by Aaliyah Fortuin | Feb 26, 2021 | Education
With the academic year in full swing, thousands of matriculants across the country will be preparing for one of the most important years of their schooling career. Marking the end of your high school journey and the start of your future, being a matriculant amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting.
While some students may be excited and ready to complete their final year, others may feel anxious and overwhelmed by the pressure. If you feel like you may be struggling to get into the academic mindset, here are a few tips to help you prepare for success.
Keep calm and breathe
It may sound cheesy but if you’re feeling overwhelmed, trying to keep calm and taking a deep breath in and out can help a lot. Keep your head above water and try not to let the pressure of your final year affect you.
Studies have shown that following simple breathing techniques can help relieve tension and bring calmness. By taking intentional slow deep breaths, your body will be able to enter a state of relaxation.
Revise and study
The year may have just started but revising your work and creating a study time table can help you in the long run. While it may seem like the obvious thing to do, being well prepared whether it’s for an exam or a subject you may be having trouble with can help lessen the load and decrease the chances of feeling anxious.
By revising and planning, you’ll also be able to dedicate more time to work you may not have understood the first time. The key to revision and studying is to ensure that it’s productive. Whether you study visually or verbally, finding a suitable studying and revision technique eliminates the possibility of last-minute cramming and procrastination.
Take care of your well-being
Having a good night’s rest is incredibly important when looking after your mental and physical health. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can lead to several negative symptoms such as depression, anxiety, lack of concentration and memory problems.
Getting a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep can help keep your mind sharp, well-rested and calm nerves.
Talk to someone you can trust
There’s no doubt that preparing for your matric academic year can be stressful. The constant pressure to succeed in assignments, mock exams and end of year exams can take a toll on one’s mental and physical well-being.
All of this pressure and anxiety can eventually build up and leave you feeling mentally and physically drained.
A really good way to alleviate some of this pent up anxiety is to talk to someone you trust. Whether it’s a family member or a peer, they may understand and empathise with your situation. Expressing how you feel can help you find focus, determination and some relief.
If you or someone you know at school may be struggling with academic depression and anxiety please contact the SADAG at 0800 70 80 90.
by Aaliyah Fortuin | Feb 19, 2021 | Education
Even before the world was hit by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has seen immense growth. Despite South Africa easing steadily and slowly into the transition of online, over the last few months, educational institutions and students have had to fast track and adapt to e-learning.
What is online learning?
Online learning is an educational approach in which students and teachers follow a structured curriculum programme through the use of an electronic device. However, with the concept of traditional learning radically changing, online learning has seen a rapid increase due to its convenience, cost and accessibility.
And while online learning and distance learning are used interchangeably, the two are entirely different. Online learning offers a more blended approach which can include in-person interaction, whereas distance learning doesn’t.
The benefits
- Flexibility
Enabling you to learn and teach no matter where you’re located, online learning takes the need to physically attend class away and instead allows you to learn from the comfort of your own home. This means that people no longer have to worry about commuting to being caught up in traffic to attend class.
- Maximise your learning abilities
Since you’ll have more freedom, you’ll be able to tailor your schedule in a way that suits you. While online learning is still relatively new to some students and educational institutions, it allows students to learn at their own pace, allowing them to teach themselves and take their time in processing information before moving on.
- Career opportunities
By teaching you to be independent and solely accountable for your learning, online learning forces you to improve your time management skills following your own study time.
This, in turn, results in you being able to take ownership and responsibility, which is a great example that can be used when undergoing a job interview. It showcases that once you’re committed to something, you’re able to persevere and see it through until the end, which is a skill that is desirable to many employers. It also showcases that you are dedicated and self-motivated, which are considered valuable skills within the workplace.
With access to multiple digital resources that can be integrated into lessons and forums, such as Microsoft Excel, google docs, slides and zoom, you’ll also be gaining digital skills and exposure that could help you in the future.
While some schools and students may still be adapting to online and digital learning, it is clear that online learning can be just as effective as traditional learning. While it may be weighed against several challenges, South Africa is weighed against many challenges, it still shows a positive process, preparing young minds to take on the digital environment and fourth industrial workplace.
by Aaliyah Fortuin | Dec 4, 2020 | Education , Job Search, Jobs
With the nation still fighting the spread of the Coronavirus and gradually making its economic recovery, the current global pandemic has possibly changed the way you’ve learned and how you’ve thought about your career trajectory.
