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Tinotenda Neema
Infant learners risk being left out of online lessons that are being used as a stop gap measure to mitigate the effects of the lockdown.

With school lessons suspended and no end in sight to when they will resume, educational institutions have turned to online learning platforms to reach out to learners in order to mitigate effects of the global coronavirus pandemic.

However, the infant group is being left out because they cannot read or write, let alone surf the internet on their own.

Dzidzo Inhaka, a pro-infant e-Learning and computer education institution was inspired by the national crisis to break a new ground.

On Monday it held a WhatsApp based virtual workshop for infant teachers meant to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 lockdown.

More than 50 directors, teachers, and administrators from as far as Umguza, Chiredzi, Guruve, Bulawayo, Macheke, Penhalonga  and Harare participated in the virtual workshop that was designed to upskill teachers with strategies on how to conduct online lessons for infants.

Speaking after the workshop, the founder and executive director of Dzidzo Inhaka E-learning and the Cape Town based Double Click E-learning, Shepherd Chimururi, said the exclusion of infants from available online platforms like Zoom, Skype, Google Classroom, Loom etc. was working against infants.

“These platforms are discriminatory in nature because they require users to be highly literate in numeracy and language. Advanced physical manipulation skills are a must again yet infants are still at foundation stage.

The infant learners who are currently stuck at home need to learn digital skills because of age. Looking at the digital literacy rate of our parents, their ability to use these platforms to assist the infants is very low. Add the steep price of data that is required every day to use the platforms and erratic network, you find it is not sustainable and anti-infant.

“These challenges inspired us to develop home-grown solutions using the WhatsApp platform because the majority of parents are very familiar with WhatsApp and they use it every day yet how many parents know Zoom or how to operate it and who will teach them and when?

“In short, this critical Covid-19 crisis needs instant solutions that fit in our context where digital literacy is very low in both teachers and families. So educating the teacher to use a programme not known by parents is not helpful.”

The critical topic of content presentation styles on the WhatsApp platform was also dealt with as teachers were urged to use all the four formats of WhatsApp namely images, text, voice notes and videos since infants learn by demonstration.

The teachers were urged to include practical subjects like computers, physical education, agriculture, science and discovery by way of sending demonstrative videos and allow the children learn at home under the supervision of parents.

The participants learnt how to engage parents about online lessons.

Chimururi further encouraged the infant educators to advise parents on type of phones to use, amount of data needed and the space and to buy the children their own phones.

“Your approach must be two tier system – for gadget and academic assistance you talk to parents and for academic assignment you talk to learners.

“Inform parents of lesson time a day or two in advance then remind them in the morning afternoon at four hour, two hour and 30-minute intervals before. If times clash you can have morning and evening classes,” he suggested.

Other topics that were covered included online lesson planning, teacher presentation tips, online lessons timetable and timing, engaging Infants during online lessons, online lesson assessment – how to mark written work online, etc.

Commenting on the workshop, Joyce Timale Andrigu Mbewe, the director of Oil of Joy Junior School like all the participants was all smiles.

She said: “This was one of the most educative, thrilling and knowledge online workshop I have attended. I learnt online lessons am different in terms of knowledge than before the virtual workshop.’’

Some of the schools that were represented include Lionsgate Private College, Shingirai Primary, Quality Junior School, Chishamiso Primary, Kinderkastle Infant School, Shining Star Junior, Smiling Faces Pre-school, Kwality Pre-school, Genesis Early Learning Centre, Huxton Group of Schools, Derbyshire Junior School, Hakuna Matata International School, Inkosi Pre-school, Fun and Laughter Infant School, Talent Star, Creative Junior, Jewels Early Learning Centre and Little Angels, among others.

After the workshop the participants were awarded certificates of participation.

Tinotenda Neema is 17 years old and is part of Dzidzo Inhaka E-Learning Centre based in Harare.