But Scholastic is more than just Harry Potter, or books for that matter.
Scholastic recently launched three projects that aim to encourage reading, and a love (a love!) for Math: Scholastic Literacy Pro and Scholastic Literacy Pro Library have made it possible to harness the power of the internet in order to create a new generation of successful readers, while PR1ME Mathematics is a world-class program based on the teaching and learning practices of Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong, countries that have consistently performed best in their students' achievement in the field of mathematics.
Let me tell you about the first two: Scholastic Literacy Pro and Scholastic Literacy Pro Library
According to Scholastic Asia President Frank Wong, they believe in the importance of reading in nation-building, so instead of being intimidated and threatened by technology, they decided to use it to help teachers and students monitor reading progress as well as make it possible to access books online.
Scholastic Literacy Pro is an online monitoring program which provides teachers with accurate and timely reports on their students' progress and performance, giving them research-based insights to make informed teaching/learning decisions.
It promotes the student's growth in reading by developing an individualized reading plan, with teacher reports and makes use of three action points: Assess on a regular basis to help evaluate performance, Inform via the Lexile Framework so teacher knows whether student is reading on-grade level, above or below and Develop by finding the right book for every student given his/her reading level and proficiency.
These books are accessed via the Scholastic Literacy Pro Library, an ebook library which gives readers of different proficiency levels unlimited access to more than 650 fiction and nonfiction ebooks. It may be accessed by students at home, in school or anywhere with internet access.
MGC New Life Academy in BGC and De La Salle Zobel in Alabang are among the first schools to implement these tools, and hopefully, more schools will offer this program to their students, because books truly open a world of possibilities.
Of course, equally as important are math skills. According to Scholastic International Publisher and Vice President Dr. Duriya Aziz, "Problem solving is key to success" and that the future belongs to people who excel in solving problems, for which there are no rule-based solutions.
And this is where reading and math skills go hand in hand.
Under the stewardship of Dr. Aziz, who also worked closely with the Ministry of Education of Singapore in adapting concepts and components from its Primary Mathematics Projects, which transformed Singapore into the Math powerhouse it is today, Scholastic has come up with an effective learning program in PR1ME Mathematics.
While most of us grew up just mindlessly memorizing the multiplication table and treating Math like a hurdle that we just have to pass, PR1ME Mathematics scraps the old teaching methodologies and teaches through problem solving as a tool, focuses on method and process, provides tools to evaluate progress and identify areas where students need help, and supports teachers in creating a conducive learning environment and comes with an interactive edition.
All these programs were launched to coincide with the Scholastic Readers Cup, a tribute to the countless teachers, librarians, principals and school administrators whose efforts have improved literacy in their schools, producing students who are better readers and good learners.
According to Fritzie Salem-Cruz, General Manager of Scholastic in the Philippines, "The Scholastic Readers Cup is just one way of giving recognition to these noble educators. They are the real heroes in our quest for a more globally competitive Philippines. We hope to continue this tradition every year. By shining the spotlight on these individuals and institutions, we hope to inspire other educators to raise more and better readers, and good learners too."
Winners were chosen among the schools that participated in Scholastic's Assessment and Enrichment program (AEP) and Independent Reaeding Program (IRP). AEP and IRP are literacy programs which proved instrumental in producting signnificant improvements in students' reading abilities. The competition ran from February 2014 to April 2015.
From hereon, when I think Scholastic, I think a fun kind of learning!
From hereon, when I think Scholastic, I think a fun kind of learning!
About Scholastic:
Scholastic is the world's largest publisher, as well as an education and media company and distributor of over 600 original titles annually. Founded in 1920 as a single classroom magazine, Scholastic has since grown into a global organization serving tens of thousands of schools and tens of millions of homes in 165 countries in 45 languages.
For more information on Scholastic products and programs, email educteam@scholastic.com.ph, contact +632 944 READ (7323) or visit www.scholastic.com
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