The YMCA of Los Angeles has seen a marked improvement in the literacy of its preschoolers after implementing a new curriculum for alphabetic and phonics learning.

When Alessandra Pinheiro, Senior Director of YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, met a representative of Zoo-phonics, Inc. at an educator’s conference in Pasadena, she had no idea she was going to change the literacy rates for hundreds of preschoolers in the Los Angeles area.

YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles operates 24 locations, with nine hosting preschools. Most of these kids are native Spanish speakers, with Spanish being the primary— and often only— language spoken in the home.

When Pinheiro took the YMCA Program’s helm in 2014, she noticed there needed to be an improvement in how the alphabet, phonics and early reading was taught in order for the YMCA Program to boost the literacy levels for the children.

“The majority of our kids would be able to identify the capital letters, but they wouldn’t be able to associate them with their sounds. It just didn’t mean anything to them,” says Pinheiro.

The timing for her introduction to the Zoo-phonics Mnemonic and Multisensory Language Arts Program was serendipitous, as the company was looking to conduct additional studies on the effectiveness of its language arts program with low income, limited English speaking preschoolers. Pinheiro implemented the Zoo-phonics Program into five of the nine YMCA preschool locations, and agreed to participate in a research study conducted by E3 Research. She and her staff were more than impressed when the results became evident in the organization’s early learners.

“Within three to six months of use, we noticed huge developmental progress across all the sites that used the Program,” says Pinheiro.

Zoo-phonics is a mnemonic and multisensory phonics-based program that uses a lively cast of animals from all over the world. A highly effective series of mnemonics is used in order to introduce and reinforce new learning of the lowercases alphabet – as the foundation for reading, spelling and writing.

Unlike traditional methods, favoring lowercase letters and their sounds is a cornerstone of the Zoo-phonics curriculum, since the vast majority of the English language is written in lowercase letters. Instead of letter names, letter sounds are immediately connected to the lowercase letters, which draws the connections necessary for a child to learn to read, spell and write. Once the lowercase letters and sounds are firmly established for preschoolers, more complicated, abstract concepts, such as uppercase letters and letter names are taught. When these two are taught first, they tend to delay the literacy process for far too many emergent learners.

“Within a few months, our kids know all the lowercase letters, can connect the sounds to each letter, and then can connect the lowercase with the uppercase, all in English. This is the biggest impact I’ve noticed. And, these preschoolers are Spanish speakers at home,” says Pinheiro.

Another aspect that sets Zoo-phonics apart and makes it extremely effective is the physical activity used in the teaching and learning of the letters and their sounds. Children love to play, and they learn most efficiently at these young ages while engaged in play. Because of the activity involved, including the Zoo-phonics Program’s use of gestures, called Body Signals that help children retain what they’ve learned, Pinheiro has seen entire classrooms excel together, boys and girls alike. “It’s very easy to keep their attention because it’s so active,” Pinheiro says.

Behind all the fun, games and body wiggles are real success stories and comparative results, and YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles has seen it firsthand. The locations that implemented the Zoo-phonics Program were compared to locations that did not yet have it available. Torrance was one of the locations without the Program. “The numbers were obvious,” says Pinheiro. “There was such a big difference, and now we’re putting Zoo-phonics in that location.”

Besides adding a program that was inviting and efficient for children, Pinheiro wanted to try a program that wasn’t too demanding on teachers. “Zoo-phonics was the perfect balance because it is easy to learn, and the instructors could still use Zoo-phonics alongside our other curriculum,” explains Pinheiro. “For my teachers who don’t have English as a first language, it was a little tougher.” To counteract a potential language struggle for the adults, Pinheiro encouraged her instructors to participate in Zoo-phonics workshops, and made herself available to provide additional support.

The extra effort has yielded favorable results, as the teachers at the various sites have been excited to use the Zoo-phonics Program. “Once you master something, you want to learn more,” adds Pinheiro. Her fantastic team of site directors and teachers has been an incredible support to the success of the students while using Zoo-phonics.

The improvements for both teachers and students has caused a ripple effect throughout YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, with the organization adding the Zoo-phonics Program to another site this year, and plans to include the Program across all nine preschool sites, pending time availability and budget.

“It’s such a unique, physical and playful way to introduce the alphabet and phonemic awareness,” says Pinheiro. “The teachers are happy with it, the students love it, and literacy levels are greatly improving. We are very pleased with the results.”

The post Los Angeles YMCA Boosts Preschool Literacy with the Zoo-phonics Mnemonic and Multisensory Phonics Program appeared first on Zoo-phonics.

