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Vuma: an educator's story of how to instill a love of reading and lay a strong literacy foundation

In 2018, Ms. Karen Eybers, a teacher at Bronville Primary School, began teaching Afrikaans Home Language using Vuma, a reading instruction programme developed by Pearson. Through the use of Vuma, she found that there was an increase in her learners’ engagement and motivation in reading. She also believed her learners showed a higher level of understanding when using Vuma. Further, the varied reading strategies made teaching the different aspects of Afrikaans Home Language much easier to implement.

Learners reading Vuma

Ms. Eybers’ main goal was to adopt a reading instruction programme that made her learners excited about reading. She wanted to instill that love of reading early on in hopes that it would carry through the rest of their academic experiences.

Challenges faced

  • The Grade 1 learners were previously in a combined class with the Grade 2 learners when Ms. Eybers arrived in February, 2018.
  • Some of the learners were younger than the traditional age for Grade 1 and there was no Grade R facility available at the school at that time.
  • Many of the learners come from challenging socio-economic backgrounds with social issues and many of the learners are reliant on the school’s feeding scheme for their basic needs.
  • Literacy levels are a challenge in the Eastern Cape so addressing reading was a key challenge.

“I wouldn’t be using this if I thought it wasn’t good and it wasn’t something that the kids enjoyed. At least I can achieve the goals that I have set out to achieve by using it. Definitely.” — Ms. Eybers

Implementation

Ms. Eybers wasn’t initially intending on changing her approach to teaching reading but when she was introduced to Vuma, she thought she would try it. She felt that the previous series she used was outdated and she wanted to do something to make the learners excited about reading.

Ms. Eybers believes that creating a solid literacy foundation is key to further academic success. Implementing Vuma, while adding in her own creative activities and resources, has helped to lay that foundation.

Vuma was easy to use
Ms. Eybers didn’t receive formal training in using Vuma and found the programme easy to use with the valuable guidance from the lesson plans and teacher’s guide.

Vuma supports the use of reading strategies
Vuma is used to implement the different reading strategies prescribed by CAPS with a particular focus on Shared Reading and Group Guided Reading.

“Because it’s one thing to flash the words, read sentences, read the book. It feels like you have got to do more. That is what makes it more exciting for the children too and for yourself… You have more satisfaction. You can just see this is working, this is nice, this works.” — Ms. Eybers

Vuma supports the development of language skills
Ms. Eybers used Vuma alongside the workbooks from the department of education for teaching the different aspects of Afrikaans Home Language in the following ways.

  • Sentence building – there are opportunities for sentence building activities after learners have finished reading a book. Ms. Eybers gives them text copied out on strips of paper and learners would need to piece the story back together. This also helps to build their punctuation skills.
  • Vocabulary development – extended vocabulary is developed through using pictures in the Vuma books. The teacher created her own flashcards indicating items in the picture and learners would stick them onto the pages in the Big Book.
  • Shared writing – Ms. Eybers has developed songs about the various Vuma characters. In the lesson observed, learners reminded Ms. Eybers that they didn’t have a song about Nina, one of the Vuma characters. This allowed Ms. Eybers to move into a shared writing activity with the class. They composed a song together and sang it as a class. Ms. Eybers thought the Vuma characters and stories help to inspire this creativity in the class.

Vuma lays a solid foundation for reading
Ms. Eybers reflected on how important the early years are for laying a solid literacy foundation and believes that if they can implement Vuma across the foundation phase, it will help them to achieve this objective. She believes that the Grade 2 teacher next year will have an easier time when her Grade 1 learners arrive because they will be familiar with the series.

“They get excited about the story… You saw now like writing this verse of this song. They get involved.” — Ms. Eybers

Findings
Ms. Eybers’ main goal for adopting Vuma was to inspire a love for reading. When asked to rate her level of agreement with the statement that Vuma supports learner engagement, on a scale of 0 – 10, Ms. Eybers rated it a 10 which is ‘strongly agree’.

Vuma made teaching easier
As a comprehensive reading programme, Vuma has all the different resources needed to help make the teaching of reading easier. Ms. Eybers referred to the following features of Vuma as making her teaching easier:

  • The pre-reading questions at the front of the book.
  • The new words list in the books help you to focus on the vocabulary you need to teach.
  • The learners’ interest in the stories sparks questions.

Learners related well to the characters
The learners have responded very well to the characters. Ms. Eybers thought that it was because of how true-to-life the characters are that makes learners connect with them.

