HOME-BASED LEARNING DURING COVID-19
Chit-Chit Story
COVID-19 outbreak severely affect the world of education. The measures have forced all migrant children school in Mae Sot, Tak to close since March 2020. The ‘school’ include the Star Flower Learning Center, a specialized school for migrant children with special conditions. Let’s read the story of Chit Chit with her learning opportunities during COVID-19
Chit Chit (false name) is 10 years old. She is diagnosed with diplegia Cerebral Palsy which made her not able to walk and also affect to her arm motor function. Chit Chit started to study in Star Flower learning center in 2018-2019 academic year and she joined RTP activities from 2019 onwards.
Due to COVID-19, all migrant schools closed including Star Flower learning center. She spent most of her life at home with 4-years-old relative. Granma had to work on the farm. Teachers conducted home based learning activities in their houses or community area. When teacher and Right To Play’s facilitator visited her with home-based learning activities, Chit Chit is always happy and hopeful.
Chit Chit is a happy kid, but she has lack of confidence to ask help from others. Therefore, we put problem solving and seeking help in her Individual Education Planning (IEP) to develop her life skills of seeking help from others and how to solve the problem well and building relationship with others.
RTP staff said: ”before she joined RTP activities, she is always hesitant to join group activities and she has a lack of cooperation with others due to her background experience and her disability. However, the more she joined RTP activities, she seems always excited for activities and has a big smile on her face. In addition, she also cooperates well with her friends and tried hard to win during activities.” In addition, Chit Chit’s grandmother participated in parents trainings conducted by RTP and it developed her knowledge and awareness and made her able to take care of Chit Chit better by knowing how to support her in an effective way
Say Bway Wah, Chit Chit’s focal teacher from Star flower learning center said: “she has more confidence to seek help from others and developed in building relationship with others through the activities. After she joined RTP activities, she has confidence to ask help from teachers and friends because she understands more about mutual respect and the benefit that seeking help from others is not scary thing and that she can also help others in a way that she is capable of. In addition, she increasingly dares to express her emotional feelings or thoughts to teachers or others. For instance, when teachers or RTP staff go to her house for home based learning activity, she told what she needs for basic needs and shares how she feels.
"she has more confidence to seek help from others and developed in building relationship with others through the activities"
Therefore, RTP life skills activities helped Chit Chit to become more self-confident, finding solution for her problems through seeking help and building good relationships with others.