School Corner’s Aletta Shikololo this week visited the Martti Ahtisaari primary school in Wanaheda and spent time with the Grade 1 E class who are currently exploring the Letterland curriculum.  

Justine Amadhila-Deck, the Grade 1 E teacher, explained that the learners are taught Letterland through traditional teaching while incorporating a computer-based programme. This is important as it helps children to learn while having fun. 

“Letterland is doing wonders in reading. If, for example, I am teaching the learners about capital F using posters, you would see them struggling to concentrate and the class would be bored, but when I bring them to the computers, I let them play games where they have to choose the beginning sound of the word. For instance, if the beginning sound of the word is ‘A’ they have to look for the letter on the keyboard,” Amadhila-Deck explained.  

She elaborated that when the learners were being taught only through the traditional means of learning, which included posters and presentations, the learners did not really pay attention, until they were introduced to the computer. 

“It’s all about how enthusiastic the teacher is about bringing change,” said Amadhila-Deck, who spent seven weeks at schools in Finland, courtesy of an exchange programme. There she observed the difference in learning between learners in Finland and Namibia.  “The learners in Finland are exposed to technology from an early age. That is not the case with our learners here because even in this classroom they have to share computers and some are currently malfunctioning, but you’d be amazed at how clever our learners are. They are fast learners,” said Amadhila-Deck.