Lockdown learning through a student's eyes
To combat the impact of COVID-19, the Aga Khan Academy Maputo decided to make the transition to online learning on 23 March 2020. Even before President Nyusi’s announcement about school closures, teachers were preparing their students to learn at home. One of these students is Ana Miambo from Maputo.
Ana Miambo, a Grade 6 student, joined the Academy this year in January as part of the Talent Identification Programme, which provides students with a full scholarship to attend the Academy. She was recognised for her academic acumen and rigour. Coming to the Academy from another school in the city, her parents now find that she is being challenged and her potential as a student has been tapped.
Her journey at the Academy has been rather peculiar with the onset of the lockdown. Not foreign to adapting to new environments, Ana slowly adapted to learning from home and now lauds the power of technology for enabling her to continue her learning journey.
She shares how she was prepared for the new method of learning that has been adapted by the AKA Maputo. She explained how grateful she is for the support she receives from her teachers and hopes to use her new online skills to reach new heights in her academic career.
“When I learned that the Academy was going to close, I felt sad and knew that I would miss face-to-face classes, teachers, colleagues, the library and everyone who is part of the Academy, but we were prepped for the transition to online learning and even provided with laptops and internet dongles if needed. I am a residential student so our dorm parent helped us prepare our bags and informed us about the date and time of departure to ensure that we arrived home safely.
The first day of online learning was nerve-wracking. I felt nervous because I did not master the platform straight away, but over time I have adapted to it. When I had difficulty understanding some work, the teachers helped me finish my assignments in the desired time.
Our teachers support us by giving thorough explanations and examples of exercises that make us understand the topic. It is difficult at times to understand the work without the teacher being present to explain it. But we use ManageBac, Google Docs, Zoom meetings and assignments in our online classes and learn through email. Although I miss my friends and colleagues, we communicate via email so I stay in touch with them. Working online has enabled me to help my colleagues and learn from them through tasks set by teachers on Google Docs because they are shared by everyone.
In the first month of online learning I have gained skills as a researcher, improved my reading skills and managed to expand my comprehension using technology. My knowledge of technology, Science and English has improved a lot now that I learn virtually from home. What I learned about technology is that it not only enables us to learn from a distance, but also provides a medium of communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has the power to bring us close to each other which facilitates the exchange of ideas.
I would like to thank my teachers for supporting me on this path and making me a good leader. They have made sure that all our work is up to date and reminded us that it is important to be prepared for class even if we’re away from school. If I were at school I would love to be studying in the library, but I can try to do the same at home by doing exercises of any subject sitting at the table designated to study.”
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