Jason´s progress to success
Alicia Cottrell is a Childminder who studied the “Signing to advance Speech, Language and Communication” long distance learning course supported by Lewisham Early Years Service. The child development course from award-winning Signs for Success uses sign language as a memory tool to accelerate children’s learning in every day curricula activities. Alicia tells us how Jason moved from a child heading for specialist intervention to one who was top of the class!
A year ago I had serious concerns about 3-year old Jason’s play and learning ability. He was disengaged and reluctant to emerge from his comfort zone and face new challenges. In fact, his insecurity and fear would often lead to tears and yet I knew that Jason was an intelligent child with lots to offer. I felt that I was failing him by not being able to find the key that would unlock his learning potential and was on the verge of seeking professional help.
Signs for Success™ (SFS) could not have come at a better time for me and Jason. The SFS programme has not only been the key to Jason’s development in all six areas of learning, it has also given everyone the opportunity to see Jason actively learn, participate and lead the way in furthering his learning ability. I would not have believed the complete about-turn in a such a short space of time if I had not witnessed the change first-hand.
Signs for Success™ has helped Jason by:
- boosting his confidence and developing his independence
- nurturing his disposition to learn - Jason is more focused and attentive
- supporting his journey through the Early Years Foundation Stage
- removing the need for assessment and specialist intervention - our perception and expectations of Jason have changed for the better
- creating a closer, trusting relationship between us
The SFS™ programme has also been beneficial to me as an educator. I feel that I am more able to tune in to the individual needs of the children and can provide a more active, visual and fun way of teaching under-fives. I must confess to coming out of my own comfort zone while using the SFS programme as it has given me the confidence and self-belief to teach children "outside the box".
Professionally, Signs for Success™ has helped me to reassess my childminding practice and I have seen how SFS can benefit all the children in my care (aged 18-months to 8-years old) supporting inclusion and creating an enabling environment. Both parents and children noted the difference it made in communicating more effectively and supporting the foundations for language, reading and writing.
The benefits are immediate: words, conversations, songs and stories come to life. Negative behaviour is at a minimum as the children are more attentive. Signing has slowed down the teaching process ( verbally, I am more concise) while accelerating the rate of learning. The children are retaining more information over shorter periods of time. How great is that?!
Signing = active learning = sustained involvement = fun learning for all
Thank you Kathy and the entire SFS team!
* name has been changed to maintain confidentiality
