Teachers across Antigua and Barbuda recently took part in a two-day workshop centred on teaching children to read and write using the innovative ‘Jolly Phonics’ technique.
This fun and child-centred approach to literacy involves the use of actions for each of the 42 letter sounds. A multi-sensory method, it is deemed to be motivating for youngsters and has reaped dividends in helping children learn quickly in other parts of the world.
The Language Arts Unit within the Ministry of Education and Sports partnered with British benefactor, Cheryll Rogers of Unicorn Collective, to organise the course for kindergarten and grade one teachers.
The 58 teachers participated in 25 hours of training delivered in two parts by the facilitator Heather Joy Sharon, an experienced Jolly Phonics instructor. This will be followed by 15 hours of online training.
“The Ministry of Education and Sports is very grateful to Cheryll Rogers for sponsoring the training as well as providing Jolly Phonics instructional materials to the participating schools,” a release said.
“We truly appreciate this investment which will augment phonics instruction at the early grades. The ability to read effectively is the foundation for academic success, so we thank Mrs Rogers for supporting our goal of ensuring that kindergarten and grade one teachers are equipped with the skills necessary to provide quality instruction to our young students,” it added.