DECODING STRATEGIES FOR BEGINNING READERS

Halimah Bello-Osagie is a Nigerian nursery school teacher. I met her as a teacher trainee a few years back and her passion for teaching was glaring.This is about five years later and what I see now is an explosion of beautiful fragrances from a resourceful,ever learning and growing teacher. Let's ride with her as she takes us through this enlightening and helpful journey. 

GROUPING PUPILS

•         Group according to their reading level

•         Grouping should be flexible: Be willing to move pupils to the next reading level when progress is observed.

•         Read with struggling pupils everyday: Create time to read with struggling pupils as this will motivate the pupil and encourage progress.

When grouping, be sure to ask yourself;

•         What are they doing well?

•         What do they need to work on?

When a pupil looks up to you for help while reading, do not give up the answer. Ask them;

    1. Will the picture help you figure it out?

    2. What can you try?

    3.  Is there a part of the word that you know?

Teach pupils to check for these while reading:

       ·       Structure; does it sound right?

       ·       Visual; does it look right?

       ·       Meaning; does it make sense?  

Decoding Strategies

1.       Eagle Eye: Teach pupils to look at the pictures for clues.

  

To make this fun for pupils, you can use a magnifying glass. Also child can highlight the word the picture helps read. Re-read the book several time.

 2.       Lips the fish: Teach pupils to sound the first letter of the word that is challenging. Example: Fish

3.       S-t-r-e-t-c-h-y Snake: We teach children that words are made up of sounds. Teach pupils to sound the letters of the challenging word and stretch them to get the right pronunciation. Example; p-i-g = pig

4.     Chunky Monkey: Chunk the word. Look for the part you know. Example: cat, grandma

5.       Flippy Dolphin: Flip the vowel sound and try the other

vowel sound if it does not sound right. Example: cake

6.       Skippy frog: Skip the tricky word, read to the end, hop back and try again. Example: A Giraffe has a long neck. GIRAFFE!

                 

7.  Tryin’ Lion: Keep trying and don’t give up. Re read the sentence and try a word that makes sense. If you are confused, start again. 

8.       Helping kangaroo: After you have tried all other strategies, ask for help!

                                  By Halimah Bello-Osagie

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY EDITION

I am definitely not where I was a few months ago, things have changed dramatically. For me,there is usually this mood that comes when my birthday is approaching. Appraising my self thoroughly and projecting for the coming year have been on my mind in the past weeks. Just a few days ago, a cold electric feeling ran through my body quickly as I remembered in flashes, the harrowing experiences that I faced last year. I told my self that this triumph was worth sharing.

Early this year, I was frequently on medication, I was told by the doctors to stay off work on several occasions. At a point, I wondered if I shouldn't just resign and take care of my health. My health was taking a nose dive, at a point,I felt I was dying because I was feeling terrible. I went through many tests because  my immune system had gotten terribly low.  Also, I fell ill with  Shingles,looking through the scars gotten from the Shingles, all I am doing now is saying thank God that was were it ended.

In the self same year, on my way back from private lessons, the occurrences of the night frightened me. I had been with two children and I remember driving off from their house at 8:40 pm, it was supposed to be less than 30 minutes drive back home. Surprisingly, there was this unusual traffic that did not seem to end, I kept calling my family and friend to let them know what was happening. Alas, at 10:35 pm, still in traffic, my window was hammered down by bad guys. I almost flew off the car as the glass shattered towards my face.It was very scary, I felt so vulnerable.

After all that, a lot of adjustments were made in my life. Eating well and making wise decisions concerning my private lessons; it changed my life. It was so funny to realize that malnutrition had led to most of the challenges I was facing at the time.

On a final note, I want us all to try and have a balanced life; psychologically, emotionally,spiritually and so on. Every time we try to place one part of our lives more importantly than the others, we suffer the ultimate consequence of our action. Today, I work harder than I did some months ago. I am healthy now,I am so glad that I am alive today, hale and hearty to tell these stories.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TEACHER IDARA

NERVOUS ABOUT MEETING THE PARENTS

Through the windows of SS1 Agu, I recall my dad’s brisk strides along the corridor and then his halt at the door of my classroom. I could tell he was straight from work in his white uniform, I smiled at him and introduced him to my form master. The teacher gave him a seat and then the boring ‘Open Day’ process began.

