scholarly journals A critical realist approach to literacy acquisition and development, with specific application to teacher traning and support in primary education in KwaZulu-Natal

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rookumani Govender
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Literacy Acquisition ◽  
The Government ◽  
Training And Support

In adopting a critical realist approach, this study offers a view of the complex social and contextual factors impacting on literacy acquisition and development in primary education, which is thought to be its main contribution to the field. The study‟s focus was on reading because reading is a fundamental part of literacy acquisition and development in primary education. Its purpose was to establish the state of current literacy teaching and learning practices in formal education so that, ultimately, recommendations could be made for teacher training and support. In the changing face of education in post-apartheid South Africa, provision has been made by the government to democratise education, and, in particular allow all students equity of access to key competences such as literacy. However, there are signs that all is not well at the level of implementation, for example, the low learner pass rate. In particular, teachers do not appear to be coping with the new dispensation, and are generally demoralised and demotivated. It must be stressed that the issue of literacy acquisition and development is complex and multi-layered, and not just a simple question of applying linguistic knowledge or skills. While literacy is a key competence for schooling and a key life skill, education is an essential variable in literacy acquisition and development. However, there are indications that the South African educational system is failing to deliver quality education to its learners. It has been estimated that illiteracy is costing the government as much as R550 billion a year. The fact remains that the main responsibility for teaching literacy rests with schools. Currently there is a literacy crisis in South Africa. This means that large numbers of children are not acquiring the high level skills in reading and writing that will enable them to take part in the new knowledge economy. The general aim of this project was to investigate the process of literacy acquisition and development in primary schools. The investigation focused specifically on how learners acquire literacy, and the involvement of teaching training and support for educators. It was anticipated that the investigation would identify gaps in the acquisition and development of literacy, as well as iii provide recommendations for teacher training and support: the findings might then feed specialist knowledge on the current state of literacy acquisition in formal education into the area of teacher training as to address the problem of lack of preparedness of teachers to deal with literacy acquisition. The project involved an investigation of literacy teaching and learning practices in three different types of public school in the Ethekwini Region, comprising ex-Model C, semi-urban and rural schools. The scope of the study was confined to three primary schools in KwaZulu Natal. The selected research sites were Joel1 Primary School (urban) in the Pinetown area, Milo Primary School The semiurban) in the Mariannhill area, and John Primary School (rural) in the Ndwedwe District. No attempt was made to generalise on the acquisition of language and development, and the provision of teacher training and support at these selected primary schools with reference to schools in the rest of South Africa. However, it is thought that the findings might well be relevant to some schools to enable them to cope and understand the role and function of language acquisition and development. The social factors which negatively impact on literacy acquisition and development were found to include features of the local social context, security for literacy resources and other physical challenges. Factors impacting negatively on teacher performance were inadequate teacher training, the impact of teacher unions, and the effects of poverty and HIV/AIDS. Some of the clearly intertwined challenges experienced at the Intermediate Phase education level include the problems of insufficient teaching staff numbers and insufficient numbers of competent and trained staff; lack of sufficient support for African language learners; large class sizes; lack of resources; and lack of quality leadership in schools. These challenges are the shaky ground upon which we build education for some of our learners, especially those in rural and poor areas.

Percursos Históricos da Escola Primária em Mato Grosso

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
Laura Isabel Marques Vasconcelos De Almeida ◽  
Neuza Bertoni Pinto
Keyword(s):  
School Culture ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
The Government ◽  
Cultura Escolar

Este artigo tem como objetivo destacar os elementos da cultura escolar predominantes na Escola Primária mato-grossense, inventariados a partir da legislação e normas no período de expansão escolar em Mato Grosso. O estudo desenvolvido pelo viés histórico se ancora na abordagem da história-cultural e tem como fontes documentais, a legislação e o regulamento que definiram as diretrizes educacionais para a organização do Ensino Primário, levando em consideração os aspectos históricos, políticos e pedagógicos da época. O estudo aponta que apesar dos esforços, as Diretrizes Educacionais do Estado de Mato Grosso (1965) evidenciam a preocupação do Governo e a necessidade de melhoria no processo educativo das Escolas Primárias de Mato Grosso. No entanto, esta melhoria dependeria não apenas de boa vontade política, mas de uma proposta político-pedagógica direcionada ao Ensino Primário e a melhoria das condições de trabalho do professor na educação mato-grossense. Palavras-chave: Escola Primária. Cultura Escolar. Diretrizes Educacionais. AbstractThis article aims to highlight the elements of school culture prevalent in the primary school of Mato Grosso, inventoried from the legislation and norms during the school expansion period in Mato Grosso. The study developed by the historical bias is anchored in the approach of cultural history and has as documentary sources, legislation and regulation that defined the educational guidelines for the organization of primary education, taking into account the historical, political and pedagogical aspects of the time. The study points out that despite the efforts, the Educational Guidelines of the State of Mato Grosso (1965) show the government concern and the need for improvement in the educational process of primary schools in Mato Grosso. However, this improvement would depend not only on political goodwill but on a political-pedagogical proposal aimed at primary education and at improving the teachers’ working conditions in Mato Grosso State's education. Keywords: Primary School. School Culture. Educational Guidelines. 

