PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) Days in Rompin.

After initially holding a successful PAL workshop at the PPD in Rompin, teachers were eager to introduce PAL to their schools and discover if this method of teaching could really assist their students to read.

I held PAL reading days at each school over the course of two weeks.  We first experimented by pairing higher year classes with lower year classes e.g Year 4 with Year 2, Year 3 with Year 2 etc.  Teachers were then guided to use the PAL method of teaching in their own classrooms by pairing high level students with the lower level learners.

PAL  Reading Day at SJKC Rompin.

                                                      PAL Reading Day at SK Sarang Tiong.

                                                         PAL Reading Day at SK Denai.

Together with the mentees, I found that the in most cases, this method of teaching reading proved highly successful except when there weren't sufficient high level learners to guide lower level readers.     Teachers realised how well this works especially when faced with big classes with over 30 students.  Instead of trying to teach them all how to read, the students assist the teacher and assume a teaching role.  The greatest reward for all of us was to witness some students read who couldn't previously string a couple words together. Many teachers continue to use this method of teaching reading in their own classes. -Lauren McShane