emergent literacy

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Homework vs Parent support
 
The big classes and more than ever overload of administrative work, the teachers actually have no other alternative but to increase the quantity of homework. Consequently the more the homework, the more parent support and interdependency are expected.
..but the problem is:  how much work is actually done by parents itself and what level of learning and teaching really takes while doing the homework ?

The Interactive Whiteboard became a very popular presentation tool for educators who want to involve their students in learning with technology.  What better way than the Interactive Whiteboard?

The Interactive Whiteboard is a colourful tool – learners respond positive to the use of colour.

Different learning styles can be addressed by the board and educators rethink their approach to teaching.

No age restrictions – everybody respond positive to the use of the board.  Learners of all ages are drawn to the board.

The boards can be used with any software.  The creative use of the boards is limited by the imagination of the educators and learners.

Younger learners benefit a lot from the board – write with their fingers on a large surface help those with limited motor skills.

The Interactive Whiteboard can be used in many learning areas and with different ages, but proper planning, preparation and training is vital.

Most educators are aware by now that the Internet can be a huge resource for not only them but for their learners as well. But being aware and actually making use of it seems to be two different things. Visits to schools do not really show that educators are using the Internet to its fullest. Yes, there are a few industrious and really interested educators who do many searches on the Internet in quests for information to use either for themselves or for classroom usage but these are few and far between.

Reasons for this are varied. Initially it used to be a lack of access to the correct technology(not any more), a lack of understanding how to get onto the Net and how to access information on it ( very few educators in Khanya schools can use this excuse anymore).

Now the excuse tends to be time related-where must we find the time to do this, we have so much to do! This one cannot be ignored because anyone who has ventured onto the Web knows that you tend to emerge from it minus a few hours of your day.

So how can we help those busy educators out there who are missing out on the fabulous resources available to them. My suggestion would be that we use this forum as a means to inform educators of exciting and relevant websites which are user friendly and of course free!

So to start the ball rolling here are 2 websites which have caught the interest of educators and which have been said to be worth them spending some of their valuable time on.

The first is focused on Foundation Phase and the second one on LSEN, although Foundation Phase educators should find activities suited to their learners as well. My only gripe is that they are UK based websites and our educators will have to sift through them to find material suitable for use in our classes but this should not prove to be too difficult.

They are:

http://www.sparklebox.co.uk

and

http://www.dotolearn.com

This is only a tip of the iceberg but educators need not be overwhelmed by 1000’s of sites which will cost them lots of time to surf through.

I think that we would all appreciate it if you have an interesting website which you would like to share with us.

What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication - AAC?

Augmentative and Alternative Communication - AAC is a term used to describe a variety of ways to help people who find it difficult to communicate using their natural speech to communicate. Despite the complicated words, AAC is just an alternate way of communicating with others that does not involve using your voice. AAC is used to either “augment” (support natural speech) an individual’s communication‚ essentially like giving someone a walking stick so they can walk better. Or‚ giving them an “alternative” (replacement to natural speech) means to communicate other than their natural speech‚ like a wheelchair is a replacement to walking.

For people with disabilities that give rise to speech production problems many different methods are used to support and augment their communication. These can include an individual method of sign and gesture, standardized signing and symbol systems or complex electronic devices.

The basic premise of AAC is: “That a person communicates is much more important than how s/he communicates”

In South Africa the prevalence of little or no functional speech (LNFS) seems much higher than in other Western countries: A study within the greater Pretoria, for example, showed that 39% of all children in schools for children with severe disabilities could be regarded as having LNFS.

What is it like to have a severe communication disorder?

“If you want to know what it is like to be unable to speak, there is a way. Go to a party and don’t talk. Play mute. Use your hands if you wish but don’t use paper and pencil. Paper and pencil are not always handy for a mute person. Here is what you will find: people talking; talking behind, beside, around, over under and through, and even for you. But never with you. You are ignored until finally you feel like a piece of furniture.” - Rick Creech (Musselwhite & St Louis, 1988, p104)

Who can benefit from Augmentative or Alternative Communication?

·         Anyone who is not able to communicate effectively using speech (Non Verbal)

·         People with intellectual disabilities

·         Anyone who has some speech but requires an augmentative device for purposes of writing or carrying on long conversations.

·         People who are physically disabled

·         People with autism spectrum disorder

·         People with developmental delays

·         People with dual sensory impairments e.g vision and hearing

Literacy

The best way to prepare a child for learning to read and write is to expose the child to literacy-related activities as early as possible. These include looking at books and reading stories together, as well as providing the child with pens, pencils and crayons. This is often not an easy task. Teachers may have to overcome the child’s own lack of interest, problems with physical positioning, sensory issues, or the difficulty a child may have in grasping and manipulating writing implements. In general, providing a child with disabilities with literacy-related activities takes time and effort.

