admin – Do and Learn Site

Success Story

2021-11-29 by admin 0 Comments

Strong Schools Community Collaborative

Geletterdheid is die vermoë om te lees en te skryf en die geskrewe woord te verstaan. Daar is ernstige gevolge vir ‘n kind wat sukkel om te lees. Dis onvermydelik: ‘n swak leser is ‘n sukkelende leerder.

Ons is almal deeglik daarvan bewus dat hierdie ‘n groot uitdaging is wat ons skole in die gesig staar.

Cheraldine van der Merwe, van Vriende Van Afrikaans (VVA), ‘n divisie van die ATKV, en Dokka Swart van Doen en Leer beywer hule daarvoor om die belangrikheid en liefde vir lees by mense aan te wakker.

Cheraldine en Dokka het op 10 en 11 November twee van ons Support Hub skole, Sir Lowry’s Pass Primêre skool en Dr .G.J. Joubert Primêre skool besoek. Temperance Town Primêr en Rusthof Laerskool het ook dié geleenthede bygewoon.

Cheraldine het die belangrikheid daarvan om vir kinders voor te lees benadruk en ‘n insiggewende praatjie gegee oor die statistiek rondom leesvaardighede.

By hierdie geleenthede het Dokka verduidelik hoe belangrik ritme en balans vir kinders se leesontwikkelling is. Sy het gedemonstreer hoe hul Doen en Leer program kinders met lees- en leer uitdagings kan help. Die program fokus letterlik daarop om kinders woordjie vir woordjie, met prentjies en aksies te leer lees.

Hier demonstreer Dokka die metodiek van die leesprogram met ‘n groepie leerders van Sir Lowry’s Pas Primêre skool.

VVA het leestrommels ter waarde van R8 500 elk aan 3 van die skole geskenk. Dié trommels is propvol pragtige Afrikaanse boeke en opvoedkundige speletjies.

‘n Groot behoefte bestaan nou om die Doen en Lees programme en die opleiding hiervoor by ons skole uit te kry. Befondsing word benodig vir opleiding en om die program aan te koop. Indien jy wil betrokke raak en ook as vrywilliger wil aanmeld om kinders te help lees, kan jy vir Annette Botha kontak by strongschoolsza@gmail.com, of skakel 072 1899 360.

Annette Botha

Strong Schools Community Collaborative Administrator

E-pos: strongschoolsza@gmail.com

Skakel: 072 1899 360

Success Story

2021-10-21 by admin 0 Comments

Primary School Prince Albert

I am a Grade 3 teacher at the above school who finds Do and Learn very effective and applies it with great success in the classroom. Every year I receive learners in Grade 3 who can not read at all – this year it was 15 learners! With the pandemic and learners still attending 50% school, the situation is worse than in other years. I simply turn to Do and Learn – and have always been able to get learners to read. Of the 15 learners of this year, I have 14 who can read from a reading book with great success and pride. The 15th learner is cognitively handicapped and also has major vision problems, but he
too can recognize a good number of words.

This year I taught a 10-year-old learner to read (already her 4th year in the phase and who is testing as a 3-year-old) with Do and Learn. I wish you could experience it – the absolute pride and intense joy that the learner experiences. She can make no further progress but can not wait to get to the mat to recognize her words that are flashed for her, to sound new words correctly (she now knows all her sounds) as well as to read to me the lesson that was learned at home. If a learner has successfully mastered Do and Learn, they can continue with the Golden Reading Series’ “Red Ball” with the greatest ease. It is an old reading series but they feel so humane because they can read now.

The Egra also improves – They recognize all the Do and Learn words between the sight words. Our entire Grade also notices the improvement here every term.

Do and Learn is truly a “miracle cure” that empowers our weaker learners and makes them feel humane and warms our hearts as educators!

Diana Koorts

Classroom Teacher

Email: dianakoorts@gmail.com

Call: 082 761 6984

Success Story

2021-10-11 by admin 0 Comments

Vriende van Afrikaans (VVA)

Die storie van die VVA, ŉ divisie van die Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV), en Doen en Leer begin in 2013 waar ons genooi was na ŉ demonstrasieles in Kylemore. Hier sien ons hoe dr Rose Botha ŉ kleuter binne 20 minute agt sinne laat lees. Ons was dadelik beïndruk met die program en wou meer weet.

Kinders/leerders en selfs volwassenes vind werklik baat by die program. Hulle woordeskat brei uit – hulle erken en herken woorde en die betekenis, leer hoe om dit te kan klank en skryf deur al hulle sintuie te gebruik. Omdat hulle dit geniet en dit regkry, verander dit hulle gesindheid teenoor die taal en lees en gee hulle selfvertroue.

