Volume 2 (2017)

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http://hdl.handle.net/11070/2390

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Browsing Volume 2 (2017) by Author "Hautemo, Aletta Mweneni"

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    The gap between grade 5 learners and their English Second Language competency: Should we be worried?
    (University of Namibia, 2017) Julius, Lukas Homateni; Hautemo, Aletta Mweneni
    In Namibian (public) schools, Lower Primary learners (pre- primary- Grade 3) are taught through their mother tongue and switch to English as the language of learning and teaching from Upper Primary phase (Grade 4 onwards). Upper Primary phase teachers are therefore faced with the challenges of developing learners’ cognitive and academic skills which learners need to study other subjects that are taught in English. This paper explore factors that constraint four different Upper Primary phase teachers from four different schools in the northern part of Namibia to effectively teaching teach their subjects. A qualitative interpretive approach was used to explore the factors that constrain teachers from effectively teaching their subjects. Data collection methods consisted of interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. Analysis of the data reveals that the syllabus are way ahead of learners’ actual competency in English Second Language. In addition, data reveals that when learners come into the Upper Primary phase, they have such a poor foundation that they continue to learn little and lag behind grade appropriate outcomes throughout their school careers
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    The jigsaw method: The use of cooperative learning in a grade 7 English second language lessons – a Namibia school case study
    (University of Namibia, 2017) Hautemo, Aletta Mweneni
    This paper reports on the use of cooperative learning technique – Jigsaw - that describes the use of small groups to enable learners to increase their own responsibility in learning and that of their peers. As a strategy that support Learner Centred Education which was adopted as a framework for teaching and learning in Namibia in 1990, cooperative learning is very compatible to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which are both highlighted in the new basic education national curriculum as strategies for teaching languages in Namibian schools. To develop responsive practices to the learner-centred approach this study investigates the role of cooperative learning activities in learning English second language and the influence it has on teaching and assessing learners. An expansive route was taken to engage learners in a Jigsaw activity, in an English Second Language lesson. The findings revealed that participants of the study perceived cooperative learning instructional to be generally a positive experiences which provide an effective method of learning in groups and it enhance learners’ achievement. Cooperative learning may help learners to acquire and develop four language skills at the same time and with easy as concepts are interlinked. Learners in the jigsaw classroom reported stronger intrinsic motivation, greater interest in the topic, and more cognitive activation and involvement.