Faculty of Education

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The vision of the Faculty of Education is to be "acknowledged and respected unequivocally as a leading and engaged research-driven education faculty". In line with this, we pride ourselves on playing a leading role in education, both locally and globally. Central to our vision is a commitment to engage with educational challenges, particularly in South Africa.

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Browsing Faculty of Education by browse.metadata.type "Conference Paper"

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    Afrikaans as medium of instruction within a transformed higher education system in South Africa with special reference to Stellenbosch University
    (Oxford University Press, 2013) Le Cordeur, Michael
    A key element in curriculum delivery is how knowledge is conceived, constructed and transmitted. It could be argued therefore, that the language by which the curriculum is transmitted is at the heart of the curriculum process. This is evident in the changing landscape of the South African higher education system. It has been a major concern that large numbers of students are academically unsuccessful. This has especially been the case at Stellenbosch University (where I teach) where the percentage of black students compares unfavourably with that of other South African universities. This is in spite of the Language Policy for Higher Education which stipulates that language should not act as a barrier for access to universities. The role of language is therefore critical to higher education as it impacts on access and success, and affirms diversity, while the right of students to “instruction in the language of their choice, where it is reasonably practicable” is afforded by the Constitution (RSA 1996). In this paper I will reflect on language policies of four historically Afrikaans South African universities. Research suggests that there is a strong correlation between mother-tongue instruction and success in academic performance (Heugh, 1999; Webb,2010). Yet, in most South African universities, English is the default language of instruction whilst Afrikaans as a language of higher education is increasingly coming under pressure. I will argue that this is a basis for unfair discrimination, as many students are not first-language English speakers and that South African universities need to manage language diversity in a functional manner.
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    Teaching reading across the curriculum in secondary school
    (EASA, 2012) Le Cordeur, Michael
    Since our country became a democracy various attempts have been made by the South African government to improve the literacy levels in the country through various literacy and reading campaigns and educator training. Yet, systemic evaluation undertaken by the National Department of Basic Education indicates that the literacy skills of students are still much lower than what is needed for them to learn and develop effectively. Reading is one of the most important academic tasks faced by students. Many students entering higher education are not adequately prepared to meet the challenges of higher education mainly because they cannot read at the required level. This paper highlights the literacy situation in South Africa with a particular focus on reading in secondary school. In addition, I am arguing that reading across the curriculum should be one of the main goals of education and all teachers should also be teachers of reading. The paper highlights the importance of teaching students reading strategies across the curriculum in order to improve their reading comprehension, thereby enhancing their chances of academic success. The implications of this research for policy makers and the Department of Basic Education are outlined and some suggestions are made to ensure that all teachers of content also teach reading.