Letter from the Conference Chair/Chair of RASA Western Cape
It is a great honour and privilege to welcome you to the 10 th national RASA conference and 9th Pan African conference. These
conferences are important literacy events on the African continent, providing platforms for literacy professionals and researchers to
interface with policy makers in government and the donor community, and ultimately to benefit people in schools, community
libraries, adult literacy classes, children’s reading tents, and reading clubs in communities.
We are following in the footsteps of our respected colleagues. Apart from South Africa (1999), previous Pan African conferences
were held in Nigeria (2001), Uganda (2003), Swaziland (2005), Ghana (2007), Tanzania (2009), Botswana (2011) and Kenya (2013).
We are grateful for the trust placed in us by the International Literacy Association (ILA).
As you can see from the programme, the first three days of this conference follow a more traditional conference format with
plenaries, colloquia and academic papers as well as opportunities for teachers to showcase good classroom practice. The fourth and
final day, Saturday 5th September, is a Family and Community Literacy day - organised by a separate subcommittee, chaired by
Maurita Weissenberg. This exciting day is jam-packed with imaginative events around this year’s theme of Imagination and Literacy:
Theory and Practice.
This event would not have been possible without the hard and sustained input of many people behind the scenes: the conference
committee, the Saturday subcommittee, the national RASA chair Eileen Scheckle and especially Janet Condy who has been working
with me side by side for over a year, tirelessly offering support and guidance. It was her vision and passion for literacy that brought
RASA into existence in 2004 and established a concrete manifestation of the power of the imagination: to think differently about
what might be possible. Janet you can be truly proud of what RASA has become.
There are too many people to thank personally, so I have to restricted myself to a few: the University of Cape Town for the support
in terms of venues and my time, and Belinda Chapman from the university’s Conference Administration. Her calmness and
competence have been exemplary. Special thanks also to Vice-Chair Jacqui Dornbrack who generously took over from me as Chair
during an important six weeks to give me the opportunity to finish a book manuscript without feeling guilty! Thanks also to our
sponsors, especially Oxford University Press.
Like all conferences, it is you the reader of this letter, keynote speakers, presenters of papers, workshop leaders and chairs of
sessions whose active engagement makes a conference one of quality and worthwhile. I very much look forward to spending the
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coming four days with you, young and old, and from all parts of the world, building new ideas together and exploring fresh avenues
of thinking about imagination and literacy, our theories and our practices. Let our minds be stretched and be guided by the wisdom
of classroom philosopher Thomas Vos (age 12) from Pinelands North Primary School in Cape Town:
‘’Imagination is the space in your head that can be stretched and grows smaller as you grow older. It can be triggered by thoughts
that lead to unlimited possibilities”
Enjoy!
Very best wishes
Karin Murris (PhD)
Chair of the Reading Association of South Africa Western Cape
Chair of Conference Committee;
karin.murris@uct.ac.za
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THANKS TO THE RASA COMMITTEE AND THE UCT CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT CENTRE – EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS
For general enquiries: UCT Conference Management Centre
Belinda Chapman
w +27 21 406 6381
082 770 4202
Janet Sirmongpong
w + 27 21 406 6348
082 388 3907
Cindy Maree
w +27 21 406 6733
082 414 4851
RASA Committee 2-4 September 2015
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PORTFOLIO
Karin Murris
Western Cape RASA Chair, Conference Chair
Jacqui Dornbrack
Western Cape RASA Vice Chair, Programme committee
Janet Condy
Programme committee
Cathy Kell
Programme committee
Tamara Veriava
Administrative assistant, responsible for social media
Rose-Anne Reynolds
Treasurer, Zenex sponsored teachers
Dorothy Dyer
Secretary
Shelley Aronstam
Student assistants
Rudi Venter
OUP representative, Programme committee
Samukelisiwe Coka
Committee member
Val Kohler
Zenex sponsored teachers
Ntombizanele Mahobe, Malusi Ntoyapi, Committee members
Carole Bloch
Eileen Scheckle
RASA National Chairperson
Thank you to all the students (wearing white T shirts) from UCT, CPUT and UWC that have offered to work as ushers during the
conference
Family Literacy Day: 5 September
Maurita Weissenberg
Chair
Cathy Kell
Vice Chair, Programme committee
Tamara Veriava
Administrative assistant, responsible for social media
Rose-Anne Reynolds
Treasurer
Dorothy Dyer
Secretary
Shelley Aronstam
Committee member
Thank you to the volunteer students from the Year Beyond Programme who have volunteered to work as ushers on the day
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READING ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA
(RASA)
VISION STATEMENT:
Our vision is that RASA will be an internationally recognised organisation dedicated to empowering and helping all its citizens to be
literate and to be able to develop to their fullest potential.
MISSION STATEMENT:
RASA will consistently endeavour to provide the platform for expressing views and leading discussions to achieve our vision. We will

Take a proactive stance to encourage and motivate all South Africans to become literate;

Contribute to the production of knowledge through applied research;

Lobby the national government to prioritise literacy above all else;

Promote partnerships with all organisations, such as government, business and society to view literacy as a tool for overcoming the
social ills of poverty, crime and social dependency;

Develop and support reading and language coaches in schools and universities where they can provide leadership to their local
school reading programmes;

Ensure quality teacher preparation training programmes in all institutions throughout South Africa; and

Encourage the use of ITCs to promote multiple literacies in all dimensions.
