[etni] Re: Dr English- a software using memory aids to teach ABC's

From: Aharon Family <aharonmk@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:45:11 +0200
Hagit and all,

I've been meaning to reply to this post, but between holiday, Shabat and 
back-to-school this is the first chance I've had to sit down and write.

Keep in mind that this software is designed for native Hebrew speakers with 
a very limited vocabulary in English. My experience working individually 
with non-readers and slow-readers is that they automatically associate 
pictures with the word in their native language. I discovered, for example, 
that children would associate the letter F with a picture of a fish, but 
then tell me that the sound is "D" (dag), A = T (tapuach), etc. I prefer to 
use exercises which associate the letter directly with the sound; however, I 
understand from discussions with LD specialists that some children need 
these extra memory aids. In response to Barry's comment about cognates, they 
work with easily recognized pictures like dinonsaur and giraffe, which are 
used in this program along with several other cognates, and lemon, which 
they still pronounce lee-mon.   Very few children recognize New York, video 
or even felafel, and they usually can't tell the difference between the 
avocado and the mango. I will sadly concede that many will probably 
recognize the word e-mail more than the word iton.

So in spite of what you've been taught, in practice this may not be a bad 
idea.

Kara Aharon
Yerucham, Israel
08-6589425, 052-3903306
aharonmk@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.englishfun.net


Original Message:
>
> From: =?windows-1255?B?SEFHSVQgTEFIQVYg5+Lp+iDs5OE=?= 
> <hagit_27@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [etni] Dr English- a software using memory aids to teach ABC's in 
> a we
> Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:17:32 +0200
>
> Not a long tome ago, there was a post here about a software called "Dr 
> English" to teach English to different level and target audiences, 
> ministry
> approved etc.

> (Here is the link that was posted here- http://www.h2e.co.il
> <http://www.h2e.co.il/>  )

> I have tried the trial version of the Beginners level, (you can only try 
> the  first lesson) and it was introducing the ABC's.
>
> I was happy to see it use visualizations and pictures to help remembering 
> the letters only that the pictures show symbols that sound like the letter
> in Hebrew, not in English – and it seems very problematic to me. Shouldn’t 
> the visual that stays in our mind be the original sound in the English
> language, rather than another one?
>
> I want to give some examples and ask your opinion, because I have quit the 
> software thinking it’s not something that I'll use, since it contradicts
> everything I know and have learnt about teaching the sounds of letters to 
> young learners.
>
> Example 1-
>
> For the letter C – there is a picture or a round pin, half circled, and 
> the instruction in Hebrew to the pupils is:
>
> "Imagine a SIKA in the shape of the letter C" (why should we ask hiom to 
> memorize the sound of S for SIKA in Hebrew when in English this symbol,
> visual memory aid stands for "a pin"???
>
> Example 2-
>
> For the letter E- there is a picture of a man reading an open newspaper, 
> and  the instruction in Hebrew to the pupils is: "Imagine a man with 
> "ETON" in
> the shape of the letter E.  Eton stands for the Hebrew sound "E" – but can 
> this represent the sound/s of the letter E in English, not to mention that
> the sound of a Newspaper is N, not E???
>
> Last one- Example 3-
>
> For the letter F-  there is a drawing of a chink with its wings open in 
> the shape of F, and the instruction in Hebrew to the pupils is: "Imagine 
> EFROACH
> in the shape of the letter F. The pupil sees a chick, that I would, btw, 
> use for the sound CH- so why turning the sounds to a Hebrew sound "EF", 
> that
> doesn't even represent the sound of the letter in our mind?
>
> There are a lot more... but I think that's enough.
>
> Waiting to read your responses about this.

> Thanks
>
> Hagit Lahav
>
> School of Arts, Tel- Aviv.
>
>
>
>
[etni] Re: Dr English- a software using memory aids to teach ABC's

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