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The
video provides an overview of the THRASS SING-A-LONG pilot project run by THRASS
UK and the Oyo State Government in seven schools in Oyo State, Nigeria between
January and July 2009.
In
January 2009 the schools taking part were given their SING-A-LONG KIT comprising
books, CD players and batteries, and Alan Davies,
Executive Director of THRASS UK, trained 20 teachers from all over the
State at the University of Ibadan.
Dr Nkechi Christopher of the University of Ibadan, the THRASS
Project Co-ordinator, tells us that THRASS is particularly good for teachers,
because they are being provided not only with the teaching method but also with
the resources which will make it much easier to teach and will give both the
children and the teacher more confidence. And Professor Abiola Odejide of the
University of Ibadan describes THRASS as different, innovative and fun. She can
see classes being transformed if the teachers catch on; they are certainly going
to be very lively and she is sure the children will enjoy using the materials.
We see Alan Davies working with the teachers attending the training
course and also visiting some of the pilot schools to give demonstration
lessons. Everyone is really enthusiastic and Dr Soji Adejumo, Chairman, Oyo
State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), thinks the situation is extremely
promising and feels that Oyo State is moving in giant strides.
In May 2009, we see Alan Davies returning to Nigeria to see what
progress the pilot schools are making and to run a second workshop for the 20
teachers involved.
Everybody in the school community, even the cleaners, wants to be part of the
pilot project because of the SING-A-LONG songs, which have proved so popular
that there are now 70 children in some classes!
We see
the children working with their Phoneme-Grapheme cards and Picturecharts, and
they are really quick at recognising the words as well as spelling them. We also
see them enthusiastically performing some of the SING-A-LONG songs: ‘Give me a
high five’, ‘You don’t get pandas in Africa’ and ‘A great big gorilla’. They are
making remarkable progress and are keen to show Alan Davies just how much they
have learned by doing the Consonant Phoneme Rap.
At the
end of the pilot project in July 2009, Dr Nkechi Christopher, the Project
Co-ordinator, tells us how impressed everyone is with what is happening but also
that they have experienced a slight problem, in that they have not been able to
maintain a conventional control group for the project.
The
intention had been to have children in an experimental group learning THRASS and
others in the control group not doing so. But there has been an influx of other
children wanting to join the children doing the THRASS programme. In one school
in Oko the parents and the teachers association insisted that all the children
in Primary One must do the THRASS programme and some parents who previously
hadn’t even been sending their children to school suddenly started to send them.
Some parents even withdrew their children from others schools and brought them
to the pilot school, with the result that one class that previously had 45
pupils suddenly had 78, with more and more coming every day!
The
improvement in teaching style and the way the children enjoyed THRASS has been
very noticeable in many schools. Only one school had electricity and many had
problems recharging the battery for the CD player. As a consequence they were
unable to use the CD players and the children were not able to hear the
soundtracks as much as had been hoped.
Even so, Professor Soji Adejumo, Chairman, Oyo State Universal
Basic Education Board (SUBEB) tells us that everyone is happy with the project
and by extending it to other schools, and involving more teachers and empowering
them with the THRASS resources, they will be able to improve the delivery of
languages amongst their pupils. The teaching is impressive, the teachers and
pupils are enthusiastic, and they are already beginning to see results.
THRASS
UK would like to thank all the learners, teachers and educators involved in the
video, Professor Soji Adejumo and Dr Nkechi
Christopher.
 Watch the videostream
by just clicking on the link.
THRASS in Nigeria Overview
or Download the WMV
Right
Click and Save Target As.
THRASS in Nigeria Overview
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