Die Doen-en-Leer-Leesprogram sal enige leerder motiveer om te lees. Dit is ŉ program wat spreek van aksie en genot. Die sukses van dié program lê in sy eenvoud – die opleiding van opvoeders duur slegs een dag (teorie en prakties), waarna die metode
met sukses toegepas kan word.

Ons besef nou meer as ooit dat die Doen-en-Leerprogram ŉ baie goeie oplossing is vir baie lees- en leeruitdagings wat by kinders, jongvolwassenes en volwassenes is. Hoe maak ons met kinders wat hulself nou moet help wat nie met begrip kan lees of glad nie kan lees nie?

Ons gee graag van die statistiek deur wat in Die Burger in Augustus 2019 verskyn het.

Net 14% Suid-Afrikaners lees aktief, terwyl daar 58% van huishoudings is wat nie ŉ enkele boek besit nie.
1/3 van ouers vertel nie vir hul kinders stories nie en nog 50% het nog nooit vir hul kinders ŉ boek voorgelees nie.
Verdere studie, waar 27 lande betrek is, toon dat kinders ‘n veel groter kans op sukses in die lewe het as hulle grootword in ‘n huis waar so min as 20 boeke is – SABDC (SA Book Development Council) Elitha van der Sandt – hoofbestuurder.
Ons weet ook dat byna 80% van Graad 4-leerders nie met begrip kan lees nie (PIRLS).

Syfers van Statistieke Suid-Afrika (SSA), wat in Augustus 2018 uitgereik is, toon dat amper die helfte (49%) van kinders op die ouderdom van drie glad nie ’n kleuterskool bywoon nie. Amper ’n derde (29%) van vierjariges is nie in ’n kleuterskool nie, en meer as een uit tien (13%) van vyf- en sesjariges woon nie ’n kleuterskool by nie. Net ’n kwart van kinders onder die ouderdom van ses hoor elke dag ’n storie by iemand wat dit vir hulle vertel of voorlees.

“Die gevolg van swak of geen voorskoolse onderwys is dat kinders nie die nodige geletterdheid of numeriese vaardighede het wanneer hulle die skoolstelsel betree nie en vinnig uit die stelsel val sonder om ’n basiese kwalifikasie te verwerf,” sê prof. Eric Atmore, direkteur van die Centre of Early Childhood Development in Kaapstad. “Dit veroorsaak ’n bose kringloop van armoede en ongelykheid.”

Ons het besluit om Doen-en-Leer te gebruik vir verskeie redes en om hierdie leemtes te probeer vul.

Die program is geskik vir:

Voorskoolse leerders (4 jaar en ouer)
Leerders met uitdagings
Die aanleer van ‘n tweede taal
Ongeletterde volwassenes en immigrante

Uit praktiese ondervinding, oor ‘n tydperk van ongeveer 7 jaar, het die VVA ondervind dat D&L ‘n uiters geslaagde hulpmiddel is om die volgende redes:

Die kursus word gemaklik bemeester en gebruik deur belangstellendes wat nie noodwendig onderwysopleiding gehad het nie.
Kinders vind dadelik aanklank, want hulle ervaar binne die eerste paar minute sukses. Dit verbeter leerders se selfvertroue en veroorsaak ‘n positiewe gesindheid teenoor lees en boeke.
Die kursus en werkboeke is volledig en veroorsaak nie ekstra werk vir die aanbieders nie.
Doen en Leer pas in by die totale leesaanbod van die VVA:
- Voorlees
- Voorsiening van boeke
- Boekopvoeding
- Voorleeswerkswinkels
- Leeskonferensies
- Leesondersteuning
- Werkskepping
- Meertaligheid – tweede- en derdetaalsprekers
- Volwassegeletterheid

Ons sal die Doen-en-Leerprogram aan beveel vir enige leerder of persoon wat wil leer lees en wat lees- en leeruitdagings het. Hierdie program werk ook baie goed as ŉ intervensieprogram.

Chareldine van der Merwe

Vriende Van Afrikaans (VVA) Projekbestuurder

Helpful Tips

2021-09-06 by admin 0 Comments

Healthy Visual Habits

Lambert Fick, a famous optometrist from Stellenbosch, has endorsed our program for years.

He has been practising optometry in Stellenbosch since 1982. Through vision therapy and the correct pair of spectacles, he has assisted many children to reach their full potential in school and in life.