“I think it is because they are so true-to-life... These children can easily associate with them… That to me was part of the fascinating part of this… the way they took to these characters.” — Ms. Eybers

Enhancing resources to build on the love for the characters
Ms. Eybers has created resources in her class which strengthen the love of the characters. She has created figures of the characters which are attached to sticks and these characters appear from behind red theatrical curtains on a hollowed out television.

Ms. Eybers also uses these figures for oral lessons with the learners, where they role play what has happened in the story, using the figures on sticks to facilitate this.

She finds this approach helps her learners build confidence in speaking in front of the class because they are speaking through the characters rather than about themselves, which creates a ‘safer’ distance.

Ms. Eybers has also written songs about the Vuma characters and learners sing these songs together.

Vuma enables cross-curricular integration
The Vuma characters live in familiar surroundings to South African learners: a shack, a small house, a farm and a block of flats. Talking about their surroundings and having pets as characters integrates themes from Life Skills Grade 1 into teaching.

“So, to me, it was just a nicer way, easier way, fun, exciting way and that was my goal. Because I thought to myself I must somehow make these children enjoy reading. Because I’ll tell you a lot of them go to the library to watch TV not to read.” — Ms. Eybers

Vuma helps to take learners from the known to the unknown, expanding their context
In the observed lesson, learners engaged with a story where a Vuma character is overseas in a cold place and thinking of, and missing, the familiar South African environment. Ms. Eybers said that in the previous lesson, she had shown the learners a video of a plane and snow to help them become familiar with the concepts, that this journey from the known to the unknown needs this kind of scaffolding for learners to meaningfully relate. She finds that supplementing Vuma with these varied resources adds interest and excitement.

Vuma seems to support visual literacy
Ms. Eybers pointed out how reading is about more than just the words. As a class, they discuss the pictures. In the lesson observed, one of the learners, without prompting from the teacher, pointed out footprints in the snow where someone had been walking. Ms. Eybers said that the learners tend to notice great detail in the pictures, for example, one of the characters had a hole in their shoe and the learners commented on this. The teacher said she hadn’t noticed this detail but the learners did.

“They said the toe is sticking out. The hole is there. Who would see that? They picked it up!... They really study these pictures.” — Ms. Eybers— Ms. Eybers

Vuma is supporting learners in their reading
It’s still in the early stages of implementation of Vuma at Bronville Primary School, but Ms. Eybers is noticing a positive influence of Vuma on learners’ reading ability. She thought that
after the June-July holidays, learners would have forgotten some of what they had learned in terms of reading. However, she noticed that this was not the case and that they were able to read many words and write their own sentences. In addition, Ms. Eybers believes learners responses to the pre- and post-reading questions reveal that many of them are reading with understanding.

Conclusion
Implementing Vuma has helped Ms. Eybers achieve her goal of finding a program that engaged and motivated her learners to read.

Having the series in her classroom is making Ms. Eybers’ life as a teacher easier in terms of
implementing the different reading strategies and teaching different aspects of Afrikaans Home Language.

In addition, as seen by the teacher’s report, the learners are showing understanding when answering the pre- and post-reading questions and learners appear to be reading with better understanding.

Ms. Eybers has continued using Vuma and the intention is to expand its use at the school beyond Grades R and 1 to include all grades in the Foundation Phase in 2019.

Donwload Full Report

Coding & Robotics for Foundation Phase

Whilst it might seem far fetched to consider teaching a child how to code or operate a robot, the benefits of coding and robotics far exceeds the obvious.

Young learner on tablet in classroom

Children will learn creativity through play using digital, but they can also be the creators of their own learning. In addition to learning computational thinking, it enables learners to understand logic and develop cognitive skills in terms of logical and sequential processes. This means that they will not only be able to use logic to solve problems but also apply those skills to other subject areas and situations.

Coding encourages collaboration as your child learns to work in groups solving problems and share what they learn alongside one another.  In doing so, they also develop their communication skills which enables them to better explain or share their difficulties or their victories more confidently.

Your child will also learn how to be persistent in keeping them engaged to try again. Coding enables them to complete a task by systematically training them how to navigate through complex problems.

The world of coding and robotics is not limited to encouraging learners to become astronauts, gaming experts or engineers but it does provide clear advantages to boost their confidence in the world they live in, today.  Introducing new possibilities, logical reasoning creating new career paths of learning now and in the future.

We have compiled a few interactive activities to take you on a short journey of what coding looks like in the world of a young learner.

PLEASE NOTE: for an optimal experience, complete the activities on a PC.

Instructions on how to complete the activities:

  1. Click on the interactive you want to complete.
  2. When you want to listen to the instructions, click on the speak button on the screen.
  3. Each time you complete a screen, click on the next button.
  4. Each time a new screen appears, you can click on the speaker button to listen to the next set of instructions followed by the next button.
  5. You will know that you’ve completed each task successfully when you reach the “Star”.