Facing many uncertainties, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of many young graduates. Recent graduates are anxious and are faced with having to put their career plans on hold and many have a bleak financial outlook. Rather than celebrating the start of a new chapter in their lives, many graduates are understandably worried about finding a job during a global pandemic. Searching for work immediately after graduation is challenging on its own, and adding that into a worldwide pandemic can be even more daunting.
The prospect of unemployment
There’s no doubt that the current Covid-19 pandemic has triggered one of the worst unemployment crises the nation has seen and if you’re graduating in 2020, you may have an even tougher time landing your first job.
With the country facing a 7.7% increase in their unemployment rate, graduates may have to make tough decisions due to the tough job market, many losing internships or jobs they’ve applied for as they’ve been cancelled or withdrawn.
Finding your first job may take a while
When it comes to finding a job fresh out of university, don’t beat yourself up if it takes you awhile to find your dream job. Yes, you may need to start earning an income, however, due to many businesses facing economic difficulties, it may be awhile before companies are able to afford hiring.
While this can be a bit demotivating, keep in mind that your first job won’t determine your career. It may force you to adjust the future you envisioned for yourself but it just means you need to appreciate any opportunity to get your foot in the right doors.
Stress and anxiety
With many people now facing the harsh realities of being unemployed, there’s no doubt that as a young graduate you may be feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed. However, it’s important to try and not crack under the pressure and instead focus and prioritise your mental health. Yes, you may be feeling more stressed than usual, but you’re not alone.
While it may not be the easiest pill to swallow that you are now unemployed, you can still use this time to explore alternative options, like remote working, online learning or even volunteering. Just because the path has changed, doesn’t mean the vision should.
by Prof. Patrick Bean | Jan 17, 2020 | Courses, Education
It has been a nerve-racking time of year for matrics who have been waiting to get their results. For some, the outcome has been happy. For others, it has been less so.
It can be crushing to discover that your marks are not high enough to get university entry; if that is the educational route you had hoped to take after matric.
Thankfully, according to Professor Patrick Bean, the executive dean of STADIO Faculty of Education and Humanities’ School of Education (formerly Embury), this does not have to be the end of the dream for students wishing to train as teachers or early childhood development (ECD) workers.
“While it may take an extra year and is only available as an alternative route in some academic programmes, and only through certain higher education providers, there is an alternative route available to matriculants who want to pursue teaching as a career,” he said.
“In education, we call this type of offering an ‘articulation possibility’ for those without a pass. Essentially, what this means is that the student successfully completes a Higher Certificate programme in the field in which they want to study and covers certain diploma or degree modules, which will enable them to progress to study further within that field.”
One example of this is the STADIO Faculty of Education and Humanities’ School of Education’s Higher Certificate in Pre-School Education, a one-year, self-contained programme at NQF 5 level. “This programme contains five Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree modules,” he said. “This means that on successfully obtaining the year-long qualification, students are able to apply to carry these credits forward and, armed with their higher certificates, are able to register for a BEd degree programme in either the foundation or intermediate phases.”
Bean said this qualification is also available in a two-year part-time format, which is ideal for students who want to work and study at the same time, and via distance learning, making it accessible to students throughout the country.
“According to a UNESCO report, teaching remains one of the world’s most critical professions, and there is in fact a dire shortage of teachers globally,” he said. “This Higher Certificate qualification comprises the first year of the National Diploma in ECD where additional fundamental learning is included or students can choose to register for a BEd degree at a university or private institution of higher education.”
Pursuing a degree or career in teaching equips students for a range of jobs, many of which are outside the classroom. They include guidance counselling, school management, curriculum development, administration, instructional design, workplace training, adult education and research.
Furthermore, even if Higher Certificate graduates decide not to study beyond the one-year Higher Certificate qualification, it equips them for a range of other ECD-oriented careers. They include working in day-care centres or play groups, Grade R or nursery school teaching, working as an au pair or pursuing a career as a an ECD motivator, field worker, facilitator, trainer or manager in the public, community or private sectors.
