Rotary Club of PlimmertonThree Word Detective kits have been delivered to Dillons Bay School, in the southern island of Erromango in Vanuatu during the term 2 holidays. These were donated by Joy Allcock, Literacy Consultant from Paremata.
Keryn King, a Resource Teacher for Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), travelling with her husband for his study leave, spent time in a class and after school, and was invited to talk to the teachers about reading acquisition with a focus on oral language and phonological skills.
These teachers have very limited resources for teaching. They often use a textbook resource without any understanding of how to teach beyond rote learning. The teachers also explored methods to help students engage with peers and learn from each other, not just the teacher.
The classrooms only have a chalk board and the students have simple exercise books and pencils. There are no learning games at all and the kits will be a welcome addition to their learning programme. Many of the teachers are untrained and only have a basic high school education, so they welcome any supportive material they can get.