Teachers, administrators, heads of educational departments, and school board members are firm believers in educational studies because the results give them pertinent information to help them make classroom decisions. In order for the study to have integrity, it has to have a large enough student sample and must be able to demonstrate reliability in order to generalize to a greater population. One of the most important tests that studies go through (or should) is the t-test. The hope of the t-test is to show that the results of the study were not found by chance and the study can be replicated with assurance.

The “not by chance” concept is a measure of probability and is expressed as the level of statistical significance (p).  The common level is expressed as >.05, or less than 5%.  This means that there is a less than 5% chance that the number is a result of chance.  So statistically speaking, if the number, say on a t-test is less than .05, it is accepted as statistically significant or “did not occur by chance,” which is the hope of every researcher.

Every day, in educational blogs and articles, one can see the interest and sway that research (even non-scientific) has on educators and educational stake-holders. However, it is rare that we hear the perspective of the researcher. The reason for this is that researchers must stay unbiased. Or, at least, the bias has to be stated up front. (It is rare that a researcher has no opinions on his/her study subject.) Today, you will read the personal view of one researcher and why he felt compelled to share it.

Dr. Scott Griffith has a different story than most researchers. He was once a second-grade teacher who desperately needed a teaching strategy for his low-skilled students, including second-language learners and special needs students.  He noticed that those with prior Zoo-phonics language arts instruction did exceptionally better in his class than those who hadn’t learned through Zoo-phonics. They were more prepared for more challenging instruction. Because of this, he began to use Zoo-phonics in his own classroom.

“In every classroom, there are always kids with various rates of literacy,” says Griffith, “but once I started using Zoo-phonics, my entire class had gone through the entire second grade reader by Christmas. By the end of second grade, most were reading at the fourth-grade level.” Griffith measured his students’ end-of-the-year reading scores against other second grade classrooms and found that whereas other classes grew by three trimesters in the year, Griffith’s second grade class grew by four trimesters.

What did he attribute to Zoo-phonics’ success with children? “Zoo-phonics is mnemonic, physical, and multisensory in its approach to language arts. It seems to appeal to children of all ages, abilities, language, and learning styles. And, its fun for teachers!” stated Griffith.

After gaining his doctorate, Griffith left elementary school teaching and joined a university staff working with doctoral students who were working on their dissertations. Within this time-frame, he established his E3 Research Company and chose to first study a topic about which he was most curious. What is the efficacy of the Zoo-phonics Mnemonic and Multisensory Program for preschool and kindergarten children? He knew what he saw in his classroom but could Zoo-phonics hold up under even closer scrutiny, testing a larger group of students from various demographics?

Griffith put out an open call to schools around the United States, and over the years, received a series of volunteer private and public preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms. In some studies, teachers were already trained in Zoo-phonics and had been using the Program in their classrooms. For those who were not yet trained, they were trained by a certified Zoo-phonics trainer and Zoo-phonics curriculum was given.

In each study, data were collected at the beginning of the school year, and depending on the study, often at the end of the first trimester, but always at the end of the school year. “These two or three assessments allowed us to monitor student growth, in order to see the speed and longevity of any gains,” explains Griffith.

The early studies only really took note of students’ mastery (and lack there-of) of upper- and lowercase alphabets: letter shapes, sounds, and names. The process has since expanded into thoroughly covering kindergarten literacy skills, with special emphasis on kids three to six years of age.

And his findings? “With the pre-test at the beginning of the year, even for kindergartners, we see a sketchy understanding of letter information. But by the end-of-the year tests, after Zoo-phonics instruction, most three-year-olds will typically have the lowercase letters and letter sounds down,” says Griffith, having witnessed this consistently through the data. “Four-year-olds will know most or all uppercase and lowercase letters and letter sounds. We’re talking fifty out of fifty-two letters (shapes, sounds, letter names, lower- and uppercase). That’s on the pre-reading level, and for some, the basic reading level, by the time these kids leave preschool. Consistently.”

According to Griffith, studies have shown that for incoming kindergartners who had no previous experience with Zoo-phonics, it took less than a trimester (3 months) for these new 5-year-olds to learn all of the lower- and uppercase letters, including their letter shapes and sounds. Having this foundation, they were able, early in the second trimester, to begin the reading, spelling and writing process.

What was the difference in the approach of this language arts program verses more traditional language arts programs?  First, Zoo-phonics teaches the letter sounds before letter names; it teaches lowercase letters before capital letters (lowercase letters are used 95% of the time in text). It also uses cute and inviting animal cartoon characters that exactly fit the shape of the lowercase letters. (The same animals are used to “lean” on the capital letters for an associative effect.).