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WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2015
7.30-9.00
9.00-10.30
10.30-11.00
11.00-11.55
12.00-12.30
12.30 - 13.30
13.30 – 14.00
14.00-14.30
BAXTER THEATRE
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
Baxter Concert Hall
Studio Rehearsal
Room S20
Room S10
Room C18
(600 seats)
Room (70 seats)
(40 seats)
(60 seats)
(40 seats)
REGISTRATION
OPENING SESSION – Karin Murris (Chair of WC RASA), Marcie Craig-Post (ILA Director), William Teale (Vice President of ILA and
Board Member), Eileen Scheckle (RASA chairperson), David Harrison (DG Murray Trust)
Chair: Karin Murris
TEA visit the publishers
Ntombizanele Mahobe, Malusi Ntoyapi, Carole Bloch, PRAESA and Nali’Bali: it starts with a story
Chair: L Pretorius
Chair: D Allen
Chair: N Boakye
Chair: D Avery
Chair: B Mendelowitz
L Abel
S Beach, G Andima,
E Borgfeldt
J Anker
P Moanakwena
Fostering emergent
" Radical change" and the
Workplace language and
A Bwire, A Ward,
"I drew first then I
literacy and
influence
of
modern
literacy practices in
P Winsor
wrote" - Nine-year old
comprehension: an
technology
on
recent
multilingual Botswana
Kajiado teachers explore students' apprehensions
innovative teaching
Afrikaans
youth
literature
professional reading
of sociosemiotic
tool for developing
clubs
resources
reading, writing and
and conceptions of
comprehension
assessment when
creating multimodal
texts.
LUNCH 13.15 – walk to next venue
Chair: K Lazar
Chair: G van der
Chair: C Christy
Chair: P Louw
Chair: S Maluleke
S Aronstam
Westhuizen
V Linington,
J Carew
N Mather
An exploration of the
Writing booklys - An
Bringing SA boys back on
E Bifuh-Ambe, F
L Excell
transition in literacy
analysis of mobile
board
'Reading' students: an
Martina Bi
and language learning
from Grade R to Grade
1
The role of professional
development in
improving teachers'
sense of self- efficacy as
writers and writing
teachers
intervention focused on
the enhancement of home
language teaching in the
Foundation Phase in
disparate contexts
literacies and the writing
of digital stories by bookly
users
B Badal
M Childs
M Shank
J Condy
M Harran
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14.30-15.00
15.00-15.30
15.30 – 16.00
16.00 – 16.30
To the text and
beyond...
Finding the Possibility
Lens: Photo-voice as a
tool to address deficit
perceptions of teaching
literacy in multilingual
context
Transformation in the
mainstream: creative
possibilities for integrating
Waldorf into Kenyan and
Canadian schools
The disruption of a single
story
Copying for academic
literacies access? Imaginative
practices for language
acquisition
N Baloyi
M Drake
J Tembe, Y Reed
D Dyer
E Esambe
Folklore and
imagination in literacy
practices in primary
schools
Drama in teacher
education: bringing
teacher training to life
Using African Storybook
project materials as a
vehicle for teacher
professional development:
a Ugandan case study
Using the FunDza
cellphone library to
deepen reading practice
Interim literacies and being in
first-year essay writing
practices
G Chimfutumba
L Excell, A van As
N Bikitsha
E Scheckle, S Potgieter
Lessons from Room to
Read Literacy Design
and Implementation
Program in Kafue and
Petauke Schools in
Zambia
Music matters for
literacy matters:
enhancing literacy
teaching through music
Analysing the impact of
the Foundation Phase
isiXhosa Home Language
CAPS on the assessment of
phonics and meaningful
reading in isiXhosa
Literacy practices are alive
and well in a cross-age
bilingual township reading
programme
V Dlamini-Akintola,
T Dlamini
Chair: S Aronstam
N Ibrahim
Chair: C Bloch
A Stevenson,
J McClellan
TEA visit the publishers
Chair: V Linington
Chair: E Esambe
C Christy
A Flint, M Matthews,
Imagining new ways to P Albers
show literacy
comprehension
16.30-17.30
17.30-19.00
Imagining the possible:
situated communities of
practice in teacher
professional
development settings
Plurisemiotic literacies:
exploring children's
multilingual voices via
drawings, objects and
narratives
Stimulating literacy and
relationships through
imagination and spaces
Intensive Reading as a vehicle
for teaching communicative
language ability in a second
language context
Chair: R Venter
B Akeredolu-Ale,
B Sotiloye, T Fola-Adebayo,
R Aduradola, A Adebiyi,
B Owoyemi, H Bodunde
Applications of Web 2.0: Using
Forum to support academic
literacy in two Nigerian
Universities
Viv Edwards African language publishing for children: a story about stories
Chair: Eileen Scheckle
Launch reception – Oxford Global Languages (OGL) Northern Sotho and isiZulu: a living dictionary platform for language
communities. Oxford University Press (OUP) invites you for drinks and canapés and to listen to the speakers Achmat Dangor (award-winning
South African writer and former Executive Director of the Nelson Mandela Foundation), Judy Pearsall (Dictionaries Director, Global Academic,
OUP), Maropeng (Victor) Mojela (Northern Sotho OGL Language Champion) and Langa Khumalo (isiZulu OGL Language Champion).