Here are some tips that Lambert Fick recommends:

Outdoor Activites

Encourage outdoor play or sport activities that require seeing beyond arm’s length. Walk outside for an hour per day. When outdoors, sight a distant object at eye level. At the same time, be aware of what and where things are on all sides.

Stress-Relieving Lenses

Stress-relieving lenses are often prescribed for children and adults. They are worn for all near tasks, reading, studying, computer and cellphone. The lenses are designed to make near seeing easier, clearer or larger. They are prescribed to make learning and seeing easier.

Reading and Writing

Sit upright. Avoid reading while lying on the floor, on your stomach, or on your side. Be aware of the space between the self and the page when reading. Also, be aware of things around and beyond the book.

Distance (Read, Write and Cellphone)

Do all near point activities at Harmon distance or slightly further. This is the distance from the centre of the middle knuckle to the centre of the elbow, measured on the outside of the arm, starting from the nose.

Lighting

If you are righthanded the light must shine over your left shoulder and if you are lefthanded the light must shine over your right shoulder when you read or write.

Reading and Writing Angle

All reading and writing, besides being done at the proper distance, also, for best functioning, should be sloped in front of you at a 22º angle.

Hold the pencil at least 2.5 cm from the lead, to allow your eyes to guide your movements without having to tilt your head. Use a pencil grip if necessary.

Writing Position

Writing material should be aligned with the angle determined by handedness.

The opposite hand should be placed at the side of the paper to hold it in place.

Look Occasionally Up

Take a 20-second vision break every 20 minutes, to look at far-away objects or take a walk. When reading look occasionally up at a specific distant object and let its details come into focus. Maintain awareness of other objects, and details surrounding them.

Television Watching

Do not sit any closer to the TV than 2 to 3 meters and sit upright. Television watching does not exercise all visual skills, so limit it to a few hours daily. Do not watch television in the dark.

Motor Riding

When riding in a car look outside. Avoid reading, cellphone and other near activities. Look at sights in the distance for identification and interest.

Success Story

2021-09-06 by admin 0 Comments

Lee-Lanie Hough

As a Grade R educator at Totius Primary School, I was first introduced to the Do and Learn programme in 2008.

The learners in my class who attended this wonderful programme with Dokka Swart excelled in Language Development.

As a qualified Foundation Phase Educator, during my years of teaching, I would always recommend this programme to all the parents, colleagues and friends.

Needless to say, when I had my own daughter in 2016, this was one of the programmes that I knew I would like her to be exposed to.

Ghia has been in a nursery school from the age of 4 months. When she turned 5 in 2021, I felt the time was right for her to start with an additional enrichment programme with a fun learning experience.

That’s when I made contact with Dokka Swart and asked her if Ghia could join her classes.

After the first lesson, she could manage to read a few sight words and sentences. She could also write her own name!

My daughter enjoys the lessons and can’t wait for the following week.

The Do and Learn Programme is the best!

Success Story

2021-09-03 by admin 0 Comments

Sanet Lategan

Yesterday afternoon at the aftercare centre on Jeria’s farm, the lady who usually helps me on Thursdays could not come to work. 

With her not being there on Thursday I had to make a quick plan to help her group of learners.  Fortunately, I had my Do and Learn package with me as I was helping the learners in town earlier on the day.

I commenced by introducing  the flashcards of  Lesson 1 to this group of Grade 4 learners but they did not recognise any of the words.  So I knew I had to start at the very beginning.  After only a few minutes they could read all of the first lessons, showing the actions and building their own sentences!

The other children who were supposed to be doing their homework were watching us  all of this time and, needless to say,  also wanted to do the Do and Learn lesson!  I knew that they could already read and did not oblige.  In the first group, however, was a very small boy, the weakest of the group and I started to work with him.  I promise you I could not believe my eyes as this young boy almost immediately did Lesson 1 and 2 together.  It was truly amazing!  He read the words and sentences as fast as I could pack them out on the carpet.  I thought to myself “wow, this is impossible!”  I then took the others as well and they also placed their words and sentences on the carpet and read them with total confidence.

So, if it means they just memorise these words initially they will recognise and say them again in future if they come across them in a lesson.  What struck me most was the children’s faces!  The joy!  And every time they read “I am clever” and we give each other those high fives – it is just so priceless!

Of course, I wanted to take a video from the beginning but I realised this would not be possible as the attention would then be on the camera instead of on the lesson.

When my helper returns next week I will have to make a plan to see all of the children on Wednesdays to continue with the Do and Learn material. I think, as far as success is concerned, or as results are concerned, the Do and Learn programme yields faster results because of the constant repetition of words and sentences.

I find it very interesting to see how the children react to every new word!