Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Given the current worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that a nationwide lockdown will be implemented for 21 days as coronavirus cases rise. The sudden upheaval of COVID-19 disruptions is pushing many South Africans into full time online teaching and learning for the first time. This urgent learning need is leading to increased usage of digital learning materials and online teacher training, with demand continuing to grow.
Reggie Mokotsi, Executive Head: Learning Resources, Pearson South Africa said, “As South Africans, we are all in this fight together to flatten the curve of this virus and as such need to create solutions that will ensure learning continues, even if it can’t happen in face-to-face setting”. To assist learners during this difficult time, Pearson South Africa has granted learners, teachers, educators and working professionals’ access to the following online learning sites:
For teachers, parents and learners
Classroom Solutions
Pearson believes that effective teachers are fundamental to the success of a learner’s journey and part of what makes a good teacher great is their desire to continually learn and improve. Classroom Solutions offers FREE downloadable teaching and learning resources.
Visit Classroom Solutions Website
Letterland
Letterland is a phonics-based approach to teaching reading, writing and spelling for 3 to 10-year olds. It was created to teach phonics using a story-based approach. The story logic engages learners leading to long term retention of concepts. What’s more, Letterland is wonderfully multi-sensory. It activates every learning channel through music, actions, alliteration, movement, song, art, games and role-play.
Letterland school customers can set up their teachers and learners with access to Phonics Online whilst schools remain closed due to the Coronavirus. Since Phonics Online is web-based, this will mean that learners can access Letterland animations, songs and readers at home. FREE downloads and resources available.
Smart-Kids (Grade R – 7)
The Smart-Kids series provides relevant, South African educational material based on CAPS for Grades R to 7. The series is aimed at developing young learners’ skills in Languages and Mathematics in a fun and interactive way. On the Smart-Kids website parents will find fun worksheets for their child to practise their Maths and Languages skills. There are also extra online activities, such as readers, flashcards, worksheets and tests in Mathematics, English and Afrikaans.
The Parenting tips and Homework help blogs contain up-to-date advice, information and tips written by teachers.
X-kit Achieve (Grade 8 – 12)
Written by expert teachers, X-kit Achieve offers a wide range of study resources, including study guides, literature study guides, exam practice books. Pearson’s study guides make learning, understanding, revising and practicing for test and exams easy. The X-kit Achieve website provides learners with additional support. Learners can search subject glossaries for definitions of key terms, get study advice and tips, access quick revision cards and find the study resources needed to help them keep up with their school work and be ready for tests and exams.
For Higher Education
MyLab and Mastering
MyLab and Mastering has a collection of online homework, tutorial, and assessment products designed to improve the results of all higher education students. This platform has input from more than 11 million students’ users and creates learning experiences that are personalised and continuously adaptive.
To support our goal of helping each learner succeed, Pearson South Africa is offering free standalone MyLab and Mastering access to tertiary institutions where they can commit to full adoption in the second semester or in 2021. Where this is not feasible, standalone access will be made available at a discounted rate. T’s and C’s apply.
Contact your Key Account Manager for more information.
eBooks
Pearson South Africa has entered into an agreement with Perlego to give students 1-month FREE access to the subscription-based service.
Visit Perlego Online Learing Library
Webinars
If you are already using Pearson digital materials, the move to online teaching can go very quickly. We’re offering free webinars and best practices to help you make a strong transition. Along with this you’ll gain access to a robust suite of instructional resources to help you make the move quickly and efficiently.
To find out more, please contact our team of Key Account Managers.
For Professionals
Pearson Professional
Pearson is offering free online professional courses for those working from home to upskill and stay learning. These programmes offer outstanding content from edX’s top university partner programs to acquire competencies most in demand by employers.
- Data Science, Harvard (6 April / 4 May)
- Supply Chain Analytics, MIT (15 April)
- Computing in Python, Georgia Tech (4 May)
- Corporate Finance, University of Maryland (11 May)
Visit the Pearson Professional website to register.
Pearson urges people to remember that studying on your own is not easy, more so when the entire world is practicing social distancing. Mokotsi shares some tips to help cope during this trial period:
- Allocate time between five to seven hours in your day for school work
- Create a timetable and stick to it
- Wake up at a usual time and prepare yourself as you would on a normal school day
- Set up a school desk station at home with no or limited interruption
- Communicate with everyone at home that they should be limited interruptions during your set times
- Have breaks, walk outside in the garden for 5-10 minutes in between your studies
- Be disciplined and don’t postpone work to the next day
- Reach out to your teacher online for support
“Hundreds of millions of students around the world are facing the most significant disruption to education in modern history. It’s more important than ever that learning continues, even if it can’t happen in person,” said John Fallon, CEO of Pearson. “Learners, teachers and families are at the heart of everything Pearson does. If we band together, we can all do our part to keep learning going and ease the burden of this unprecedented time.”
More information about these resources can be found at: https://za.pearson.com/helping-education-during-pandemic.html or visit the Pearson South Africa webpage at https://za.pearson.com/ to learn more about the education provider.
Additional learning tools to support educators, students and parents are being added daily.