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Room C6 (100 seats)
Colloquia
13.00 – 14.00
Chair: T Gennrich
Reading methodologies in African languages
R Wildsmith, K Steinke, Teachers' pedagogical content
Room C7 (100 seats)
Chair: R Nathanson
J Thomson, H Mfeka, N Hlela, E Klaasen, A Driessen
Learning gains through play
knowledge and the teaching of extended text
L Schroeder
14.00 – 15.00
15.00 – 16.00
Transitional reading in Africa: leaping across a chasm
J Westbrook, E Olu Fagbemi Imagining the gaps in-between:
inference & context in African - and UK – classrooms
S Land Skilled reading in isiZulu: what can we learn from it?
A Islei, M Baleeta Engaging teachers to improve literacy in the
local language in their classrooms: a collaborative project in
western Uganda
H Inyega, E Mahaya, S Wangamati
Family-based literacy intervention for struggling readers: a reading family,
a literate offspring
S Mbolekwa, N Koenig
Creating spaces to ignite imagination
Workshop
Room C20 (65 seats)
Conference Room downstairs (30 seats)
13.00 – 14.00
Chair: K Papu
A Flint, M Matthews, P Albers Creating possibilities: enhancing
Chair: C Kell
B Conteh
literacy with drama, art, and music
Integrating digital literacies into the Year 1 communication and academic
literacy course at the University of Botswana
14.00 – 15.00
15.00 – 16.00
I Millon To philosophize through tales
J Newton, J Simpson Activating imagination before, during and after reading - a key strategies for the successful teaching of reading
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THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2015
BAXTER THEATRE
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
Baxter Concert Hall
Studio Rehearsal
Room S20
Room S10
Room C18
(600 seats)
Room (70 seats)
(40 seats)
(60 seats)
(40 seats)
8.00-8.55
9.00-9.30
9.30-10.00
Conference Room –
ground floor
(30 seats)
Barbara Comber Literacy and the imagination: working with place and space as resources for children’s learning
Chair: Jacqui Dornbrack
Chair: L Abel
J Katz
Chair: G Andima
N Boakye
Investigating effective
materials development
and pedagogic practice
in Grade One reading
literacy in Nguni
languages
‘I felt like I could
read more and
more’: students'
account of how
extensive reading
improved their
academic reading
proficiency
A Chigona
D Sithebe
Pre-service teachers and
digital storytelling for
21st Century: 2D
classrooms
How curriculum
design might
influence
instructional
design: the case of
English First
Additional
Language (FET)
Chair:
R Wildsmith
B Igbokwe,
C Mary-Rose
Story-telling: a
teaching method
in literacy
practices among
primary school
pupils
G Nanjala,
Sr Gathata
Showcasing
imaginative
classroom practice
Chair: M
Mathews
L Johnson
Cultural and social
uses of functional
literacy: A narrative
approach
R Nkuna
Reading Aloud as
a way to develop
literacy in very
young children
Chair: C Kell
H Motlhaka
Exploring
postmethod
pedagogy in
teaching English
as second
language in South
African Higher
Education
B Ntereke,
B Ramoroka
Reading
competency of
first year
undergraduate
students at
University of
Botswana: A case
study of
humanities
students
Chair: P
Moanakwena
A Arko-Achemfuor
Adult literacy and
entrepreneurship
development: the case
of Kha Ri Gude
graduates in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa
G Oyinloye
Literacy and
introduction of
entrepreneurial skills in
secondary school
curriculum
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10.00-10.30
10.30-11.00
11.00-11.30
11.30-12.00
12.00-12.30
M Le Cordeur
C van der Mescht
K Murris
K Dixon, H Janks
Improving literacy with a
Reading- to- dogsprogram: supporting
learners who struggle to
read
Imagining
ourselves: the
reflective
conversation as a
teaching tool in an
Academic Literacy
teacher education
programme
‘Post-Age’
picturebooks:
imaginative lesson
planning
Cells and bells:
exploring how the
use of space in the
university shapes
pre-service
teachers'
understandings of
teaching
Chair: M Childs
B Ezeanochie,
A Ozegya,
J Rotkangmwa
Bodang
Chair:
J Westbrook
H Inyega
Literacy
TEA visit the publishers
Chair: J Carew
Chair: S
M Lephalala
Aronstam
Kindling the imagination I Etbaigha
through reading for
pleasure in the primary
years
Using L1 for L2
teaching and
learning under
'local' conditions
S Molosiwa,
K Kgosidialwa
B Jerome
L Holmes
Exploring primary pupils’
reading comprehension
performance using
cooperative learning
versus individual
learning in two schools:
a case of Botswana
How can use of
classroom
observation videos
fill in the gaps left
from using rigid
rubrics? Evidence
from a
Randomized
Control Trial
The compensatory
strategies used by
a participant with
developmental
dyslexia in order
to pass Grade 12
and go on to
tertiary studies
G Mwathe
T Magagula
T Millin,
Using wordless
Effects of
comprehension
habits strategy on
struggling readers:
acquisition of
literacy and
entrepreneurial
skills in secondary
schools
innovations in
Kenya: working
knee to knee with
schools and
communities to
join the dots
B Ani-Asamoah
S Jaffe
M Probyn,
P Plüddemann
A James, L Jacobs,
M Stears
Igniting a spark:
reflections on
extensive reading
in a BEd language
education
programme
The adventures in the
playground: learning
science through
reading
Chair: J Baker
M Roodt
Chair: D Avery
M Hart
Creating a sense
of identity
through
storytelling
Evaluating the impact of
the Reading to Learn
methodology on learners'
literacy development in
Grades 6 and 7 in an
urban school of isZulu
speakers
L Rutgers
E Kirchner,
A Tötemeyer
Literacy gains
among poor
readers: evidence
from
Worldreader's
iREAD 2 project in
Ghana
Towards contextresponsive
literacy teacher
preparation: reimagining early
literacy
instruction to
focus on both
content and
context
A Jakalia,
D Shober
Changing reading
behaviour: hooking
Namibian children onto
books?
