scholarly journals Arts across the curriculum as a pedagogic ally for primary school teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eurika N. Jansen van Vuuren
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
South African ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
African Languages ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Positive Results

The arts as a pedagogic medium can be an important tool for language learning, and yet many teachers avoid it, often because of a lack of confidence. The main purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of generalist educators, as opposed to art specialists, using the arts successfully as a cross-curricular tool to accelerate English First Additional Language acquisition. Most South African learners speak African languages as a mother tongue, yet they are taught in English from Grade 4 onwards. With the use of an action research project, learners’ English proficiency was assessed with a custom-designed tool and, thereafter, they participated in 10 weekly sessions of arts-integrated English activities before being re-assessed. Positive results confirmed that generalist educators are able to utilise arts, and it showed the urgency for more focused arts-integrated educational training in generalist educator courses at South African universities. Although the research was limited in scope, it raises the question of how teachers for the primary school are educated with regard to learning a language with the use of the arts.

scholarly journals A Plurilingual Approach to ELT in Primary School: Towards an Ecological Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-106
Author(s):  
Alicia Chabert
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Ecological Understanding ◽  
Attitude And Motivation ◽  
Initial Results

Summary This paper aims to demonstrate that using a plurilingual and ecological approach to English language teaching can achieve better results in primary school independently of the mother tongue of the student. This article is based on the initial results of our international research carried out in three very different countries (Norway, China and Spain). While the author´s research project involves 328 participants, we will present the results of the first phase of the experiment, including 133 students. In this paper, we propose a plurilingual communicative approach to English teaching as a foreign language, making a distinction between languages for communication and languages for identification. This research examines the current teaching policies in the participating countries, and analyses cross-cultural and cross-linguistic perspectives in English language teaching while promoting the positive use of the mother tongue as a connecting tool in the students’ communication system. The subjects of this study were divided in control and experimental groups, in which they received traditional and plurilingual approach respectively. After the classes they completed a test and were then supplied with a Likert scale questionnaire focused on understanding their attitude and motivation towards mother tongue and English language learning. Based on observation and results obtained, we can conclude that a plurilingual approach that uses L1 as a tool in English teaching improves English learning, as well as develops an ecological understanding of languages.

Implications of Using Corpus Tools in Primary and Secondary Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 179-190
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Given

This chapter will give a comparison of using computer corpora in primary and in secondary schools. It will compare information that was collected from primary school teachers and secondary school teachers about using computer corpora for language subjects on primary and secondary educational levels. Based on the given information, the chapter will provide an explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of using computer corpora in language learning on those two educational levels. The chapter will explore which educational levels have more possibilities for incorporating computer corpora in their teaching activities and how it can be used in the classroom with students.

Brunel mood scale: South African norm study

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H Van Wijk
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
South African ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Self Report ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
African Health ◽  
Health Care Context ◽  
Mood Scale

<p><strong>Objective:</strong> The Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) has proved useful to assess mood states in a range of clinical settings. Its local utility is restricted by the lack of normative data from South Africa. This paper presents preliminary normative data for the use of the BRUMS in the South African health care setting. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Method:</strong> Participants (N=2200), ranging from 18 to 59 years, employed in the public sector, and were recruited during routine occupational health surveillance, completed the 24-item self-report BRUMS. They came from all South African race and language groups, and from all nine provinces. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Significant differences were found between the scores of women and men, and their results are reported separately. Due to the language dependant nature of the BRUMS, results are also reported separately for respondents with English as first language, and those who have other South African languages as mother tongue. Norm tables with T-scores are presented for the full sample, and per gender X language groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> This study presents normative data for a sample of educated and employed South Africans from various backgrounds. Its brevity, and provisionally language friendly nature makes it a useful measure for screening psychological distress in the SA clinical health care context.</p>

scholarly journals Funksionele meertaligheid in Suid-Afrika: 'n onbereikbare ideaal?

