VIDEO: Reading can have a ripple effect
Research suggests that children who are literate in their home language will find it easier to learn a second language.
Without knowing how to read, a person’s life and opportunities are extremely limited.
“Reading is everything and everywhere; not knowing how to read can be destructive,” says Riana Robinson, founder of Ripple Reading.
The news recently visited Robinson at her reading centre located on the Nooitgedacht Primary premises.
“There are many challenges associated with teaching literacy to children from disadvantaged communities who do not speak English at home. Learning to read is not always as easy as parents and other adults may think. For the small minority, learning to read seems effortless but the majority of children in the Lanseria area struggle to read.”
Research suggests that children who are literate in their home language will find it easier to learn a second language. The problem in the Lanseria area is that most adults are not literate in their home language and often parents speak two different African languages, resulting in children starting Grade R with very poor language skills and vocabulary.
“Ripple Reading believes that teaching these children to read takes a special approach and a lot of effort.”
Instruction for these pupils must be adjusted and they have to be accommodated to become literate. Children who are struggling to read need additional work on English phonemes (speech sounds that distinguish one word from another) and extra practice in reading words and sentences. Phonemic awareness is difficult because they may not have enough experience with English yet to be able to distinguish sounds that differ from those of their native language.
“Children cannot develop phonological awareness in English until they are familiar with the sounds of English. Explicit instruction is needed for sounds that either don’t exist in the native language, or sounds that are perceived as different in English but are the same in the native language because these differences vary from one language to another.”
Robinson says the high pupil-to-teacher ratio in our schools makes it impossible for teachers to intervene with special one-on-one remedial lessons. Also, teaching non-English speaking children to read and write cannot be done by inexperienced staff or inexperienced volunteers.
Two volunteers, Nina Williams and Portia Sibanda are assisting Robinson at her centre. Williams is a qualified teacher doing her honours degree in special needs education while Sibande is a teaching student at Unisa.
“The joy of making a difference is what keeps us coming back,” Williams and Sibanda say.
Robinson will be opening her second centre at Blair Athol Primary situated in the Cradle of Humankind and is desperately seeking corporate assistance.
“Given the need for extra practice in learning to hear and producing the sounds of English, learning the meanings of the words used in phonics instruction, learning the multiple combinations of letters that make the same sound, and learning many more sight words than English speakers need, additional time for phonics instruction should be built into reading at school. This, however, cannot be done if programmes such as Ripple Reading do not exist.”
The Ripple Reading team is planning on embarking on a grand Mandela Day project. They would like to turn an unused lapa area on Nooitgedacht’s premises into a reading oasis with a lovely garden.
View the video depicting the work Ripple Reading is doing in the Lanseria community and how you can become involved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV1MgAGupxg&feature=youtu.be
You can contact Robinson on 082 412 6896 for further information.