B Chinyere,
Promoting literacy
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S Ngece
Literacy instruction and
acquisition: determining
which instructional
approach is most
effective for early
literacy development in
a second language
context
12.30-13.30
13.30-14.00
LUNCH - 13.15 walk to next venue
Chair: M Harran
Chair: D Dyer
K Strydom
T Spronk
Rethinking teaching and
learning English as a
second language in
Grade R
14.00-14.30
E Ng'oma, S Zimba,
M Nachande,
D Chansa
Is it really working in
Zambia?
14.30-15.30
picture books and
storytelling to
promote
imagination in
early years learners
Kieran Egan
Creating creative
writers in South
Sudan
H Yusuf
Effectiveness of
using creative
mental images in
teaching reading
comprehension in
primary schools in
Nigeria
M Millin
A Kwesi Bisilki
Success or failure
of an innovative
literacy
intervention: a
discussion of some
school-based
barriers to
'Reading to Learn'
in South Africa
Kidwatching as a
tool for
accelerating early
childhood
literacies: a report
on a kidwatching
project at the
University of
Education,
Winneba Ghana
Chair: B Jerome
L Excell
Chair: S Land
N Jabson
O Badaki,
C Kochon, A Lee,
M Wensjoe,
M Zapata
Music matters for
literacy matters:
enhancing literacy
teaching through
music
P. Uwamezi
Mmegwa
Reading habits,
gender and
science
performance of
secondary school
students in Jos,
Nigeria
Literacy in multigrade classrooms
in South Africa:
incorporating
teaching
strategies for an
inclusive
education
through literature
with a voluntary
reading
programme for
first year varsity
students
A Egwa Ozegya,
J Rotkangmwa
Bodang
Chair: B
Ezeanochie
Y Ntekim-Rex,
F AdemolaAdeoye
Chair: D Sithebe
L Superville
Charity begins at
home':
identification of
Nigerian English
idioms
Effects of
comprehension habits
strategy on struggling
readers' acquisition of
literacy and
entrepreneurial skills in
secondary schools
Literacy for
understanding/learning
as a means of
facilitating students'
improved academic
performance across
the curriculum
M Ngwaru
P Plüddemann
B Piper
Parent-teacher
Empowerment
through children
story book
development in
low-resource
communities
Imagining
community
reading clubs as a
third space for
literacy
Mother tongue,
training modalities and
literacy outcomes:
Kenya's primer
research program
Engaging imaginations in learning literacy
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Chair: Karin Murris
15.30-16.00
16.00-17.00
17.00-20.00
Colloquia
9.00 – 10.00
10.00 – 11.00
11.00 – 12.00
12.00 – 13.00
13.00 – 14.00
14.00 – 15.00
TEA visit the publishers
RASA AGM
Chair: Eileen Scheckle
Band and 2 Book Launches:
17.00 – 17.30 Ama Ambush Marimba band
17.30 – 19.00 Dorothy Dyer – Its Big Ups 4 – an anthology of FunDza short stories. Janet Condy - Telling stories differently
19.00 – 20.00 Ama Ambush Marimba band
Room C6 (100 seats)
Room C7 (100 seats)
Chair: C Verbeek
H Janks, K Dixon, C Compton-Lilly, A Stornaiolo, B Comber,
C Burnette, A Woods Annual National Literacy Assessment tests and
how they imagine childhood
V Edwards Telling Tales: the story of the Nal’ibali Reading-forEnjoyment supplements
J Baker, M Tlaka, S Andema Virtual cooperation across Africa and an
African library for children's early reading practice
Chair: J Condy
Yesly Contreras Freeing the imagination of teachers in postconflict Sri Lanka
M Metcalfe, C Verbeek, K Dixon, N Taylor Early literacy: South
African teacher educators reading from the same page
M Hart, S Qomo, G Nkabinde (Film) Using the Reading to Learn
methodology in English as a medium of instruction with a Grade 3
class of isiZulu learners
Chair: L Holmes
R van Niekerk A morphinuum of literacies for the 21st century
Chair: D Avery
L Excell, V Linginton, ‘Reading’ students: an intervention focused
M Pienaar, D Lawrence, K Brits, A de Stadler, C van der Merwe,
A Oosthuizen Teaching Afrikaans in Soweto and Kayamandi
Chair: C McKinney
C McKinney, P Makoe, L Makalela, R Tyler, X Guzula Reimagining
on the enhancement of home language teaching in the Foundation
Phase in disparate contexts
D Sombie Promoting reading and other learning outcomes: The
role of integrated school feeding programs in Sierra Leone
D Cassell Visual literacy and its variation: encouraging student
participation and English fluency
children's linguistic repertoires as resources for learning
15.00 – 16.00
Workshop
C McKinney, P Makoe, L Makalela, R Tyler, X Guzula Reimagining
G Sentumbwe (Film)
children's linguistic repertoires as resources for learning
Classes for three: new literacy spaces in post-conflict community
Room C20 (65 seats)
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9.00 – 10.00
10.00 – 11.00
Chair: E Lyimo
S O’Carroll, C Lincoln, J Coombe The journey from spoken to written language: supporting young writers
R Reynolds The language(s) of our imaginations: exploring the social and emotional development of a group of 11-13 year olds, from a primary
school in Cape Town, through picture books and a community of enquiry pedagogy.
