Metro Central: A New Mediator Speaks About Her Experience (March, 2013)

In my Autumn years as a teacher, I have been challenged to try something new yet again!

The challenge has come from Dr Louis Benjamin.  A colleague and I attended the Basic Concepts Programme training four weeks ago.  The BCP aims to equip teachers to become mediators of basic concepts.

I immediately began trying to implement the methodology, using probing questions to elicit language from the learners.  The most difficult thing for me initially was not giving the learners the information but rather teasing it out of them, prodding and guiding them to begin to use language – initially words and then sentences.  It worked partially.

Today I had the privilege of working with Dr Benjamin in my classroom.  I had difficulty when I initially tried to teach the concept 'black' so Dr Benjamin helped me rephrase questions using the blocks from the BCP kit.  Then I introduced a packet which contained a doll and a container of licqourice allsorts.  The children enjoyed removing them and playing with them, while we asked relevant questions.  For example, we asked them to describe the doll’s hair and what it felt like.

After the lesson, Dr B recommended that I SLOW DOWN and concentrate on one or two concepts and vocabulary words per session.  This made a lot of sense.

Andrea Henderson, Learning Support Educator, Ysterplaat Primary School