Decomposition Interactive Activities

Decomposition is the process is the first process in learning computational thinking skills (using coding). Learners will learn how to process complex problems or responsibilities by breaking huge tasks into smaller bits of information. This will allow them to feel less overwhelmed by tasks, and enable them to process each part and work out where they get stuck.

Activity 1: Space Puppy

Skills taught:

  • Developing a structured problem-solving method
  • Identify individual parts of a problem
  • Following instructions to complete a task

Activity 2: Treasure Hunt

Skills taught:

  • Identify and plan the steps involved in solving a problem
  • Using smaller steps to solve a complex problem
  • Recognise, identify and name two-dimensional shapes in pictures
  • Identify, copy, extend and create patterns

Activity 3: Ready, steady go!

Skills taught:

  • Breaking problems down into its different parts
  • Solve problems in context using concrete apparatus
  • Identify and match shapes
  • Recognise, identify and name two dimensional shapes in pictures
  • Deconstruct a large shape into smaller shapes 

Algorithm Interactive Activities

Algorithms will teach your child how to come up with a solution, step-by-step.  This is the last piece of the puzzle in learning computational thinking skills. It is also the process in which they’ll develop a clearer understanding of order.  So, in the real world, they’ll need to figure out which patterns will result in the best or most successful outcome.  When they’ve mastered this skill during coding lessons, they will be able to communicate clearer and more concise.  In a coding application, you child will not be able to progress further during an activity and will find themselves having to repeat the activity, teaching them how to persevere and evaluate their plan using strategy. This concept also teaches them how to translate concepts into actionable steps, which can be applied to any of their areas of learning.

Activity 1: To the Park

Skills taught:

  • Recognise that the order in which steps are taken is important for problem solving.
  • Follow directions to move within a specific space.
  • Place steps in the correct order, to achieve a specific objective.

Activity 2: Busy Beads

Skills taught:

  • Identify simple patterns
  • Identify colours
  • Recognise order in which steps are taken in order to solve the problem
  • Identify sequence of events
  • Making calculations

Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Workbook & Teacher’s Guide

9781776103942 Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Grade 2 Workbook

The Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics workbook assists learners in understanding coding and robotics concepts. It consists of write-in worksheets that can be used by teachers to introduce the subject to young learners, or by parents who want their child to learn and practise the skills required for coding and robotics.

Workbook features:

  • Activities with clear instructions and answers
  • Cutout coding blocks for additional practice
  • Cutout keyboard and screen to make your own laptop
  • Star chart and certificate

Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Teacher’s Guide in eBook format provides the educator with guidelines to help learners with the activities. It includes reference to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) addressed on each page in the Smart-Kids Coding & Robotic workbook and includes the answers to the activities.

Click here to purchase Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Teacher’s Guide Grade 2.

How to answer exam questions correctly

When a learner understands what the examiner is asking them, they’ll be able to answer the questions in an exam paper correctly. To understand what the examiner is asking, the learner must identify the question and focus words in an exam question.

Learner studying for exams

It is important for learners to look for and understand the question words (the words that tell you what to do, also known as key action words) to correctly understand what the examiner is asking.

Once the learner has read the question once, they should circle the question word and then underline any other important focus words (the words that tell you what content to include in your answer). The combination of the circled and underlined words will tell the learner exactly what is being asked.

Share these explanations with your learners so they can use it as a guide to help them answer questions.

QUESTION WORD WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Analyse Separate, examine and interpret the concept
Argue Give arguments to support your statement or to oppose somebody else’s statement, and substantiate your argument with an example
Assess Give a judgement and back it up with evidence or reasoning
Calculate This means a numerical (number) answer is required. You must show your working, especially where two or more steps are involved
Classify Group things based on common characteristics
Compare Point out or show both similarities and differences between things or concepts
Critically evaluate Describe both sides of an argument, come to a conclusion and justify your decision
Debate State the positive or negative side of an argument, and substantiate your point with an example
Define Give a clear meaning of the concept
Describe State in words (using diagrams where appropriate) the main points of a structure/process/phenomenon/investigation
Determine To calculate something, or to discover the answer by examining evidence
Differentiate Use differences to qualify categories
Explain/ Discuss Give a clear, detailed description of the focus topic
Identify Name the essential characteristics
Illustrate Give examples to demonstrate or prove something
Justify Give clear, detailed reasons fo taking a particular position
Label Identify on a diagram or drawing
List Write a list of items, with no additional detail
Mention Refer to relevant points
Name Give the name (proper noun) of something
State/Give Write down information without discussion
Recommend / Suggest Give your opinion and back it up with facts, reason or an explanation
Tabulate Draw a table and indicate the answers as direct pairs

Exam Preparation Tips for the Matric Class of 2021

Dr Veronique Genniker, Marang Education Trust Director at Pearson South Africa, shares exam preparation tips for the matric class of 2021. This year has not been easy for learners, who have needed to overcome several challenges that no one could have predicted. Despite this, we remain optimistic that they will pull through and put their best foot forward as they take a step towards the next part of their varied life journeys.

