It started today!
After a few months not reading to kids, it's refreshing to see the wonder in their faces again! It's quite addictive. They'll look at the book with anticipation and you play with your voice to add suspense and moods, and their expression changes accordingly, wahahah, fun!
The new batch of kids are lively and there's at least a few who are more outspoken, it's great! This year should be promising, given the more number of volunteers and better organisation now.
spoke to the parents before starting the session, punctuality, effort put in by volunteers, but i forgot about the library card. Need to ask them to apply a library card for their child. Then they won't have excuse to not borrow books for their children!
Most surprising is the visit by 2 ladies who are also interested in joining the club! Wow! I could have sprayed red paint on walls and big posters to get ppl 's attention in NIE yet i still might not be able to get much volunteers. They just turned up! I'm sure they'll like it very much.
WRL is all set to go for one more meaningful year! Go go go!!
SmileUp!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Volunteering Kidsread
I realised that something important was left out. That is what was learnt from Kidsread.
I'll relate in terms of how I'll do it differently this year. On the first session, I'll explain to parents the purpose of this program and what is expected of them. Got to make sure that they know the readers are volunteer so that they will be duely appreciated. Have to let them understand the importance of English and how the cultivation of reading interests will help their child go a long way. Finally, I'll urge all of them to sign all the children up for library membership, so that there won't be the nonsense of no library cards therefore don't borrow book anymore. Important.
For WRL, we'll open the door this time. Open-concept, so that parents can see what was being done; how their child are enjoying the program; how to emulate the readers if they want to. Doubly important!
With more volunteers this time, children will be grouped into 4s or 5s and have 2/3 fixed volunteers to them. Volunteers feel attached to the child, and vice versa. Everybody will be more engaged and have more personal attention both ways. Everyone will then look forward to the sessions.
Books have to be interesting. That's the staple of the program. Mrs Aw did a great selection of books for the program. I will need to supplement the range with more. And, more asian stories. Support asian writers.
There need to be active feedback to readers on their reading style. I found that it's hard to feedback directly, cos comments ususally don't come very pleasantly. So either the culture shall be set from the onset; or if not possible, a videocam would be most helpful! Readers have to keep asking questions about the book, any questions. Model the thought process by thinking aloud-verbalising their own thought. This encourages children tremendously in responding to the story.
First we want them to enjoy to be receptive of reading; second, to be able to read a little; third, to keep talking in the English language.
These, I shall work towards in the coming read-year.
I'll relate in terms of how I'll do it differently this year. On the first session, I'll explain to parents the purpose of this program and what is expected of them. Got to make sure that they know the readers are volunteer so that they will be duely appreciated. Have to let them understand the importance of English and how the cultivation of reading interests will help their child go a long way. Finally, I'll urge all of them to sign all the children up for library membership, so that there won't be the nonsense of no library cards therefore don't borrow book anymore. Important.
For WRL, we'll open the door this time. Open-concept, so that parents can see what was being done; how their child are enjoying the program; how to emulate the readers if they want to. Doubly important!
With more volunteers this time, children will be grouped into 4s or 5s and have 2/3 fixed volunteers to them. Volunteers feel attached to the child, and vice versa. Everybody will be more engaged and have more personal attention both ways. Everyone will then look forward to the sessions.
Books have to be interesting. That's the staple of the program. Mrs Aw did a great selection of books for the program. I will need to supplement the range with more. And, more asian stories. Support asian writers.
There need to be active feedback to readers on their reading style. I found that it's hard to feedback directly, cos comments ususally don't come very pleasantly. So either the culture shall be set from the onset; or if not possible, a videocam would be most helpful! Readers have to keep asking questions about the book, any questions. Model the thought process by thinking aloud-verbalising their own thought. This encourages children tremendously in responding to the story.
First we want them to enjoy to be receptive of reading; second, to be able to read a little; third, to keep talking in the English language.
These, I shall work towards in the coming read-year.
Volunteering for Kidsread
I'm about to start my rhetoric again.
The benefits of Kidsread.
The period is here for recruitment of new volunteers. To date, over 30 people have responded to my appeal on the student portal for volunteers and I'm truly heartened. Only about 10 peeps responded last year. So this year, there's a chance for a 3rd group of children.
Singaporeans/people in general are 贱. I say this because they don't like free things, or they are suspicious of it. As such, volunteers' participation aside, parental support is another problem. We will need to have them understand the importance of English in education. And to acquire the language, the most basic skill is to be able to read and ENJOY reading. So, yes. That's our aim. To promote the interest of reading by being interesting readers, creating the safe environment for them to enjoy and play and interact in English.
It seems that I'd done some complaining up there, but I'm stating them as facts that I see. The truth is, the children and volunteers all had much fun last year. I can see from the faces every session that they enjoyed coming to read to children, look forward to come for their little child. We see it as a temporary escape from work and a chance for the child inside us to emerge. This is an opportunity that is really rare. And you get the chance to praise the children, tell them they are good, keep it up, and they really become more into the task you'd set them. Everybody enjoyed thoroughly. And everybody gets something out of it.
So I hope the program will go on and on. I hope volunteers will come again and again. I hope parents will also begin to read to their children by and by.
Btw, WRL will start from 28 Feb, Wednesdays 745-845pm; JRL from 20 Apr, Fridays 730-830pm. Let me know your interest!
SmileUp!
The benefits of Kidsread.
The period is here for recruitment of new volunteers. To date, over 30 people have responded to my appeal on the student portal for volunteers and I'm truly heartened. Only about 10 peeps responded last year. So this year, there's a chance for a 3rd group of children.
Singaporeans/people in general are 贱. I say this because they don't like free things, or they are suspicious of it. As such, volunteers' participation aside, parental support is another problem. We will need to have them understand the importance of English in education. And to acquire the language, the most basic skill is to be able to read and ENJOY reading. So, yes. That's our aim. To promote the interest of reading by being interesting readers, creating the safe environment for them to enjoy and play and interact in English.
It seems that I'd done some complaining up there, but I'm stating them as facts that I see. The truth is, the children and volunteers all had much fun last year. I can see from the faces every session that they enjoyed coming to read to children, look forward to come for their little child. We see it as a temporary escape from work and a chance for the child inside us to emerge. This is an opportunity that is really rare. And you get the chance to praise the children, tell them they are good, keep it up, and they really become more into the task you'd set them. Everybody enjoyed thoroughly. And everybody gets something out of it.
So I hope the program will go on and on. I hope volunteers will come again and again. I hope parents will also begin to read to their children by and by.
Btw, WRL will start from 28 Feb, Wednesdays 745-845pm; JRL from 20 Apr, Fridays 730-830pm. Let me know your interest!
SmileUp!
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