“During this peak tertiary application period, when many students and their parents are feeling anxious about their tertiary prospects, it is reassuring to know that there are indeed avenues such as the Higher Certificate option. Though this may add a year to the duration of one’s degree, it adds a lifetime of opportunity, potential and value. Given the need for educators and ECD practitioners in South Africa, the Higher Certificate in Pre-School Education can certainly offer attractive career prospects,” concluded Bean.
Professor Patrick Bean is the executive dean of STADIO Faculty of Education and Humanities’ School of Education.
by Oxbridge Academy | Nov 8, 2019 | Courses, Education
Despite South Africa’s massive unemployment crisis, there remains great demand for suitably qualified employees in a range of fields. At the same time, there are thousands of young people who are convinced that gaining the necessary skills to fill these positions is out of their reach for many reasons that are often based on incorrect perceptions.
“When people think of further study, they often think that the only worthwhile option is degree study at a public university. This could not be further from the truth,” said Elbie Liebenberg, the managing director of Oxbridge Academy, which serves more than 20 000 South African distance-learning students every year.
She said there are misperceptions about study options that result in the unfortunate situation that young people give up hope too soon, without realising their personal and professional potential.
“We would like to urge learners, and those who have already left school, with no idea (of) where to go from here, to consider whether they are being held back because of false beliefs about their own abilities and the conviction that there are no opportunities out there,” Liebenberg said.
She said it is usually one or a combination of the following myths that cause individuals to not pursue further study:
MYTH 1: I am not smart enough
“Our society focuses on the high achievers – the Master’s and doctoral graduates who perform in their respective fields. For many of us, degree and postgraduate study is indeed not the right path. However, there are thousands of companies and small-to-medium businesses that need the skills required to do specific jobs in specific fields where a vocational qualification is more desirable than, for instance, a Bachelor’s degree.
“So if you thought studying meant going to university, that that is the only worthwhile option, you are quite mistaken.”
Liebenberg said that there are hundreds of vocational qualifications that are accessible even to young people who did not pass matric or passed without university exemption. She added that people who have no idea about what to do with their future should make an effort to investigate courses available at accredited institutions.
“Do some online research, and investigate the qualifications on offer. Make sure that you check out online testimonials, because there you will find the opinions of people just like you.
“Importantly, make sure that the promise of the institution and the testimonials of alumni align.”
MYTH 2: Even graduates don’t get jobs
“Young people are often, and understandably, despondent about their chances in the job market, given our high unemployment rate,” said Liebenberg.
“But this is because there is too much focus on the ‘prestige’ of a degree versus the utility of a vocational qualification. There is a plethora of fields where employers want to see proof of competency, instead of an unrelated degree,” she said.
These include, but are not limited to, certain positions in advertising and marketing, bookkeeping and accounting, business management, early childhood development, call centre operations, human resources management, occupational health and safety, project management, secretarial fields, tourism and hospitality, and supply chain and logistics.
MYTH 3: Anything less than a degree means I will be forever stuck in an entry-level job
“A first qualification is just that – a foot in the door,” said Liebenberg.
“Once you’ve committed to your personal and professional development, you will find that your confidence builds and that the future becomes your oyster.”
Liebenberg pointed out that many people go on to become entrepreneurs and start their own small businesses after mastering the technical requirements of a field.
“If you can determine where your passion lies, there is almost certainly a path you can follow to realise your dreams, regardless of your current circumstances or beliefs about your abilities,” she said.
Liebenberg said young people are sometimes afraid of failure because they have “failed before. This leads to a lack of self-confidence and self-belief, as well as feelings of low self-worth.
“These young people doubt their own capabilities and give up too early because they simply do not see any light at the end of the tunnel. But every year, thousands of these demotivated individuals find a glimmer of hope and give their future a chance by taking that first step on the road to empowerment.
“In these cases, we have seen how action begets action and the formerly despondent start to flourish. We want to urge young people and the adults around them – the teachers, the parents and the guardians – to not give up hope on their dreams and aspirations, particularly where the loss of hope is a result of negative beliefs about self or pessimism about future opportunity.”
Supplied by Oxbridge Academy.
