AS South Africans undertake a national lockdown, the unprecedented disruption will see parents turn to tools for distance or online education, on-going teacher support and access to academic material.
This follows the extended public and private schools’ closure as the nation scrambles to protect themselves from the Covid-19 viral disease pandemic.
With little or no time to prepare for this disruption, South African families are suddenly having to figure out how to help their kids learn at home.
“This is a sudden change of plan and closures may be extended. The pace of learning should be kept up, as far as possible. We cannot lose this momentum,” said academic director and founder of the online iWhiz programme, Dr Tholsia Naidoo.
The Covid-19 epidemic in general, creates new challenges within a schooling sector which is already stretched. Regular routines have been disrupted and this can give rise to insecurity, experts say.
Thankfully, access to e-learning platforms such as iWhiz, is available for kids and their parents, offering a comprehensive schooling curriculum which is aligned to the Department of Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) guidelines.
“The iWhiz programme, is best defined as a learner’s fun ‘teacher in your pocket’ solution, which incorporates gaming, robotics and animation into the teaching space. Children have access to extensive learning material that is fully aligned to the South African CAPS curriculum and is relevant for learners from Grade R to matric level,” explained Naidoo.
The iWhiz programme offers learners traditional school lessons that are incorporated into bite sized three-minute animated videos containing relevant content taught in the classroom using a virtual teacher. It is fun, entertaining and relevant. In addition, there are a series of quizzes that test the learners understanding of each section and gaming used to test the terms work covered.
As families adjust to social distancing measures, parents are equipping themselves to shift to the significant role of being a teacher.
“This is where iWhiz makes this shift even easier for parents. By using fun filled animated tools that children relate to and enjoy, teaching becomes far easier as we see more children embrace the content instead to turn away from it. It’s packaged with the intention of engaging the child,” added Naidoo.
Naidoo emphasised the importance of learner support during the stipulated 21-day lockdown period adding that it would bridge the gap during this time and see learners more prepared when they return to school.
To learn more about iWhiz, visit: www.iwhiz.co.za, Facebook.com/iwhiz, Instagram.com/iwhiz or Twitter.com/iwhiz1.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
