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SteveJobsSchools open in Gauteng next year

17 Nov 2015

The SteveJobsSchool concept is set to take off in South Africa, rolling out at flagship campuses in Ruimsig and Randburg in January 2016. The schools will have open days in November, December and January.

SteveJobsSchools open in Gauteng next year

Recently named 'One of the Most Innovative Schools in the World', with 49 schools internationally, sister schools will open their doors in Europe, Dubai and Brazil in September 2016.

For many years, educators believed that the 'assembly line' method of education was the only way. However, the world is rapidly evolving and a new era of thinking is starting a learning revolution. In 2013, seven SteveJobsSchools serving 1000, 4-12 year-olds opened their doors in Amsterdam and Almere. Because of their focus on learning through iPads, these institutions, pioneered by market researcher and entrepreneur Maurice de Hond - became known as the "SteveJobsSchools" - trading locally as SteveJobsSchool Avalon.

The internationally acclaimed SteveJobsSchool model is based on every child having an independent learning plan (ILP), centred on their own way of learning, their strengths, preferences and choices. In these schools, children choose daily what they learn and the workshops they attend. The school is available 24/7 and the learning plan, educational programs and millions of educational apps can be accessed from any smart device such as an iPad or a smartphone.

Children attend 30-minute workshops on various subjects, there are no seating plans and 45% of learning takes place on an iPad, which every child is given when they join. Children work on learning projects of their choice such as creating a real small business, cultivating vegetables in their own patch or taking part in group projects, such as building a shelter or working towards an art exhibition. Children are encouraged to choose a daily physical activity or sport such as soccer and to make time for activities such as art or quiet time in the Silent Square.

The concept is supported with adaptive math and language programmes that adjust to the child's level, as well as child specific teacher support and workshops on a variety of topics. Teachers, known as coaches, are linked via their devices to all students and keep track of their learning with analytics and diagnostics. They provide individual help to students who need it and monitor others who are progressing well. Children set six weekly learning goals, with the help of their parents and Core Coach.

Jenny Retief, a teacher who taught in public and private South African Schools for 15 years, says, "Many schools try to fix the broken system by introducing tablets and other devices into schools. The 'blended learning' system however hasn't been very successful and has been criticised for not changing anything at all, besides moving from hardcopy textbooks to device textbooks. The system needs to change, not just the format of the textbook. SteveJobsSchools offers a whole new approach."

According to de Hond, children learn much better if they have choice and are interested in what they are learning. "At the SteveJobsSchool children do a lot of training in maths and languages with adaptive programmes that frees up teacher time to spend on individuals who need it. Children follow their own learning path, which might be faster or slower than the norm and is also suited to their style of learning."

All students in the SteveJobsSchool receive iPads fully loaded with apps to guide this individualised learning. The aim is to encourage the children to design their own education with input and assistance from parents and teachers. With this concept, no child is an exception, every child works at their own pace.

According to SteveJobsSchools, additional campuses are envisioned for the future, as the team seek opportunities to launch more schools and possibly transforming existing local schools.

Median school fees range from R3300 per month, with Early Learning Centre fees starting from R2000 per month. Schools open 13 January 2016 from 7.30am to 1.30pm.