ancient Greeks understood how to individualise the learning journey and develop learners to their full potential. They made use of tutors to guide individuals or small groups, covering a broad set of skills and topics. Learning was often based on the Socratic Method, a way of questioning learners to help them arrive at new insights. Similar examples of individualised learning techniques can be found in most ancient civilisations, from India and China in the east, to Africa and the Islamic world, Europe and the Americas. Children of wealthy parents were also often schooled by a highly skilled (and often very expensive) private tutor. Even children from less wealthy families could become apprentices under a master, receiving personal training in their craft. This level of focus on the capabilities and needs of an individual learner typically resulted in superior quality learning outcomes. Unfortunately, most people couldn’t (and still can’t) afford a private teacher. This resulted in the introduction of formal schooling, which was aimed at creating a system where the majority of the population could be schooled to an acceptable standard at an affordable cost. However, affordability and consistency meant a compromise on quality: larger groups of learners were assigned to teachers (with less individual focus), and learning topics were standardised into a curriculum. As parents and employers are demanding more from the learners that emerge from our education system, this carbon copy learning approach is quickly becoming outdated, and is being challenged in the modern economy. Most people agree that the future will require adaptable and multi-skilled individuals to contribute to society. As such, we need to transform the education system to match this requirement. Luckily, we do not have to reinvent the wheel – we simply have to incorporate the wisdom of ancient civilisations. They understood that the focus should be on truly individualised learning across multiple topics, competencies, and character qualities, at the learner’s optimal pace to reach his/her full potential. How will this happen? Technology will play a critical role in the individualised learning environment, and can be used very effectively to customise the ongoing guidance of each individual learner. It can even be used to transform the content that learners engage with, and effortlessly link learners to each other and the wider global community, irrespective of location. It can also be used to continuously gather information about a learner, using this to customise the learning journey. This means that the traditional role of the teacher can change from having to control the highly complex combination of learning journeys for everyone in their classroom, to that of a facilitator for individuals or smaller groups when they need specific help. Our traditional narrow focus on subjects will also need to be re-evaluated to ensure that learners can apply knowledge and skills across a broader set of modern encounters. At FutureLearn, we continuously challenge ourselves to develop the future of learning. We are building an ecosystem to support guided learning, a term we use to describe the individualised learning journey of a child or adult to achieve a specific outcome. And we believe that individualised learning can be solved at costs that are affordable to every person in the world. We realise that our focus in changing learning should be to emulate the highly individualised and successful learning environment that was created by tutors or masters with individual learners or smaller groups throughout history. Yes, it is a big challenge… but we are up to the task! ARTICLE BY STEFAN BOTHA FUTURELEARN CEO

December 17, 2018
Toptots Head Office

Playing Smart

From the moment they can see, feel, smell and hear, your baby is learning.  What can you do to help the process along and make sure your baby is getting just the right stimulation?  Toptots Early Learning offers these wonderful tips. 0-3 months: At this age babies can’t grab or move toys around so their experience is through sight, touch and sound.  Although mobiles will attract your baby’s attention they do get bored looking at the same thing each day, so choose one with interchangeable items or put a mirror where they can see it whilst on their tummy – great for looking at “the other baby” and developing neck muscles.  Different rattles with different sounds also help to stimulate hearing, whilst at the same time making baby try and turn sideways to see where the sound’s coming from. Home-made ideas for the 0 – 3 month old: Encouraging babies to stay on their tummies isn’t easy but by half filling a 2 litre plastic bottle with water, adding some food colouring, glitter confetti, tinsel or anything brightly coloured and then sealing the lid with nail varnish, you will have a great new toy.  This toy will keep baby amused for some time but also be helping to strengthen those neck muscles whilst he is on his tummy. 4-7 months: They’ve discovered their hands which, when covered with bright socks or a wrist rattle, can be great fun.  They need different textures to try and grasp, so use soft toys and squeaker toys making a noise for them to reach for.   Hold things in different positions for them, encouraging hand eye coordination and strengthening muscles.  And don’t forget the old favourite – blowing bubbles which helps strengthen tiny eye muscles. Home-made ideas for the 4 – 7 month old: A helium balloon, filled with some rice and tied onto your baby’s foot not only makes a great noise but will encourage kicking. Please remember that balloons and their strings are a choking hazard, so if the balloon pops, please discard the pieces immediately. 8-12 months: Now baby is sitting and enjoying toys that he can manipulate.  Babies love putting things in and out of containers and finding hidden objects. Cardboard, cloth or vinyl books with different textures make great toys as well for this age group.  Who doesn’t remember the joy of a simple ball?  Give baby balls of different shapes and sizes, soft and hard, even spiky, then roll the ball back and forth between you – learning to share starts with mum and dad. Large blocks are also a win as baby knocks down the tower you built, teaching them about cause and effect.  Although they may not be able to completely master knob puzzles, they will be able to take the pieces out, which is a great fine motor skill.   Although the thought of musical instruments may sound daunting a xylophone is great for learning different notes and associating them with different keys to develop good listening skills.   Home-made ideas for the 8 – 12 month old: Give baby half a cup of frozen peas to play with.  By picking them up one by one they’ll learn fine motor coordination and to eat by themselves.  Become a magician with a cardboard paper towel tube by posting items down one end and to baby’s amazement showing how they come out the other end! 13 months – 2 years: At this stage they’re up and about, following you around, imitating your movements and looking for things to challenge their manipulatory abilities.  They’re starting to talk and understand a lot more than they can say.  Reading, maybe even the same story over and over, is a great source of joy for babies at this stage.  Reading aloud to children stimulates their interest, their emotional development and their imagination.  Remember readers are not born, they are made! Stacking rings and nesting beakers help dexterity and spatial visualisation, teaching them about size.  Push and pull toys, carts with rigid handles to load and unload are great and sorting buckets with basic shapes will teach shape recognition, encouraging hand eye coordination.    This is also the time to encourage imagination.  Tea sets for boys and girls, dolls, brooms and mops.  Babies don’t know about gender and it’s important not to stereotype them at this age. They see daddy making coffee and want to play with a tea set or dad holding a baby and want to imitate that as well. Boys with sisters get the chance to experiment with dolls but generally we don’t buy dolls for our sons – whereas we wouldn’t think twice about buying a car for our daughter…  Tunnels make wonderful birthday gifts bringing hours of fun to the mobile toddler and wooden blocks, as against plastic interlocking ones, take a lot of manipulation whilst learning to stack them.  Home-made ideas for the 13 – 24 month old: Using an old formula tin, cut a circular hole in the lid, add some practice golf balls with holes in and you’ve got a shape sorter.  Then try squares and triangles, varying the shapes as they get older.  3 – 5 years: A child of this age is testing his independence, control of language and learning new skills every day.  They need to be watched constantly as they have no sense of caution or fear.  Dressing up clothes encourages imagination.  Paint, play dough, stamping and stickers are great creative hits at this age.   Puzzles, preferably to match their interests, like trucks maybe, will encourage them to build it.  Playing and sharing activities is important now so make sure there’s ample play dates. Dolls houses and garages are wonderful gifts amusing them for hours on end.  A love of nature, collecting bugs and looking at butterflies and animals can be encouraged with books.   Home-made ideas for the 3 – 5 year old: Don’t forget to re-enact nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty and all the other old

