The Problem -

A vital part of teaching first grade reading is to have each student read out loud to the other students. The problem is that even with a small class of 15, it is difficult for any one student to have any real opportunity to be before the group as there just isn't enough time.

The Teachers Solution -

Several years ago my wife, as a member of a local garden club, joined several other members in response to a request from a local school for volunteers to assist in a program which they called the "Ear Force". Every Friday morning at 9AM the volunteers would go to the school and participate for 30 minutes and then be on their way. The stories that my wife brought home were fascinating, enough to cause me to want to accompany her to see it for myself.

At 9AM the adults are ushered into the first graders classroom where each student was already seated on one of their dinky chairs with an empty chair next to them. The adults are introduced to the class and then the students are led by their teacher in singing (to music from an audio tape) "I am ready to read, I am ready to read, from my head to my toes, I am ready to read (or something like that).

On a random basis each of the adults pair-up with a students and do their best to lower themselves onto a vacant dinky chair. Each of the students will have already selected 5 or 6 of their little books to read to their "adult". After a little introductory chit-chat they quickly move to their reading to the adult, one-on-one, out of their selected books. The adult helps the student with words with which they have difficulties.

Abilities at this early stage in the children's development vary considerably and their resolution to learn also varies. The adults instinctively and without any couching or training will help the student by coaching them to "sound it out", or "you read a paragraph and I will read the next one", or whatever is needed to help the student progress. Adults have a soft spot for children at this age and have more natural desire to help them learn than most would ever imagine.

At about 9:25 the reading ends and each of the students asks their adult to write a few words in their Ear Force notebook as to how they did. The evaluation comments are always short and encouraging such as "Dear Michael - you are coming along real well. Just remember that if you don't recognize a word, to sound it out and you will remember it". And the adult then signs their comments.

After that there is always a few minutes left for a little more chit-chat and at 9:30 the adults exit and the students put their books back, rearrange the chairs, and resume their regular agenda.

But that isn't all - my first visit turned out to have an excess of adults, so my wife and I double teamed our lad. He was very bright and read not only the words, but he used inflections that showed that he understood what he was reading. We were impressed.

At the end of the session as we were just chatting, my wife asked him if he had any brothers or sisters. He responded indicating that he had a sister. My wife, who has a Perry Mason instinct, continued and asked how old she was. His answer blew my mind - he said, after a little pause, ZERO.

It slowly dawned on me that this bright lad had not yet learned that there was something between Zero and One (his sister was 3 months old).

As to who is the student, I relearned something that may have slipped away in the give and take of our daily affairs. If one is speaking to another from a position of knowledge that the other does not possess, you are destined to fail unless your message can be brought down to a level to enable the listener to understand what it is that you are saying and talking about.

A relearning experience.