About

What Easy English is about and who we are

About Easy English

Easy English is a phonic based English language learning programme devised by a team who are educationists, illustrators and designers. Easy English is a phonic based English language programme inspired by the successes of Jolly Phonics, the Oxford Reading Tree and Read Write Inc which are used in the UK and many international schools. The programme is created for children of Sri Lanka.

Phonics connects letters and words with sounds enabling the learner to decode, construct and so read the English language with ease; our own languages of Sinhala and Tamil are phonic, where the letters/ words and sound are accurately shown.

Easy English is a fun language learning programme rooted in our own culture so the learner will see context, relevance and application. Grammar is embedded and the learner acquires the rudiments of language. It features clear progression focusing on building blocks of learning, laying the foundations for advanced reading as the learner logically progresses through the programme.

The programme supports the learner through audio recordings, flashcards and child-friendly graphics. This programme works on an immersive experience of language learning, so attempting to replicate mother tongue language acquisition.

About Phonics

Phonics connects letters or groups of letters with sounds. It is the foundation of learning to read. Our own languages of Sinhala and Tamil are rooted in phonics where the letters represent sounds. Children who learn English are taught to distinguish between letter names and letter sounds. The successful use of phonics leads to successful reading which is decoding and later construction of words.

Play Video

Listen to an introduction to phonics

The team

Shalini Wickramasuriya

Shalini Wickramasuriya has worked in the field of education for many years following a Masters in Education at the University of Edinburgh. She has worked as a teacher trainer, a lecturer on undergraduate programmes both in Sri Lanka and overseas, and a teacher of English.

She is the founder Trustee of The Music Project, a programme of peace and reconciliation through music. The Project created Recorder teaching manuals. Shalini is passionate about English education. She is the author of this series.

Ravi Prabha Gunasekera

Ravi Prabha Gunasekera is a Japanese language teacher and an artist. She teaches children, works on teacher training and produces eye-catching and child friendly resources to aid English language development of young students in Sri Lanka.

She also conducts “Arts and Craft” workshops for disabled and able-bodied children of all ages. While studying in Japan, Miyazaki movies inspired her to be an illustrator which is now a passion.

Lakshitha Sehan Madushanka

Lakshitha Sehan Madushanka is an undergraduate of Commerce and Business Studies. He has worked with The Music Project for over 7 years teaching music and English.

His work with The Music Project has enabled him to take the lead on projects of UNICEF, Plan Int and UNV working in areas such as Kurunegala, Mullaitivu, Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee. He speaks Sinhala, Tamil and English. He provides the translations and voice recordings for the Easy English series.

Sohan Fernando

Sohan Fernando is a self-taught talented graphic designer. He brings a fresh approach to design. He enjoys challenging traditional ways of thinking with regards to design and layout, and loves nothing more than to share his passion and his talent for creative design work and computer skills with children and young people.

He has given his time freely on several projects partnering with NGOs in Sri Lanka. He is the designer of this series. He draws a lot of his creative inspiration from his love of comic books.