Instead of sitting at desks mundanely reciting and writing the “A-B-C’s” over and over, children were up and out of their seats, playfully using gestures (called Body Signals) and movement to match each letter of the alphabet. Once mastering the alphabet, children could then string these letters together, still using the same gestures, to form words and sentences. Kids giggled as they wiggled. And they work together, enjoying social interaction rather than sitting alone at desks. Animal letters, alliterative animal names (bubba bear), and body gestures become the mnemonics that glue letter shapes to their sounds. “Remember how abstract letters are. They are symbols that represent sounds that really have no real connection,” stated Griffith.

Griffith studied over 3,000 students over six years, from Head Start programs, preschools, kindergarten, and first grade classes; from rural areas like Ohio County, Kentucky, and Franklin County, Tennessee, to suburban neighborhoods like Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and California; special education classrooms in California; and inner-city YMCA programs in Los Angeles. He sees the same patterns and outcomes just about everywhere, regardless of family income, gender, nationality, language, and other demographics.

Says Griffith, “When you look at all of the t-tests that we’ve run, they almost always show a p-factor of .000.  Over all of the studies, the results have demonstrated a consistent message that the gains made are not only significant, they did not happen by chance. This was demonstrated in two ways.  First, we have studied over 3000 students with the same results and that the significance level for nearly all the t-test (differences between mean scores such as pre- and post-tests) is .000, not even .05. There is no doubt that for mastery of the alphabet, Zoo-phonics works.  The PALS and STAR test results bear this out as well.”

“As a researcher, I’ve been impressed with the consistency of the data with that many kids,” says Griffith. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, all students performed with the same proficiency. Kids who are without initial literacy skills come out of their first trimester know needed alphabetic information and were quickly into the pre-reading/pre-writing stage and beyond,” expressed Griffith.

Aside from his research on the Zoo-phonics Program, Griffith has outside validation for the results of his studies. STAR (Standardized Test for Assessment in Reading), a nationally administered assessment, shows the same patterns and results from across the county, confirming the results from E3’s research. The same is true for the PALS Assessment Test (Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening), another nationally-normed test.

“Throughout all these studies, the gains that were made year after year, item after item, are statistically significant,” says Griffith. In terms of the alphabet, the children who used the Zoo-phonics Program, including special education and ESL students, regularly outperformed most their peers who weren’t taught through the Zoo-phonics Program.  “And, this is measured against national norms, tested by national tests, using all programs.”

For Griffith, the combination of his teaching experience and his research involving the Zoo-phonics Mnemonic and Multisensory Language Arts Program is the revelation of what it really means to teach. Capturing and keeping children’s attention and removing the hindrances of abstract reading barriers opens up a new world for both students and teachers.

“It really allows teachers to teach, because they can go further than the typical literacy programs allow, and that’s where the real teaching begins, since most programs don’t have a ‘one-size-fits-all’ curriculum as Zoo-phonics does,” says Griffith. He attributes part of the success to the nuances that appear in the Zoo-phonics Program, which is why children learn it, know it, and have something to fall back on if they forget a piece of the alphabet puzzle. States Griffith, “The animal letters, alliterative animal names, and body gestures as mnemonics are particularly effective for recall. In learning through this curriculum and methodology, these kids are using the natural learning approaches they would use in other life-situations.”

Griffith also likes to stress the fact that the data from all these studies is based on average students not primarily gifted and talented students. “When data demonstrates that three-year-old students, on average, know 24 out of 26 letters, it means a significant number of 3-year-olds are doing even better than the average child at this age,” explained Griffith.  “I’ve done the research. I’ve seen the results personally. I’ve been a teacher, and I’ve used Zoo-phonics with my own students, and my grandkids,” says Griffith. “The numbers are compelling.”

The post From Teacher, to Researcher, to Zoo-phonics Proponent: Scott Griffith of E3 Research Witnesses Consistent Compelling Data appeared first on Zoo-phonics.

Half a world away from the classrooms of the U.S. are the dirt floor schoolrooms of Kenya, Africa, where Dr. Char and her husband Bill traveled to see. Children trudge through muddy and unpaved roads in their brightly-colored, homemade uniforms, arriving at their classrooms, where sheets of corrugated metal stand for the outside walls and adobe bricks insulate the interior. Little to nothing lines the classroom walls in the way of educational materials. In the lower grades, there are no games to play, no books to read, no paper on which to write, and no pencils to write with! In the corrugated-fenced and dirt playground, children had two old tires to roll. However, it didn’t stop children from singing, laughing and running around happily. In the classrooms, children crowd together on benches and there may or may not be tables for children to work on, depending on the school. And yet, there is a spirit of joy there, with dozens of smiling faces on both children and teachers.