Girl doing homework

South Africa’s National Senior Certificate exams are due to commence on Friday 22 October 2021, with the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga expressing positive sentiments in a media briefing, calling the matric class of 2021, a “resilient group,” that “would be able to surprise us with better results than last year.” Undoubtedly, the matric class of 2021 has faced unprecedented difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and have much to do in the way of preparations for the upcoming final exams, which will set a benchmark for those continuing into tertiary education.

“We wish all South African matriculants well as they head into exam season. This year has not been easy for learners, who have needed to overcome several challenges that no one could have predicted. Despite this, we remain optimistic that they will pull through and put their best foot forward as they take a step towards the next part of their varied life journeys as tertiary students, entering the workplace, partaking in the president’s youth employment programs, or even taking up an apprenticeship. We’ve put together a list of helpful tips to help learners through this demanding time,” said Dr Veronique Genniker, Marang Education Trust Director at Pearson South Africa.

5 exam preparation tips for the matric class of 2021:

  1. Create an enabling physical environment to study

The layout, design, and lighting of the space you study in can have a profound effect on how you will think and feel about the preparations for your final exams. Some students can concentrate optimally when they are in uncluttered rooms while others can focus better when they are surrounded by familiar items they associate with feelings of comfort and safety. Some students find background music distracting, while others find that listening to music while studying allows them to concentrate better. Many students do not have the luxury of studying in their own space, so should try to study with a friend or family who can accommodate them. It is heartwarming how many teachers and community members open their homes to make sure that learners have a safe and secure place to study. If you do have the luxury of space, make sure to tap into your spatial awareness and take some time to optimize your study environment by considering aspects like how much natural light filters into the space, how comfortable your chair is, whether you prefer to see a clock while you study and even which pen colours are more stimulating when making notes and mind maps.

  1. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthy and focus on what makes you feel calm

Getting 6-8 hours of sleep is important to refresh and energize your body and mind. Breathing is something we all do naturally and without any real effort. However, focusing on the inhalation and exhalation of breath can help to ease the mind and promote a state of relaxation, especially when under pressure. Conscious breathing exercises do not have to take up a lot of time and can be done anywhere. Google “breathing techniques for stress relief,” and try a few of the exercises. You can tailor your exercise to how much time you have. It is recommended that you take a break to breathe consciously for 3-5 minutes at least once every hour, just to oxygenate the body and calm the mind. Eating balanced meals and snacking on fruit with water daily is important to maintain your energy levels.

  1. Set goals for your individual and study buddy sessions

The sheer amount of reading that needs to be done and concepts that need to be grasped ahead of the exam period can be quite overwhelming. Having a timetable for each subject as well as measurable goals for each study session can help to lower stress levels and divide your study sessions into manageable parts. To create a timetable, make a list of all the content that needs to be studied for each subject, then work backwards from the exam date and make sure that during each study session, a piece of that content is covered. Then, dedicate your study sessions to only the parts you have identified for that day and take a break or reward yourself when you achieve those goals. It is important to have individual and study buddy sessions to enable you to discuss content you are struggling with. Find a study buddy who is great with content you are struggling with and who can explain it to you, so that you better understand it.

  1. Use visualisation techniques

Often, the very thought of sitting in an examination hall with other learners in complete silence to sit for a final exam can be very overwhelming and can cause stress and panic. You can reduce some of this stress before you sit the exam, by using visualization (imagining) as a preparation tool. To do this, close your eyes and picture yourself sitting in the exam hall, try to imagine what you will be experiencing on a sensory level – what you see, what you hear, what you smell, etc. Then, wherever you are sitting, do some hand and leg stretches and take a few deep breaths. Picture yourself being calm, feeling confident and accepting that your best is always good enough. Do this at least once a day while you are preparing so that your mind and body are ready for the big day. If possible, ask for permission to go and sit in the examination hall/room before the examination.

