Remedial Education The Importance of Language and Reading Language is essential to communications. Even signing is a language. The importance of reading, writing and spelling can thus not be over-emphasized. Nelson Mandela once said: “A good heart and a good head are always a formidable combination, but when you add to that a literate tongue and pen, you have something very special.”
Remedial Unit and I thank them most sincerely for helping to ensure that underachievers continued to receive the attention they required. The Remedial Unit has been very active this year, and many professional colleagues have provided assistance. Their input has contributed greatly to the success of the unit.
We are indebted to the efforts of Ms Valmerie Pienaar, the Occupational Therapist, who assisted in the presentation of workshops on Study Skills and Motivation. A Stimulation Programme was implemented in Grade 1. Unfortunately Valmerie has moved to Gauteng but has been replaced by Ms Tereasa Wessels a very experienced Occupational Therapist in the field of Perception and Visio- Motor integration difficulties.
It is with gratitude that we acknowledge the contributions of our visiting Intern Psychologists from the University of the Free State.
It stands to reason then that the scope of man's ability to express his thoughts is determined by his ability to use language. The knowledge and language proficiency acquired through listening and reading developed at schools equip a child with power, not only to do well at school, but also to achieve throughout adult life. The teaching of reading is thus the first priority in the primary school curriculum. It is an essential building block, because the ability to read well and comprehend what is being read ensures success in all other subjects. The learners do not see this, they see reading as relating only to language subjects, but this is not so. Each subject sets its own specific reading requirements and for this reason cognitive reading is a prerequisite for satisfactory progress in every grade. It is imperative that this ability is developed in the primary phase, because between 80% and 90% of the study activities at secondary level depend on reading. Clearly then, reading is the key to achievement as it opens many doors and creates almost limitless possibilities for advancement. Every child's future is closely aligned to the quality of education he or she receives, so it is imperative that every effort be made to remove all obstacles that impede progress. Corrective and Remedial Instruction thus plays a fundamental role in CBC's overall developmental programme. Corrective instruction is handled within the framework of regular classroom teaching. The remedial teacher spends time consulting with class teachers and offering corrective instruction to a small group of learners in the class who are struggling to understand a particular process e.g. multiplication, long division, comprehension, punctuation and so on. Remedial instruction is reserved for the relatively few pupils who require intensive individualized attention because they reveal achievement deficits in the basic subjects, such as reading, comprehension, spelling and mathematics. A wide variety of learners from Grade 1 to 4 were enrolled in remediation programmes this year. In order to meet the needs of new referrals from Grade 1, learners from Grades 5 who had completed a year of intensive instruction were referred at the end of the first term, to Mr Gouws and Mrs Giani for extra classes in mathematics and English. Other teachers have also developed a close working relationship with the
Primarily, schools should be safe, nurturing environments and CBC is dedicated to this so, when bullying raised its head, as it does in every school, it was nipped in the bud. Immediate steps were taken. Ms Anli Myburgh, conducted a bullying survey and implemented workshops during which the implications of bullying were discussed with all learners from Grades 1-12. Ms Helene Carshagen and Ms Natasha Arndt were available for counselling and support sessions with learners who needed this.
Child Welfare Bloemfontein & Childline Free State screened the movie “TRUST” a chilling cautionary tale about online sexual predators, for Grades 7 to12. A discussion, led by experienced social workers and a prevention team from the school, followed. The main objective was to illustrate how trusting a stranger over the internet could be detrimental, even dangerous and to demonstrate how using the internet in an inappropriate manner could open doors to trafficking, pornography, cyber bullying and other horrors of modern life.
A special word of thanks must go to Ms Corina Botha, Occupational Therapist and Mr Martin Brink, Psychologist from the Motheo Inclusive Education Section of the Department for Basic Education for their assistance with Evaluations and Assessments and also to the Life Skills Education Unit which sponsored a Peer Education Camp for Grade 11 learners at Amanzi Private Game Reserve, Brandfort.
Finally I wish to express my appreciation to Mr Wally Borchard, the Principal, for the continuous encouragement, support and freedom of opportunity he has afforded the Unit. Harriet Speckmeier (Remedial Education Teacher)
YEARBOOK 2012
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