This is a typical poverty-level school in Africa. However, there are little children who walk back and forth in front of the schools with no uniforms and nowhere to go because they cannot afford to attend one of these “poverty” schools. These schools look like mansions to them. They can only hope that someday they’ll be sponsored to attend.

“Seeing the real Africa was amazing and so touching to me. Thirty-four years ago, my sister and special education teacher, Gigi Bradshaw, artist Irene Clark, and I, also a special education teacher made an imaginative trek to Africa as we developed Zoo-phonics,” says the company’s founder, co-author, and CEO Dr. Charlene Wrighton, describing the backstory of the Zoo-phonics Mnemonic and Multisensory Language Arts Program. Enchanted by the beauty of the land and culture, the Program utilizes a variety of African animals as well as animals from all over the world to teach letters and sounds of the alphabet to young children. The Program’s main character, Zoophonia, is a classroom teacher from the United Kingdom, who decided to teach children in Africa once she retired. In the Zoo-phonics’ poem, song, and story, Zoophonia sees a little boy crying. She dries his eyes and asks him why. “These words are one big blur,” he sobs. Zoophonia promises to help him. She and Zeke Zebra get the idea to gather 26 animals from all over the world and these become the Animal Letters that are the foundation of Zoo-phonics!

“To actually drive through the countryside, see a herd of zebras on the side of the road, and meet the precious children and teachers that were in our imaginations thirty-four years ago was a dream come true. I only wish my two partners where there to share it with me.”

Dr.  Char and husband Bill, carried four suitcases containing hundreds of pounds of Zoo-phonics materials, school supplies, balls, jump ropes, frisbees and kites, and set off for Kenya. Their mission was to visit the African schools that had implemented the Zoo-phonics Program six years ago through Watchman International, a Christian missions organization. William Carver and Jeanne Brown, have been to many 11 countries in Africa establishing 21 schools, bringing 450 huge water purifiers for the communities and schools, as well introducing the Zoo-phonics Program to 6 of them.

She presented a two-day workshop in Eldoret, Kenya where teachers and pastors from five African countries (Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, and South Sudan).  The workshop participants took three- and four-day bus trips just to get there. “We had the best time,” stated Wrighton. “At first, I thought I was going to have to stop every few sentences in order for the pastors to translate my words, however, Zoo-phonics is so visual and playful, the teachers caught on quickly and were soon doing the gestures to match the Animal Letters and playing the myriad of games Zoo-phonics uses to teach the alphabet, reading, spelling and writing. “It was one of the most joyful experiences of my life,” stated Wrighton. While Dr. Char was teaching teachers and children in the schools, husband Bill was outside with other children throwing frisbees, jumping rope, and toss Nerf® footballs. Even the pastors and their sons came out to play!

Presently, Kenya suffers from a 70% illiteracy rate, bringing with it all the trappings that the lack of education brings— crime, drug use, suicide, corruption, and health epidemics. While in Katali, a small town in Kenya, a neighborhood celebration was happening. Besides musical entertainment and spontaneous audience-participating dances, the Minister of Education and the High Commissioner (speaking for the president of Kenya) spoke to the people impressing upon parents and grandparents how important education is and how change is critical. Shared Wrighton, “Pastor Anthony, headmaster of two schools, preschool through high school, has used Zoo-phonics for six year. He was recognized for lowering the devasting illiteracy rate down to 30%. William Carver was also recognized for his work in Kenya.

Positive change is obviously happening here and it was recognized. Church leaders, local teachers, and foreign church ministries are all working together to improve student performance. The hardest part is, not all children can go to school, and neighborhood schools are impoverished, needing much in the way of infrastructure, school supplies, and technology. What they do have, however is heart.

While most people might not see much hope or promise in these schools, Dr. Char sees a different picture. Having an indirect and yet significant hand in improving literacy in some of Africa’s poorest schools through Zoo-phonics, she wants to go back and help further train teachers and children. Her husband, a building contractor, would love to help re-structure the buildings, making them safer.  “Technology is needed desperately but some schools don’t even have electricity!” said Dr. Char.