Nevertheless, literate AAC-using adults credit the support of family and teachers in giving them many and varied early literacy activities with helping them to learn to read and write. Thus, it is important to provide the child with as many such opportunities as possible, and to maintain the expectation that the child will learn to read and write. (Koppenhaver, Evans, & Yodre, 1991 )

The purpose of a communication program is to enrich a child’s quality of life:

·         Books and stories that utilize a lot of repetition should be selected, and the child’s AAC programmed so that he or she can participate during these parts. The same books and stories can be read multiple times so that the child becomes very familiar with them. This helps the child become more of a participant since less cognitive capacity is required to comprehend the story and more can be devoted to interacting.

·         The child should be positioned so that he or she can see the pictures and words of the book.

·         Story plots can be related to the child’s own real-life experiences so that the child can develop a better understanding of them.

·         Long pauses and open-ended questions encourage the child’s participation.

·         The child’s writing implements may require adaptations to maximize their successful use, for example pens and pencils can have built-up handles or velcro loops for attaching around the child’s palm.

In general, a child who uses AAC benefits from the same types of literacy-related experiences as all children, although adaptations may be required.

Alternative and Augmentative currently used at schools include:

·         Technology – Clicker with voice output, Boardmaker from Mayer, Tech Speak, videos, software programmes

·         Natural gestures

·         Makathon signs and symbols

·         PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)

·         TEACHH Approach

·         Symbols used: objects, photos, pictures, line drawings, symbols, written words

Do you agree with me that the time has come for educators to stop labeling children who use AAC in a special category, as if they should be taught so differently from other children that the teachers just can’t do it!   Many walking, talking children within our schools have language delays, and can be helped by the same strategies that help kids using AAC.

The WCED/Khanya has made enormous investments in computers and Internet connectivity for schools. The aim is to provide high-quality learning and teaching and equip young people for the knowledge society. But how are the benefits of this educational investment to be realised?

Schools have to learn to adapt and to change to new ways of learning. Integrating ICT in school Learning Areas or curriculum has the potential to transform and enrich the learning environment and teach digital literacy. Digital literacy is a vital part of the foundations for learning and must have a high priority within the curriculum. Used wisely, ICT enhances knowledge, language and communication skills, collaborative learning, understanding and respect for others. There are key issues though that need attention:

How can we implement lean thinking at schools?

Producing more with less- (number of computers in schools versus the number of learners in class?)

How can we avoid waste?

Wasting time  in the lab.

Printing unnecessary documents?

How can we avoid repetition in the lab?

Repeating the same activities/software program everytime an educator visits the lab.

A new year. A new approach. A new challenge.

2009 claims to start with an exciting new way of work – Foundation 4 learning.

Foundation 4 learning, the new planning approach let me think back on how the education methods changed over the years.  It was K2005 and OBE.  Then the name changes – pupils become learners, subjects become learning areas but the core of the education never changed and that was to teach our children to successfully become empowered in the goals set out.

Being Khanya facilitators, especially in the GET-band, make us proud to take part in helping our educators and learners to achieve more skills and learning ways by using the Khanya lab to integrate the relevant software with the curriculum in the class.

Anybody like to comment?

LEARNERS IN GRADE SIX AND SEVEN NOT ALWAYS ON PAR WITH NUMBER CONCEPTS,ETC.:

More and more learners end up in Grade 6 and 7 not knowing the basics of numbers concepts and simple maths sums. Furtermore many learners struggles with mental maths in general. So  the question comes to mind: What can an intermediate and senior phase teacher do to enhance the curriculum and assist the learners to eliminate the mathematical shortfalls

Some possible solutions might be:

1.A Teacher should start the new year with a well balanced Baseline Assessment for every learners,

   evaluating all the learning outcomes.

2. After study of the results, all the learners should be divided into predetermined groups for the purpose

    of teaching the learners on their own level and learning on their own pace.

3. Learners can be given a number concept and basic calculating year plan for homework, for practice      

    with the help of the teachers.

4. Using the different software programs to drill in the relevant mathematical misconceptions.

5. Lab visitation should be well planned and structured in order to accommodate mental maths and  

     perceptual development

   Lab Lesson example:              5   Minutes      - orientation

10    Minutes      - mental maths or perceptual developments

25  Minutes      - curriculum integration activity

5    Minutes      - reflection

   EVERYONE ARE INVITED TO ADD TO THE ABOVE.

The WOW! Factor.

Khanya facilitators, apart from their core business of integrating ICT with the curriculum, Lab and Lan assistance, software installations and so on, also needs a special kind of skill ….

That is of course, presentation skills and the ability to captivate and to stun their audience. It takes a special kind of approach to keep their keen interest in that which they are presenting. You know, your introduction actually reveals the kind of participation you can expect….

The first few minutes determines your doom! Start off with a senseless bombardment of words and expect to be greeted with typical “boredom” signs … You know the kind where your audience gets all frolicky and looks at you with expressionless faces? They start murmurating to one another and you can actually hear their thoughts;”I wish the two hours could skip me by ….” “Is this guy for real?” “Oh please, not another boring slide …!”

Sound familiar? Well, if this ever happened to you, then we have good news for you…. The answer? A special kind of toolkit, especially designed for people who do presentations and want to add a little spice to what they are doing…. Freeware software to enhance your presentation experience!

The following links gets you in contact with “presentation tools of choice”. You can use the review given as guidance.