St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is taking a four-legged approach to their reading lessons.
The local school is the first in Western Australia to introduce the Story Dogs program, which sees selected year two, three and four students read to a canine companion once a week.
“Four students from each of the classes are chosen by the teacher because they have a low ability in reading,” assistant principal Lisa Gallin said.
“They might not have very much confidence or may not read a lot at home.
“So they come and do 20-minute sessions where they read to one of our Story Dogs and can enjoy reading in a nice, safe, non-judgemental environment.
“When the student reads to the teacher, the teacher is there to assess them, where as the dogs obviously don’t.
“It turns reading into something that’s fun for the student, so they want to do it more often.”
There are currently three dogs which attend the primary school with their owners, all of which have been assessed by qualified dog trainers and a veterinarian to ensure they are fit to take on the role of professional story listener.
The dog’s owner also goes through a half-day of training.
“They accompany the dog and are not there to correct the child on how to read, but rather speak through the dog,” Ms Gallin said.
“For example they may say: ‘That’s a big word; Lola [the dog] doesn’t know that word. Do you know what it means?”
The school already has another four dogs and their owners in training for the program, but is open for more applicants to help out.
They’re also looking for sponsors for the dogs, with money going towards uniforms for the dog and its owner, books and ongoing veterinary checks.
For more information call the school on 9782 6500 and ask for Ms Gallin.
