Perth teachers learning literacy skills
Kindy is not just finger-painting and play grounds, it now includes puppet monkeys with subtle messages that aim to improve language and literacy skills.
Selected WA primary schools are having their kindy and pre-primary teachers educated on speech and language development as part of the government-funded project, Communication Capers. The program is delivered by community service organisation Therapy Focus.
The project is run by speech pathologists who work with teachers and families to help kindergarten and pre-primary students with their oral language development.
Communication Capers is currently seeing around 700 students at eight schools in the Armadale area. A speech pathologist visits the schools, trains the teachers with speech and language development tools and checks on the progress made by the children.
Speech pathologist and project officer, Haw Shinn Wai told 3rd Degree: “Our main aim is to skill up the teachers and educators, showing them what to target for language at that age level and also showing them how to do it in a fun way.”
This is not just the usual class of teaching the alphabet or shapes, but teaching about the sounds and meaning in words and using them in the process of telling stories through games and art and craft activities, all of which are well suited to the young age group.
“The most effective way for them to learn is through play and just having fun,” said Ms Wai.
At the start of the program each child in the kindergarten classes receive a monkey hand puppet named MAYTE. The children are also given take-home activities to do with their family and new furry friend.
The monkey is given the name MAYTE because the creators wanted him to be a friend, or mate, to the children and it also stands for "Me And You Talking Everywhere".
“Children love to talk to puppets. They become their friend and that’s why we have picked the puppet to keep their interest ... it is their talking friend,” said Ms Wai.
Ms Wai said the importance of the program is to get the children talking with their families and teachers so any speech or language problems they might have are identified early.
“The activity keeps their attention and talking with the puppet keeps their attention, but for us what is more important is that the families learn how to talk with their child, and learn to prompt them if they need help or teach them language skills,” she said.
The process has already encouraged many children to communicate more openly, purposefully and with correct use of language.
Aretha-Mae from Gwynne Park Primary School received her MAYTE two months ago and told 3rd Degree: “He has taught me about colouring-in.”
The four-year-old also said she talks to him about toys, and then spoke about the process of how she made cupcakes from start to finish.
The program started mid 2006 with project funding until mid 2009 as part of the federal government plan to help with the early intervention into literacy problems. Communication Capers is seeking further funding.
“The program is really successful so we are hoping to gather continual funding. At the moment we are funded federally, and for many schools there are limited or no access to speech pathology services. We hope the community recognises the need for the program with a push for schools, the state government and corporate organisations to allocate funding,” Ms Wai said.
She also sees the opportunity of training future teachers with the skills and process as part of a tertiary level course.
Ms Wai said every teacher they have worked with has learned something new from the program that had not been taught at university.
“They learn the theory or learn in a general way with teaching education, but not that practical experience that they get through the program because at Communication Capers it is about the children and we show them what they can do for the children. If that child has a particular area they need help in, they are given the skills so that they know what to target and they know how to help them,” Ms Wai said.
But, it is up to the teachers to implement their learning and use it in a way that suits their classroom.
Ms Wai said: “We give them ideas and we see success when they use and adapt them in a class.”
