Alphabetization – Anyone can learn to read

Anyone can learn to read!

This motto has been proved right thousands of times in Germany and abroad.

Katrin Rabanus, the founder of Germany’s Hasenschule (www.hasenschule.de), has developed a reading method that helps everyone to learn to read successfully and quickly – from children with severe learning difficulties to juveniles and adults who still struggle with proper reading and writing.

Germany based Alphabetization e.V. has been supporting projects for literacy and basic mathematics for over 20 years.

Alphabetization e.V. provides methods and project architecture developed in Germany and supports schools and educational organizations both at home and abroad for a change to the better.

The Reading Nest® concept

Germany based NGO Alphabetization e.V. is representing the Rabanus-Method®, a specialised method that focuses on both reading and writing. The Rabanus-Method® was developed in Germany by Katrin Rabanus.

Typically, we see around 20% of children in school that won’t succeed without special attention. This special attention requires (1) analytic tools detecting the source of failure, (2) research and application of additional individual methods, (3) additional staff and (4) further resources. The Rabanus-Method® features it all and is easy to implement.

Children who have not been able to learn to read in school already have suffered and experienced a history of failure. In addition to extraordinary education efforts, they need increased personal attention. In a Reading Nest®, focus is set on the individual. Only minimal administrative and organisational effort is needed. The Rabanus-Method® can be implemented in existing curricula and won’t interfere with ongoing school operations.

Alphabetization e.V. is dedicated to spreading this remarkable solution by setting up so called Reading Nests®. A Reading Nest® is an educational programme that includes a complete and easily transferable teaching concept for implementing the Rabanus- Method® into all different kinds of environments. A Reading Nest® can be set up in schools, youth centers, day care centers or at your own kitchen table.

Operating a Reading Nest® requires a license from Alphabetization e.V. We’ll train your staff (typically 3 days in total), offer operational support and monitor the qualitative development of your Reading Nest®.

We are happy to support you in setting up a Reading Nest®. Get in touch with us!

The Rabanus Method®

With the systematically structured course (workbook) which was completely developed by Katrin Rabanus during more than 50 years of teaching practise, children acquire the sound-letter-relations with help of hand gestures. This course spanning about 150 pages comprises a pre-training unit in which basic prerequisites for learning to read are acquired. This is, above all, the blending together of sounds or letters. In this rather technical difficulty the main problem of children with reading disabilities is located. The first course unit offers only single-syllable words on a 1:1-level of association of sounds and letters. Retrieval of meaning has no importance yet in this basic learning level.

By synthesis, the letters are sequenced and assembled into syllables and later into words. Using the gestures here is helpful. The gestures serve as additional mnemonic. The inner processes of reading (optical, acoustic and articulative-motoric perception) are encapsulated in an external action which facilitates learning and memorizing. At the same time, the process of blending the individual sounds is supported by the motional flow of the gestures, and the sequential order of the printed letters is consolidated. The gestures are derived mainly from the articulative posture of the mouth, but not from the shape of the letters which renders the gesture a mnemonic.

Children who previously persistently failed to learn to read can take advantage from this method since individual learning difficulties –as encountered in primers– are always considered and hence the learning process is supported. It is widely accepted by educational experts that illiteracy could be significantly reduced using such method for children with learning difficulties.