Besides the herd of zebras and a family of five on one motorcycle, the most amazing thing that Dr. Char saw was a shoe-shiner and his chair, sitting in the middle of a muddy, unpaved, rain-soaked road, with a gentleman sitting there getting his shoes shined. It was the height of hope and it symbolized, for her, Africa. “The people smile and graciously give you their very best even when they have so little materially,” shared Dr. Char.

The post A True “Zoophonia” Moment–Zoo-phonics Author Visits Africa appeared first on Zoo-phonics.

Wrighton stood before 35 teachers and school administers/pastors, from six different African nations: Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, and South Sudan. With three of these countries speaking Swahili, and the rest speaking their own proprietary languages, she anticipated having to slow her presentation and wait for translators to convey the message.

“I had been told the teachers spoke little English with most only having a 10^th grade education, but that little bit went a long way.” Wrighton gave her workshops like normal, dedicating two long but very playful and fun-filled days to train teachers and school administrators (pastors), doing everything as she would here in the U.S. She spoke of movement and memory, neurological processes in terms of learning, putting the signature Zoo-phonics mnemonics into action, and much more. “We tossed beach balls with the Zoo-phonics Animal Letters on them. We played the Fly Swatter Game with the Animal Letters. We played old, traditional games, such as, Red Light, Green Light, Zoophonia, May I? and Zoophonia Says adapted to Zoo-phonics, all while practicing the English alphabet!” stated Wrighton.  “If they didn’t understand me, I never saw it. They were very bright and very fast learners. They just got it.”

During the workshop, there were hilarious (according to Wrighton) competitions of who could do all the Signals the fastest; they read and Signaled (the gestures) wonderful literature books, and played all sorts of alphabet, spelling, and reading games. When Wrighton learned that half the instructors taught older students, she worked with them the second day and taught more advanced phonics concepts to them, still using the Zoo-phonics mnemonic and playful way, strengthening them with the skills and ability to take phonics to the next level in their classrooms.

“They’re listening through the audio-lens of a different language,” says Wrighton, “but there was no language barrier. They picked up everything so quickly, and with such great participation!”

After dedicated training, these teachers will take the information back to their own classrooms, where instruction is given to the children in Swahili, or their own country’s language, and English.

Minimal Resources, Maximum Utility

While English was assumed to be a limited resource, many other issues accompanied it, as expected in poverty situations. There are no kitchens, sinks, or visible refrigeration in these schools, so the late morning snack of simple porridge is cooked in a large pot over a small propane cook stove or over coals in the corner of a tiny adobe brick and corrugated metal room with dirt floors. A lunch of rice, maize, sweet potatoes, and some meat was served (and was delicious, according to Wrighton) to the staff and visitors.

The restroom facilities are outhouses that have no running water and consist of a hole in the ground. There is no toilet paper, and the door half-hung from its hinges. Handwashing, dishwashing, and other water needs are provided via a water purification system that sits outside, provided by Watchman International, a Christian-based organization.

But the schools use what they have to make up for what they don’t. These schools have very few posters on the walls, and the ones they do have are old, tattered, and holding onto whatever the color they have left. There are also old, sliced open grain sacks hung on the wall, with vowels or letter blends or educational information written on the rough fibers that lines the insides of the sacks. They resourcefully use anything they can find. And it works.

Outside on the corrugated metal walls are brightly painted and labeled illustrations of the cardiovascular system, teeth, seasons, maps, and more. These displays are large enough to help educate any child who can see it, and make up for the fact that there are no materials for each student, considering that interior adobe walls can’t be utilized easily, if at all.

Children and the Love of Play

Children are children everywhere— they love to play, need to be loved, and do have a squabble every now and again. And while they are all the same across the globe, there are some stark differences between those of the U.S., where Wrighton and Zoo-phonics are most familiar, and those of the poorest schools in Africa.

“The children are extremely well-behaved and respectful. There might be thirty of them sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on a bench together, and maybe they’ll start bickering because there is no space, but a simple request from the teacher to stop is all it takes for them to again sit peacefully,” says Wrighton. “It was amazing. I’m not sure you’d see this orderly behavior in America, especially with the lack of facilities and comfort. And, the teachers have to rely on their own creativity and verbal teaching as there is little to nothing in the way of school materials, books or supplies. We saw our Zoo-phonics materials precariously hung on the walls. The Large Animal Letter Cards were well-used, each with the color of the dirt floor on them, loved by many little hands.”

Even with minimal resources, the children and teachers are happy, and don’t focus on what they don’t have. Another drastic comparison is the playground. While tens of thousands of dollars— and more— is often spent on playgrounds in U.S. schools, those of Kenya are just dirt, mud during the rain, with two old tires that children used to play. And yet, the children laughed a lot, sang, interacted happily with each other, their teachers, and sometimes, with a special visit from the pastor/principal of the schools!

