UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO LITERACY FOR CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA
July 30, 2009 by Mum Admin
Filed under Childhood Development, Education
with the THRASS Synthetic Phonics Programme
In his recent report on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia and literacy difficulties, Sir Jim Rose has identified the need for specialist teachers for children with dyslexia and for courses for teachers on selecting and teaching literacy intervention programmes. There is, however, no need for expensive new specialist programmes, as THRASS is a synthetic phonics programme that already has a proven track record for unlocking the door to literacy for all children, including those with dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed but it is not related to intelligence.
Sir Jim Rose recommends that the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) should fund a number of teachers to undertake specialist training in teaching children with dyslexia, in order to provide substantially improved access to specialist expertise in all schools and across all local authority areas; DCSF should also commission short courses for teachers on selecting and teaching literacy intervention programmes. But he admits that it is not always easy to recognise dyslexia in young children.
There is, however, no need for expensive new programmes. What is needed is for all teachers and teaching assistants to be trained in the simple principles of synthetic phonics teaching and to deliver this regularly to children of all abilities in mainstream classrooms, thereby providing continuity for pupils and ensuring that the needs of borderline children, in whom dyslexia may or may not be recognised, are not overlooked.
Evidence shows that children with dyslexia need logical, sensible, highly structured, multi-sensory teaching that uses graphic representation, is used ‘little and often’ and allows time for reinforcement and encouraging generalisation. The THRASS ( Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) synthetic phonics programme, which can be used across the curriculum, meets all these criteria, while at the same time being equally suited to teaching children of normal ability.
THRASS has been pioneered by British Educational Psychologist Alan Davies, who holds the Dyslexia Institute Diploma and the British Dyslexia Association Diploma, and the very first THRASS programmes were based to a considerable extent on his work with dyslexic children and adults.
THRASS is a whole-school programme for teaching learners of all ages and abilities using pictures and keywords, and is used in thousands of nurseries and primary schools in the UK, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. It helps learners to understand the building blocks of the English language by teaching them about the 44 phonemes (speech sounds) of spoken English and the 120 graphemes (spelling choices) of written English. It is also a multi-sensory programme based on developing VAK (Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic) skills and has the potential to at least double the normal rate of progress made by primary school children who have reading and spelling difficulties, including dyslexics.
One of the THRASS key resources is the Phoneme Machine, a groundbreaking computer programme that uses moving human lips to pronounce the sounds (phonemes) in hundreds of frequently used English words. It is suitable for all ages and abilities but is of particular value for teaching children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia. The value of the Phoneme Machine was recognised in the September 2007 edition of Independent Talking Points , the magazine of the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP), in which Catherine Redmayne, the editor, wrote, “I would have paid just for some bits of this programme. Considering the whole thing was free to download, it was a wonderful offering from THRASS”.
The THRASS SING-A-LONG resources have also been particularly successful for teaching children with learning difficulties. The resources use 44 songs that teachers and parents can sing with children to explain the 44 sounds and 120 main spelling choices of English. The songs have really memorable tunes in different musical styles and dance rhythms, and wonderful imaginative titles such as “The moon fell out of the sky” and “You don’t get pandas in Africa”.
THRASS has for some time been used in the Caribbean for children with special educational needs, including dyslexia, as well as for mainstream children and has already received extremely favourable reviews there. When The Caribbean Dyslexia Association organised a SING-A-LONG workshop in 2008 the response was overwhelming. “There is so much enthusiasm within the entire programme and you can teach so much to the children through “SING-A-LONG”. It’s inspiring.” “The resources will definitely help with reinforcement of reading principles especially in dyslexic children who need opportunities for over-learning. The SING-A-LONG adds a dynamic element to the process and activities.”
It is of no little significance that in 2007 I CAN, the national education charity that provides education services for children with speech and language impairments, announced that it had chosen to further increase the use of THRASS at its Meath School in Surrey. More recently Brown’s School, an independent special school in Kent that has an excellent record for teaching children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, has also started using THRASS. Teaching at the school has been recognised by Ofsted as being consistently good with examples of outstanding practice and pupils making good progress, particularly in reading and spelling.
The THRASS synthetic phonics programme really does unlock the door to literacy for children with dyslexia.
Source: www.momsmatter.co.za
The Madrasah System – The Pride of our Community
The Christian community has the Church, the Jewish community has its Synagogue, the Hindu Community has it’s Mandir, the Sikh community has the Gurdwara and the Buddhists have their Temple and so on…..But the Muslim community not only has the Musjid but also the educational Madrasah.
