Education entrepreneurs have the answers

 

A breath of fresh air blew into the Mangawhai Golf Club last week in the form of Dr Deborah Lambie and partner David Cameron, co-founders of online NCEA student tutoring service LearnCoach.

Passionate about education, the couple have definite goals, and are working hard on their own innovation to aid education primarily to those sitting NCEA 1,2 or 3.

Deborah’s seven years medical studies showed her, often through frustration, shortcomings in some areas of tuition not readily available.

“What if that could be expanded to reach hundreds or even thousands [of NCEA students] in New Zealand?” Deborah thought while tutoring at University. “What if they had sufficient tools available online, easily accessible and easily understood – that little extra help to meet their goals?”

Similarly David, a maths and physics teacher, while teaching English to Asian students realised it was New Zealand students who stood to benefit most through e-learning.

Combining their expertise, LearnCoach was born, with the aim of making education free, fun and accessable to all New Zealand students.

“One pupil in ten leave school without sufficient qualifications. That amounts to 22,000 pupils,” says Deborah.

With their visit sponsored by Maungaturoto & Districts Rotary Club, ironically her own family have had close ties with Rotary, and the motto ‘Service Above Self’ has proved a worthy edict in setting up this learning plan which they have financed themselves and offer free.

Such sites are not uncommon, but Otamatea High School pupil Holly Anderson had browsed a couple of overseas-based sites which didn’t really enthuse. LearnCoach opened up a whole new dimension of learning being Kiwi-based and more appropriate to the needs of Kiwi scholars.

“It’s a good site and easy to navigate,” said Holly, who took two tutorials to get the gist of things but has found it a great learning tool.

Within two weeks of going live in 2013 the LearnCoach site had attracted 70 pupils. In four weeks that number had grown to 4,000 with another 40,000 watchers.

Over the past few years Deborah says they have helped deliver 3.4 million free tutorials for NCEA students.

“About 22,000 students from more than 200 schools have benefited,” she says.

Video tutorials also attract the attention of teachers through their coverage of maths, chemistry, physics and biology.

Parents can also get a greater understanding of just what NCEA means compared to exams and schooling methods of the past.

In the future LearnCoach will be looking at leadership and also Maori modules, focussing on an area where, they believe, education is wanting.

The couple have also set up the LearnCoach Foundation, a non-profit organisation fully funded by themselves and as an independent body are not subject to rules and regulations covering any bureaucratic or government-related bodies.

Outside of her working life as ‘Dr Deb’, Deborah Lambie is better known as 2015 Miss Universe New Zealand, and who raised eyebrows when performing the haka at the Miss world final in China earlier this year.

“Been there, done that,” she says now happy to concentrate on more serious matters. n Check out www.learncoach.co.nz online

LEARNING: LearnCoach founders Deborah Lambie and David Cameron, pictured with Otamatea High School student Holly Anderson (right).