That there is a problem within the educational system here in the Dominican Republic I think we can agree on. What that or those problems are is always the center for a debate.
I have a son starting the second grade this year and while he was in the first grade I took an active interest in his studies to include his homework. My son has the books Nacho 1, Nacho 2 and Gran ABC Dominicano and I have studied these books. The educational curriculum in this country follows the way that Nacho 1 and Gran ABC Dominicano are written in that the vowels and their pronunciation are taught first and then different letters are introduced and added to these vowels to form syllables and the children are taught how to pronounce these syllables i.e., a,e,i,o,u, the introduction of the letter (m) forming ma,me,mi,mo,mu, double the ma= ma-ma and you have taught the word mam?. All this is well and good but it leaves me wondering if there is something we are forgetting.
At this point, if you will allow me, imagine yourself as a young child of 5 or 6 years of age. Place yourself in school at that age and your teacher tells you that there are 5 letters called vowels and they are a,e,i,o and u, (as a child I would imagine I would be wondering what is a vowel and what is a letter). After studying these vowels for a few days the teacher introduces the letter (m), (as a child I would imagine I would be wondering where my teacher came up with this letter which is called a consonant and how many more are there). Remember, up to this point you have not been taught that all languages have an alphabet and all alphabets contain letters and the Spanish alphabet contains 29 letters. It is my opinion that we are failing to teach some very simple basics which are the foundations of any language and they are; 1.What an alphabet is, 2.How many letters are contained therein and 3.What those letters are. Now, still in the imagination mode, imagine you have been taught what an alphabet is, that the Spanish alphabet contains 29 letters and you have been taught to recite the alphabet. The teacher tells you that there are five letters called vowels and they are a,e,i,o and u. Having already learned what the alphabet is and because you can recite it you know from where your teacher got these vowels and you can already pronounce them. When the letter (m) is introduced you know from where this letter was derived and all you need to learn is the sounds produced when this letter is added to each vowel. Another great benefit to learning to recite the alphabet is that you learn in which order these letters are placed. This benefit serves you after you have learned to read in that you are easily able to navigate those items that are alphabetized such as a dictionary or phone book.
In the last 2 years I have been conducting a survey and have asked over 4,000 children between the ages of 8 to 18 two very simple questions, 1.How many letters are in the alphabet? 2.Can you recite the alphabet? 93% of those surveyed were unable to answer number 1 or perform number 2. We are not teaching the basics that are needed for better learning.
When I started my survey 2 years ago it became apparent to me very quickly that the children were not learning the alphabet in a way that would benefit them the most. I thought of how the children in the USA learn to recite the alphabet at a very young age through song so I took the Spanish alphabet and put it to song. I then took 12 children in my barrio, my son included, and taught them this little jingle of the Spanish alphabet. Here it is 2 years later and these children can still recite the alphabet completely and correctly. I taught this song in 2 sessions of half an hour each session. The children enjoyed learning in these session because I taught it like a game and for that one hour of teaching it is still in their memory two years later. Cost to me? Didn't cost anything except a little time. My reward? I am proud that there are 12 children that know the alphabet when so many do not.
It is my opinion that if the children are given a better foundation to learn from by teaching more basics they will learn better and have more of an interest in learning. I believe that learning to recite the alphabet is one of these basics and it is very simple to do, doesn't take much time, is fun and..............doesn't cost anything.
I have a son starting the second grade this year and while he was in the first grade I took an active interest in his studies to include his homework. My son has the books Nacho 1, Nacho 2 and Gran ABC Dominicano and I have studied these books. The educational curriculum in this country follows the way that Nacho 1 and Gran ABC Dominicano are written in that the vowels and their pronunciation are taught first and then different letters are introduced and added to these vowels to form syllables and the children are taught how to pronounce these syllables i.e., a,e,i,o,u, the introduction of the letter (m) forming ma,me,mi,mo,mu, double the ma= ma-ma and you have taught the word mam?. All this is well and good but it leaves me wondering if there is something we are forgetting.
At this point, if you will allow me, imagine yourself as a young child of 5 or 6 years of age. Place yourself in school at that age and your teacher tells you that there are 5 letters called vowels and they are a,e,i,o and u, (as a child I would imagine I would be wondering what is a vowel and what is a letter). After studying these vowels for a few days the teacher introduces the letter (m), (as a child I would imagine I would be wondering where my teacher came up with this letter which is called a consonant and how many more are there). Remember, up to this point you have not been taught that all languages have an alphabet and all alphabets contain letters and the Spanish alphabet contains 29 letters. It is my opinion that we are failing to teach some very simple basics which are the foundations of any language and they are; 1.What an alphabet is, 2.How many letters are contained therein and 3.What those letters are. Now, still in the imagination mode, imagine you have been taught what an alphabet is, that the Spanish alphabet contains 29 letters and you have been taught to recite the alphabet. The teacher tells you that there are five letters called vowels and they are a,e,i,o and u. Having already learned what the alphabet is and because you can recite it you know from where your teacher got these vowels and you can already pronounce them. When the letter (m) is introduced you know from where this letter was derived and all you need to learn is the sounds produced when this letter is added to each vowel. Another great benefit to learning to recite the alphabet is that you learn in which order these letters are placed. This benefit serves you after you have learned to read in that you are easily able to navigate those items that are alphabetized such as a dictionary or phone book.
In the last 2 years I have been conducting a survey and have asked over 4,000 children between the ages of 8 to 18 two very simple questions, 1.How many letters are in the alphabet? 2.Can you recite the alphabet? 93% of those surveyed were unable to answer number 1 or perform number 2. We are not teaching the basics that are needed for better learning.
When I started my survey 2 years ago it became apparent to me very quickly that the children were not learning the alphabet in a way that would benefit them the most. I thought of how the children in the USA learn to recite the alphabet at a very young age through song so I took the Spanish alphabet and put it to song. I then took 12 children in my barrio, my son included, and taught them this little jingle of the Spanish alphabet. Here it is 2 years later and these children can still recite the alphabet completely and correctly. I taught this song in 2 sessions of half an hour each session. The children enjoyed learning in these session because I taught it like a game and for that one hour of teaching it is still in their memory two years later. Cost to me? Didn't cost anything except a little time. My reward? I am proud that there are 12 children that know the alphabet when so many do not.
It is my opinion that if the children are given a better foundation to learn from by teaching more basics they will learn better and have more of an interest in learning. I believe that learning to recite the alphabet is one of these basics and it is very simple to do, doesn't take much time, is fun and..............doesn't cost anything.