I have met with Dr. Fiore (Lesley University) several times about this project. She has given me so much insight into how fine motor skills affect early literacy and math skills. If you cannot hold a writing tool, you cannot learn to read and write. So it's very important to strengthen the hands and eye-hand coordination - through manipulatives, games, etc - when you are small.
We have talked a lot about what kind of games and lessons could work for the kids at Kidane Mehret. Some things we have talked about are:
• The kids at Kidane Mehret might need all the same pieces to play with so that they don't fight about unequal sets.
• The kids at Kidane Mehret have a large age range at all times. A fourteen year old could join Kidane Mehret and have no reading ability. How can we make activities fun and engaging across age groups?
• Should we encourage free play or should we have structured activities?
• How do we share the lessons across languages (English to Amharic)?
Dr. Fiore has offered me the opportunity to share my project with students in two classes - Early Education and Special Education. The students are studying to be teachers in these classrooms. I will be doing that in early November and am grateful for that opportunity.
Comentarios