TEACHING METHODS AND APPROACHES APPLICATION OF TEACHING METHODS AND APPROACHES IN THE CONTEXT OF A MULTI-GRADE CLASS

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Teaching English as a subject and as the language of learning and teaching will be strengthened through: Training and guiding subject teachers on methodology of teaching, organizing and strengthening language in the classroom in order to assist learning and assessment. Teaching learners basic language learning methodologies on how to use language to learn effectively in their different subjects.

LEARNING SKILLS All subjects share the following learning skills, which are traditionally regarded as the domain of the language teacher: Locating information : encyclopedia & reference books (gathering). Organizing information: outlining & categorizing Acquiring information : strategies (skimming, scanning) & understanding - pre reading strategies. Communicating orally : speaking (accuracy & pose) writing (clarity & exactness) Interpreting pictures : construct - graphs, tables, charts & cartoons Evaluating & applying skills: apply problem solving & critical thinking skills.

OUTCOMES At the end of the activity, participants will be able to: Discuss various methods and approaches with understanding and distinction. Apply the teaching methods and approaches to every level of the activity.

INPUT A method constitutes a way of delivering a lesson in a planned and structured manner. An approach refers to a means or way of dealing with a lesson to accomplish a desired result.

TEACHING METHODS Grammar – translation: structure and meaning of the word is central and emphasis is placed on correctness of the word. Audio – lingual: repeating a word after someone. Oral or situational language teaching: using pictures and scenes to depict a particular emotion. Communicative language teaching: how messages are put across remains central. Suggestopedia: to call to mind by logic or association. Total physical response: all senses are activated, eyes –ears etc Teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling: mental pictures or images of some kind are formulated. Immersion: direct involvement of the learners in an act of some kind.

APPROACHES TO TEACHING LANGUAGE Language – focused teaching: development of vocabulary – clarity of concepts Process and product: language skills – reading and writing as processes Text-based: explore how text works – learners competent, confident & critical readers, writers, viewers and designers of text. Communicative: learning a language – exposure to the target language and opportunities. Learner centered and transmission mode: learners construct knowledge – Teacher impart knowledge through formal modes

ACTIVITY A case study in a multi-grade environment p.41 of the CAPS orientation 2012 document. Aim: to delineate the role and importance of teaching methods and approaches in the context of a multi-grade class.

SCENARIO A multi-grade school on a small farm. The school staff is made up of 2 staff members. The senior teacher is also the principal of the school. There are 89 learners spread across 6 grades; i.e. (from 1 to 6}. The principal of the school teaches the Intermediate Phase and the teacher is responsible for the Foundation Phase. One of the grade 4 leaner is partially sighted and a grade 2 leaner suffers from epilepsy. Some of the learners come from the neighboring farms. The home language of the learners is isiXhosa, Setswana and Sesotho. The common language practiced by the learners is Afrikaans. Two of the learners (age 8 and 10 ) who are siblings come from a child headed family. The school has outdated and limited resources. The school starts at 8h00 and finishes at 14h00

CENTRAL QUESTION TO THE TEXT Consider the following as a bedrock to this scenario: How would you support the school in implementing the CAPS curriculum, taking into consideration: 1.The different grades 2.Abilities 3.The language levels 4.Barriers to learning 5.Available resources 6.Time-tabling

TASKS TO DO What kind of a teacher is envisaged for Language teaching? What are the challenges the school may face in appointing a teacher to teach the subject Language? Design a reading/comprehension lesson. Which method would you employ seeing that you have a very small class? Which approach would you consider to use under the circumstances and for what purpose?

GROUP WORK Report back