May 1, 2024
by Matilda Koomson
Updated 10/18/24
TRAINING
The VIP Training came about when we realized we were not certain that classes or preparations were actually going on, it was also getting close to the day of the program so we had to come up with something expeditiously. In the last month of the program, the students came by the library every Friday for an hour of training. It was also decided that we had to extend the training periods when it was two weeks to the program. We visited the schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays to teach or monitor the teaching, and then they visited on Fridays. Questions were drafted to test the students on the first day of their visit to the library for the VIP training.
The first week was not only a test for the participants, but also a test for the team. Regrettably, we had not really planned for the training, so the assessment did not quite have any target or objective. After the initial assessment, it was concluded that the word list be changed, as the words were above the level of the students. A new word list had to be created due to this, and by the next class, the same test was given, with new words. The Facilitator (Pretty) went through the questions with them and after, made corrections.
During the third week, it had been observed that the time was not used effectively, part of the reason being the lesson plan was not clear. It was more of an instruction on what to do than details or an outline of what to do, so a new plan had to be drafted, considering the time left and the focus point of the training.
After the plan was reviewed by (Cobbie), it was explained that the plan, although detailed, was focusing on the most basic parts of phonetics, which would have been done in their early states of schooling. For the next class, instead of using the plan, the training was focused on Sound syllabus. Using the words in the wordlist, the facilitator took the words from the list and helped the students break them down. This method proved to be very effective, as the students were able to easily break down complex words and spell. In this class, there were only 3 students (Benedict, Lina, & Lordina) from St. Dominic. This was because Deoke was on a midterm break and we were unable to speak to them on time to get the participants to spare an hour of their time.
At this point we had realized we needed more time with the students because it was evident that they were not prepared and time was fast approaching. We spoke to the school representatives and were able to convince them to approve the visits to join their in-school training. This visit was also to make sure the training was actually happening in their schools. Days were set aside for us to visit the schools, both having their training on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1pm to 2pm. Pretty Visited Deoke while Matilda visited St. Dominic.
The training continued with the Sound syllables, using the words from the word list, breaking them down and explaining in simple terms what each word meant.
Test Day ( 31st May 2023)
On the first day which was scheduled to be the day for their initial test, only Deoke foundation school showed. The students (Docia, Stacy and Ernestina) took the initial test and it had three sections;
- Pick and spell round: In this round, the students picked a random number, from 3 categories of words (Easy, Medium, Hard), and had to spell the word associated with the number picked.
- Spelling Round: In this round, for a word mentioned, there were 3 options, with similar sounds and alphabets, and the students were to pick the correct word mentioned.
- Meaning Round: Here, a story was read, and words were highlighted. The goal was for students to take turns reading the passage and after, give meanings of the words from the context.
WEEK 1
In this week, there were 6 participants, 3 from Deoke and the other from St, Dominic. As the questions had been changed, students from Deoke took the test with students from St. Dominic.
The test was the same as the initial test, with the words from the first round changing using the new word list.
WEEK 2
In this class, the students (Benedict, Lina, and Lordina) went through the sound syllables. This class was facilitated by Cobbie. Using the words from the list they broke down complex words into syllables, and were encouraged to try spelling the words from what they heard. This really helped the students remember the correct spellings as they saw that they spelled close to the correct word and all that needed to be changed was a letter
WEEK 3
Tuesday: The class in their school continued as it had started in the library: Sound syllables. The Facilators continues referencing the wordlist, breaking down words to help students spell simplify and spell them. Pretty Visited Deoke and Matilda Visited St. Dominic.
Thursday: The facilitators continued the class, helping the students spell as many words as possible, and encouraging them to take some time to study at home.
Friday:
The training continued with Sound Syllabus, helping students break down as many words as possible, In the Library premises.
WEEK 4
Same as week 3, the training continued, visiting their schools on Tuesday and Thursday, and they visiting the library on Friday.
SCORE ANALYSIS After every assessment, the scores of the students were collected on a sheet, to track their progress, and reports on observations and their overall performances were drafted after every class.