PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:  LITERACY

AFFLIP Coordinators:  Max Greenwood, Lyn Wilkinson, Jeanette Emery

TWG Coordinator:  Aida P Placencia

Education is central to the social, economic, environmental, and cultural health of all societies and literacy is the core in achieving an education community.

• The provision of professional development and capacity building in the teaching of Literacy is central to improved learning environments in the schools of the Talomo District.  When children can comprehend texts successfully, their life trajectories are enhanced, and they are better able to participate in democratic societies.

• The implementation of The Guided Reading strategy supported by AFFLIP, aims to help teachers from K to Grade 6 to provide reading experiences which ensure that all children have the attitudes, information and strategies that will help them to read a range of texts successfully. This involves the provision of levelled reading materials as books and laminated passages.  We have received a $20,000 grant from the Magic Libraries Foundation based in Geneva to kick start this program and we have identified a Philippines based book company through which to source the required titles.

• Recently AFFLIP has supported the development and implementation of a new strategy to improve children’s reading levels titled “Fostering Achievements in Reading – Nine Elements About Reading” (FAR-NEAR) as a capacity building initiative for teachers.This has involved the delivery of workshops face to face in Davao and the hosting of a delegation of school heads and teachers from the Talomo schools to schools in South Australia.

• AFFLIP has shipped nearly 10,000 donated books in new or as new condition to the Talomo schools worth conservatively $90,000, and with the provision of laminators, big books stands and other learning resources, has contributed a further $22,000 to the literacy program.