Teaching moves online for junior primary school in La Lucia

WHEN the nationwide lockdown was implemented by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the end of March, most schools across the country had to adapt the way they teach to accommodate learners.

What emerged was the rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is done remotely on digital platforms and apps. One of those schools who has adapted incredibly well to online learning is La Lucia Junior Primary School.

The school has made use of the Seesaw App which principal, Jen Harman, says has been perfect for her Foundation Phase Learners.

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“When the lockdown was announced we had a very short time to decide on how we could teach our children remotely. Initially we sent home books and made use of WhatsApp to help children during the first phase of the lockdown. However, when we realised the lockdown would be extended, we began looking at online platforms that would best suit the children at the school. I think it is important to remember that the Foundation Phase our school caters for is very interactive and we needed an app that allowed us to maintain that connection.

“We also needed an app that would work for our children and the parents due to their work schedules. We found that Seesaw has worked wonders with our learners because we’ve been able to keep that connection between teachers and learners. It also isn’t too data intensive. Using the app we are able to give feedback on their work and it allows the parents that bit of flexibility they need,” she explained.

Harman said while the adjustment to online teaching was challenging initially, the teachers at the school were quick to adjust and come to the fore.

“They’ve all come on board and adapted to this lockdown in ways we never thought possible. They have been able to use the app to keep the children interested and engaged, whilst keeping up with the curriculum,” she said.

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