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Change Makers

If we fail to plan, we plan to fail. So planning is critical before a school year commences.

 

Ronke Adeniyi, a serial education entrepreneur and best-selling author, talks about how to get the new academic year off to a good start

Ronke Adeniyi, or RonkePosh as she is called, is a serial education entrepreneur who loves to empower and motivate the young to greater heights.

She is the Founder of the Helps at Homes Initiative, which focuses on Parenting in the 21st Century and the proper recruitment of domestic workers in homes in order to prevent risks to families. She is passionate about the subject as a result of being a victim herself after she relocated to Nigeria from the United Kingdom. RonkePosh has a keen interest in protecting children who are often the victims of dangerous domestic workers.

She holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the Queen Mary University of London and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

WEL: You are a certified Montessori Directress, and author of the best-seller Right Kid 101 and 101 Tips to Curb the Beating and Shouting. What do you think are some of the ways to engage students without resorting to a carrots-and-sticks approach?

RP: Involving students is always a good approach. I recommend Blended Learning approaches like the flipped classroom, which gives the student some sort of accountability and ownership. They feel a part of the learning process and they enjoy it.

Projects are another fun way to engage students as it gives them freedom of expression; it is hands-on and helps reinforce the learning.

I found that during the lockdown as a result of the Covid-19, the pupils enjoyed giving presentations which also improved their communication skills. So, I would also recommend video presentations and even those delivered using slides.

WEL: What are some of the useful resources that you have used that can help other teachers in their classrooms?

RP: There are so many resources these days that one can hardly scratch the surface. Any good Learning Management System that schools can afford is essential. Video creation apps or software like Viva Video, iMovie, Adobe products, Google Applications, Zoom for video conferencing or other alternatives.

YouTube has a lot of solutions to different challenges in the classroom that the Covid-19 has initiated so I suggest educators make the most of it. Remain lifelong learners.

WEL: How can you get the new school year off to a good start?

RP: If we fail to plan, it is said that we plan to fail so planning is critical before a school year commences. Teamwork, communication and the relevant meetings to drive the actions required to kick off the new school year. All processes should be documented.

WEL: Give us methods that you use to transform monotonous lessons into dynamic and fun-filled discussions.

  • Allowing room for creativity and freedom of expression for the pupils.
  • Making the lessons fun, interactive and memorable by using customised video lessons.
  • Allowing pupils to do research work independently and come up with amazing discoveries. We all learn that way.
  • Adding fun, music and play to the day-to-day activities. Roleplay and riddles also add to the day.
  • Animation and games are also a good way to make the lessons more fun and also changing the location where the lessons happen. Learning can happen anywhere safe outside the classroom.

WEL: Some research suggests that as students get older their engagement with school tends to decrease. How can schools combat this trend?

RP: Schools need to be more creative and allow older students to express themselves to a significant extent. Teens get bored easily and do not enjoy monotony. They should be involved in lessons by assigning activities to them. Gen Z children love technology and creativity so their input is very significant to help them enjoy learning.

WEL: Do you think women make for better educators than men?

RP: I am not convinced that women make better educators. Women are simply natural nurturers and society generally feels comfortable having women as teachers especially in the early years and elementary/primary classes.

A good educator is not gender-specific. The individual simply has to have a love for teaching.

WEL: How do you juggle life as an educator along with your personal life?

RP: Planning and delegation help me a lot. Those are some of the ingredients of the secret sauce.

WEL: Tell us about your other passions that keep you going as an educator? Being an edupreneur for instance?

RP:Yes, I am indeed an edupreneur and I enjoy creating digital products. I’m an author of 2 books: Right Kid 101 and 101 Tips to curb the beating and shouting; both books are available on Amazon. I enjoy training teachers and I’m a Certified Family Life and NLP Practitioner which helps me with my work as a Parent Coach. I also own a preschool and primary school in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria called Le Poshe School, and also run a Children’s Entertainment Company called PoshPartyPacks.

WEL: Quite excited to have you as the esteemed member of WEL. Wishing you all the very best !!

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