2.11.3 Use of peer modeling/healthy relationship
According to Margolls and McCabe (2006) students can learn by watching a peer succeed in a assignment, in this context. A peer means someone who the students identifies with, not necessarily any other student. Peer may be selected from class groups as defined by gender. In most cases the OVC may have found trust in another learner whom he/she can tell anything of which they might not find such trust in their educator, especially if the educator is an authoritarian person. Educators therefore, need to encourage positive peer modeling among OVC.
Sometime then OVC tend to hang out with peers with whom they have some commonalities so that they can feel accepted and have the same motivation towards learning and school. A a result of this, it is important for educators to keep an eye on OVC at school to select right peers as some relationship may also have negative or devastating effect on the OVC. They should help their learners become involved in groups that share their values, they can also encourage them to do task with others, as working with others may be more fun and interesting compared to working alone. These include forming study groups or participating in educational clubs at school e.g. Maths or Geography clubs (Eccles, J.S., Wigfield, A & Schiefele, U. 1998).
2.11.4 The parents-teachers collaborative support
One of the major problems experienced by the educators in schools is the lack of cooperation from the parent in attending parent-teachers meeting or in the case of emergency when a particular parent is invited to school in connection with their children.
The parents-teachers collaboration will undoubtedly affect the scholastic performances of the OVC in a positive and effective manner. The educator has a responsibility of informing OVC’s care givers at home for example, the single parent or some immediate or extended family looking after OVC to give support to OVC by helping them with their homework, assignment and encouraging him/her to read widely until she improves on his/her problems. The involvement of parental/teacher support is another key strategy to help OVC (Dornyei and Csizer 1998). If a learner exhibits uncontrollable disruptive behavior, the educator can call parents to a meeting at school. According to Dornyei and Csizer (1998) if the parents honestly intervene in helping the child with her school work
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every day before bed time, the child can end up developing a passion for her books and become great success in the long run.
2.11.5 Psycho-social support
Rendering psychosocial support is quite new and is often ignored in general early childhood development programming. This space is therefore being emphasized in the context of how best to support young adults living with AIDS. Psychosocial support is a means of increasing the capacities of young children and their caregivers to cope and to improve development. According to (Fox et al., 2002) psychosocial support can be defined as providing the possibility of a personal disclosure of emotions and feelings and expressions of personality combined with influencing the social environment to reintegrate affected children into their usual setting and encourage broader understanding of their specific state. Psychosocial support can build children’s resilience within a wider supportive environment. Developing a supportive environment for young children is crucial especially in HIV and AIDS affected communities where children may need time and space to rebuild, restore and re-establish relationships (Fox et al., 2002).
Child disclosure is not just a one day thing, there must have been trust and good relationship established between the child and the counselor before disclosure can take place. Furthermore, if there is a counselor who is permanently employed for the school, he/she will be known and accepted by the OVC as a staff member of their school. This will allow the OVC to trust him/her and the counselor will be able to do prompt follow up and possibly do referrals of some of her diagnosis as regards the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.
2.11.6 Orphanage homes/hostels
Loss of home, social isolation and increased workload may impact on current and future mental health of OVC. Children who grow up on the street without love and care of adults are at a higher risk of developing psychological problem. If the school can have a hostel or home for the OVC this will make them to concentrate in class as many of them sleep in uncompleted buildings or with people who are constantly abusing them physically, emotionally and sexually (Moletsane, 2003).
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A lot of young adults that are orphaned due to AIDS grow up as street kids or in child- headed families with less income, and that hinders their possibility of attending school (Moletsane, 2003). Therefore, if the school management board can link with other stakeholders in their community to build a home for the learners right inside the school and coupled with a feeding scheme, then life will be more tolerable for the OVC and this in turn will positively affect their scholastic performances.
2.11.7 Adopt a supportive teaching style in the classroom
A supportive teaching style that allows OVC autonomy to foster increased learners interest, enjoyment, engagement and performance is desirable. Supportive educator’s behaviours include organizing extra classes for OVC, listening, giving hints and encouragement, being responsive to OVC questions and disclosure, showing empathy for OVC, for example listening carefully and fully attending to their complains, as evidenced by verbal and nonverbal signals of active contingent and responsive information processing (Moletsane, 2003).