Ms Khungelwa Dumzele is a Grade 1 teacher at Lwazi Primary School in Gugulethu, and she is mentored by Ms Joyce Baholo. She joined the Edufundi mentorship programme this year and made immense progress.
As a result she was one of the selected recipients of a box of books sponsored by Tsogo Sun and Corevest, to create a reading corner for her classroom. She now has a series of graded readers to cater for learners’ different reading levels, from beginners up to independent readers. Using a control sheet she is able to trace learners’ individual progress from Book 1 to Book 5.
In the past, some learners would remain outside playing marbles even after the bell had rung; nothing motivated them to come back into the classroom. But all that has changed; techniques such as Threshold and Joy Factor have created a sense of warmth and joy. Each of my learners gets special attention as I welcome them through the door in the mornings and after break. Now, as soon as the bell rings my learners come running as they want to be ‘high-fived’ into the classroom.
The use of STAR has helped me to stop talking at the top of my voice and to get 100 % compliance whenever I need my learners to pay attention to what I am saying. I now have systems and routines in place. Everything is done in a certain way, such as when learners enter or exit the classroom and even when they go to the mat for a mat activity. Everyone knows what to do and how to do it.
It is wonderful to have a functional reading corner, too. The books, together with the reading methodologies demonstrated by my mentor – such as shared reading and group guided reading – have helped my learners read with greater fluency and comprehension.
Teaching has become fun for both me and my learners.
Written by Khungelwa Dumzele