Comments from Educators
This Fast-track Phonics course was trialled over a period of one year, in a cross-section of Kenya city and rural schools in 2017. This took place under the supervision of Mr Fidelis Nakhulo, the then director of the Child Friendly Schools programme and Deputy Director, Quality Assurance and Standards, in association with Eagle English Ltd, Kenya. Education Department Master Trainers were involved in the training of classroom teachers and pre- and post- assessments of learners aged 4-6. One outstanding result of the trial showed that learners from low socio-economic backgrounds were able to master the basic literacy strategies taught, almost as well as those from more privileged backgrounds.
This trial took place prior to the introduction of the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya. Since then some content has been modified in relation to feedback from the participating schools and to meet the specific requirements of the new curriculum. The comments below come from individual educators involved at the time of the trialling of this resource.
” The Ministry of Education Science and Technology is glad that you have an innovative programme which offers free capacity building for teachers to improve their lesson delivery. Indeed the country has prioritized improving literacy among school children and your Fast-track Phonics programme will be a great support.”
Fidelis Nakhulo, Deputy Director,
Quality Assurance and Standards , National Co-ordinator, Child Friendly Schools Programme, Kenya
“I would like to recommend the Eagle English Fast-track Phonics course. When I first became aware of it I knew it was just what our children needed to add interest and variety to their learning of English and early reading. We were very happy therefore, to participate in the pilot programme run by Eagle English in conjunction with the Child Friendly Schools Programme under Mr Fidelis Nakhulo.
“The pilot took place at two Makini Nairobi schools and our pre-school in Kisumu. We are very happy with the results which showed excellent progress from the baseline assessments. Feedback from the three schools is very positive. The teachers are enthusiastic as it has really helped with their professional development and livened up their teaching of phonic sounds and children enjoy it and see it as fun”
Dr Mary Okelo ,Executive Director,
Makini Schools, Kenya
“This course has been so helpful to my learners. It is full of fun and has a multisensory approach to learning. We value all children. Fast-track Phonics has a different teaching style that makes it suit different learner needs. Our children love the stories, songs and power-points that were used as reinforcement. I also wish to commend the use of coloured flashcards. Our children enjoyed learning with the flashcards. They love talking about the picture cards. This has improved their conversational skills.
“The systematic arrangement enhanced their mastery. This is in line with the competency based curriculum. Teachers used this to train communication and collaboration, a key skill for learners. They enjoyed training and support. This is useful for teacher development.”
Mr Lianziva Kijuba, Director,
St. Anne Junior School-Lubao, Kakamega, Kenya
“When the training commenced all teachers couldn’t wait to practise pronunciation of words and put them into daily practice. The training proceeded well until the end. The resources such as workbooks, teacher manuals and flashcards were very helpful in teaching phonics. This enhanced mastery and made the learning enjoyable.
“The Fast-track Phonics course was more impactful to the learners since studying English using phonics bore fruits right from the beginning and most of the learners started using the actions for the sounds outside the classroom. In addition the fun of learning English using phonics provided full attention throughout the lesson. I proudly express a positive take-up of the learning methods provided and highly recommend the programme for both teachers and learners for the positive attitude and impact created”
Bernard Wandera, CWLC Administrator,
Cherish Watoto Learning Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
“From the start the children were very motivated by a new style of learning in the Fast-track Phonics course. Mostly the learners love listening to the songs and doing the mimes for blending. Their oral communication skills have improved, especially through talking about the flashcard pictures. They also enjoy the phonics memory games which improve their learning. The workbook activities have helped their progress and they love colouring in the pictures and their handwriting has become neater. Another great benefit is that the children’s marks have improved in their other subjects which require a knowledge of English.
“The teachers also like teaching the course as they enjoy the fun activities and it has helped to improve their own English. The oral and written assessment procedures are very useful as they show the progress of individual learners. The teacher is then more aware of individual and class needs and can focus on them during revision and remedial sessions.”
Gloria Mwenesi Adagi Director,
Treasure Academy, Turbo, Kenya
“Fast-track Phonics is my most valuable teaching resource. As a teacher I confidently recommend it for instruction purposes. It explores a variety of innovative teaching styles which cater for individual learners’ differences and abilities.
“The resource is organized in a way that makes teachers’ work easy. Fast-track Phonics has lesson plans which carefully outline the lessons in steps to develop learners’ knowledge. It has systematically arranged sounds, paired with actions. This makes practical learning easy. Pronunciation of sounds is accurately demonstrated. It includes two beautiful skills – blending and segmenting. As an experienced teacher, I have enjoyed blending and segmenting. This speeds up reading in children. My learners who have been through the system are ahead of their peer group as shown by IGSCE results. Fast-track Phonics has a lasting effect on children’s education.”
Victor Mogusu Senior teacher,
Treasure Academy, Turbo, Kenya