Literator ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Verhoef
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Final Report ◽  
North West ◽  
African Languages ◽  
The North ◽  
Mother Tongue Instruction ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Regional Languages

Functional multilingualism in South Africa: an unattainable ideal? Although much has been done on an official level to establish true multilingualism in South Africa, a tendency towards English monolingualism seems to exist in the country. The aim of this article is to describe the official stipulations in pursuit of multilingualism, as they appear in the Constitution (Act 108 of 1996), the School Act (Act 84 of 1996) and the final report of Langtag. In addition to the present demands, the article also responds to previous demands for multilingualism in the South African context, particularly as stated in the Bantu Education Act of 1953. It is argued that, because of the negative connotations associated with mother-tongue instruction in the past, contemporary mother-tongue instruction will also be contaminated. Apart from the theoretical investigation into multilingualism, the article reports on empirical research that has been done in this regard in the North West Province where the attitudes and perceptions of the school population towards the regional languages were measured. Although the subjects reacted positively to the official status granted to several South African languages, they expressed a preference for English as working language because of the access it gives to personal, economic and social development and empowerment. The article concludes with brief recommendations regarding language planning opportunities that derive from this situation.

scholarly journals Theoretical Training of Modern School Teacher in Poland and Ukraine

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 276-282
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kuchai
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Primary School Teacher ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Modern School ◽  
The Republic

The article presents the humanization and democratization of the educational process ofvocational and educational training teachers Ukraine, implementation of new educationaltechnologies, finding the most optimal conceptual approaches to the development of nationalpedagogy cause growth of scientific and practical interest to study the experience of secondary andhigher education, including the Republic of Poland. European requirements for teacher training,the quality of their professional qualifications and competencies, professional development ofteachers - is the most pressing issue of training teachers in Europe. Polish scientists activelyworking on finding optimal ways of improving training of primary school teachers in highereducation. The most important industrial and educational and developmental functions performedby primary school teacher in the Ukraine, is a professional and personal self-help that improve theprofessional competence and pedagogical skills through personal and professional selfdevelopment, creating conditions for self-development and self-disclosure by the child selfdevelopment technologies and techniques.

scholarly journals Preschool and Primary School Children as Learners in 2030: Views of Finnish Student Teachers

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja Nurmilaakso
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Student ◽  
The Future ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The University

Preschool and Primary School Children as Learners in 2030: Views of Finnish Student TeachersTeachers are key to the future. Because of enormous future changes, teachers need to re-evaluate their thinking. This study focuses on what student teachers think of the future in preschool and primary school of the year 2030. The questionnaire, conducted in October 2007, reached 76 student teachers from the University of Helsinki in Finland. Of these students, 52 were preschool and 24 primary school student teachers. The research questions were: 1) How important is it that children in preschool and primary school in the year 2030 can use language and communication and can work in groups and in the environment? (2) How can preschool and primary school teachers support language learning and communication in the year 2030? (3) How will children in preschool and primary school in the year 2030 take responsibility for their own (child-centred) learning? The results confirm that preschool and primary school student teachers think very traditionally. Many felt that it would be less important for children in 2030 to speak many languages, and student teachers did not consider the use of computers.

scholarly journals Developing Confidence: Visual Art Teaching in a Primary School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ian Bowell
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Collaborative Groups ◽  
The Arts ◽  
One Year

<p>In New Zealand specialist courses in the arts at undergraduate level, and one year diplomas in teaching have been reduced. Visual art advisory time allocated to primary school teachers has also been reduced. As a result teachers' confidence in teaching visual art is under threat. This study focused on a group of generalist primary school teachers as they worked to develop their confidence in the teaching of visual art. They worked as a non-hierarchical collaborative group, using action research to analyse the voices of the children in their school, and to reflect on their own practice. Following their reflections they used their developed confidence to develop a visual art self-assessment system. Their developed confidence in teaching visual art enabled them to offer support in the teaching of visual art to other teachers within the school. However, the narrow focus of the study did not allow exploration of why the participants were motivated to develop their expertise in the teaching of visual art. The limitations of the data also failed to reveal whether the participants were able to sustain their collaborative working relationship after the study ended. The study recommends further research into the long-term sustainability of teacher collaborative groups and the motivation that enables teachers to develop their confidence in the teaching of visual art.</p>

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