It’s a testament to the power of imagination, and a child’s pure enthusiasm for play no matter the available resources. Play time was taken to the next level when Wrighton’s husband brought frisbees, Nerf® balls, jump ropes and kites  — toys that most students had not played with before.

The Sacrifices, the Courage, the Impact

In order to get to the Zoo-phonics training, a woman from South Sudan carried a sack of her belongings while she walked for two hours to the bus stop, where she boarded for a three-day ride to Eldoret. Those from Zambia had to ride the bus for a solid four days. “These people came at great sacrifice,” Wrighton says, which made the trip even more important to her.

But the effects of literary success continued beyond the schools of Eldoret. In Katali, Wrighton attended a very special event involving the Minister of Education and the Education Commissioner of Kenya. Surrounded by popup tents, live music, television cameras (connected to a generator), Swahili translators, and some pomp and circumstance, one of Watchman International’s pastors, Pastor Anthony— received much-earned recognition for the successful educational improvements in his K – 12 schools, crediting his amazing team of teachers and the tools they use. Fighting against a strong 70% illiteracy rate is no easy task, and Pastor Anthony was able to do so, along with Zoo-phonics, to drastically drop the illiteracy rate to an impressive 30%.

Intrigued by the results of Kenyan students, the Minister of Education and the Education Commissioner of Kenya personally asked Wrighton for more information about Zoo-phonics and what they could do to make it more widely available.

As an extension of tremendous gratitude for the work the teachers do, Wrighton put together extensive gift bags full of school supplies, Zoo-phonics materials, and tea and candy. “Their tolerance, their love, and their perspectives are just so different. Their work ethic is tremendous,” says Wrighton. The pastors received the same, only with the added luxury of coffee— a rare, expensive, and much-appreciated treat.

Their return home to the U.S. has already sparked initiatives to continue to improve educational situations in Africa, and correspondence with officials and educators in Africa is helping to ensure that they can be put underway. “I’m very confident that I’ve left Zoo-phonics in very good hands,” says Wrighton.

Wrighton knows that Zoo-phonics has done a lot to change and improve the literacy for children in many schools around the world, but the magnitude of the work in Africa came as a bit of a surprise. “I’m not even sure we realized the scope and the commitment,” she says. “We often donate training and Zoo-phonics materials with an open heart and basically leave it to them without knowing of their successes. We’ve given to many church-based organizations in Africa and India, and other areas, and they’re just using it brilliantly. It will be exciting to see the impact in years to come. We want to continue to be a part of it!”

Watchman International was developed by John and Juliette Sherbourne, established in the 1990’s following the Rwandan civil war. Their focus is establishing churches, schools, water systems, and young adult mentoring. Other countries include the Congo, Ethiopia and Liberia. William Carver has worked with them since 2002.

The post Zoo-phonics Workshop in Kenya Delights Teachers from Multiple African Countries appeared first on Zoo-phonics.

Imagine a school in rural Kentucky that routinely shows below average performance for its young early language learners and readers. It checks all the boxes for what are commonly accepted today as norms: the boys trail behind the girls in learning to read, those coming from poverty level are behind those who are more affluent, those who are English language learners or those with developmental delays trail behind further still.

It seems like a never-ending cycle— and an all-too-common story— of a school trying to educate its students, implementing the plans and curriculum in place to do that, and still failing to turn out students on par with higher performance ranking schools.

For schools in Ohio County, Kentucky, this was the reality. “We had some concerns and wanted to look at what we were doing at all levels of literary instruction,” says Kara Bullock, assistant superintendent of Ohio County schools. “We needed something more systematic, and we knew we had to fix it before the accountability grades, so we had to go back to the very beginning.”

It was through a teacher in another district that Bullock was introduced to a lively and effective program called Zoo-phonics. This teacher, whose own child attended a private preschool that used the program, touted her own child’s literacy success, and suggested Bullock consider it for her public schools. Bullock did, and with the hope and intention that it would help turn around the statistics for her region. “The way the letters have been taught just seemed so random. Zoo-phonics was very systematic, very multisensory, so we gave it a try.”

Ohio County schools have used Zoo-phonics for six years now, and the instructors who use the program have seen drastically favorable results. Regular studies and mandated testing, which have been conducted on these early learning classrooms since 2013, continuously see great improvements as a result of implementation. “It’s quite shocking to see how quickly [the kids] can learn this,” says Bullock. “In one semester, they can know all their letter sounds and signals. It’s a wonderful start for children.”