scholarly journals ORGANIZATION OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

2020 ◽  
pp. 183-189
Author(s):  
Маргарита Викторовна Курышева ◽  
Мерри Йовита Тариган
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Educational Models ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government

Описана организация системы образования в Республике Индонезия. Особое внимание обращается на учебный процесс в индонезийской начальной школе. Актуальность темы обусловлена неоднозначным отношением общества к реформам российской системы образования, к роли учителя, предметному содержанию учебного процесса, в том числе в начальной школе. В соответствии со стандартами компетенции выпускников и стандартами содержания обучения Республики Индонезия, рассмотрены основные принципы обучения, на основе которых происходит развитие трех областей компетенций: отношения, знания и навыки. Проанализировано влияние базовых возрастных характеристик детей начальной школы на образовательные модели, разрабатываемые и используемые в практической деятельности учителями в Индонезии. Описаны задачи развития детей младшего школьного возраста согласно Дж. Хейвигхерсту и основанные на этих задачах направления деятельности учителей начальной школы в Республике Индонезия. The article is devoted to the description of the organization of the education system in the Republic of Indonesia. The authors pay special attention to the educational process in the Indonesian primary school. The relevance of this topic is due to the ambiguous attitude of society to the reforms of the Russian education system, to the role of teachers, to the subject content of the educational process, including in primary schools. We believe that the experience of foreign teachers will be useful in developing primary education programs. The law on education and the decree of the government of the Republic of Indonesia introduce standards of competence of graduates and standards of educational content for primary, secondary and senior secondary schools. In accordance with the standards of competence of graduates and the standards of educational content of the Republic of Indonesia, the article describes the basic principles of training, on the basis of which the development of three areas of competence takes place: relationships, knowledge and skills. Relevant competencies are formed through various activities related to the psychological, moral and social spheres of a child’s life. The authors consider the influence of basic age characteristics of primary school children on educational models developed and used in practice by teachers in Indonesia. The article describes the development tasks of children of primary school age in accordance with the concept of J. Haywighurst and the directions of activities of primary school teachers in the Republic of Indonesia, based on these tasks.

scholarly journals The Challenges of Free Primary Education Implementation in Primary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyne Nabwoba Simiyu
Keyword(s):  
Primary Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Free Primary Education ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Government ◽  
Descriptive Survey

In January 2003 the Kenyan government implemented Free Primary Education (FPE). The launch of the programme saw an increase in enrolment in primary schools which put pressure on learning resources. The FPE policy envisaged that the government would provide teaching and learning materials to all public primary schools. This paper therefore discusses challenges of implementing FPE in Bungoma East District in Kenya. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. The target population was head teachers, teachers, the school management committee chair persons and the students. Since there are rural and urban schools, stratified sampling was done to get a more representative sample. Instruments for data collection were questionnaires, interview schedule, and document analysis and observation schedules. The study found that upward trend in enrolment since the inception of FPE in 2003 led to overcrowding in class and many more schools opening up. It also found that there was lack of enough teachers to handle the increased numbers of pupils. It was also established that delayed release of FPE funds led to challenges in the FPE appropriate implementation.  The findings will inform the policy makers to make more informed decisions towards implementation of the free primary education in order to achieve Universal Education.

