tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025352266076145189.post7914870233226188101..comments2024-02-21T16:09:18.285-08:00Comments on Beyond the Marog Kingdom: Raising Children to be ReadersHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16743130026557678304noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025352266076145189.post-10628855006013125282012-10-01T10:53:00.296-07:002012-10-01T10:53:00.296-07:00Thank you, Natalie. I hope that everyone who read ...Thank you, Natalie. I hope that everyone who read this post also reads your comment. I will hightlight your points in a future post.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16743130026557678304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6025352266076145189.post-64298489573705734862012-09-30T11:32:18.855-07:002012-09-30T11:32:18.855-07:00You can't really blame Jamaican parents for fo...You can't really blame Jamaican parents for focusing on the alphabet as the necessary precursor to reading. They're merely repeating what was done to them, and what is still being done in schools. I've even encountered resistance to doing anything else besides emphasizing letter recognition.<br /><br />Never mind that there are at least FIVE other aspects of reading that need to be emphasized as well:<br /><br />Letter Knowledge - what they look like, how they sound, that they work together to make up words, how they are different from each other<br /><br />Narrative Skills - being able to describe things, tell a story, predict outcomes <br /><br />Phonological Awareness - hear and play with sounds, make up words<br /><br />Print Awareness - being able to see print all around, recognise various forms of print, and know how to relate to a book<br /><br />Print Motivation - being interested in writing, in books, writing own stories, seeking out books<br /><br />Vocabulary - know how to name things<br /><br /><br />When it comes to learning and teaching techniques with regard to children, Jamaican institutions are woefully behind the times. Some of that is about laziness and insularity. There's no other explanation when the knowledge is publicly available but the entities responsible for passing on information don't even make the effort to gather the information and pass it on.<br /><br />We need more and diverse kinds of community initiatives to counter the misinformation that has taken root. We can't wait until the powers that be decide to change their minds about what matters.Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05974754968045758692noreply@blogger.com