  1. Find your ideal learning technique

One school of thought proposes that people learn best through varying stimuli – some people are visual learners, while others are auditory or kinesthetic learners. To find out what your best learning technique is, try a few methods and test what works best for you. If you learn by hearing, then record yourself reading your study notes and play them back to yourself. If you are a visual learner, create colorful mind maps, flowcharts, bullet-point lists and put them up in the room where you study. And if you are a kinesthetic learner, try taking a walk or doing gentle movements while you talk yourself through your content. You know yourself best, so study where, when, and how it works best for you. This is your exam so do whatever works best for you and know that your best will always be good enough.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Dr. Veronique Genniker is the Director of Pearson Marang Education Trust (PMET). She holds a PhD. in Education Psychology, Master’s in Science Education, Postgraduate in Leadership, and a Higher Teaching Diploma. PMET is the flagship Social Impact Programme of Pearson South Africa. PMET provides quality research based, accredited integrated personal & professional development training, coaching, and mentoring to under resourced deep rural schools across South Africa together with fully funded under-graduate bursaries. Her main responsibility is providing strategic leadership and oversight to her team and maintaining high- level national and international stakeholder relationships. She specializes in conceptualizing needs based professional developmental programmes that support National Education Policies to significantly improve education outcomes and to provide great returns on Corporate Social Investments. She has 33 years of experience working across all levels within the education system where she now proudly engages as a Global Diversity and Inclusive Advocate, Well-being Champion, Chair of the Middle East and Africa’s Women in Learning and Leadership Chapter and Mindfulness Teacher. She thrives on coaching leadership teams and mentoring young women. Her international experience includes Advanced Science and Leadership at the University of Kent in England and France. Rotary International Alumni in the Netherlands and California USA. Advanced Environmental Education at the University of Uppsala and Malmo in Sweden and Denmark. Presenter at Houston Independent School District in Texas USA, Pearson Academy in Melbourne Australia and participated in Efficacy and Partnership Forums in Singapore and Doha. In 2018 she received a Global Award for Excellence in Leadership from the Women’s Economic Forum in New Delhi India. In 2019 she was awarded 2 global Pan African Awards for Africa’s Most Influential Women in Education and Training and partook in the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa’s Dialogue with the President of South Africa. In 2020 she presented at the International Congress of School Effectiveness and Improvement in Morocco and at the Women’s Economic Forum in Egypt and Turkey and became a member of the Al Azhar Management Board at the Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa.

Artificial Intelligence: can we codify inclusion?

One of the most important objectives in education is to prepare students for their future careers. Not only does this include skills training, but also developing the ethics and guidelines that will point the way for their careers ahead. 

Classroom Solutions Artificial Intelligence inblog image

Over the last two decades, coding and programming have emerged as some of the most desirable skills for the future. In particular, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have become major focus points. The question is, can tomorrow’s programming professionals help us to achieve greater inclusion?

Dr. Benadette Aineamani, Director of Product & Services at global education group Pearson Africa, points out that for Africa to reach its education goals by 2030, around 15 million new teachers will need to be trained. “It is possible that AI could indeed help the continent to achieve its education goals much more efficiently and promote greater inclusion throughout Africa.”

Dr. Aineamani believes that, to start, careful attention needs to be paid to the teaching and learning process. “We should be looking at the aspects of education that we as humans aren’t doing effectively, and how technology can help us to do better on these fronts. We see the best results where there is a clear need for technological interventions. AI can help to give educators a more detailed understanding of where children are struggling, identify trends and patterns, and help to develop better ways of breaking down and presenting educational content.”

She adds that it is also crucial to increase awareness of AI’s potential as a teaching tool among educators. “Simply having technology that solves the problem is not enough. You need teachers who understand what is available and how to use it. There are quite a few ways to ensure that teachers understand how to select and use AI in their classrooms, but I believe that the most effective way is through forming professional communities. Teachers and other professionals should network and communicate about what they are using and how they are achieving success. Teachers can also collaborate with programming professionals, by sharing their experiences and reviewing the content and contexts that are used in the AI tools, so that the tools developed for teaching and learning are inclusive.”

Ultimately, Dr. Aineamani points out that the potential for AI to solve Africa’s educational challenges is massive. “We definitely need more programming professionals who specialise in AI technology. Steps should be taken to ensure that the AI technology developed for teaching and learning is inclusive. Possible bias in the development process can be mitigated through extensive consultations with teachers, learners, parents and all other stakeholders in the education sector across various contexts, in the development process. In addition to that, we also need more people who are skilled at getting exposure for the solutions on offer, and who can help the end-users (educators) to utilise relevant AI to its fullest potential,” she concludes.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Benadette Aineamani is the Director: Product and Services Director for Pearson Africa.

