In traditional educational systems individual subjects are taught, each with a specific objective: to learn multiplication, to write in cursive, or to memorize the Periodic Table of Elements. Oftentimes, these learning objectives lack any sort of continuity to bind these concepts together. At Thanda, we’ve found that using a central theme as a starting point enables learners to draw associations between subjects and retain information more easily, achieving multiple objectives. This style of teaching focuses instead on the approach rather than a singular objective, which allows us to reach the same destination with a slightly different direction.

Let’s take Iron Man, for example – a theme that is used with our Grades R & 1 learners. You may have seen photos of some of our learners wearing Iron Man masks. Looks like all fun & games, doesn’t it? Well in all fairness, it is! But it’s educational, too. The story of Iron Man (Tony Stark) portrays an incredibly successful man who realises that his work is creating more harm than good when he is kidnapped and forced to build a weapon of mass destruction. Following his escape, his perception shifts toward non-violence and ultimately he finds that he feels most fulfilled by serving his community. This seemingly simple narrative is a powerful tool which can be used to teach morality, non-violence, and respect.

Our Grades R & 1 facilitators develop multiple activities centred around the Iron Man theme. For instance, we use Iron Man’s suit as a lens for learning about machines (such as airplanes) & science; we colour in Iron Man masks to encourage artistic expression and allow learners to wear their masks after lessons to inspire self-confidence; we also read comic books aloud in class to promote literacy. Although the activities are seemingly basic, using a central theme such as Iron Man provides a way to keep children engaged and allows us to set a foundation of values that are continually built upon as learners move through our After-school curriculum. As children mature, we revisit themes of morality, non-violence and respect by looking at powerful historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, and Ghandi.

While Iron Man is just one of the themes we focus on at Thanda, it’s an important one. After all, who doesn’t love wearing masks?!