Al-hamdulillah, Allah Ta’ala has blessed the Muslims with such a great bounty where children from as young as five learn to read the Qur’an, Islamic Taarikh (history), Adab & Akhlaaq (Manners and Etiquettes), Hadith (Traditions of Nabi Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), Fiqh (Basic Islamic Rulings) and much more. This is also where children complete Hifz (the memorisation of 30 chapters, 114 Surah’s and 6236 verses of the Holy Qur’an!). This in itself is a miracle of Allah Ta’ala, but the message I am trying to get across is that the Madrasah system is a bounty which through the efforts of our pious predecessors, for hundreds of years, has educated us and has saved many of us from becoming completely neglectful of the Deen.
How many Jews can read the Torah in its original Hebrew text? How many Christians can read the Bible in its original Aramaic text? How many Sikhs and Hindus can read their respective books in their original text?
Today more than 80% of Muslims can read the Holy Qur’aan in its original Arabic text. This is all through the blessings of the madrasah which even your local ‘Molvi’ owes a great deal to. Through the madrasah, an individual bases his or her moral values which carries them throughout their life.
Unfortunately, nowadays we don’t value the madrasah as much as our predecessors did. Islamic education is being disregarded. Instead of sending our children to the Madrasah to gain the necessary Islamic knowledge and practice, we would rather send them to an after-school homework club or to football practice. We have this attitude and tend to think that when our son or daughter has completed the recitation of the Holy Qur’an once or twice, then their Islamic education is complete. We don’t filly realise the spiritual benefit of the madrasah. As soon as a child steps out of the house, he or she becomes exposed to various kinds of evil temptations and mischief. The child falls prey to the tricks of the Shaytaan. As soon as they enter environments where there is little respect of teachers and the child sees the area as unsanctified, flirtation becomes a thing of the norm, swearing becomes a core part of the limited vocabulary, slander and backbiting become the discussions of the day. So many other vices become part of the child’s everyday life.
But when a child comes home, performs Wudhu and then goes to the Madrasah, He/she will safeguarded from these satanic practices. The child will sit in such an environment where the words of Allah Ta’ala are recited in melodious tunes, stories of the Ambiyaa are mentioned, and Sunnahs are explained. What can be a more virtuous gathering than this?
It is for this reason that I plead to all parents not to withdraw their children at a young age because of what has been mentioned. A couple of hours of madrasah a day really can keep Shaytaan away!
Hadhrat Moulana Yusuf Motala Saahib (db)
Courtesy – www.Inter-Islaam.co.za
The Role of play in your child’s development
July 9, 2009 by Mum Admin
Filed under 6 - 12 months, Featured, Fun & Games
PLAYING TO LEARN
Playing is your baby’s job! When you’re ten months old, anything and everything can seem new and interesting. Most activities represent opportunities for fun and learning – whether it is seeing what happens when you slowly push your dinner, piece by piece over the edge of your feeding tray, or emptying Mummy’s handbag all over the floor while she’s busy talking to her friend. Even the most common of routines, like taking a bath, can be turned into a challenging game as you help your baby sink an empty bottle under the water to produce big bubbles. With a little imagination, you can constantly encourage your child’s development through play. Learn to see the “fun potential” in objects around the home and during daily activities. For instance, that cardboard box you were going to throw out could provide hours of entertainment. And why not distract your little one when changing his nappy by teaching him to clap along to a familiar nursery rhyme. By trying to look at every situation through your baby’s eyes, you can quickly find ways to make it more entertaining and even educational.
LEARNING TO PLAY
Babies learn through play, but they also need a hand learning how to make the most of playing. Your little one watches your every move, and most of his actions and reactions are modelled on your behaviour. So your guidance and encouragement can help him become more inquisitive, confident and sociable. Involve your baby in your activities whenever possible, turn chores into games and prompt him to investigate how objects feel, sound, or move. Point out interesting things when you’re out together – remember, his language comprehension is already well underway even though he isn’t yet talking. Get together with other babies – one is never too young to make friends! And always offer lots of reassurance as you encourage him to explore new surroundings, interact with new people and try out new activities. He needs to know you’re there, offering security and familiarity, while he is busy being sociable and adventurous.
Source: Pampers Newsletter
