February 2006 News Update
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DIRECTOR’S COMMENT PETER FROGLEY I trust that by now we are all in full • The LEM Phonics Book of Rules for teachers and parents will soon be swing in our educational programs available and is mentioned in our book for the new year — a year that news section. brings great hope and potential in • We have revised the Alphabet Sheets the Lord! with a view to update our penmanship materials. The privilege we have as educators is immense. It is without doubt one of the • The Elements of Music Volume 3 is in most important tasks anyone can have. the writing stage and should be The shaping of the new generation will available late in 2006. produce the quality of the next. As Christians our task grows greater each year This Issue as our society and even civilisation continues to deteriorate. Our light should News Update brings reports on our shine brighter each year as darkness building project and overseas develop- encroaches on our land. ments, as well as some more tips on using our website. In Exploring Christian Education I continue the study on Projects Humanism with an article on Outcome Progress moves slowly for our production Based Education. We reprint parts of a department, but we do have quite a few newspaper article on phonics and the revisions under way at present health section looks at the biblical instruction on diet and relates it to our • The LEM Phonics workbook for older understanding of the body. students, Pathway to Literacy is now available in a student workbook and Keep educating for the Lord! teacher’s manual. • LEM Phonics activities in the form of mini phonogram cards and word cards are being developed and will soon be available. LIGHT OF LIFE 1 FEBRUARY 2006 NEWS UPDATE CHESS 2006 all or some of the offsite works, which amounted to around $100,000 over Arrangements have already been made for original estimates. When this matter is CHESS Seminars in 2006 in all state settled we are believing God that the capitals and several regional cities. Details building will soon be debt free. and application forms are found in the If you would still like to assist we would event calendar at the back. welcome further tax deductible gifts to If you are interested in hosting a CHESS help reduce our debt. in your area in 2006 please contact the LEM office. Papua New Guinea Report from Mesia Novau in Port Moresby In November the Principal of Coronation Primary School found out that her senior students in Grades 5, 6 and 7 were not performing at the level of expectations. She asked me to meet with parents and discuss the issue of LEM Phonics tutorials. On Monday 9 January 2006 I LEM Building Project started with ten students and the students are just enjoying LEM Phonics. A teacher As we reported last issue, we are now told me this afternoon that more children established in our new building at 200 will be coming in the next two weeks. Florey Drive, Charnwood. We praise God for His faithfulness to us in being able to Fr James Uravil is the President of the achieve this goal. Catholic Theological Institute. He invited me to his office and told me the sad story We are currently in negotiations with the of the Grade 12 students who are enrolled ACT Government to procure a refund on at the Institute for Studies. He told me LIGHT OF LIFE 2 FEBRUARY 2006 that the level of competence in English among his students was very low indeed. Fr James asked me if I could do Diagnostic Tests in Vocabulary and Grammar to be given to the new intake of students in February. In February I have been invited to address the parents at Eki Vaki Primary School to talk to Teaching students in Ruicheng, China them about LEM Phonics. tutoring aspect of English training and this Gabriel Waine (in Lae) has informed me project is proceeding well. that some of the professional teachers and parents in the Chimbu Province Schools The development of LEM Phonics in India are dropping the OBE Curriculum and continues to move in a positive direction. want their children to be enrolled in I had good discussions with the leaders schools using LEM Phonics. He said one and began to formulate a plan whereby of the officials in their graduation LEM Phonics could be established in ceremony told the gathered crowd that all India. Evelyn Garrard has just returned children must enrol in LEM Phonics now. from five weeks in India where she Peter Frogley is planning a visit to PNG in April worked with a group of teachers assisting for further LEM Phonics teacher training. them to teach the LEM Phonics program. One of the needs in China, India and PNG is for native English speakers who can China, India, Peru instruct in the LEM Phonics program and Report from Peter Frogley we would be pleased to hear from anyone who feels a call to teach LEM Phonics in In November I visited the teacher’s college one of these nations. in Ruicheng, China and made a quick visit to the LEM Phonics office in Beijing. On 3 February I leave for Peru, where I Schools in China seemed to have slowed will be involved in three LEM Christian somewhat as a result of policies, but the education conferences — in Arequipa team there are doing good work in (southern highlands), Trujillo (north coast) education. There are plans to increase the and Lima (the capital). Bob Relyea has LIGHT OF LIFE 3 FEBRUARY 2006 www.lem.com.au At some stage whilst surfing the internet you may have been assaulted by small pop- up windows advertising anything from software to internet casinos to pre- scription medications. Some of these windows even pose as error messages with ‘OK’ and ‘Cancel’ buttons — which are actually links to the advertiser’s website. A warm reception at the orphanage in Rajahmundry, India In an effort to combat this been busy organising these conferences onslaught, many internet browsers such as where we hope to build on the ones we Internet Explorer now install pop-up held in 2004. I will also conduct a brief blocking software which prevents these LEM Phonics seminar in Lima as part of windows from appearing on your screen. introducing LEM Phonics to Peru. However, LEM’s catalogues and other It is more economical to continue round downloadable material are designed to the world on these trips, so I plan to visit open in a new window, which may trigger James Nickel who now lives in your pop-up blocking software and present Wenatchee, Washington, where he is you with little more than a blank screen. working almost full time developing a The best way to prevent this happening is math curriculum. I trust I can bring back a to change your settings (usually just a positive report on progress in that most matter of clicking a button on your important project. I will also visit Mike browser’s toolbar) to always allow pop-up and Karla McHugh who spoke at our windows on www.lem.com.au. This will Melbourne and Sydney CHESS last year. ensure you always have access to our From there I will visit churches in the UK resources. and perhaps meet up with some home So don’t forget to keep visiting our website educators there for the first time. On the for all our current promotions, up-to-date way home I will stop off in India to spend catalogues, resources and online ordering. some more time in planning for LEM If you have any questions, suggestions or Phonics in India. comment about anything to do with the internet please email [email protected]. LIGHT OF LIFE 4 FEBRUARY 2006 EXPLORING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION PETER FROGLEY 59 Toward Outcome Based Education Following the pain and school should, therefore, use the means described earlier to combat family destruction of World War II attitudes that favour jingoism. people were looking for a new ‘Toward World Understanding’, page 58, book 5 hope for the future. It is clear to see the goal here is to take the responsibility for education from Nations wished to avoid future conflict parents and vest it in the state. The and as a result there was an increasing assumption here also is that nationalism is emphasis on brotherhood. This resulted in bad, which is a simplistic position to adopt the formation of the United Nations, when one considers that God created the (which by its very nature is humanistic, nations and the different racial groups. recognising no god but man himself). One UN-sponsored teacher’s textbook for After the establishment of UN a number of Social Studies was a little more direct: agencies were created, including the educational agency UNESCO. Allegiance to a nation is the biggest stumbling block to the creation of UNESCO has become a major promoter international government. National of internationalist, humanist educational boundaries and the concept of sovereignty must be abolished. The quickest way to material committed to the ideal of abolish sovereignty is to condition the universal brotherhood. One of the thrusts young to another and broader allegiance. in these materials is the destruction of Opinion favourable to international national allegiance. government will be developed in the Social Studies in the elementary schools. Soon after the creation of the agency the Not only are nations dismissed, but we are following appeared in the 1949 UNESCO presented with an assumption that a one publication Toward World Understanding: world government is obviously the way we As long as the child breathes the poisoned should seek to go.