FEATURED PRODUCT BY DARLENE MATHIESON
The power of three Women coming together to help teachers and students
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hat happens when an individual goal becomes a common goal? Amazing things, and great opportunities. Individual passions for literacy have brought three women, including me, together in spirit across three generations and a lifetime. We are: Mary Andrew – a primary school teacher, who wanted to help children in her classes who were struggling, and would otherwise have fallen through the cracks. Her determination to empower these children led to her developing a literacy programme that gave individual assistance to a learner, no matter what level they were at. Barbara Griffith – a literacy resource teacher, who wanted to be able to help many more children than the ones she could work with herself. Her passion for books and helping children learn how to read sparked her to look for new opportunities to develop resources.
Me, Darlene Mathieson - a graphic artist and copy writer who noticed that my friends’ lack of literacy skills and confidence were limiting their career choices after high
school. My passion for books, art, learning and children led me to research learning styles and work in remedial reading. All of us as individuals wanted to create something that would greatly benefit children and leave a legacy that would continue long after their own lifetime. This has indeed come to pass, as the initial programme developed by Mary in 1967, before I was even born, has now been developed even further after Mary’s death. Parents, tutors and teachers have been s u c c e s s f u l l y u s i n g M a r y ’s o r i g i n a l Simplistikit programme for over 30 years in New Zealand and Australia. Reading and spelling difficulties are approached by focusing on the sound and letter patterns of English. This emphasis on word patterns doesn’t mean spelling is more important than reading, it means reading improvement for many people will be slow unless they study and observe the written and spoken forms of words, too. The word study programme is broken down into 12 steps, which begin with easier patterns and graduate to more
difficult ones, relating them to both reading and writing. There were huge benefits in revising and updating the red manual, which had become outdated. Two major changes were made by splitting the original 170-page manual into four separate books, and creating full-colour illustrations and activity diagrams to make the programme easier and more fun to use for both learners and their teachers. Instructions are written in everyday language with full explanations, which gives parents confidence to use it with their own children. Tutors and teachers will also find the quick teaching tips and extra notes useful. Barbara and I are also developing new resources and additional activities to supplement the existing programme, and looking ahead to creating electronic books and educational games in the future. We’re excited that our combined passions have come together to provide educators with resources that will improve the skill levels, and create better opportunities in the futures of the children they work with.
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