Mail & Guardian reporter
Damelin, one of South Africa’s leading correspondence colleges, is pioneering the installation of a Readwell Project that seeks to improve the reading capabilities of South African learners, including adult learners.
Based on the visagraph, an imported computer targeted at the estimated 60% of students aged 10 to 18 who are reported to have a 70% below average reading and comprehension capacity.
Damelin has secured the services of a clinical psychologist to implement the project. A snap survey conducted on the reading capabilities of learners indicates that the problem is acute in provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal.
Jerry Rowles, Damelin Training Solutions executive director, says at matric level a student should be able to read about 250 words a minute, but the threshold is far too high for a majority of primary and high school learners who read about 100 words a minute.
“This bodes ill for [the ability of] such students to cope academically in a tertiary institution. A roll-out of the project to hundreds of schools around the country would make a great difference.”
The R30 000 computer hardware and software for training is already in use in more than 40 schools throughout the country. Damelin has provided the equipment to two Gauteng schools, and that includes Kathston College a remedial school for children with learning difficulties.
Rowles says implementation of the project would require partnerships with education authorities if the equipment is to be rolled out to all the schools in the province. To this end, Damelin is engaging the Gauteng Department of Education to link the project to Gauteng On-Line the province’s project that delivers Internet access to public schools.
“An arrangement would have to be made with the school governing bodies to make the equipment affordable. One approach is for Damelin to provide the equipment and for the school to build in repayment for the equipment in the school fees structure. An additional amount of R100 a month could be charged to learners, for example”, Rowles says.
A statement by Damelin says an alarming number of school students do not learn to read efficiently and effectively as many basic visual, functional perception and information processing skills are not adequately developed. This also applies to a large proportion of adult learners , who also fall into the category of low levels of reading and comprehension capacity.
The Readwell Project involves the improvement of the most basic skills comprising the fundamental reading process.
“By using a computerised reading development system at least twice a week for three to six months a learner’s reading and comprehension skills can be improved by 300% to 400%”, the statement says.
The testing is done by a visagraph, which measures the fundamental reading process of students. In a matter of minutes the efficiency of an individual’s reading performance can be assessed. This is followed by a computerised placement appraisal, which determines the independent reading level, usual reading rate, comprehension competence and vocabulary study level.
Perceptual accuracy and visual efficiency are elements of the programme, and contribute to basic requirements for fluent silent reading and all learning and vocational tasks.
Readwell’s Guided Reading seeks to develop fluency in the most basic reading processes, adequate reading rates and improved comprehension.
Rowles says: “The software can be loaded into schools and corporate IT training rooms while we facilitate the training off-site.
“By offering this facility to schools, learners can benefit from an accelerated growth in their development and academic potential.”