— says that teaching literacy is more than teaching simple reading skills

LITERACY is more often defined as the ability to read and write. However, while one’s ability to read may be a major demonstration of a literate child or adult, it can never be considered as the only factor. Reading without the aptitude to comprehend and interpret what is read can be meaningless.

Literacy, therefore, encompasses much more than reading; it is a bigger concept which involves listening, writing, viewing and reading, creating visual and digital images, speaking and interpreting; taking language to different levels and for different purposes.

National Library

The Guyana National Library has for a number of years been holding workshops as part of the Easter, July/August and Christmas extension activities. Additionally, throughout the year the library holds two other sets of classes: a Special Reading class, as well as the Reading Circle class.

In the Special Reading classes emphasis is placed on phonics and remedial work with children between the ages of six and 10 years old. Classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 15:45hrs to 17:00hrs.

Head of the Juvenile Branch of the library, Merle James told the Pepperpot Magazine that the intention of the programme is to help children to be able to read, comprehend and interpret well. She said that the objective of the programme is to provide varying pathways for the children to acquire and integrate learning, gaining the level of competencies needed for forwarding academic and social development.

Generally, she said, the programme focuses on the very basic literacy skills such as reading, writing, speaking and listening, along with providing teachings in grammar and vocabulary; all with the intention of helping to prepare children to better manage their classroom work within the school environment.

The Reading Circle classes are also held twice every week at the library on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These classes are also held between the hours of 15:45hrs to 17:00hrs. The volunteer teachers for these classes are drawn from the University of Guyana and some of the secondary schools in the country.

James explained that within these sessions children are groomed to enjoy reading while promoting literacy. “The love of reading; being able to decode and encode words, at the same time making reading fun is what we aim to achieve,” she pointed out.

Extension Activities

The library’s extension activities, as they are called, are done mainly during school holidays that children enjoy, which is Easter, July/August and Christmas vacation time. These are done in the form of workshops, lasting for a duration of two weeks for each activity. Children between the ages of six and 12 years old are encouraged to register, but many others who turn up – younger than six and older than 12 years old are usually not turned away, except for when the classes are becoming overcrowded.

The subjects being offered for these workshops are Mathematics, Spanish, Science, Languages and craft. There are also creative writing workshops, with poetry and drama being added.

Teachers and assistant teachers volunteer to assist in making these workshops successful. In order to stir and maintain interest in what is being taught teachers are sometimes forced to divide up the classes into smaller, more effective groups, while being prepared to set and execute work for all of them, with the help of the assistant teachers.

The Georgetown National Library has, therefore, become an invaluable resource for children’s learning activities, as well as fun. Many of the children spend the entire day within the environmentally friendly atmosphere of the library surroundings even after their specific class activities are over for the day.

Success stories
Every year, the Chief Librarian, Emily King, Head of the Juvenile Section, James and many of the staff within the library sit together to plan effective programmes that they know will benefit many school children within the society. These children come from all walks of life and also from various parts of the country – in some cases travelling some distances.

Over the years some of the children have outgrown the programme, graduated from secondary schools and in a few cases, even university. Others are pursuing higher learning, yet some of them still keep in touch with the library, in some cases as assistant teachers.

Children interviewed from time to time have always expressed eagerness to be part of what the library has to offer. Many of them see their opportunity to get on the various workshops as an extension of their holidays, being in a place where they feel safe, comfortable and where they are rewarded once their performance is of a high standard.

Evaluation and prize-giving
At the end of the various sessions, the children are tested, marked and judged accordingly. These include sessions in craft and creative writing as well.

The evaluation aspect of the programme is not designed to be trepidation, but though it involves serious analysis, it is mostly fun-filled. The usually skilled teachers strive for well-planned out content and activities that take in every child, regardless of age. The evaluation for every subject – Science, Language, Mathematics, Craft, Creative Writing and Spanish are carefully done, taking every aspect of learning into consideration.

At the end of all the activities, children still leave the workshops with their own with confidence and creative flair. Many of them are given prizes based on their performance and within the workshop setting for which they were involved.

In addition, for the craft workshops, children are given the opportunity to display their ‘pieces’ prominently for parents, officials who are invited to the closing and parents to have a good view. Furthermore, for the creative writing workshop children, the best pieces of work are selected, which children are able to read to the audience and then awarded with a prize.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Georgetown National library and by extension libraries across the nation have been doing a tremendous job to help many children, not only with the academic and creative aspects but also as a reservoir of peace and fulfilment in psychological development as well. These are the things that will make a difference in their lives, possibly forever. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)