Occasionally, I would turn and watch my dad flip my books page after page.  I guess it was just a ritual that needed to be done. Soon, the teacher begins to talk to my dad and in no time they are done and the process ends. An easy process right?

However, one of the scariest seasons for me as a teacher is conferencing week or open day as it were in my schooling years. Early enough in my career, as an assistant teacher, I had an unpalatable experience during conferencing, it is still vivid in my memory. Nothing scares me in my line of work like meeting the parents to formally discuss their child.

I recall six years ago when a parent stormed into our class ready for a fight. She had her ready script and made a lot of noise in the class. I watched and listened as the teacher I was assisting was handling the situation. Things got worse and she asked to see the supervisors, she complained a lot, she practically left both of us dazed.

Were we such bad teachers? No, these things happen occasionally with unsatisfied parents and  we were simply caught  off guard by an unsuspecting parent. We had no proofs to back our argument against the child who was a homework defaulter. After that, I saw and heard more about conferencing mishaps, without giving a second thought to it, I naturally developed some kind of mini phobia for it.

However, since I realised it was inevitable for me as a teacher, I had to look for ways to develop some skills and be better prepared for the dreaded season. I would share some of the ones that I have used with profitable feedback.

It is important to note that while my method works for me, others may need to modify it. Secondly, my method is not a guarantee to leave a parent always satisfied. I do this to give parents value for their time and money whilst hoping it minimizes unpleasant reactions.

PLANNING

•  I consciously observe the pupils from the moment they walk into my class within the first week of a new session/term and take notes. After a few weeks, I look out for development and changes and figure out an action plan. This process helps me form a near accurate picture of every child.
•  I like to build a relationship with my pupils. Asking relevant questions work for me as I am able to understand why they do certain things that I cannot understand. Mind you, I do not pry into the private lives of the children I teach. I ask questions that help me form an impression of the child. For example, ‘Why don’t you like going to the playground?’
•  When conferencing is approaching, I start planning. Opening every note, reading comments I had made in notes (especially Creative Writing) and check to see if progress has been/is being made. With all the information gathered, I develop a comprehensive script for every child(I am more comfortable having something to refer to than talking from my head even though I know it).

MEETING THE PARENTS/GUARDIAN

• When I meet the parents, I greet warmly and try to make them feel relaxed before I begin.
•  I usually start with my observations and corroborate that with the pupil’s notes/tests. When we have validated the core areas to be improved upon, I begin to proffer strategies for improvement. For parents who work closely with their children, they usually concur and are happy that you care enough to know so much about their child.  
• I always discuss social skills with parents. If a child needs help to build certain skills or correct funny mannerisms, I let the parents know. For me, character has a huge role to play in a child’s learning process.
•  I make sure my discussions are sincere to the best of my ability.

PARENT FEEDBACK

•          Being observant to parents’ reactions has helped a lot. Doing so helps you plan for the next conferencing and provide more satisfaction.
•          Be open minded.  I have realised that different parents have specific things they wish for their children. Never push aside what they say, if it can be harnessed with your class goals for the pupil, attempt it.
•        Have them write a comment, this way, you really know what they think about the meeting.

Light Up a Child's Flame

'My little brother, Akan, is a genius,' I used to say this to my friends. At Class 2, he would come

home curious, searching the encyclopedia and the internet to study further on what he had learnt at school. In no time, he knew valid information of all the past US presidents,world tallest and shortest people along with their stories and so much more. He used to thrill visitors to the house with his wealth of self-searched knowledge. Today, he is in Year 9, all I can do is salute his primary school teachers,it was never always about his cleverness alone; his teachers stirred up that fire.

