November 2008

Reading Programme at Wadja Wadja High School, Woorabinda

By Jenny Rioux

This year, 2008, I started a reading program with the students who were having difficulties. Teachers did not seem to be able to give the students the help that they needed during class time. Therefore, the reading program started to cater for the needs of the Wadja Wadja students. It is done one-on-one in a quiet room which is non-threatening and peaceful, for just an hour each day. I utilise the Montessori approach to reading and have made it into a simplified ‘10 step program’ that teacher aides can also follow.

The students are given choices with regard to books, word lists and writing. They are enthusiastic, and often say “Miss, can I come reading with you today?” Slowly but surely, we are making progress, confidence levels are increasing and students are enjoying reading. The attitude towards reading is not seen as such a chore but something that is very achievable with a bit of determination and persistence.

At the end of each term, I take the students into Rockhampton (170km from Woorabinda), for a day out to practise their literacy skills (reading and communication). Usually we go out to lunch and the students are expected to read the menu, choose their own meal and order their own food. This can be very daunting for some students who do not get to leave Woorabinda very often. Two weeks before we go on the trip, the students are given the menu of the particular restaurant to practise reading so it allows them to succeed when they actually get there.

After the meal, we go to the shopping mall and once again there are plenty of opportunities for reading and asking questions. The students even get to use the scanning machines at the Supermarket! These trips seem to bring out another side to the students and together we see that reading is a necessary part of everyday life that can also be lots of fun!

At last, and certainly not least, the reading sessions are quite intimate, the students often confide in me with their personal thoughts and experiences. I have always felt that a counselling course would be of great assistance in this regard so that I am better equipped to cater for the emotional needs of these disadvantaged young adolescents. Thus, thanks to the support of the MCF, I will be commencing a Diploma in Professional Counselling to help in the ongoing effort to ‘champion the cause of these children’.