Reactions IV

A 5-part blog entry

Up until last Monday, our Literacy Training Service (LTS) sessions consisted of seminars and activities. When I entered the classroom last Monday, though, the set-up baffled me. Our relatively large classroom was suddenly divided into smaller sections, with chairs and tables being set-up facing different directions. I doubled-back and checked if I had accidentally walked in on the wrong classroom, but I got the right one. Was there an event that coincided with our class? Were classes cancelled for the day and I had just forgotten to check my e-mail? Fortunately though one of the people setting up - my professors - sees me and with an amusing expression invites me in.

"Pick a spot," she urges me. I look closer at the room and quickly figure out that the room has been divided into three smaller sections, creating a simulation of classrooms. I chose one and sat down on one of the already-set chairs.

As my equally-confused classmates eventually came in and chose their own spot in their own "classroom", one of the women setting up approached each of us with a roll of masking tape and a marker, asking our names and making name tags for everyone.

Kid for a day

It turns out the women who were setting up were actually upperclassmen Education majors who volunteered to be our "kindergarten teachers". I can say it was amusing to play a kindergarten kid for a few hours. We had a very interactive story-telling and a few games and activities after that, like vocabulary exercises and fill-in-the-blank activity sheets and posters. You could really tell that our volunteer teacher put a lot of effort to make all the interactive objects and other teaching paraphernalia. I wish I had taken pictures of some of the simple string mechanisms she used in the vocabulary exercises.

Play time

The simulation ended and we rearranged the seats in our usual lecture set-up. Our professor then flashed pictures on the screen. They were traditional Filipino games, and she asked us to identify them. These games are commonly played by children in the street - patintero, luksong baka, luksong tinik, palo sebo and other games. But with the relatively recent iPads and smart phones, children are seldom seen outside playing with other children.

Our professor's point was that no matter what a child was playing, playing in itself is important for development. They help a child learn teamwork (more the traditional games than those on the phone), play by established rules, and overall, develop a child's sense of his own abilities.

It's interesting to note that she also pointed out how telling a child to keep silent, to sit erect, and to follow all that boring class decorum were actually unnatural for a child. It makes sense, though; not letting a child develop by being his natural (to an acceptable and reasonably tolerable point, of course) self and letting him explore is limiting him in an alien environment.

The four-pronged approach

What we experienced, continues our professor, was a combination of study and play: the Four-Pronged Approach. Simply put, said approach consists of four parts to encourage a child not only to read but to love to read. I found an interesting pdf online by Raidis Laudiano that describes it in detail: http://www.jeanettepatindol.com/uploads/3/5/3/0/353097/the_four-pronged_approach.pdf

1. Genuine Love for Reading: The first step is establishing an interest for a piece, say, a story, in a child. This stage is basically where you take the child on a very guided tour of the story and the words. Vocabulary, plot and other elements must be clearly detailed to the child.
2. Critical Thinking: The children are asked the motive question. From this, the discussion flows and explains the entire story, each time asking the child more questions until they fully grasp it.
3. Mastery of the Structures of the Language: In this third stage, vocabulary, attention span, and listening comprehension are developed. Vocabulary exercises are a perfect tool for grasping new words, while making it fun for the kids helps them focus more on the goal - appreciating the story.
4. Transfer Stage: This is a stage I like to refer to as a 'transcendence stage'. This is sort of a culmination of the approach. Worksheets are helpful in letting a child piece the story together according to how they understood it. It reflects how much a child has learned and, hopefully, will lead to the child learning to love to read.

The session left a very deep impression on me. There was so much effort poured into a relatively small amount of time, but it would have a large impact on a child. I guess you could say this was an inspirational and re-affirmation point for me. Seeing how willing and enthusiastic our volunteer teachers were, and at the same time how fun the activity was, only deepened my desire to make a change in a child's future. And I guess that's why most of us become teachers - the desire to make a change and to empower a child with knowledge. It's a noble profession, yes. But it's sure to be a rewarding one.