GEORGE RANDELL,
FORT HARE JOINS HANDS IN LITERACY
Thu 18th October 2007
Andrea Jonker-Bryce
George Randell Primary School has become the
country's fourth TalkTogether School - putting them at an exciting
advantage when it comes to literacy and learning.
Officially known as the THRASS Absa TalkTogether Literacy Project,
this phonetically based programme - which is being launched at
George Randell today - partners schools, universities and other
groups in an attempt to create an approach to learning and teaching
that is unique to South African schools.
Although THRASS - which stands for Teaching Handwriting, Reading and
Spelling Skills - is already underway on a private basis in South
Africa, and many local teachers have already obtained accreditation,
the university-school project is Absa-funded and supported by THRASS
UK, which means the two institutions receive the training and
materials - including software and an interactive Smart whiteboard -
for free.
The programme is being implemented into one university per province,
and that university chooses a school with whom to partner.
It began with Wits University selecting Roseneath Primary in
Parktown, Johannesburg, in July this year. The second university,
the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), chose Sunlands
Primary in Cape Town; and the third - the University of Pretoria -
was coupled with Eendracht Primary.
Fort Hare was the project's Eastern Cape choice, and George Randell
Primary the university's choice.
From the Absa-THRASS sponsorship, all staff at George Randell and
all Foundation and Intermediate Phase students and language
lecturers of Fort Hare's Education Department will be trained in
THRASS methodology and the implementation of the project, which will
run for five years starting next year. The Fort Hare students will
teach with George Randell staff once a week for the length of the
project.
Language, while a unifier, can also be an obstacle when it comes to
literacy - and in a country of 11 official languages, both teachers
and pupils feel the pressure when it comes to learning, says Fort
Hare University lecturer and local THRASS liaison Margie Brookes.
"As far as literacy goes, it's very, very important that we focus on
how to teach, especially with our language diversity. In the past,
pupils learnt to read and write by memorising. But reading is a
problem-solving activity. Teachers need to give pupils the skills to
approach any book - not just the class reader."
She says many teachers still don't know how to teach phonics - and
THRASS should start alleviating this problem through a system of
decoding (so students can read) and encoding (so students can
write).
What language teachers are "really getting excited about", though,
is that THRASS here is geared towards isiXhosa readers.
"Most of our learners speak isiXhosa as their first language," says
George Randell principal Hilton Williams. "However, according to the
School Language Policy (SLP), English has been chosen as the
Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT)."
Research shows that second-language pupils who are taught in English
are disadvantaged if their English language skills are not
well-enough developed.
"If these learners find reading and writing in English difficult,
their entire academic, creative and divergent thinking processes are
affected. I see THRASS as one of the keys in helping our children
and teachers overcome some of the many language challenges we
encounter on a daily basis in our classrooms," says Williams.
THRASS materials have been translated into all 10 official South
African languages, and plans are afoot for the programme to be
extended into the communities surrounding Buffalo City in the near
future.
THRASS' role at George Randell is in keeping with the school's
passion for reading. As previous provincial Readathon winners,
George Randell staff are "mentally prepared to introduce this
creative and innovative methodology to enhance the literacy skills
of all learners from Grades 0 to 8", says Williams.
Brookes says judging from global research that has been done on
THRASS methodology, there should be an improvement in literacy
levels for all learners irrespective of their first language.
"George Randell is truly blessed to be the Eastern Cape pilot school
in partnership with UFH," says Williams. "Without the positive
intervention and exceptional social responsibility of Absa, our
learners would not have been able to experience the benefits of this
innovative programme. It is hoped that their investment will unlock
the potential of all our learners."
Source:
Buffalo City News, East London, Eastern Cape, South
Africa.
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