My little brother's story made me become very passionate about helping my pupils develop the habit of researching. I would tell them to read books and  learn about the world. I would explain to them how becoming life long learners would make them a force to be reckoned with. Spending time to inspire these precious pupils everyday was a delight to me as I knew if they caught the vision, they would be outstanding. My greatest joy at the time was the day I received a call from a parent who thanked me for inspiring her son to become a researcher, he had sung my praise and became a practitioner of my message.

Fast forward to October 2016, there was a burst of excitement in my stomach when a child  in my class  curiously asked, 'Miss Umosen how was Sir Ahmadu Bello assassinated?' I had just finished teaching a class on 'The Struggle for Nigeria's Independence.' Enthusiastically, I browsed the  internet for an appropriate story to answer his question which we read together.  Also impressive was when I turned to explain the account to him, he smiled and said, 'he was killed by soldiers.' Before then, he would hardly ask or answer any question in my class. Trying to be close to him was an arduous task as he seemed to have this wall around him, on this day, the walls came crashing.

Surprisingly, it wasn't only he, I had a line up of pupils waiting to ask a question,share an experience or just make a comment on the topic I had just taught. Without  an iota of doubt, I could tell that the pupils enjoyed the class, I aroused their interest and it stirred up something that made them curious. Teacher Idara began to ask herself vital questions, I have taught this topic a few times, 'what did I do differently?'

With these eight year old boys and girls, I decided to bring history to their present and then take it back again. We linked topics of the past, 'Pre-Amalgamation Rulers,' we acted, we watched a detailed video on the topic which I kept pausing and expatiating on,we did picture games, name games and above all I made the pupils understand that the characters like Margaret Ekpo, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and others were not fictitious but real people. Since that day, I have tried to use more varied approaches in a single learning experience and it seems to be working for the pupils in my current class.

Importantly, note that the approach I use for my class may not be good enough for another class because the set of pupils we teach may differ in their learning styles. Teachers should understand that their relationship  with the pupils  is highly important, in doing so, you understand the learning needs of your pupils better. As soon as I had an opportunity to solidify my relationship with the pupil in my class, I dived into it.

Finally, no matter what resources and approach we would use to teach, we must make it an all child inclusive one. This means that your teaching method should by all means create an avenue to engage every child actively. As teachers, we can inspire the pupils and grow giants, it's up to us.

The Open Minded Teacher

Credit: Education to the core.

Ifueko Thomas' Radio Interview Inspired Me

Mrs. Ifueko Thomas' name got me glued to 92.3 Inspiration FM, on Sunday, 11th September, 2016. It was so exciting to keep tabs on the time in order to listen to this woman who I admire immensely. I have been privileged to attend a number of training that she facilitated.

Ifueko Omowunmi Thomas

You would wonder, if it's the tone of her voice, her depth of knowledge or just her persona that gets me so thrilled about her, I don't know. She is a teacher who has risen gracefully in her profession and she makes me feel proud of being a teacher.

Why was she on radio? She spoke about education in Nigeria, it's challenges and suggested solutions. She said a lot of things but the one thing that hit me hard was when she said that no matter how expensive the building or facilities in the school are, the real thing that gives quality to a school is the quality of the teachers in it.

I began to think about her statement and asked myself some vital questions. At the end, I told myself some real truth. I personalised Ifueko Thomas' statement  and began to tell myself, 'the quality of my classroom is not based on the number of high flyers I have but is highly dependent on me,the teacher.'Then, I began to see my classroom as my school with me being the proprietress. This made me to begin to appraise myself and  strive to be a better teacher. 

There is a mixed multitude of teachers reading this now, those who have the opportunity to work in schools conducive for learning and filled with an assortment of facilities,the ones with as little as a black chalk board and those who have only a little or nothing.  One thing to note is that at whatever level your school is: 

• The teacher should be able to adequately connect with and impact the children positively
• The teacher should be able to give the students things to think about
• The teacher should make them increase in knowledge
• The teacher should be able to stir up the quest for life long learning in the students
• The pupils should feel loved and cared for
• The teacher should strive to bring out the champion in every child

There are so many more things that can get on the list.Let's learn to assess ourselves and practice with the students at the centre of our thoughts. I hope you would have an exciting time with your new pupils/students....cheers!

