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12 February 2018 Photo Supplied
UFS researcher programme aids pupils with ADHD and dyslexia
Dr Carol Goldfus

Many years ago, as a secondary school teacher, Dr Carol Goldfus from the University of the Free State’s Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, realised that reading comprehension ought to be the focal point of teaching. She came to the conclusion that many adolescents were unable to gain fluency in English as a foreign language despite many years of study and that there were those who struggled with the foreign language. With her postgraduate specialisation in neuroscience and the merging of neuroscience and education, she developed a reading comprehension intervention programme.

Reading remains important

Contrary to what we believe, the world is not more visual – but rather more technical, Dr Goldfus explains, and reading with understanding remains of utmost importance in the twenty first century. “Literacy does not only mean reading, but also thinking fast,” she says, “with the ability to sift through the mass of available information. Without reading proficiency, people cannot succeed in a world with so much information. In fact, the ability to identify what is important, and what not, is more crucial than before.”

““It is our duty to give
pupils worldwide the ability
to cope with a sophisticated,
alienated, and technological world.”
—Dr Carol Goldfus
ULFE

One brain, many languages

Reading comprehension is the epicentre of Dr Goldfus’s approach to learning, and her intervention programme may benefit any pupil who is unable to cope with the demands of the academic setting, and can be applied to any language. These pupils include children from seventh to twelth grade (12 to 18 years of age) who read without comprehension, have dyslexia, dyscalculia (problems with maths), and ADHD (Attention Deficit with or without Hyperactivity), or have dropped out of an education setting. “My intervention programme is in English as a Foreign Langue (EFL) but is not static, since it is based on principles from neuroscience and linguistics that are placed in the world of education. Although it is for EFL, it has a backwash effect on mother-tongue reading competence as well. Each programme comprises certain core principles, like developing self-esteem, monitoring comprehension and learning, and developing long-term memory storage. Without remembering, there is no learning.”

No one wants to fail

Dr Goldfus feels that it is our duty to give pupils worldwide the ability to cope with a sophisticated, alienated, and technological world. “My goal is to turn failure into excellence through an understanding of how the brain works. That is what the programme and my research can offer: creating a brain that can support learning where each pupil can fulfil his or her potential.”

Her work is so noteworthy, that Dr Goldfus received a Blue Skies Grand from the National Research Foundation of South Africa for her research: Graphomotor synchronisation to musical stimulation as a diagnostic tool for dyslexia. This proposed interdisciplinary research addresses dyslexia, a language-related disability, through the language of music and encompasses three disciplines: music cognition, physics and education.

News Archive

Traditional medicine can play important role in modern drugs discovery
2014-11-11

Indigenous knowledge possesses a great potential to improve science. Making use of this source may lead to advanced technological innovations. This is according to Dr Sechaba Bareetseng, UFS alumnus and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Manager at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Dr Bareetseng recently addressed the seventh annual IKS symposium on the Qwaqwa Campus.
“Interfacing indigenous and local knowledge with scientific knowledge has the potential of encouraging and developing inventions, especially in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Dr Bareetseng.
 
“Such interfacing can also enable access to both sets of knowledge without any discrimination whatsoever. It would also encourage co-existence that would improve understanding between the two.”
 
“Traditional medicine,” said Dr Bareetseng, “can play an extended role in modern drugs discovery as it is already happening in Botswana and New Zealand. These two countries are leading this wave of new thinking in as far as drug development is concerned.”
 
Dr Bareetseng also called on established researchers to start embracing the local communities into their research.
 
“Contemporary scientific research demands that local communities must co-author research conducted within and with them by the universities and research institutions. This would help in maintaining trust between the researchers and the communities that feel exploited. Regular feedback would also make communities feel part of the developments,” Dr Bareetseng argued.
 
He further called on the pharmaceutical companies specifically and researchers in general to convert valuable indigenous knowledge and resources into products and services of commercial value. “Plants, the ecosystem and indigenous knowledge must be preserved to provide a source of income for the local communities. Communities must also be protected from foreign exploitation of their intellectual property.”
 

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