Benadette has over 10 years’ experience in teaching Mathematics and Science (In East Africa – Uganda, and Southern Africa – South Africa). She has trained Mathematics and Science teachers in South Africa, having obtained a number of qualifications in the field. Benadette completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Mathematics and Mathematics Education at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

She has conducted numerous research in the African classroom, and written and presented research papers at a  number of conferences, both locally: Annual Congress of the Association for  Mathematics Education of South Africa (AMESA), and Southern Africa Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE), and internationally: the International Mathematics Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME) held in Hamburg, Germany; International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences held in Hiroshima, Japan; Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), held in Mexico City amongst others.

Virtual learning will lead the way for educators in SA if they have the right support

Virtual learning could be the best thing that ever happened for South African educators, provided they have the right access.

Virtual learning

Whether we like it or not, and whether we are geared for it or not, the fact remains that our lives have become more online than ever before. This is in part thanks to lockdowns inflicted on society by COVID-19, but it is apparent that we were already headed in a more virtual direction. According to Christine Evans, Head of Business Development Africa – Qualifications & International Schools at Pearson.

“There has been a growing demand for virtual learning internationally, which has been accelerated by the pandemic. Schools, universities, and all learning institutions were forced to, in a matter of weeks, completely shift to remote online learning. Not only that they had to get students on board and on track with their curriculum. Who drove this? The teachers, of course.”

For Evans, digital learning is about more than simply adding technology in classrooms. It’s a versatile term that means different things to different people from different backgrounds.

“Institutions need to be mindful of how they move from the physical to virtual learning space. We should all realise, especially in South Africa, that not all home environments are created equal and not all students are going to be set up to excel from home.”

Although the digital divide needs to be bridged for the students, the same needs to be done for the teachers for them to benefit from the increased efficiency technology can provide, as well as to enhance the student’s learning experience.

“When you implement well-defined, student-focused, teacher-powered online and blended learning, you open the door to a world of new possibilities.”  For Evans, shifting to digital allows learners to:

  • Reshape learning with student-paced, project-based, and flipped-classroom options.
  • Expand access to more students who cannot or choose not to attend brick and mortar schools due to their location or circumstances.
  • Personalise learning and cater to different progression pathways based on student interest and preference.

Digital resources are updated more readily than printed textbooks, providing students and teachers with more current information, and a wider variety of resources than a traditional classroom or library can offer. The benefits of increasing access in these ways are supported by various formal theories and philosophies of learning,” says Evans.

Although, she admits that schools may not already have the expertise required to make the transition to online teaching and learning. “At Pearson we have over 20 years’ experience in online schooling. We are readily available to partner with learning institutions and support teachers in leveraging these new technologies to effectively prepare their students for the future.”

Click here to learn more about Pearson virtual learning solutions

Is South African education ready to excel at coding and robotics?

In February, the Department of Basic Education confirmed that it would officially get going with the introduction of Coding and Robotics in South African schools. As it awaits feedback from the regulator on the proposed curriculum, Dr Benadette Aineamani, Director of Product & Services at global education group, Pearson Africa believes that aspects such as the link between Mathematics and Coding and Robotics, and the role of language in teaching and learning, need to be considered before South Africa’s schools are ready for such a technically advanced subject.

Learner coding and robotics

Having dedicated her life to understanding how teaching can be most effective, Aineamani says, “there is a need to unpack the pedagogical content knowledge that is required to teach Coding and Robotics at different phases in the schooling system.

Similar to doing Mathematics, Coding and Robotics requires learners to make sense of the challenge that is presented to them and persist to solve the problem. Concepts that are taught in Mathematics an such as algorithmic and computational thinking are also required when doing Coding and Robotics. Therefore, effective pedagogies need to be used when teaching Coding and Robotics to ensure that learners are provided with the opportunities to develop the required concepts and skills that will enable them to progress in the subject.

Part of the challenges in teaching and learning subjects such as Mathematics and Science in South Africa comes down to the language aspect. Language complexities in South African multilingual classrooms have been well researched and various recommendations have been suggested by experts in the field. Famed educationalist, Dr James Cummins is a Professor with the department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at the University of Toronto once said, “To reject a child’s language in school is to reject the child”.

In South Africa, Aineamani says that many children in Grade R-3 come to school with a language that they have already developed at home. “This is the language that they have been using to communicate, this may be not be the same as the language of teaching and learning. The school system should embrace the learner’s language that is already developed and use it as a resource to help the learner understand concepts and skills that are taught in the language of teaching and learning.”