11.00 – 12.00
12.00 – 13.00
Chair: J Baker
W Saul, B McDonnell Choosing and using books
G Andima, A Bwire, R Odondi
Playing an instructional leadership role in early grade literacy - Kajiado head teachers and education officers' experience
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8.00-9.00
9.00-9.30
9.30-10.00
FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2015
Baxter Theatre
College of Music
Baxter Concert Hall
Studio Rehearsal
Room S20
Room S10
Room C18
(600 seats)
Room (70 seats)
(40 seats)
(60 seats)
(40 seats)
Plenary Panel Discussion: Mother-tongue and bilingual learning in Africa. Oxford University Press hosts a panel discussion on
the research done by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning about mother-tongue and bilingual education, as well as
experiences from panellists working in Burkina Faso and Uganda. Panellists include Christine Glanz (UNESCO Institute for
Lifelong Learning), Norbert Nikiѐma (University of Ouagadougou and Saint Thomas of Aquinas University, Burkina Faso) and
Godfrey Sentumbwe (Ugandan NGO Literacy and Adult Basic Education).
Chair: H Janks
Chair: R Haden
Chair: S Beach
Chair: K Dixon
Chair: C van der Mescht
L Pretorius
T Ogavu,
D Allen
R Kirunda
L Treffry-Goatley
Where are their eyes?
Writing pedagogy of the
Language in Education
Open affords critical: an
C Lincoln,
What can we learn
news report genre across
policy
example of how the
J Coombe
about early reading in
low performing schools
from eye tracking data?
Teaching French literacy
to early grade learners in
Uganda
the Intermediate Phase in
one school
A Totolo,
G Phirinyane
P Louw, M Hall
S Maluleke
Modern dictionarymaking and the use of
bilingual dictionaries
Grade 5 learners’
conceptualisation of
writing and their own
writing development
P Lemphane
M Dube
Reading in Botswana
junior secondary
schools
10.00-10.30
G van der
African Storybook Project's
open license publishing
model enables a critical
literacy approach to
redesigning stories for
children
K Phillip,
E Umoren
Reference services & the
academic library user:
actualising information
literacy expectations in
enquiry process, with
cognate constraints
K Quan-Baffour
B Mendelowitz, K Lazar
Reading one’s way into
imaginative youth writing:
a pedagogic model for
developing the Wits
Teachers’ Writing
HOTSPOT
D Sithebe, J Moore
13
Westhuizen
Talk moves in reading
conversations
10.30-11.00
11.00-12.00
12.00-12.30
14.00-14.30
Exploring the provision
support towards the
improvement of reading in
English language by school
children in the Gwanda
district rural schools
Literacy ‘matters’ in
sustainable livelihood
development: among
refugee adults in South
Africa
How curriculum design
might influence
instructional design: the
case of English First
Additional Language (FET)
TEA visit the publishers
Des Hugo Reggio inspired practice: new literacies and technologies in various Junior School contexts
Chair: Karin Murris
Chair: M Probyn
Chair: J Baker
Chair: R Reynolds
Chair: H Inyega
Chair: L Rutgers
M Muthiga
M Kretzer
K Nell
K Shiohira,
H Janks
Challenges and
achievements in the
implementation of
MDG for women and
girls in the area of
education in rural
Kenya
12.30-13.30
13.30-14.00
Use of social practices to
teach French in Lesotho
schools
Areas, contexts and
potentials of codeswitching at South African
schools: case study of the
Nguni-and Sotho-Cluster
in Gauteng and North
West
LUNCH - 13.15 walk to next venue
Chair: E Kirchner
Chair: T Millin
T Gennrich
A Kinnaird
Developing writing
proficiency in the
secondary phase: is selfintervention a useful tool
in strengthening
grammatical skills
associated with successful
writing?