“Iraq Opportunities”: The New National Curriculum and Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Iraqi Primary Schools

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muna Mohammed Abbas
Keyword(s):  
Education Policy ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Curriculum Planning ◽  
School Level ◽  
The Government

In 2007-2008, a new official curriculum was promulgated through which English is introduced in Grade 3 of primary schooling (generally age 8) as it is one of primary education objectives and the government policy in Iraq. So, the present work aims to investigate some of the problems associated with the implementation of this new curriculum, its nature, an understanding of the curriculum principles and philosophies, and its constituents in the Iraqi contexts. Research on the curriculum planning process and curriculum analysis has not been conducted on the Iraqi English language curriculum before this. The present work gives a clear picture about the implementation, the nature of the curriculum, an understanding of the curriculum principles and philosophies, and its constituents in the Iraqi contexts. The work has three foci: the curriculum, the implementation and teaching and learning. The findings came from questionnaires and interviews with school teachers and supervisors’ .A questionnaire based survey of a sample of 100 primary school English teachers was conducted. It is concluded that (1) the implementation of official policy on the teaching of English in primary schools is fraught with problems evident at every stage in the process, from Education policy, through materials design to lesson planning and delivery;(2) the curriculum has problems at the level of understanding and implementation and this has led to the difficulty of conveying the philosophy of Iraq education to the primary school level.   Keywords - curriculum implementation, Education policy, EFL, education philosophy, syllabus design, ENN(English New National ) Curriculum

Village Institutes of Turkey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filiz Meşeci Giorgetti
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Primary School Teacher ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Village ◽  
Village Institutes

In the 1930s, the primary schooling rate in Turkey was significantly low compared to the European states. Ninety percent of the population lived in villages without any schools and teachers. Therefore, promoting primary education was addressed as an issue concerning villages in Turkey. The seeds of the intellectual infrastructure in the emergence of institutes were sown at the beginning of the 20th century, during the Ottoman rule. To train teachers for villages, Village Teacher Training School [Köy Muallim Mektebi] was founded in 1927 and Village Instructor Training Course [Köy Eğitmen Kursu] in 1936. However, these initiatives were not sufficient in terms of quality and quantity. Village teacher training experiences, new education, and work school trends of Europe were analyzed by Turkish educators, opinions of foreign and Turkish experts were received, and the Village Institutes [Köy Enstitüleri] project was carried into effect based on the realities of Turkey. The first Village Institutes opened in 1937. They were established in a restricted area, with a limited budget, and a non-common curriculum until the Village Institute Law was promulgated in 1940. On April 17, 1940, the law prescribing their establishment was approved by the parliament. The number of the Village Institutes, which spread over the Turkish geography evenly, reached 21 by 1949. The period between 1940 and 1947 was when the Village Institutes were most productive. Learning by doing and principles of productive work were embraced at the Village Institutes. The curriculum consisted of three components: general culture, agriculture, and technical courses. In addition to their teaching duties, the primary school teachers that graduated from the Village Institutes undertook the mission of guiding villagers in agricultural and technical issues and having them adopt the nation-state ideology in villages. World balances changing after the Second World War also affected the Village Institutes. In 1946, the founding committee of the Village Institutes were accused of leftism and had to leave their offices for political reasons. After the founding committee stepped aside, the Village Institutes started to be criticized by being subjected to the conflict between left-wing and right-wing. Following the government changeover in 1950, radical changes regarding the curricula, students, and teachers of the institutes were made. Making the Village Institutes unique, the production- and work-oriented aspects were eliminated, and the institutes were closed down in 1954 and converted into Primary School Teacher Training Schools. Although the Village Institutes existed only between 1937 and 1954, their social, economic, and political effects were felt for a long time through the teachers, health officers, and inspectors they trained.

Tyfu i Fyny/Growing Up interactive bi-lingual resources to support the delivery of sex and relationships education for students aged 5 to 12 years