Due to the technical nature of Coding and Robotics, Aineamani says Coding and Robotics should also be taught in a way that allows learners’ mother tongues to be used as a resource to develop the skills and concepts in the subject. “For this to be successful, a conscious effort should be made to develop an effective register for Coding and Robotics in all the official languages. This will then enable teachers and learners to have a vocabulary available to them when using any language as a resource to teach or learn concepts and skills in Coding and Robotics.”

In her role at Pearson, Aineamani believes that the starting point is to create awareness of the complexities of language, and the importance of using language as a resource in teaching and learning. “Through various engagements with teachers, we highlight the complexities of language in multilingual classrooms, and provide some tips on how teachers can use language effectively as a resource rather than a limitation in teaching and learning.”

In developing its materials, Aineamani says Pearson has put measures in place to ensure that the teaching and learning materials are accessible to multilingual learners and teachers through careful use of terms, and drawing on appropriate contexts to illustrate concepts, and developing translations where possible. In cases where translations are not possible, original content is developed within the context of various languages instead of direct copies that become lost in translation.

“As South Africa introduces Coding and Robotics in Schools, there is a need to acknowledge the challenges that have been extensively researched in the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science. Due to the link between Mathematics, Science and Coding and Robotics, these challenges can be used to inform decisions that need to be taken in order to successfully implement the subject,” concludes Aineamani.

How to help your learners develop study skills

Developing great study skills is important for learners to acquire. It ensures that the content they learned in the classroom has been understood and that they can apply their knowledge when writing tests and exams. However, learners don’t always know what study methods they can use while studying.

Boy studying at desk

Developing great study skills is important for learners to acquire. It ensures that the content they learned in the classroom has been understood and that they can apply their knowledge when writing tests and exams. However, learners don’t always know what study methods they can use while studying.

There are several study methods that learners can use to successfully study. Here are two study techniques your learners can use when studying for tests and exams.

Mnemonic

A mnemonic is a learning technique that will help your learners remember large amounts of information and not lose marks for that one point they can’t remember. There are different types of mnemonics, but we will look at two examples.

Acronym mnemonics
This is when you take the first letter of each word in your list and make a new word. For example, there are four types of rivers:
Permanent
Periodic
Episodic
Exotic

Build a new word – PEPE. Remember this word and what each letter is for. When asked, ‘What are the four types of rivers?’, all you need to remember is PEPE to jog your memory and write down the four types without forgetting one of them.

That was an easy example, now let’s look at remembering a longer list where it is difficult to make a new word.

Word mnemonics
The first letter of each word is combined to form a phrase or sentence. For example, there are 7 different drainage patterns of a river system:
Dendritic
Trellis
Rectangular
Radial
Centripetal
Deranged
Parallel

The first letter of each word is – D T R R C D P. Let’s try to make a phrase or sentence using these letters – Donald Trump Rides Rhinos Crossing Desert Plains.

When asked, ‘What are the different drainage patterns of a river system?’ Say to yourself – Donald Trump Rides Rhinos Crossing Desert Plains. This will help you to remember the first letter of each drainage pattern and you will also remember all 7 of them. Now you just have to write them down on your answer sheet.

There is no need for your learners to lose valuable marks anymore!

Mind maps

A mind map is a diagram that visually maps out, summarises or organises information. For many people, using mind maps helps them to remember information more easily.

How to make a mind map

  1. Start your mind map by writing or drawing a word or picture in the center of the page. This word or picture should represent your main idea and for the section or chapter.
  2. Draw branches extending from your central image and write a key word or draw a picture to represent your main topics (or major points) on these branches.
  3. From your main topics, draw further branches for your sub-topics drawing and/or writing keywords down as you go.
  4. From your sub-topics, branch off with more detail that supports your sub-topics with more keywords and drawings.
  5. Continue to add more detail, more topics more sub-topics until you have completely summarised the section or chapter on the page.

Using drawings, keywords and various colours will also make it easier and more interesting when preparing for exams.

Why make mind maps?

  • When creating your mind map, you use both sides of your brain.
  • Like your brain, a mind map works with links, connections, and associations.
  • A mind map makes it easier to remember facts.
  • A mind map helps you to become more creative.
  • A mind map allows ideas to flow easily.
  • A mind map can be read and reviewed quickly and easily.
  • It is easy to see how ideas are related on a mind map.
  • A mind map uses keywords to improve memory and saves time.
  • A mind map focuses on the main idea and then connects the other ideas.
  • A mind map allows you to make easy additions.
  • All the information on a section or chapter is on one page.
  • Mind mapping optimises your brain’s potential fully.

Helping your learners develop effective study techniques will not only assist them in getting good marks but will also help them develop healthy study habits they can apply in tertiary education.

