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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

UFS hosts first SA Digital Sky Academy at the Naval Hill Planetarium
2015-10-02


From the left are: Prof Neil Heideman
(Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UFS),
Jack White (Director: Sky-Skan Oceania),
Dr Michelle Cluver (Department of Astronomy, University of the Western Cape),
Martin Ratcliffe (Director: Professional Development, Sky-Skan).
Photo: Mart-Mari Duvenhage

South Africa hosts some of the world’s largest telescopes, and won the bid to co-host the SKA recently. So it’s not surprising that there is unprecedented interest in Astronomy in our country. Astronomy is seen as a gateway subject that attracts people to the sciences, while planetariums help to make Astronomy accessible to millions of people.  Digital planetariums are especially powerful teaching tools because they are versatile, offer an immersive experience, and explain and illustrate three-dimensional concepts effectively.  On the other hand, scientists, are eager to exploit a digital planetarium’s potential to represent and explore data visually, whether the data relate to medicine, astronomy, chemistry, the environment, or other fields of research.

The four-day ‘Digital Sky Academy’ (DSA) presented at the Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein from 18 - 22 September 2015 was an opportunity to offer training and first-hand experience of digital planetarium technology to representatives from other centres in South Africa. The Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the host of this event.

The Department of Science and Technology has designated the Naval Hill Planetarium as the South African hub for the training of digital planetarium presenters and operators. In addition to attracting interest from scientists and future planetarium operators and presenters, the DSA workshop provided an invaluable opportunity for our presenters to hone their skills.

A number of experienced and distinguished people attended the workshop. Among them was Dr Mark SubbaRao from Chicago in the United States, who shared information on data visualisation techniques used in the Adler Planetarium. Jack White, Director of Sky-Skan, one of the few companies that provide digital technology for planetariums throughout the world, coordinated the event in partnership with Prof Matie Hoffman from the Department of Physics at the UFS.

Jack travelled from Melbourne in Australia to oversee the workshop. Two Sky-Skan colleagues from the United States, Martin Weiss and Martin Ratcliffe, were on hand to share their expertise on digital planetarium hardware and software. The workshop programme included Skype conference calls with other US-based planetarium experts. Amongst the delegates to the DSA representatives from the SKA, the Iziko Museum, and five South Africa universities. They were here to gain experience, explore the capacity of the digital facility, and share ideas on future collaboration.

During the workshop, a public lecture was held on 19 September. Dr Michelle Cluver from the University of the Western Cape gave a presentation entitled, ‘More than the eye can see: the significance of infrared light in Astronomy.’

 

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