For the 2014-15 school year, 15 state-credentialed teachers participated in a study of the program, and agreed to use Zoo-phonics with fidelity after receiving an intensive training on its use. 320 kindergarten students participated in the study as well, with 214 of these kids having attended either preschool or Head Start in the year prior.

The gender split was equal, with there being less than 1% more boys than girls. If the idea that boys’ reading levels are always behind those of girls at this age— and it’s something that can’t be helped— then surely the study would reveal that.

The same was true for those children coming from homes at the poverty level. As a school district whose reduced-cost lunch recipients total 68% of the students, it was safe to say that this district was primarily catering to an economically disadvantaged demographic. Would this also demonstrate differences in literacy levels?

There was also the fact that many of these young children were English language learners, had academic delays, or had disabilities such as speech or language delays or developmental delays.

So, with extensive training in how to implement the program, the teachers got to work, putting Zoo-phonics to good use and waiting to see what the results would be of the study.

“It was a complete change in thinking,” says Bullock, “and that was a process.”

Firmly rooted in current neuroscience, Zoo-phonics uses pictorial mnemonics, movement, and sensory exploration, which quickly gains— and keeps— children’s attention. The emphasis on movement, and the use of these techniques in conjunction with one another, maximize attention, understanding, memory, and utilization, which transfers to all areas of the language arts process.

Simply put, this means that new learning is quickly embedded into long term memory.

Uncommon to most other programs, the kindergartners learned the lowercase letters first, since these are the letters that occupy the vast majority of the English language. Each letter was associated with an animal, with the animal drawn in the shape of the letter. In addition, each animal letter had a corresponding body movement— better known as a signal— that helped solidify the letter’s sound with its shape. Combined with alliteration, these techniques help transform information that is rather conceptual to a child into something more concrete, which improves both the child’s understanding and mental access.

“Letters are abstract to children, especially for struggling readers or children who haven’t had a lot of literary exposure in their homes. But every child out there is going to like animals. Zoo-phonics takes an abstract concept and makes it relevant and real to children,” says Bullock.

When most kids this age are expected to dutifully sit behind desks and memorize the alphabet, the kindergartners of Ohio County are learning the letters through jumping, singing, dancing, running, pantomiming, slithering, tossing, catching, and much more.

When the sounds of the lowercase letters are mastered, the capitals make an appearance, along with letter names. Same animals, same sounds, but much faster absorption of the material. So much so that most kids have mastered the English alphabet within two months.

But, how was this measured? Using the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS-K) as the primary tool in this study, data was collected at four different times throughout the academic school year: once at the start of the school year, a second time in November after the first trimester, midway through the year in January, and again in June to mark the end of the school year.

The results at the beginning of the year showed that only 25% of students were at or above the benchmark, leaving 75% of kindergartners below benchmark and in need of interventions. By spring of the same school year, the percentage of children at or above benchmark jumped up to 67%, with those in the intervention or urgent categories also having improved by multiple levels.

Some other fantastic results were that boys were learning language arts skills at the same rate as girls, shattering the idea that boys inevitably trail girls in this category. The same held true for students whose backgrounds afforded them less enrichment or academic stability— they learned just as quickly as those students from families who were more affluent.

As for those who were English language learners and those with academic delays, the students in this group learned just as quickly as students in traditional settings.

With Ohio County also implementing Zoo-phonics at the preschool and daycare levels, over half of the incoming kindergartners are prepared for their grade level and have a good knowledge base of their letters. Given its rurality and socioeconomics, this region once lagged behind Kentucky state averages. Now, it surpasses the state average by over 4%.

Ohio County is a testament to both a highly effective learning program and the successful implementation of it. Zoo-phonics continues to consistently yield successful results for students, even in a market flooded with early learning programs and software. The techniques are scientifically validated, loved by kids, and unique in an environment that is still trying to catch up to the realities of how children actually learn well.

Bullock and Ohio County will continue to produce great results. “It’s just so playful and enjoyable that it brings a lot of joy to the students, the teachers, and the parents. Zoo-phonics is just a real bright spot in the educational piece of these younger students.”

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or

Click here for the California Department of Education’s full FAQ.

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Watchmen International Training
Introduction to Zoo-phonics®

A team from the US just completed a two week interaction with WI nursery schools that included visits to four schools (Kenya–Anthony and William’s schools, Uganda–Rukoki and Hamakungu) and an ESL seminar teaching Zoo-phonics to representatives from eleven schools (Kenya–Pauline and Roselyne, Rwantda–Rosemary and Faith, Kilembe–Dinah, Buhuhira–Rose, Kyaka–Racheal, Hamakungu–Pearl, Rwempiche–Resta, Rukoki–Peace, Chrisco–Victoria).

