Thursday 30 June 2016

A TRAVELLING PHONICS TEACHER

Over recent months Holistics Phonics has been accepted in the Morobe Province by the Provincial Department of Education and Catholic and Lutheran Education. 

All see that this program is something quite magnificent in teaching young children to listen, speak, read and write. The program proceeds from known to unknown and simple to complex. We focus on known words as much as possible removing the need for phonic symbols.

There is no need to phonically sound Big Roos-ter Chic-ken, Di-gi-cel, Co-ca Co-la, Pep-si-Co-la, Pa-pu-a New Gui-nea and choc-o-late ice-cream. But the children recognize the syllables and stress patterns.

These are slipped into the occasional sentence together with village names O-mi-li, O-kap-a, Tam-i-gi-du and Kai-a-pit. 

To stay among known words is to introduce a hnndred or more easy to speak and read words and sentences. Kids love it. Big words are not a problem if the students already know the words.

I will go to Tam-i- gi-du.
My dad was born in Kai-a-pit.
I like to live in E-ri-ku.
We will go to Big Roo-ster Chic-ken.
I would like some chic-ken and Co-ca-Cola
I bought my phone at Di-gi-cel.
Would you like a straw-ber-ry ice-cream?

What impresses teachers most is that the focus is on sentences not just words. They are impressed by the lack of theory and the speed by which students learn the basic sentences by chanting. 

We must never underestimate the skill of many small children. In the elementary school that I support with charts of patterns, small children try to outdo one another with speed chanting. They have memorized basic charts in a few weeks. What skill they will have after after memorizing the entire course. It will happen.

Some teachers are a little afraid of the phonic symbol approach to teaching only words. Small children must be afraid too. The approach proceeds from complex to simple and breaks a basic rule of teaching.

In the last month or two, I have been invited to visit elementary and primary schools of the Catholic Church in Morobe Province. I support the Emmanuel Lutheran School with Mastery Writing. I have given presentations at Christ the King School and St Martins School.

But the heavy support is now coming from the Provincial Department of Education. I was recently invited to address a meeting of Headmasters of provincial schools. The response was inspiring. 

Now we are in a two week term break when schools conduct in-service programs. I have been asked to contribute to as many sessions as I can in elementary and primary schools around Lae. 

I am working across the town. Next week I will revisit Milford Haven Elementary School and address an in-service at Omili Primary School on Monday. I am receiving phone calls from schools to book my services. I expect to be busy visiting schools for at least two more months.

There has been a completely positive response at all levels. The teachers are very impressed that that focus is on rhythmic simple sentences. The Holistic Phonics program will go national within 12 months. Over 800 teachers have attended the in-service sessions in Provincial, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist and Lutheran primary and elementary schools.

The subjects in the 2 hour sessions have been (1) phonics (2) Mastery Writing and (3) words from Latin and Greek roots. Very successful. These have been first time experiences for most young teachers. Windows have opened wide. Morobe Education leads the nation. 

We have taken the literacy program from elementary school to Grade 12. Derivation from Latin and Greek has been presented as word building and phonics for the upper grades. This study was removed from curriculum in the USA and Australia some 50 years ago. The heart of English was stolen by fools.

Teachers were shown that older students need to learn a more complex form of writing than what students learn in elementary school. So Latin based words and simple complex sweet English will lift the standard of students into adulthood. Please click:

latin for png students - family positive living - aids holistics
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/2011/09/latin-for-png-students.html
Sep 4, 2011 - In the years up to the 1960s, Australian students were educated in word 
building through Latin and Greek roots. Then with the change

FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS: WRITE SWEET ENGLISH
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/2011/06/write-sweet-english.ht
Jun 29, 2011 - WRITE SWEET ENGLISH ... stop baby talk. In Papua New Guinea schools,

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