Checklist for successful home learning: Three ways to maximise online learning

Nitesh Ramlagan, General Manager: Schools, Higher Education and TVET from Pearson believes that institutions need to be mindful of how they move from the physical to virtual learning space. “We should all realise, especially in South Africa, that not all home environments are created equal and not all students are going to be set up to excel from home.”  

Teacher teaching online

When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a hard lockdown in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, along with this came the closure of all public schools for the foreseeable future. Suddenly millions of learners were expected to move from the classroom to a comfortable space in their home.  

Nitesh Ramlagan, General Manager: Schools, Higher Education and TVET from the world’s learning company Pearson believes that institutions need to be mindful of how they move from the physical to virtual learning space. “We should all realise, especially in South Africa, that not all home environments are created equal and not all students are going to be set up to excel from home.”  

If you are a learning institution, Ramlagan provides a few insights into how learning institutions can best empower their learners and students to dive into digital learning:  

Make it accessible to ALL students 

Don’t move everything online if all your students cannot take full advantage of it says Ramlagan. “When you think about online learning, it helps to remember that we still live in South Africa and there is a huge gap between the haves and the have nots. If you are going to take further steps towards a more comprehensive online learning ecosystem, you have to offer access to those who aren’t as privileged at home.” 

Ramlagan says this could come in the form of a computer lab, free Wi-Fi or even discounted data bundles for increased mobile connectivity.  

Get the parents and guardians on board  

Ramlagan says we must admit to ourselves that we are all walking through unchartered territory when it comes to maximising the value of the digital learning experience. “We all know that youngsters can be hard to motivate even before the pandemic and when they were in the classroom. Parents and teachers need to have a stronger connection when it comes to ensuring their children remain motivated and active.”  

Don’t forget about social interaction  

We are social creatures at the end of the day, so if we are all separated, Ramlagan believes it is up to the teacher to create opportunities for students to connect with each other as part of the online curriculum.  

“As educators, we are responsible to keep our students engaged. When everyone is online, encourage conversation, use breakout rooms and give your students the space to interact with each other. There is nothing more powerful than giving learners the opportunity to figure out a problem amongst themselves.”  

What people demand from their learning is changing. COVID-19 has accelerated the trend to digital-first in every part of our lives. Millions more people are connected to the internet. There’s been massive disruption to the world’s workforce and to education. Governments and businesses need their people to learn new skills and adapt. Learning is the key to that change, and to the new opportunities it creates. 

Tackling South Africa dropout crisis in South African schools

Dr Veronique Genniker, Director: Marang Education Trust in partnership with, Pearson South Africa, talks about tackling the dropout crisis in South African schools.

High School Learner

Recently, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga revealed that only 68% of South Africa’s youths complete Grade 11, and about 52% graduates Matriculate.

While there are indeed many factors that contribute to this significant dropout rate (such as family responsibility, weak learning foundations and poverty), the most common reason for dropping out of school is repeating grades. Given the massive disruption that the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown has already had on the education system, it is expected that failure rates will likely increase for at least the next year or two.

Over their lifetime, international studies have shown that dropouts typically earn less, suffer from poorer health as adults, and are more likely to commit crime than those who complete school. Educational institutions around the country urgently need new strategies to ensure that fewer grade failures occur, and secondly that fewer learners drop out of school because of having to repeat grades.

First and foremost, better engagement with parents should be a priority. Parent involvement in learners’ school activity tends to decline as students get older, yet dropouts typically occur at the higher grades. Considering this, staying in regular contact with parents, providing more regular feedback and keeping parents informed of interventions and academic support for struggling learners, should be considered.

Next, cultivating stronger relationships with individual learners can also aid in retaining potential dropouts. Encouraging small groups of students to regularly meet and speak with staff members have been shown to give learners the structure and support that they may need to perform better academically, and remain in school if they happen to fail a grade.

From there, having policies and protocols in place to identify early warning signs in learners can make a significant difference. Collaborating with staff, parents and other academic institutions can provide multiple sources of information that could be used to gauge a learner’s progress and state of mind – and ultimately help to identify signs of potential failures long before they escalate into a situation where the learner leaves school.

Lastly, rethinking the school’s schedules may be an important factor in helping learners succeed. Keep in mind that in many communities, issues such as load shedding, public transport issues and many more factors can have a profound impact on learners’ energy levels and ability to attend school on time. Forward-thinking schools should keep these challenges in mind when scheduling tests, exams, and school attendance times.

While these interventions are by no means easy to incorporate into an already-busy school, we believe that they are incredibly necessary if South Africa is to make any improvements to its dismal education numbers.