The visits confirmed that last year’s seminar effectively equipped the teachers to begin introducing Zoo-phonics to their students with excellent results. The training last week introduced the ESL curriculum to four schools and brought all the attending teachers to a new proficiency level that allows instruction in the basic alphabet, blends, and word building. One more seminar would equip these eleven school teachers with the training needed to teach their students to read English. Next year we can also introduce the procedures needed to complement reading with writing skills.

Our students will leave the top nursery with true reading skills, not just sight reading. Children will be able to decode and comprehend. This ability will significantly increase their chance of success in P-1.

It will significantly increase the opportunity for graduating nursery school students if we can also train P-1 teachers in schools that offer that grade. We will consider inviting P-1 teachers from Kenya and Rwanda schools in addition to Chrisco and one school from Bavuma next year. Candidates from other schools will be considered. Obviously, as we include these teachers from P-1 in addition to training nursery teachers, we (WI, USA) will have to find the funds for curriculum and seminar expenses. I believe that the Zoo-phonics owners will continue to support the curriculum needs next year and that the US can contribute sufficient funding to pay for seminar expenses.

I believe that properly marketing this instruction to potential families and communities will significantly increase the image of WI nursery schools with the promise of gaining students and influence in the communities being served. A healthy continuation of the ESL training in P-1 will further improve the success of elementary schools by similarly attracting additional students.

Some observations follow:

• The students truly enjoy this way of learning English.
• The teachers are adapting quickly to instruction and are effectively teaching the program in schools.
• The seminar instructional method is working well; teachers are attentive and diligent.
• Curriculum is relatively inexpensive and complements typical teaching methods in African schools.
• God is being faithful to encourage our teachers.
• Nursery schools remain an effective way to meaningfully care for families in WI churches and communities.
• Opportunity to evangelize students and families abound.
• Pastors who consistently encourage and monitor progress in their schools demonstrate the best overall results.
• Teachers with modest education background can master the skills needed to teach Zoo-phonics; attitude, drive, and calling are most important.

It almost goes without saying that the WI teams have made it possible to achieve these gains among WI nursery school teachers. The facilities and personnel in Kasese are excellent and precisely what is needed for future training. The team from the US was blessed by the can-do spirit and hospitality we enjoyed this summer. Thanks to all who contributed to the success of the training visit this year.

The post An Update on Zoo-phonics® Teacher Training in Kasese, Uganda appeared first on Zoo-phonics.

Watchmen International Training

Introduction to Zoo-phonics®

In June 2012, a team from Sanford, NC traveled to Kasese, Uganda to conduct training for nine teachers associated with nursery schools sponsored by Watchmen International (WI). The team included Bill Carver, Director for Schools, Gena Carver, 1st grade teacher at Grace Christian School, Nicole Terhune, 2nd grade teacher, and Janna Ptak, a rising 12th grade student at Grace Christian School.

Attendees at the training included two teachers from Kenyan (WI) nursery schools, one teacher from Rwanda, and six teachers from Uganda. The teachers from these nursery schools had participated in training with WI in previous years. They are representative of the skill level typical of the staff found in WI schools; they were enthusiastic and positive about the new curriculum.

The goals of the training included:

1. Basic introduction to the concept of teaching phonics using Zoo-phonics® curriculum
2. Introduction of the animals for each letter including a mini-natural science lesson for each
3. Introduction of the stylized form of the animals, their names, and the associated sounds
4. The hand motions for each letter/animal
5. Teaching the song for the whole alphabet
6. Basic instruction on teaching children to decode using Zoo-phonics® and introduction of lists of sight words
7. Practicing lessons for introducing each letter to the nursery and kindergarten school children (classes characterized by predominantly 5 year-olds with 3 to 6 year olds attending)
8. Provision of laptop computers and videos to reinforce the training

The teaching included direct instruction, whole group practice, small group practice, and trial instruction in the nursery schools. The training lasted five days, Monday through Friday, and instruction included about six hours of classes per day, including visits to two schools.

Introduction of the Zoo-phonics® curriculum promises to enhance learning of English in East Africa. Progress can be made in the African classroom with modest investment in printed curriculum. The pilot program in 2012 encouraged our team to plan subsequent training and to attempt to introduce Zoo-phonics® to all eighteen schools supported by Watchmen International in East Africa.

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