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ZIMBABWE
GOVERNMENT GIVES
GO-AHEAD FOR BRITISH COUPLE TO EXTEND INNOVATIVE SING-A-LONG
PROGRAMME |
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SING-A-LONG is part of the highly successful THRASS synthetic
phonics programme that is used in many thousands of schools
and has been welcomed as heralding the start of a new era in
the teaching of English in Africa. And now the Government of
Zimbabwe has given the go-ahead for a British couple from
Cheshire to extend the use of this innovative programme in
schools in Zimbabwe.
Alan and Hilary Davies have already used the innovative
SING-A-LONG resources to introduce the THRASS (Teaching
Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) phonics programme
into five pilot schools in and around Harare. The teachers
and children really love SING-A-LONG and THRASS, and much
has already been achieved, even with the minimum of
resources. And as the word about it has spread, more and
more schools want to be involved.
Alan and Hilary therefore now want to build on what is good
by funding training for teachers at the pilot schools and
extending the programme to more schools. They are delighted
that the Zimbabwe Government has just given formal approval
for this and that officers from the Educational Services
Division will also be attending the training, as the
Government sees THRASS as “a worthwhile innovation that
should be pursued with a view to rolling it out for the
benefit of all schools in the country”.
The resources in the pilot schools were provided through the
THRASS Absa TalkTogether Project, part of South African Absa
Bank’s Make a Difference initiative. Alan and Hilary are
looking for funding from national and international agencies
for additional resources for the pilot schools, and for
training and resources for other schools. They also want to
improve access to computers in Zimbabwe schools, so that
more pupils and teachers can benefit from the SING-A-LONG
Interactive Book and other THRASS software, including
interactive English and Shona Calendar Charts that help
children with early language learning.
Eliada Gudza, Executive Director of World Links Zimbabwe, an
organisation that works with schools to improve teaching
through the use of technology, and who has been overseeing
the introduction of THRASS in the pilot schools, believes
that THRASS stands out as one of the technologies that could
make a huge difference to the teaching of English in
Zimbabwe and “bring new life into the teaching practice of
every teacher”.
The Swiss-based Solon Foundation has been working with
schools in Zimbabwe and has already expressed an interest in
providing some funding to give primary schools the
opportunity to use THRASS. The Foundation is also interested
in helping to set up one of the pilot schools as a THRASS
Centre of Excellence, to act as a focus for further training
for the other pilot schools and for new schools, including
other Centres of Excellence.
The THRASS SING-A-LONG resources are real fun, they give
everyone a lift and really motivate children to learn. They
include the most fantastic interactive software and are
considered to be the best way of introducing THRASS into
schools. They use 44 songs that teachers and parents can
sing with children to explain the 44 sounds and 120 main
spelling choices of English, and the songs have really
memorable tunes in different musical styles and dance
rhythms from around the world such as African Round,
Charleston, Hard Rock, Hawaiian, Irish Dance, Jazz, Ragtime,
Reggae, Twist and Waltz. The songs have wonderful
imaginative titles such as “The moon fell out of the sky”,
“A great big gorilla” and “You don’t get pandas in Africa”.
Singing can benefit children in all sorts of different ways:
it’s good for their physical health and also for their
emotional well-being, as it can help them express their
emotions, and increase their confidence and communication
skills. It has also been shown to accelerate learning and
improve memory.
It is an indication of the significance of THRASS that in
South Africa it is being sponsored by Absa Bank, a member of
the Barclays Group, through the THRASS Absa TalkTogether
Project, a unique educational partnership that is aiming to
revolutionise the teaching and learning of language through
partnerships between primary schools, universities and other
organisations. To date, over 5,000 teachers and student
teachers have earned the THRASS Accredited Certificate,
which is already a compulsory module for Foundation Phase
student teachers at six universities, with 1,000 of these
having been sponsored by the TalkTogether Project.
Absa Bank and Pritt (Henkel Pritt, the German company that
invented the first glue stick) are also principal sponsors
of the THRASS SING-A-LONG Family Reading Project in South
Africa. As part of the project, hundreds of student teachers
this year have attended fun-filled workshops led by Janine
Plunkett, the South African author who wrote the words and
music for the SING-A-LONG songs.
Elsewhere in Africa, the Nigerian Government has approved
the introduction of THRASS in the Oyo State. Alan and Hilary
Davies are funding this pilot project and the State
Government has already expressed a wish to expand the number
of schools and teachers taking part. And in Namibia, the
Government is rolling out its programme to introduce THRASS
in all schools.
Alan and Hilary would like to hear from other potential
national and international sponsors who would like to play a
part in this exciting project in Zimbabwe. As Alan Davies
said, “We have already seen what can be achieved with so
little. With more investment, I really do believe that we
can build on what is good and help Zimbabwe to achieve
something that is truly excellent.”
To see what can be achieved using SING-A-LONG and THRASS
resources, view the videostreams on
www.thrass.co.uk/holyrosary_limpopo.htm (South Africa),
www.thrass.co.uk/wps08.htm (UK) and
www.thrass.co.uk/zimbabwe0309.htm (Zimbabwe).
For information about THRASS SING-A-LONG, including a demo
of the interactive book, visit
www.thrass.co.uk/sing-a-long.htm
For information about the THRASS Absa TalkTogether Project,
visit
www.talktogether.co.za and
www.thrass.co.uk/absa_index.htm
Issued by:
THRASS UK News Media Centre
www.thrass.co.uk/nm.htm
Mike Meade, Media Director, +44 1829 741413 Mob: +44 7970
151 738
mikemeade@thrass.co.uk
Chris Griffiths, International Development, +30 266 203 1723
or or +44 151 324 5366
chrisgriffiths@thrass.co.uk
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