Archives: education

Teaching Tips for the Pre-School Teacher

Teaching Preschool Children in the 21st Century

 

Children learn very differently form adults. Rather than rote learning, preschool teachers should focus on ways to get the kids’ undivided attention. Savvy teachers develop all sorts of tricks to make sure young children learn. Where education involves little children, innovation is the key.

This is where the importance of excellent teaching tools comes in. Learning materials that use multimedia is one powerful tool to catch a child’s attention. Nursery rhymes are best learned when they carry a tune. Hence the Pinwheel Series includes CDs that children can sing-along with.

The challenge for preschool teachers is always how to make the learning experience fun simply because that is just how children learn.

Preparing for Junior Secondary School

Getting Ready for Junior Secondary School

 

While we say that early childhood education is the first formal teaching a child gets outside the home, it primary school is the building blocks for junior secondary schools. During this stage in a child’s education, lessons are more structured and follow a curriculum that is monitored by a country’s education system.

Primary education now involves subjects like Math, English, Science, and Social Studies which conform to a set of acceptable criteria. For example, school books in Nigeria are created to conform to the standards of the Universal Basic Education (UBE). Subjects like computer studies and quantitative reasoning are good preparation for junior secondary education. Children who have learned the basics of these are better equipped and empowered to take on the challenges of higher learning.

Beyond the Classroom

Sending children to school does not free parents from the responsibility of nurturing their kids simply because education does not happen inside the classroom only. At home, parents have the obligation of following up their little children to make sure that homework given at school is accomplished.

Homework books are excellent tools to test the understanding of the child on the lessons at school. The Jumbo Activity Book from the Pinwheel Series is a product of innovation in early childhood education. Just like the school books in Nigeria, they were created to meet the basic learning needs of little children.

Parents are the teachers’ partners in education. When a healthy learning atmosphere is fostered at home, children come to school excited and ready to learn new things.

The Nigerian Educational System

The Nigerian educational system is divided into three sectors: the first nine years (primary to junior secondary) being the basic, the next three years is called the post basic or senior secondary and then after that the tertiary phase. The basic education curriculum is aimed at providing children a solid foundation for scientific knowledge and critical thinking as well as laying the framework for permanent literacy. Alongside with these goals is the honing of life skills that makes these children grow to be responsible and respectable citizens in the community.

The nine-year basic education program is based on the Universal Basic Education curriculum which Nigeria has adapted in its bid to uplift the country’s standard of learning and be part of the global development for best practices in education. This means that all books in basic education are created in line with the UBE standards. Learning materials like First Veritas’ Junior Secondary Titles, Universal Basic Series, Pinwheel Series, and the Smart Kids Series are no exception. They were all meticulously designed not only to comply with the regulations but to better equip Nigerian children for global competitiveness.

Education Starts from the Basics

 

The Relevance Of A Solid Basic Education

 

Basic education needs a solid foundation. It adheres to the basic principle of construction – the deeper your foundation is, the higher your structure can go. When a nation envisions seeing its children blossom into responsible and respectable citizens, it has to train its sight on the relevance of its early childhood education program. Young minds have great potentials wanting to be discovered. Education’s role is to harness these potentials to allow possibilities to become realities.

Nursery and pre-primary books should be created to respond to the unique learning requirements of little children. They should not only be mentally stimulating but fun as well. Children learn through play so their books should be enjoyable and engaging.  Educational organizations should make it a point to create their learning materials to cater to these exceptional needs.  Books like the Pinwheel Series and Smart Kids Series are examples of innovation at work for better education solutions.

How to Develop a Pre-School Curriculum

Making Pre-School Curriculum Relevant

 

A child’s learning needs are special. During these tender years more emphasis should be placed on the total development of the child. This being said, pre-school curriculum should not be only about cognitive learning. Child education experts worldwide agree that the best approach to early childhood education in order to attain powerful and positive results is the multi-skill method. This means that school books should not only cater to intellectual development. Equally important areas for development are creative, social, communication, and motor skills.

Children absorb more through play rather than rote learning. Hence it is important that books are created to make the learning process interesting and fun for small children. Colorful pictures and drawings are one of the best ways to achieve this. The Pinwheel series for instance has featured innovations like sing along CDs to make learning rhymes easy and enjoyable.

Interactive Learning in Nigerian Primary Schools

The advancement in technology has brought a relevant change to the primary school curriculum in Nigeria.  In order to equip Nigerian students for 21st century education, its government is gearing its sight towards meeting the challenges of making their syllabus more responsive and pertinent to modern education. School books that are products of innovation are being introduced to primary schools to enhance student learning.

The Universal Basic Series of books were created for that same purpose. Its provider envisions producing empowered pupils that are ready to take on bigger challenges as they prepare for secondary school. Hence, these learning materials are designed for interactive learning so that young minds will be trained for higher level thinking. It covers a wide range of topics that are meticulously sequenced to allow interlinked and progressive learning.

Developing The Potentials Of A Primary School Pupil

One of the most important stages in schooling is the primary education.  The necessity of a good primary education program cannot be taken lightly because this is where the basics are laid and develop. When the foundation principles are not properly taught or assimilated during these years, children will have difficulty understanding the more complicated lessons in secondary school or at the university. Worse, students will no longer be confident to take higher education simply because they find the lessons too difficult to understand.

On the other hand, a solid foundation prepares the student to tackle higher education with confidence. Learning materials that comply to set standards of educations like the Universal Basic Series are great tools that could empower students toward excellence. These books feature innovations that are aimed to hone the primary students’ potentials to the maximum. With the implementation of the UBE curriculum, primary school books in Nigeria should be created in line with its requirements.

Things to Consider before Establishing a School in Nigeria

Putting Up A School In Nigeria: Things You Need To Consider

 

There a lot of things one needs to consider when putting up a school in Nigeria. Other than the usual concerns like infrastructure and manpower, running a school has other needs inherent to the nature of the business itself. Education may be considered a lucrative business by a lot of entrepreneurs but one has to make sure that quality is maintained to the highest standards possible.

 

Make modern innovations work for you. Running a school necessitates a system that takes care of its database. Manually managing a large volume of information will be impractical and expensive hence investing in an excellent school technology system is wise.

There is also the standard for school books to consider. There are superintending bodies that oversee the quality of school books in Nigeria.

Nigerian Student, Global Student?

The recent implementation of the Universal Basics Education curriculum in Nigeria is a step towards equipping and empowering their students to become globally competitive.  Aligning school books in Nigeria with internationally acceptable standards is a proof that the government is taking positive steps towards giving its citizens 21st century education.

With the world increasingly becoming connected, the need for innovation in education comes to the fore. Technology has brought so many advantages to the teaching process that enable learning to take place in more effective ways. Nigeria has been responsive to the call of change. The future is bright. Soon, Nigerian students will be able to confidently say “I am a Nigerian student and I am internationally competitive”.