GOODBYE TO ‘LANGUAGE’ TEACHING
The final version of the CAPS for English Home Language in the FET Phase has done away with a separate language paper in the formal examinations.
Archive | Issue II
SCHOOLING 2025 & English: Towards textbook selection in South Africa
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Based mainly on participant observations, this paper argues that an abundance of English Language textbooks has ironically compromised the teaching-learning of English Language in the country.
WEB-BASED RESOURCES
Sunday, January 30, 2011
There are a number of websites – both local and international – which provide very useful resources for English teachers.
ENGLISH ALIVE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
English Alive is an annual anthology of writing from high schools and secondary colleges in southern Africa (i.e. Grades 8–12). The first edition of English Alive was published in 1967, and it has been published every year since then.
The Matthew Effect: Why extensive reading is so important to literacy developmen
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It is common knowledge that, generally speaking, South African children don’t read and write well.
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It is vitally important that teachers reflect on the success or otherwise of their lessons.
GETTING THEM INVOLVED IN LITERATURE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
This article is based on an article which was originally published in CRUX, October 1986, by André Lemmer. It illustrates effectively how to teach (in this case a short story) in an interactive manner – although the original was written many years before OBE claimed to be the originator of such a style.
Maskew Miller Longman calls for drama entries for its annual literature awards competition
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Leading South African educational publisher, Maskew Miller Longman, is calling for entries for its 2012 Literature Awards, which will be for youth dramas.
PROFESSI0NAL ADVICE ON CREATIVE WRITING
Sunday, January 30, 2011
In interviews on the creative writing process with four successfully publishing South African authors in 2009, I asked questions angling for advice for young aspiring writers at school and to teachers of writing. What follows is a summary of the advice given by bestselling novelist, journalist and film maker, Margie Orford, using as far as possible her own words.
COACHING OF TEACHERS FOUND TO BOOST STUDENT READING
Sunday, January 30, 2011
An innovative study of 17 schools along the East Coast of the US suggests that putting literacy coaches in schools can help boost students’ reading skills by as much as 32 percent over three years.
THE USEOF SOUTH AFRICAN WORKS OF FICTION AS CLASS READERS GRADES 7 –
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It is important for learners in South Africa to read South African fiction. One way of ensuring this is to include South African works of fiction in school prescriptions. Currently there is not enough of this in our schools.
FIRST APROACHES TO POETRY
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Having taught poetry at school level for twenty-three years and at first-year university level for seven years, I am aware of the problems that confront both the teacher and the pupil. It is not my intention to concentrate on these problems; I wish rather to offer some positive suggestions that may be of help to the teacher of poetry at high-school level.
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The English Language is renowned for its vagaries. Here are some fun ones …
POIGNANT PUNCTUATION
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Punctuation can make a huge difference to meaning. Here we have two letters which illustrate this perfectly.
TET ISSUE 2 LAUNCHED
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
TET ISSUE 2 LAUNCHED The second issue of Teaching English Today is now available to teachers of English. Note that the previous articles are still available – go to Volume1, Issue 1. Please do respond to the articles – no matter how briefly. We would like as much interaction amongst English teachers as possible. And [...]
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEACHING ENGLISH TODAY
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We are planning a substantial update of TET soon.
“Why can’t Johnny write? He sounds okay!” Attending to form in English second language teachin
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
This article addresses the problem of poor written English amongst many South African learners who study English as their First Additional Language (FAL) at secondary school level, and the effect this has on their tertiary education and their future careers. The reasons for this poor mastery of written discourse are explored and, in particular, it is argued that the problems that have arisen are because of the communicative meaning-focused approach that has been the raison d’être of the second language syllabi for many years. This approach has also underpinned the OBE curriculum for English as FAL. An alternative method, in which the form of the language is focused upon, is explored and it is argued that this methodology would be a more successful one for South African learners and go a long way to solving the problem of the poor standard of English of matriculants.
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Saturday, February 19, 2011
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