8 Things Every New Teacher Should Know

For teachers entering the classroom for the new school year, anxiety is normal. For most, they are meeting a whole new group of students with their own issues, strengths, weaknesses and more. For new teachers, however, the stress is magnified to a whole new level. 

EducationWorld has curated a list of 8 Things Every New Teacher Should Know from two sources, We are Teachers and eSchoolNews.com. On their own individual lists, there are veteran teachers giving their own tips on what every new teacher needs to know before they step foot in the classroom. Here is EducationWorld's list with quotes from real-life teachers:

We Are Teachers:

1.    Wear Comfy Shoes: “Number 1: It's all about relationships. If you make the students feel that you genuinely care about them, they'll do what you ask and then some.

Number 2: The decorations on your walls don't need to come from Teachers Supply stores, because the ones from Dollar Tree will do the job.

Number 3: Invest in a good pair of shoes that fit you well, because you'll be on your feet all day.” -Mari Lyn Stangland

2.    Get this book: “Go out and purchase The First Days of School, by Harry Wong. You may not have the money to do it, but it'll be the best life-saving purchase you'll ever make in your teaching profession. Read it cover to cover and then implement!” —Amy Galloway

3.    Try to Grow Every Day: “Remember that this is one of the only professions that expects us to be perfect with little to no on-the-job training. You can eventually change lives, but your first year is growth. Find a few strong, positive teachers on your campus and observe, observe, observe. Treat every kid like your own—because someone loves him or her more than anything, no matter how they push your buttons. There’s probably a reason why they push buttons in the first place that has nothing to do with you. Don't take unruly behavior personally. Like Covey says, ‘seek first to understand...’“ —Carissa Hairrell

   4. It's Ok to Have Fun: “Don't be afraid to laugh. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher and she said (in April) that is was the first time she actually laughed in her class. If you aren't having fun, neither are the students. But also classroom management is key. Be tough in the beginning because you can always get softer. It is hard to go the other way around.” —April Nelson

eSchoolNews.com:

5.    Make Friends with Custodians and Secretaries: “Your ‘best friends’ in running your department or school are the custodians and the secretaries. Without a good relationship with both of these important groups, you are doomed to failure. Among many other ‘hints’ I share with my current teacher candidates, this is one of the first.” —Dr. Susan A. Smith, associate professor, Division of Education, Molloy College, New York

6.    Lashing Out Will Get You Nowhere: “Screaming ‘shut up’ has absolutely zero effect on kids. In fact, it most probably signals to them that they have gained control and forced you into desperate hollering.” —Bob Longo, President, SchoolOne, Cleveland, Ohio

7.    Students are Not Your BFFs: “I wish I had been told that I was now going to be a professional and I was not hired to be the student’s friend. I was hired to be an adult. I have to deserve and demand respect, at all times, from my students. If I respect my students and my students respect me, we can develop a relationship that will do justice to/for my students, and I will be fulfilled and proud. Unfortunately, now and then, beginning teachers do not understand the above. Someone tells them they must be friends with and must make their students like them. I have had students [whom] I struggled with for four years, return and thank me for what I did. Oddly enough, they don’t stop and talk to the teachers that treated them as ‘buddies.’” —Bob Icenogle

8.    Focus on the Positives and Not the Negatives: The best you can do is to take students from where they are at the beginning of the year and encourage them and teach them as much as you can. If you have done this, you have been a successful teacher! I am an adjunct professor in Education, and I make sure my students hear this several times during the semester.” —Dorothy Miller, adjunct professor, School of Education, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor

Building Connections Make a More Friendly Classroom

Arrrgh!!! It was only a week ago that I realised the holiday was coming to a complete halt.  The beginning of a new session is one with mixed reactions for the children, parents and teachers. It is such a time when you have children who are just starting school, you have children who have been transferred to a new school, children who are changing to a new class  and have probably been mixed with children who were not in the same class in the previous grade, the list goes on and on.