Friend, foe, accomplice:
refining ICT in education
practice
Critical literacy and the
social justice project of
education
Chair: C Mckinney
K Papu
Chair: S Wendy
R Nathanson
Chair: P Plüddemann
E Lyimo
‘It allows me to go in
my thoughts wherever I
want to go’: rural
teachers' encounters
with new ways of
practicing literacy
Overcoming barriers to
literacy through mothertongue education - a
sustainable MLE
economy model for rural
area
Developing argumentation
as a literacy practice
through laboratory report
writing
Mobile technology in
literacy education
Gender role construction
in children's literary books:
examples from Kiswahili
children's books in
Tanzania
C Compton-Lilly
N Gxowa-Dlayedwa
I Simiyu
M Marshall
B Lundgren
The development of
habitus over time: a
ten-year case study of a
young writer
Continual employment
of computers, visuals
and storytelling in South
African disadvantaged
schools can improve
learners' low literacy
results
Peer editing and improved
classroom relationships in
a writing lesson
The missing link in
education: effective online reading and
comprehension
development
Youth identity shaping in a
post-apartheid society in
South Africa
14
14.30- 15.00
15.30-16.30
18.00
B Tafon Takeh
C Babane
An African perspective
of African children's
imagination and
literature
Strategies used by South
African teachers to cope
with teaching literacy in
a multilingual and
multicultural Foundation
Phase classroom
S Ngece
R Haden
S Abdulatief
Fiction
for
social
change
Critically reading and
Investigating isiXhosa
using
short
stories
on
redesigning everyday texts
language literacy
cellphones
to
shift
practices in the
attitudes and encourage
Foundation Phase:
empathy amongst South
an ethnographic case
African teens
study in the Western
Cape
Closing comments: Chinwe Muodumogu (Pan African IDC-Africa chair), Hilary Janks (Gauteng RASA chair) and Marcie Craig
Post (Director of ILA)
Chair: Karin Murris
Conference dinner at Moyo at Kirstenbosch Gardens
Colloquia
Room C6 (100 seats)
9.00 – 10.00
Chair: J Baker
S O’Carroll, C Lincoln, J Coombe Supporting early literacy: celebrating the
role of Grade R teachers, families and communities
Chair: Y Contreras
W Teale
Chair: S Jaffe
L Fok, S Murray, L Pretorius, P October, P Solomon Can teachers change
Chair: M Dube
G Mwathe
their classroom practices? The Zenex Foundation Phase Literacy Project 20152017
Reading developmental trends in early years: the
influence of word identification skills and second
language oral ability
12.00 – 13.00
14.00 – 15.00
Chair: A James
B Strydom and a panel of reading experts Teaching children how to read
in a multi-lingual society
Workshop
Room C20 (65 seats)
9.00 – 10.00
Chair: Y Ntekim-Rex
D Avery, M Hart Hi, Zoleka! A workshop which will unpack Gcina
Mhlope's story using the Reading to Learn methodology
12.00 – 13.00
Chair: J Baker
L Holmes Who am I Stripy Horse? An experiential workshop using a story
Room C7 (100 seats)
Digital technologies and literacy learning: what do we
know about what works – and what doesn't?
Conference Room downstairs (30 seats)
9.00 – 10.30
Chair: K Murris
Kieran Egan – exploring ideas in a community of
enquiry
15
14.00 – 15.00
(bibliotherapy) to assist children to access their strengths, challenges and
emotions through identification with the characters in the story.
Chair: J Tembe
J Kembo Teaching reading from short texts: an integrated approach
List of abstracts arranged alphabetically according to surnames
Soraya Abdulatief
sabdulatief@gmail.com
Critically reading and redesigning everyday texts
The focus of this paper is on exploring how a critical literacy curriculum and experiential learning principles can provide English
additional language students at a university of technology with a richer literacy learning experience than learning based on a single
textbook. I wish to broaden the range of texts students are exposed to in an English Communication course by bringing multilingual
and multimodal popular culture texts and artifacts into play. I also wish to introduce students’ to selected critical discourse analysis
tools and to build in strategies that teach students how to redesign and transform texts shifting them from a position of text
consumer to text producer. Critical literacy is important states Freebody and Luke (1999) because it provides the “kind of literate
practices needed to enhance both peoples' agency over their life trajectories and communities' intellectual, cultural, and semiotic
resources in multi-mediated economies. Teaching students critical literacy is crucial for building personal agency as well as helping
them to become active citizens who can evaluate and analyse texts and information for themselves and others.
Lydia Abel
lydia@ortsacape.org.za
Fostering emergent literacy and comprehension: an innovative teaching tool for developing reading, writing and comprehension
skills
The purpose of this paper is share our Literacy Wheel, an innovative teaching tool, using the concepts of Reciprocal teaching to
encourage active engagement of learners in reading and writing thereby inculcating comprehension skills. The strategies of
predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarizing promote comprehension and cognitive development. The Literacy wheel was
16
adapted from a paper plate idea proposed by Stricklin (2011). It was strengthened by fusing the “Sentence Starters” with Bloom’s
Taxonomy verbs and de Bono’s Thinking Hats. Each colour represents an aspect of thinking as well as a particular strategy. The game
can be played with both fiction and academic texts at various levels and learners’ own writing. The teacher should activate the
thinking processes by creating a learning ambience around the game as part of differentiated instruction. This initial paper will show
how the Literacy wheel and reciprocal teaching have been used in different settings and what the immediate effect has been. The
longer-term effects will be measured by learner performance on the WCED systemic tests at the end of 2015.
