- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 03:28

Agostini Settlement KPA students get literacy boost

The students at Agostini Settlement KPA Primary School are benefitting from remedial literacy training made possible through the expanded partnership between the Scotiabank (Trinidad and Tobago) Foundation, the Arrow Foundation and the Ministry of Education. In a media release from the foundations, representatives said a visit to school on June25 showcased the dramatic improvement demonstrated by the students. Standard four student, Whittney Britto, “I knew I needed some extra help to do better in school, and I was so excited when Arrow came here. The tutors are kind and patient, and they made learning fun and exciting. Before I knew it, I was doing better in reading and spelling and even my math skills improved after that. Now that our teachers are trained to use the programme, I think that every student will get the same chance to improve and do their best.” [caption id="attachment_1163886" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Representatives of the Scotiabank Foundation, Arrow Foundation and the Agostini Settlement KPA Primary School share a special moment with the students taking part in the Arrow literacy training.-[/caption] The partnership began in 2024, and it has provided reformative learning to students ranging from first year to standard four, which using the patented Arrow computer-based approach to enhance reading, spelling, dictation, speech and listening skills. The progress is also tangibly tracked through an individual pre- and post-training assessment that measures each students’ improvement in reading and spelling age. Principal of Agostini Settlement KPA Armin Dass-Mahabir said, “Our students have been given an invaluable opportunity to enhance their literacy skills, unlock their full academic potential and achieve their best. We are seeing not only academic improvement in the students, but also a change in their attitudes to learning and enhanced self-esteem. The use of technology has also piqued their interest and encouraged participation by our students. This initiative by the Scotiabank Foundation and Arrow has simultaneously empowered students to succeed and enhanced teachers with the tools to sustain this literacy intervention for years to come.” In expanding their partnership with Arrow, the Scotiabank Foundation has invested in both phases of the Arrow intervention at the Tranquillity Government and Agostini Settlement KPA Primary Schools. This means that in addition to the first phase of student-focused intervention, teachers at both schools have been trained as Arrow-certified tutors as part of the second phase. This enables teachers to deliver the remedial learning method to a wider cross-section of the student population within more flexible schedules. [caption id="attachment_1163885" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Manager of the Arrow Foundation Ashley Broadbelt, second from left, demos the software for principal Armin Dass-Mahabir, as Scotiabank Foundation officer Deon Da Silva, second from right, and Arrow-trained teachers of Agostini Settlement KPA pay close attention. -[/caption] The Scotiabank Foundation general manager Cindy Mohammed said, “We are pleased to continue to collaborate with the Arrow Foundation, helping to provide students with strong foundational reading and writing skills, which are essential for academic success and lifelong learning. The teacher training component further enhances the sustainability of the programme at the schools, ensuring that many more students benefit in the future.” Developed in the United Kingdom by Dr Colin Lane, the Arrow (aural, read, respond, oral, write) approach is built on computer-based learning that applies the use of the self-voice – a recording of the learner’s own voice while reading – which forms the basis of the multi-sensory learning approach. Arrow Foundation manager Ashley Broadbelt said, “The mission of the Arrow Foundation is to make interventions that help students overcome academic challenges. We use an individual guided approach, which firstly removes barriers to progress by transforming each student’s approach to learning. For the students at Tranquillity Government and Agostini Settlement KPA, the dramatic improvements demonstrated are a credit to the shared vision and support of the Scotiabank Foundation. With the success of each student, I believe that we are transforming minds, communities and by extension, the future of our country.”   The post Agostini Settlement KPA students get literacy boost appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.