So, I began cracking my brain for new ideas, things I have never done, things that would help me make the start of the session easier for the children in my new class. Surfing the internet and reading ‘back-to-school’ materials was all I did for 24hrs (I am not exaggerating). Loads of interesting materials on setting up classrooms, routine, discipline, methodology, making connections and many more were what I found but, only one of them really got me this time, making connections.

In my own words, building connections in the classroom involve creating deliberate and practical activities that the class community feel linked to one another. This enables everyone, including the teacher to be more at ease and ready for the session. So, I would share with you some activities that I found and also some that I came up with.

Ways to Make Connections with your Students

POSTER MANIA

You need:

•  A4 paper or cardboard
• Colour pencil/gel pen
• Paper glue
• Passport photograph (personal and family members)

Steps:

• Draw a border on your paper
• Sort your materials and organize where you want to paste them
• Paste your pictures
• Write a sentence each about yourself and members of your family
• Write other things you want others to know about you
• Decorate your work and wait to present to others
• Each person’s poster (including the teacher’s) would be displayed.

MY NAME

You need:

Paper with typed questions like…

• What's your full name?
• Were you named after someone?
• What does your name mean?
• What names did your parents consider before deciding on the one you have?
• Why did they choose your name?
• What is your name's country of origin? (ex. "Ivan" has Russian origins)
• What is your nickname? How did you get that nickname?
• If you could change your name, what would you name yourself?

Steps:

• Students take the questions home and ask parents to give them the answers to the questions
• Fill the form
• Write your name in a stylish way at the bottom of the sheet.

FUN CLASS SLIDESHOW

Teacher shares a PowerPoint slideshow with students. Teacher includes pictures of family, home (and all of the rooms in it), pets, what he/she did over the summer, things he/she does for fun, etc.

Steps:

• Students write an introduction of themselves
• Students type and edit the work
• Teacher makes a slideshow of their introductions and include their picture on the slide
• Leave the slide running at break and school over, students would be glad to see theirs and learn about others in a fun way.

Credit: Kelly, Grade 3 teacher, Main Street Elementary, Shelbyville, IL

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Do You Know About the Mama Rules?

“Parents make decisions for their children based on what they know, what they feel will make them safe and it’s not in our place to say what they do is wrong. It is our place to say maybe we can add a set of rules that they don’t know about.” Rita Pierson

It’s true that some parents are more extreme than others in the way they raise their children, they tell or allow them to do things that should make one wonder (fighting, not getting homework done, stealing, bullying, cheating for tests, use of strong words, aggression, etc.). At the long run, these things put the children in a displeasing situation at school. So, what do you do when a child says, but my mum knows about it or my dad says I should do that anytime…?

“How can your mummy tell you that? This is my class and you will do as I say, go back home and tell your mummy I said so.” How do you like that statement? Thinking back at one time I must have said it, what I ask myself now is, “Would I have handled the situation differently?” My answer is “yes.”

I have grown to understand that a parent is the hero/heroine of his/her child. It is wrong to express ill feelings by words or actions to a child about his/her parents. By doing so, you are disrespecting the authority of the child’s parents over him/her. Wisdom must be applied in dealing with parental rules.

However, it is in your place to make the parents understand that the personal rules they have set for their child contradict with that of the school. Rita Pierson suggests that you could help parents identify the loop holes in their rules and offer to help in modifying them.What do you think about this  point of view?

Nancy and Hawah are playing, suddenly Emeka comes to them uninvited and begins to call them funny names. They tell him to stop but he wouldn’t; Nancy cries  while Hawah is enraged. Hawah slaps and punches him while he throws punches back as well. The matter is investigated and Hawah says her father had told her to fight anyone who tried to bully her. How would you handle this situation?

Excited As Ever

Weeping in my heart is all I have done this weekend. I came across an article which I shared on Facebook. It was about the salary range of teachers in Nigeria, highly embarrassing. Yes, a few teachers do not seem to be caught up in this nest, many are managing but, a high percentage of teachers’ pay is rubbish.

