Ripple Reading is a non-profit organisation committed to teaching children to read with understanding and according to their age-appropriate levels.
This is achieved with a brain-compatible approach for pupils who cannot read. They implement their programme around different schools targeting pupils from Grade 1 to 3. Some of these pupils are from disadvantaged communities in surrounding areas.
Ripple Reading founder, Riana Robinson said that in South Africa, 61 per cent of children in Grade 3 cannot read or write. Ripple’s main focus is not only to encourage literacy but to get pupils to understand what they are reading, thereby, regaining their reading ability and their confidence.
“We obtained various measuring instruments used to determine the pupils’ progress. Our other focus is also… [affirming the child’s ability] through engaging with them, which encourages pupils to want to read more,” said Robinson.
Educational psychologist, Joan de Beer, who came up with the Ripple Reading programme, has 30 years’ experience in teaching. She began working at Nooitgedacht Primary School in Lanseria last year. De Beer said she was inspired to implement the programme in schools because she wanted to do something good and beneficial for the children.
“We use a different approach compared to other methods and concepts. Pupils are taught during school times, per grade, for an hour-and-a-half at a time. We follow the logistics of the school to determine what times to teach. The teachers give us great feedback about a pupil’s improvement and how excited they are about reading. The pupils cannot wait to attend my class,” explained De Beer.
Robinson said there are a number of fundraising initiatives for their organisation. Next month, they will host a Golf Day at the Randpark Golf Club.
“We appeal to organisations and private individuals to sponsor children for their classes, which is R350 per child per month. The public can adopt a child and an organisation can adopt a centre. We travel to different schools in Johannesburg and would like to expand to other provinces. We also provide workshops and presentations for our organisation’s staff,” concluded Robinson.
Details: riana@ripplereading.co.za
