Why Learning in Nigeria Doesn’t Stop at the Classroom Door By Onyinye Tella Ogbuka

“Students are a reflection of their teachers.”

It is a popular statement, and for a long time, I believed it. But looking at the reality of education today, I would not stop there. Learners are shaped by the adults and environments they experience, both in and beyond the classroom.

Learning is not a simple, linear journey. A learner does not always move from not knowing something to knowing it in a neat, predictable sequence. Progress is shaped by prior knowledge, practice, feedback, conversations, experiences and opportunities to apply what has been learnt. By the time a learner reaches a particular learning goal, a range of experiences have contributed to that progress, and this is why creating an enabling learning environment cannot stop at the classroom door.

Education is a partnership

I sometimes hear parents say, “We are paying so much for school. Isn’t that where all the learning is supposed to happen?”

I understand the question.  In fact, I remember a time, years ago, when, as a class teacher, I would reassure parents that we were providing their children with the essential learning they needed and that this should be enough. But experience and research has since deepened my understanding of learning, and I have come to recognise that this is not the reality for most learners.

Schools provide structured teaching, a curriculum, assessment, differentiation and opportunities for learners to develop academically and socially. Teachers work hard to identify gaps, adapt instruction and provide the support learners need.

But learning does not only happen during a lesson.

What happens between lessons matters too. The conversations learners have at home, the routines they develop, the opportunities they have to read and practise, and the attitudes the adults around them model can all contribute to how they engage with learning.

This does not mean that parents need to become teachers. It means that education works best when home and school work together.

Parents can support this partnership in three important ways:

1. Reinforce learning

Revisit key ideas at home. Ask questions about what the learner has learnt. Encourage them to explain an idea in their own words, make connections and apply their learning beyond the classroom.

2. Build learning routines

Create consistent routines for reading, practice, homework and independent study that are appropriate for the learner’s age and stage. The goal is not to fill every spare moment with academic work, but to help learning become a natural part of everyday life.

3. Understand the learner

Pay attention to the learner’s strengths, gaps, interests and learning behaviours. Share useful observations with teachers when necessary. Parents often see aspects of a learner that may not be visible during a lesson, while teachers have a different perspective from observing the learner in an educational setting.

Both perspectives matter.

But what about parents who are already stretched?

It is completely understandable that many parents struggle to combine learning support with work, family responsibilities and the demands of everyday life. Partnership does not mean that parents have to personally manage every aspect of their learner’s education. For some families, that support may come through a tutor, a learning partner or another structured home/online-learning service. What matters is that the learner has appropriate support and a consistent environment in which learning can continue.