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Waterfall News

oNLINE LEARNINg IN

ThE TIME oF coVID-19

2020 has presented

one of the biggest

challenges the world

has had to face in quite

some time. With not

much time to prep,

South Africa entered

a lockdown period,

tumbling many sectors

into a state of disarray.

F ew have risen to the challenge

of operating remotely during
lockdown as effectively as
the educational institutions.
Curro Waterfall is a shining example
of just how effective a school can
be at not only moving operations
online and helping parents and
pupils manage this change, but
also providing support in the
fight against the pandemic.

We recently had the opportunity to
chat with Dr Wilfred Bock, Executive
Head of Curro Waterfall, and raynard new generation, we’ve just been Considering the dramatic change,
Claassens, Director of Meraki rolling with it and our programme there is plenty of support for teachers,
Media, (who is the videographer has been very successful.” students and parents during this
and online content creator for time. As parents are now in charge
the school), about their efforts in As many as 60 lessons have already of their children’s learning, the
successfully taking lessons online been recorded and made available school has provided them with solid
and providing teachers and parents online, and teachers are running guidelines on how to get the most
with guidance during this time. online sessions daily during standard out of a school day, from how to ask
school hours. “In that first week the right questions to encourage
Classes had to be moved online before lockdown we filmed about learning, to keeping a routine, and
almost overnight, and while this was 25 lessons, so it was a very action- even how to share the load… some
an adjustment for the staff, pupils packed week,” adds Claassens. parents have banded together into
and parents of Curro Waterfall, the tutoring groups, each parent taking
school was comfortably positioned Much like everything at Curro Waterfall, a day of the week to be responsible
already to take on the challenge. the online learning programme is for the group’s learning that day. This
As Dr Bock says, “Coming from a not focused solely on academics. method has not only helped take

18 Waterfall Issue 6 2020