Faculty of Education (former Departments)

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Browsing Faculty of Education (former Departments) by browse.metadata.advisor "Ridge, E."

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    The problems of implementing a communicative approach to English as a second language (higher grade)
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1994-12) Van der Merwe, Dawid Johannes; Ridge, E.; Roux, M. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 1986 a new English Second Language syllabus for the Junior and Senior Secondary Course was introduced in the Cape· Province. The overall aim of the syllabus is communicative competence and it advocates a communicative approach (CA) to teaching English Second Language. At the inception of the communicative approach most teachers were i~rnorant of what it comprised and this study undertook to determine whether teachers understood what Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) was and if they applied it in their teaching. At first the demands of society and how this had influenced language teaching through the ages was investigated. Communicative competence was demanded at different stages in history and it is at these different stages where the CA has its roots. Many of the principles of the CA, it was discovered, had been applied by teachers and theorists many centuries ago. Teachers and theorists who teach language for communication see language in a different light. Language and its unique properties are investigated, and with an emphasis · on language as communication. Different ways of using language to communicate are investigated and questions like ''Where does meaning reside? What are the kinds of meaning?" and "How can we control meaning?" are discussed. Prior to the introduction of the CA, second language teaching had been devoted to mastery of structures. However, with the new insights gained about language and meaning, the focus shifted to meaning in coherent discourse rather than on discrete forms. With the shift in focus teachers also had to adjust their teaching to meet the demands. At this stage a brief discussion of the CA and the essentials of a communicative curriculum is provided. The comparison between traditional and communicative approaches is made. An account of CLT methodology is given, including exploration of communicative competence. Many practical examples of CLT are explained. In the empirical study a questionnaire was distributed to the ESL teachers at thirty schools in the Boland and Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. The aim of the research was to determine whether ESL teachers teach communicatively. The findings of the study were that teachers who were trained before 1986 and those trained subsequently have a limited view of the CA. Consequently they cannot apply it to their teaching and seem to revert to a structural interpretation of the syllabus. This study then, confirms that teachers do not have a full understanding of what the CA comprises and consequently teachers do not teach "communicatively".
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    A school-based, balanced approach to early reading instruction for English additional language learners in grades one to four
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2008-03) Nathanson, Renee Riette; Ridge, E.; Menkveld, H.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
    Given that schooling is compulsory and that the quality of literacy instruction that children receive in the primary years lays the foundation for the rest of formal learning, management and teachers are under strong pressure to ensure the improvement of literacy in schools. This study reports on a literacy intervention directed at improving literacy instruction for seventytwo English Additional Language (EAL) learners in grades one to four. The intervention aimed to help teachers maximise teaching time through a theoretically sound approach that balanced language experience, shared and guided reading and writing, and embedded phonics and word level instruction within the context of reading and writing. In doing so, the approach breaks with the traditional position still held by many teachers that learners must first be taught to sound out letters and read words before they can be taught to read and write. Daily features of the literacy programme included whole class shared reading and small group guided reading and writing. Whereas shared reading engaged learners in lively literacy experiences on challenging texts, small group guided reading enabled teachers to match instruction and texts more closely to individual learners' needs. During shared and guided reading sessions, teachers modelled behaviours and strategies on interesting texts, interacted with learners and provided direct instruction in phonics and word level work. Once a week, planned outings and practical activities created opportunities for developing the learners' language and extending their conceptual understandings.