Philomina Ibuh Adzongo (Poster)
padzongo@ovi.com
Literacy management and the need for the development of entrepreneurial skills in Benue State University, Makurdi Nigeria
Bolane Akeredolu-Ale, Bosede Sotiloye, Titi Fola-Adebayo, Remi Aduradola, Alphonsus Adebiyi, Busayo Owoyemi, H Bodunde
bolanlekassal@gmail.com
Applications of Web 2.0: using Forum to support academic literacy in two Nigerian Universities
Literacy is an important life skill for all students and it is linked with educational achievement, graduation rates, and a country’s
overall economic success. The ICTs have changed the organization and delivery of higher education globally and they have been
deployed in fostering literacy particularly in higher education. Pedagogic, socio-economic influences and rapid changes in
technological innovations alongside the demands of 21st century literacy and work skills have caused institutions of higher
education to embrace the ICTs in teaching and learning. This study investigates the use of one of the affordances of the MOODLEthe Forum in supporting academic literacy in two Nigerian universities. This study is grounded in the theory of constructivism and is
influenced by one of the components of the Pedagogy of Multiliteracies - overt instruction. Mutiliteracies, which focuses on how
notions of literacy have been redefined by social, technological and economic change (Anstey, 2002) provides a framework for reconceptualising curriculum. Instruction on types of reading comprehension that relate to reading for academic purposes such as:
locating main ideas, making inferences, evaluation and reorganization was given to 100 undergraduates from two Nigerian
universities for six weeks and data from a variety of sources were considered: students’ online assignments and Forum discussions,
questionnaire, and focus group discussion. Inferential and descriptive statistics were employed in analyzing the data and the findings
reveal that affordances of the MOODLE such as the Forum provide a good environment for facilitating the development of academic
literacy skills.
17
Denise Allen
denise.allen.05@gmail.com
Writing pedagogy of the news report genre across the Intermediate Phase in one school
Writing pedagogy of the News Report Genre across the Intermediate Phase in one school. Low levels of writing proficiency
experienced by learners, is a global phenomenon, with South Africa being no exception (DBE, 2008, 2013) and the NEEDU Report
(2012) and Hendricks (2007, 2008) argue that insufficient extended writing is taking place in South African classrooms. Given this,
this paper examines the teaching of the news report genre across the Intermediate Phase in one school, the discourses and
positioning of literacy by the three teachers and how these are translated into practice. This study is underpinned by the notion of
literacy as a social practice which Street (2003) and Prinsloo (2013) propose is not merely a technical and neutral skill but that it
occurs in social practice not only through formal schooling but within a social context which has a direct bearing on it. Themes that
emerge from the semi-structured interviews conducted with the three teachers include inadequate information on writing in the
CAPS Documents, an “overloaded” writing curriculum, a lack of pre-service / in-service training, gaps in espoused pedagogy and the
impact of teachers’ writing histories on their conceptualization of writing and espoused pedagogy. Classroom observations of writing
lessons on this genre reveal the dominance of a skills discourse by two of the teachers. However, the third teacher, who clearly
articulated her own writing history as being “fraught and contested”, illustrates evidence of a socio cultural writing pedagogy (Ivanic
2004), which deeply engages the students.
George Andima, Adeleid Bwire, Ruth Odondi (Workshop)
andimageorge@gmail.com
Playing an instructional leadership role in early grade literacy - Kajiado head teachers
Reading instructional success calls for synergy from children, educators, parents and community. Effective reading instruction
requires that the teacher manipulates the cognitive, affective, psychomotor and social domains in order to develop appropriate
reading competencies in early grades. The teacher needs support on content knowledge, delivery and materials provision from
mentors who could be head teachers, curriculum support officers and quality assurance officers. This paper examines education
leaders’ role in providing leadership in literacy development in early grades and implications of this for early grade reading
instruction. The research employed a descriptive survey design with a sample 26 educators using a questionnaire. Data were
analyzed using, qualitative methods. It was found that although most parents were illiterate, head teachers worked closely with
them to encourage children’s school involvement. Most schools had no programmes for supporting struggling readers. An average
of 4 pupils shared reading texts. There were no special provisions to support learners in such circumstances. All head teachers had
18
the general teaching qualifications but lacked capacity to support teaching of reading. Over 80% of the head teachers reported that
their schools did not have enough textbooks and storybooks. The survey revealed discrepancies between head teachers' beliefs
about linguistic diversity and their actual language behaviour and re-interpretations of the Language Policy in various contexts. All
the educators were supportive of the promotion of strengthening readership among school children. This paper provides insights in
reading instruction for early grade readers in developing countries and Kenya in particular.