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Initial Evaluation ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers And Students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of new interactive, bi-lingual Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) resources called Tyfu i Fyny/Growing Up, suitable for students aged between five and 12 years. It also discusses the evidence used to support the development of the resources, the support provided for teachers and parents and an initial evaluation following their use. Design/methodology/approach – Tyfu i Fyny/Growing Up are interactive bi-lingual (Welsh and English) SRE teaching resources for primary schools suitable for students aged five to 12 years. These resources comprise of two components, an interactive electronic web-based programme and a floor mat illustrating a naked boy and girl. The electronic web-based programme is used to introduce puberty changes, loving relationships, conception, pregnancy and birth and is suitable for students aged nine to 12 years. The floor mat is suitable to be used with students aged between five and 12 years. Teaching activities can include naming body parts, discussing gender differences, personal safety, distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate touching, discussing puberty changes and other health promotion activities as well as delivering aspects of the National Curriculum for Wales. Findings – The results from the initial evaluation undertaken with year six students and teachers demonstrates how the resources have impacted on the teaching and learning experiences of primary teachers and students. It also demonstrates how the teacher training sessions and using the Tyfu i Fyny/Growing Up resources have increased teachers’ confidence in delivering SRE. Practical implications – The learning experiences of students and their enjoyment of using the Tyfu i Fyny/Growing Up resources were significantly high. The implementation of teacher training improved teaching practice and increased teachers’ confidence in the subject. The resources have facilitated the delivery of effective whole school comprehensive SRE programmes for primary schools. These factors confirm the value of the investment given to their development. The resources could easily be customised in line with diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious requirements. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates how the Tyfu i Fyny/Growing Up interactive SRE resources have influenced the teaching and learning experiences of primary school teachers and students.

scholarly journals The beginning of work on school gardens in Norway – Andreas M. Feragen's garden in Holt on Agder

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
Ernst Håkon Jahr
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Primary School ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Training Curriculum ◽  
School Gardening ◽  
Teaching Position ◽  
Different Types

This paper recounts the beginnings of the School Gardening Movement in Norway, which is now (in 2021) a topic of great interest throughout the country. The famous 19th-century school teacher and reformist Andreas M. Feragen (1818–1912), who retired from his teaching position at the age of 93, was the first to argue, in the late 1850s and early 1860s, for including gardening both as a subject and as a practical activity in primary schools. A widely used reader first published in 1863 included four pieces by Feragen about different types of gardens which would be appropriate for a rural school: the first piece was about the garden in general, the following three described a kitchen garden, a fruit garden, and a flower garden. These four pieces were written in the form of a story about a teacher and his students strolling around the gardens discussing what they saw and how to grow vegetables, fruit trees and fruit bushes, and flowers. Feragen followed up these pieces with an article in the teachers’ journal Den norske Folkeskole [The Norwegian Primary School] in which he argued that basic gardening knowledge ought to be included in the teacher training curriculum. School gardening in Norway started with Feragen’s own gardens surrounding his school in Holt in Agder, clearly the very gardens he described in his pieces in the reader.

scholarly journals HOME CLASS: EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVE IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN BASIC EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF AMAZONAS, BRAZIL

2021 ◽  
pp. 113-114
Author(s):  
Melise Maia Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
The State ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
New Directions ◽  
The Government

The objective of this research is to know new decisions about the teaching and learning process in the context of the pandemic in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The pandemic suspended classroom classes at more than 200 schools, causing the reorganization of pedagogical practices in distance education. The result was the applicability of the Special Regime of Non-Attendance Classes adopted by the Government of Amazonas (Aula em Casa Project). It is concluded that new directions can be taken from formal education in view of this new reality.

scholarly journals Developing a monograph book for teaching English skills to young learners in wetlands areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Dini Noor Arini ◽  
Raisa Fadilla
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Academic Settings ◽  
The Government ◽  
Suitable Reference ◽  
English Instruction

To enable Universitas Lambung Mangkurat (ULM) to become the Asia-Pacific centre for wetlands development in 2027, one of the efforts ULM makes is to raise awareness about the importance of optimising human resources in wetlands through research and development in the educational and cultural fields. English is considered a foreign language in Indonesia, allowing students to use the language outside of academic settings. English becomes a required subject in junior and senior high school; however, the government requires that English be taught in primary schools as a local topic. English, on the other hand, remains a mandatory subject in a large number of Indonesian primary schools, particularly in Banjarmasin. The issue arises in primary school English instruction because there is no clear guidance for teachers on how to teach English in an appropriate and engaging manner for the students. Due to the absence of a monograph book on teaching methods, teachers in some primary schools in Banjarmasin, particularly those located in wetland areas, have limited access to teaching English to young learners (EYL). In light of the university's policy and the critical nature of achieving teaching and learning objectives, as well as the absence of a suitable reference book for teaching EYL, this study aims to develop an appropriate monograph book on teaching techniques for students of young ages. The research and development design is chosen because it aims to create a product and meets the needs of the reference book's development. The results are expected to improve students' academic performance and to assist EYL teachers in wetland areas in conducting effective and meaningful teaching.

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