I started talking to myself seriously.” Re-branding a teacher  who does not earn better than a water company truck driver is going to be a tough one.” Many teachers like me came into the profession with a vision. With the things happening in the education sector, it would take only an angel to do the job like it should be done. All I can say is, cast your mind back to why you started teaching, the lives you have changed and know that with you and I the world has become better.

“What will this child turn out to be ten years from today, a menace to the society or a blessing?” These were the thoughts rushing through my mind as I sat at the last row of a ‘danfo’ enroute Ota. Beside me was a little boy innocently sitting on his mother’s laps, both of them oblivious of what was spinning in my head. As I kept staring, I said to myself that his choices would definitely determine the outcome of his life. “But, what would influence his choices?” I asked myself. Suddenly, it occurred to me that children are very vulnerable and often times are shaped by the environment they find themselves.

“I want to work with children,” I told all my friends as I got back to school. There was no going back, I felt I had the passion required to lead children in the right path of life. For me, fulfillment had a new definition, it was being able to influence children positively thereby helping them maximize their potentials. Excitement filled my heart with the thought of it. To cut the long story short, after my National Youth Service Corps  (a mandatory service year for all Nigerian graduates), I applied as a teacher and  have been a proud one till today.

Shocked to my bones!!! I had believed earlier that all children would be nice and lovely, eager to soak up all the knowledge I had to offer; I was very wrong. It was a hard time coming to terms with learning how to relate to children from an assortment of backgrounds; children who had already picked up habits that can only make one cry.  You know what? Every time I am faced with a challenge on the job, I think about why I started it in the first place and it has kept me going.

What’s your story? Is it worth sharing? Please send a mail to idaraumosen@gmail.com and I would be glad to share your story with the world.

His Fine Face Wasn't Enough...

Throwback to my second year in the university, the school had just gotten new lecturers.  That memorable morning, three young men were introduced to my class, they were going to be our lecturers. There were mixed reactions as they introduced themselves to us; fierce face, fine face and funny face were my own foremost impressions of each of them. Now, I write with a smile, seeing that I indeed would be retelling my experiences of one out of the three in this post.

The first guy, Mr. Fine Face, young, handsome and appeared like he had it all going on; these caused female students to be in awe of him.  Amidst everything, I never seemed to understand some things about him. He would walk into class frowning from the beginning to the end of his lesson, teach a class of 109 students using ‘bedroom voice’ (not his real voice) and refused to take questions at will. Forget, the fine face, we were not just getting what he was teaching, he must have felt like one of the gods.

One day, a fellow dissatisfied course mate went online in search of materials to enable better understanding of the course. He stumbled on the materials our lecturer had been giving to us as notes since the beginning of the course- everything verbatim.  Soon, we began to realise why Mr. Fine Face really never explained to us, he did not have sufficient knowledge and understanding of what he was teaching us let alone making us understand. Again, he was a specialist in dishing out low scores but never seemed to give satisfying answers to back up these grades. As a class, we all came to terms that Mr. Fine Face was not a sound teacher.

Fast forward to the end of the semester, many failed, he was reported to the authorities and many avoided his courses till graduation. In no time, he left lecturing and started an educational business in ‘the abroad.’

Lessons from Mr. Fine Face

• Prepare adequately for your lessons, you need to invest time in your subject area. The depth of your knowledge has a large role to play in earning the respect and trust of the children you teach and their parents.
• Stop seeing yourself as a demi god. You cannot reach the students you teach by running your class as the dictator. They have to be comfortable being in your class.
• Understand that you are there to serve the students and do so unashamedly.
• Re-evaluate your delivery methods and find out if it is working. Your class' feedback helps you know when you are not connecting with your students.
• Be sure you really want to teach.  When the passion is missing, you would never put in your best and with time it will tell on how you do your job. Find what you love doing, if you feel you are stuck with teaching, you better do it well because your integrity is at stake.

Look out for the story of the other  teachers in my next post.