How to easily complete practical subjects through home education
Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn”. His words emphasise the idea that we learn by performing practical tasks. This is especially true for learners studying subjects such as Dramatic Arts, Agricultural Sciences, Hospitality Studies, etc. Some home-education learners, however, shy away from these subjects because they are worried that they will not be able to complete the practical components at home. But that should not be the case.
Our Chief Education Specialist in Services Subjects and Technology, Marietjie Smit, gives a few tips on how home-education learners can easily complete practical subjects.
- Be informed. Make sure that you’re informed about the number of practical tasks that should be completed during the academic year and that you complete the tasks in full. If you’re unsure or need more information, contact the relevant education specialist at Impaq.
- Find the right assessor. Many curriculum providers, such as Impaq, arrange assessment opportunities for home-education learners throughout the year. Learners can also arrange the assessment for the practical assessment tasks (PATs) themselves. The learner must find a suitable person (a teacher with experience in the relevant subject) and then apply to Impaq to use this person as an assessor. If the person meets all the requirements, the assessor will be approved and the learner will be able to complete the assessment on their own time.
- Manage your time well. It is very important to make sure that you know when each practical task has to be completed in order to submit the marks before the submission deadline.
- Get more experience and exposure. Work as many hours as possible at various organisations for experience, e.g. learners studying Hospitality Studies can work at different restaurants while learners studying Agricultural Management Practices can gain experience by working alongside farmers.
- Do research. For practical subjects, it is extremely important to do research on the latest practices. Use the internet, TV channels, newspapers and other reliable sources to get information about a particular subject or topic.
- Practise your skills. Contact schools or tutor centres in your area to enter competitions to practise your newly learned skills.
- Participate in Impaq’s training sessions. On request, Impaq’s education specialists can visit tutor centres to demonstrate to Grade 10, 11 and 12 learners how practical tasks should be completed. These training sessions are, however, subject to the education specialists’ availability. Learners taking Hospitality Studies or Consumer Studies will receive a certificate after completing the training.
- Ask for help. Successfully completing a practical subject requires the parents’ support. Parents need to ensure that learners have the necessary equipment, e.g. appliances, ingredients, etc. They can also help learners by being actively involved and researching opportunities for them to practise their skills. If financially possible, parents can enrol learners for extra short courses, e.g. learners taking Hospitality Studies can complete a baking course such as those offered by Anchor Yeast.
