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'SUSAN' MEETS SOME VIEWERS
Loretta Long, "Susan" of 'Sesame Street', with Erin Bailey, 3, of Holder, and Patrick Wild, 4, of Duffy, at the Woden Plaza yesterday. Help
Loretta Long, "Susan" of 'Sesame Street', with Erin Bailey, 3, of Holder, and Patrick
Wild, 4, of Duffy, at the Woden Plaza yesterday.
Something from
'Sesame Street'
"Young children arc more the same than they
arc different", said Lorctta Long, "Susan" of
'Sesame Street', at the Woden Plaza yesterday.
'Sesame Street' was now exported to about 50
countries and was produced in six language versions,
she said.
Its multi-level humour appealed to older children
in the family more than the prc-kindergartcn age
group for which it was originally designed, and to
parents.
If children began their school career already
knowing much of what was in the curriculum, bringing
more skills with them, then the tcachcrs should be
happy about that and be prepared to throw the
existing curriculum guide away, she said.
Lorctta Long spoke with the experience of a
classroom teacher. Her experience in education is also
as a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with
a doctorate in education.
She lectures in the field of children's education and
the dynamics of television on the education of young
children. Dr Long has given lectures, seminars and
workshops on the teaching experience in the inner city,
the 'Sesame Street' approach to children's education
and the role of the mother in the education of
preschoolers.
She has been with the 'Sesame Street' program
since it began nine years ago, and has expanded the
role of Susan, including a further dimension by
sending Susan to night-school to learn photography.
She thinks the encouragement Susan receives from her
fellow 'Sesame Street' characters can be imitated by
her young viewers in their activities.
"Susan" met Canberra children during two ses
sions in the Woden Plaza yesterday when pre-school
groups and toddlers with their mothers joined her in
singing familiar songs from the show.
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