‘Best teacher in the world’ offers home-schooling tips
Kenyan, Peter Tabichi, who won the Global Teacher Prize for 2019, has provided advice for home-schooling as many countries push for this method of teaching during the coronavirus pandemic…
While countries such as South Africa have set June 1 as the date for the reopening of schools for certain grades, the Institute of Public Opinion Survey Sector (IPSOS) has revealed data illustrating that only two out of 16 countries are comfortable with their children going back to school.
Tabichi told the BBC that there are a number of strategies parents can employ while home-schooling during national lockdowns.
He sees organisation as key to successful home-schooling and urges parents to create a schedule so that their children start and finish their studies at the same time each day. The need for breaks, time for fun and physical exercise are just as important.
“Children need freedom as well as boundaries, so don’t feel like you have to be strict all the time,” Tabichi advised.
“You can turn any space in your home into a classroom, and you don’t need a degree to teach your child important lessons.”
Top tips for learning at home from @PeterTabichi, the best teacher in the world.????️???? pic.twitter.com/t2ND5nM5jt
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) May 20, 2020
You don’t need a degree to teach children important lessons
Tabichi emphasised that parents do not need a degree to teach their children important lessons, such as where food comes from or how to start subsistence farming at home. He also encouraged parents to involve their children in tasks such as laundry and sewing
He said the time spent at home must also be spent to inform children about the coronavirus pandemic, ease their fear of the disease and give them hope.
Tabichi earned his Global Teacher Prize last year for donating 80% of his salary to helping the poor. His dedication and hard work allowed his under-resourced school in Kenya to perform better than the East African country’s best schools in national science competitions, according to the Global Teacher Prize organisers.
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