Parents around the country are expected to take charge of their child's learning this week. Te Puke Primary School principal and Western Bay of Plenty Principals Association president Shane Cunliffe answers your questions about teaching your child at home.
Coronavirus Covid 19: A teacher answers all your home education questions
Bay of Plenty Times
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Your home does not have to be a school. Learning happens anywhere and everywhere and your home is already a learning environment. It is not necessary to turn your home into a classroom.
Communicate with your child's teacher. They will have a plan for learning at home – you aren't expected to replace the teacher. For us, the priority will be our kaiako checking in and connecting with our ākonga daily through Facebook, Google classroom, Zoom and by phone and supporting whānau any way that we can.
How should I structure my child's day?
Your home is already a learning environment. Remember that learning should be fun, and it should be in the language you are most comfortable with using. Plan what your day will look like. Sit down with your children and work out what you will be doing together and what they will be doing alone. It's important to take regular breaks, get outside for fresh air and do physical activity.
Your school will give you a basic plan, although this will differ from school to school. We are making this quite holistic trying to tap into learning opportunities at home, along with more formal learning opportunities for those whānau that require it.
For more information support and guidance in this area connect with your teacher or the Ministry of Education website: https://learningfromhome.govt.nz/
What advice do you have for parents at each age level?
This unique and trying time that we are all going through will be governed by wellbeing, hauora, what is best for your child right now, and being there for one another.
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If learning is not the number one priority because of immediate circumstances then adapt and respond to what is needed at any given time. Take the time, lower the stress levels and connect at a level that is needed - for all.
What are some ways parents can educate and motivate kids using everyday activities?
You are essentially your child's first teacher and know their names, needs and numbers, their strengths, talents and the things that turn them off or on at any given time. What does your child love to do at home? What are their urges, passions and strengths? What lights their fire? Is it climbing trees, building huts, baking and cooking with Dad, singing songs or gardening with Nana? Is it having bike races with their siblings around the lawn, shooting hoops with Dad or weaving harakeke mats or mowing lawns with Mum? Whatever it is, so many learning opportunities can stem from it.
I'm also working from home, how can I also educate my child?
Brainstorm and plan with your child the night before/the morning of - how you can connect with this innate love of life (learning) your child has in their own environment and interest areas. Make a list of must do's and can-dos so there are co-constructed goals for the day aligned to times of the day that you are available.
My challenge to you would be to use this unique time and your incredible knowledge of your child as a resource for creativity that all teachers have to find and tap into in a traditional education environment. You can do this.
What if we don't have all the equipment needed to learn from home?
If you do not have "hard materials", get your children outside in the fresh air and exploring the environment around them. Incorporate the world around them: nature, plants, exercise challenges, scavenger hunts and use fences, paving and their local neighbourhood (while keeping their bubble intact).
Connect with your school Facebook page, connect with your child's teacher, and use what you have at home: recycling bins, buckets, old or broken machines or appliances to tinker with. Most importantly, be present. Question, question and question, read, read and read to them, you may never get this same intimate time together again.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
