By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Judy Knott and Mary McDonald have been coming from New Zealand to Michigan to prepare teachers in the balanced literacy approach for more than a decade.
The New Zealand team spent Nov. 20 and 21 at Lewis Cass Intermediate School District working with teachers in a hands-on approach for teaching greater literacy to students.
The five essential elements of balanced literacy, which include vocabulary, reading comprehension and student writing, were stressed during the workshop.
New Zealand currently has a literacy rate over 98 percent using the balanced literacy method, which stems from oral language skills.
Students in New Zealand attend school for the first time on their 5th birthday, each telling their "own story" to a teacher who creates a written record of the story.
This written record is used to begin teaching students to read using familiar material.
Teachers in several parts of Michigan, including Ingham, Macomb and Washtenaw counties, have received training from the New Zealand team.
Judy and Mary each have more than 25 years of educational experience in New Zealand.
Teachers attending the workshop were excited about the practical ideas and fresh techniques they received from the team.