December 14, 2018
Impaq

Home Education – Is it a possible solution?

There’s a scrimmage of 40 Grade 1 learners in front of their new class. They bundle in and sit on their chairs. There is good discipline in the class but there are so many learners that it’s impossible for the teacher to give each of them the necessary attention. Only the smartest learners will do well while the average child may miss a number of important building blocks and, eventually, it will become more and more difficult as they struggle through the grades. There are many learners who get lost in the school system. They struggle with the work pressure and the lack of attention, and do not reach their full potential as they do not receive individual attention. There is also the pressure to participate in sports or to maybe not be chosen for a team, and you just hope that your child is not bullied. Home education on the other hand is frequently seen in a bad light. The picture people often have is of a mother giving classes at home. The child sits at a table and lives a lonely, reclusive existence without socialising. With teaching in the 21st century, however, the picture looks very different. Home education can be done in different ways. Parents Parents can teach the learner at home themselves, the parents can then ensure that all the necessary concepts are properly embedded and can monitor the progress themselves. Social media allows parents to join groups with other parents who also home educate their children. Playing opportunities, excursions and social events are often planned and learners enjoy private education as well as social opportunities so that they can focus on all aspects of their development. Often parents also take turns to teach, where they work on a rotational basis. Children do not lose precious time in classrooms to wait for discipline or individual attention. Tutor centres There are many tutor centres across the country. Some centres only focus on one subject while other centres offer all subjects. Where the parent does not want to teach their child themselves or may not want to take a subject to the next grade, a tutor can be used. Tutors give each learner the individual attention they need and help them understand difficult concepts. The primary responsibility to educate the learner remains with the parents. Home-education schools It often happens that tutor centres are in such great demand that they become small private schools. They still use a home-education curriculum, but unlike with home education, the school takes responsibility for the learner’s education. ARTICLE BY HILDA ERASMUS – SPECIALIST: FOUNDATION PHASE

December 13, 2018
Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-School

Global Trends of Education Influencing Education of the Future

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” At Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school and Preparatory we have taken this to heart and designed a unique, innovative curriculum which focuses on equipping our learners for the future by integrating global education trends into the framework of our learning offering. To equip our learners with the skills necessary to conquer the future we place emphasis on the following key elements: → CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING We focus on teaching our children to ask questions and think for themselves, fostering their ability to reason and creatively solve problems. → COLLABORATION AND LEADING BY INFLUENCE We endeavour to instil in each child the value of being a good team player, to know their own strengths and talents – this enhances the learning environment and encourages co-operative and independent learning. → INITIATIVE AND ENTREPRENEURIALISM We inspire our learners  to become creators and change-makers. We provide them with the tools necessary to utilize their individual abilities and foster their ability to use them to meet economic opportunities in their future. → GOOD ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION We aim to  provide our children with a platform to convey their ideas and emotions clearly and concisely, empowering and encouraging global awareness, and confidence for public speaking. We believe all of these skills are essential to ensure our learners are prepared to succeed in life and reach their full potential. For more information on our innovative approach to pre-primary and primary education visit www.artspreshool.co.za.

December 12, 2018
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