Beatrice Ani-Samoah, Sarah Jaffe
beatrice@worldreader.org
Literacy gains among poor readers: evidence from Worldreader's iREAD 2 project in Ghana
Decades of evidence suggest that those who develop reading skills early have more success with reading and educational attainment
later, and those who do not develop these skills—generally by the end of the third grade—are likely to be left behind. However
recent data from Worldreader’s iREAD Ghana Study 2012 – 2014 (iREAD 2) show that school-based digital reading programs can not
only drive improvements in early literacy skills among the general student population, but can help us re-imagine ways in which poor
readers can catch up. This presentation will explore how digital reading programs can drive learning outcomes among lower
performing students and answer such questions as: How do we ensure more equitable access for students who may be
disenfranchised due to factors like performance and gender? How do we provide low-performing students with adequate support
when resources are scarce? What technological advances can help equalize learning outcomes? The findings presented in this
presentation come from the results of Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) with a total of 702 1st-3rd grade students (418 in
the treatment group and 302 in the control group) in Ghana’s Eastern Region. Students in the Worldreader intervention each
received an e-reader filled with 200+ story, text and reference books in their mother tongue and English, and extracurricular reading
activities based on content from the e-readers. Project teachers also received e-readers, and training in e-reader usage in the
classroom and phonics-based literacy instruction.
Johan Anker
ankerj@cput.ac.za
" Radical Change" and the influence of modern technology on recent Afrikaans youth literature
Radical Change and the influence of modern technology on recent Afrikaans youth literature. This paper discusses the influence of
19
modern technology on the content and structure of recent Afrikaans youth novels with specific reference to the novels of Carina
Diedericks-Hugo and the theory of Elizabeth Dresang with reference to her work: Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age. In
this regard the emphasis will be on characteristics like connectivity, interactivity and access. The paper will discuss novels by Carina
Diedericks-Hugo, especially her Thomas@ series and the young adult novel: The Vanishing of Josua van Eden.
Reference will also be made to the works of renowned authors of children’s literature in Afrikaans, Jaco Jacobs and Fanie Viljoen.
Theoretical insights about the characteristics of books in the digital age, the hybrid identity of the youth in their engagement with
digital worlds, like role paling games, and the forming of new social communities in online worlds will be part of this paper The
question how much this change is a reflection of modern society or a structural change from traditional youth literature will be
reflected upon.
Akwasi Arko-Achemfuor
aachea@unisa.ac.za
Adult literacy and entrepreneurship development: the case of Kha Ri Gude graduates in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Adult education has proven to be one of most effective ways to empower illiterate adults and the youth. South Africa has serious
skills shortages in most sectors of the economy but the country paradoxically has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the
world. This paper examines how South Africa’s mass literacy campaign (Kha Ri Gude) has empowered some of its graduates to
become small and micro entrepreneurs in South Africa. This paper uses the case study to collect data for the study through
interviews, observations and a focus group discussion to determine how the Kha Ri Gude graduates have been equipped through
adult basic education to become small and micro entrepreneurs. The results of the study show that basic education has capacitated
some of the graduates to start and operate small and micro enterprises. It is recommended that organisations and the state expand
the campaign and support initiatives of those who venture into entrepreneurship so that they can employ themselves and others
and contribute to the economic growth and development of the country.
Shelley Aronstam
aronstams@cput.ac.za
An exploration of the transition in literacy and language learning from Grade R to Grade 1.
An exploration of the transition in literacy and language learning from Grade R to Grade 1 This study seeks to explore the transition
in literacy from Grade R to Grade 1. This presentation draws from a larger on-going project funded by the European Union and is
aligned with research and teaching in Early Childhood Education. The aim of the study was to investigate how certain key
20
elements such as listening, perceptual/early reading skills, phonics and sight words can be developed conceptually from
Grades R to 1. It is important that the transition from informal to formal education preserves a certain curricular continuity
so that the elements of learning in informal education are gradually incorporated into the formal education programme. A
smooth transition promotes learners ’academic development and the educators involved in this transitional process can
provide the link in the teaching of literacy from Grade R to Grade 1. The Scarborough Model (2001) was used as a theoretical
framework as it shows the different features of skilled reading. Each strand of the model represents one of the key elements
of our study. A purposively selected sample of six 2nd year Foundation Phase students’ teachers was selected at Cape
Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). These students were filmed teaching these elements in a Grade R and a Grade 1
class at different sites in the Cape Town Metropole. The videos were analysed to investigate the extent to which transition
took place when teaching the key elements of reading in different language contexts, according to the Scarborough Model.
Deb Avery, (Poster)
deb@averys.co.za
The Reading to Learn Methodology
Deb Avery, Mike Hart (Workshop)
deb@averys.co.za
Hi, Zoleka! A workshop which will unpack Gcina Mhlope's story using the Reading to Learn methodology
This workshop will introduce participants to the highly scaffolded Reading to Learn (RtL) process and how it is applied in the
Intermediate Phase (Gr 4 to 6) to support learners to comprehend texts and to use this understanding to write effectively for
different purposes. It also integrates phonics, sight words, spelling, grammar, comprehension and sentence structure within the
process. The workshop will introduce participants to this process by
involving them in the typical activities learners experience around texts and how these activities integrate all the elements of literacy
development mentioned above through both reading and writing. In this way they will experience, in an accelerated form, what
learners would experience in the classroom. In this workshop, participants will unpack keynote speaker, Gcina Mhlope's story, "Hi
Zoleka," and write their own story using the structure of the orignal as inspiration. Time will also be provided for questions and
discussion both during and after the presentation.
Constance Babane
BabaneVC@cput.ac.za
21
Strategies used by South African teachers to cope with teaching literacy in a multilingual and multicultural Foundation Phase
classroom
Migration has become a global phenomenon with people seeking education and greener pastures. This is a complex economic,
political and social issue with a variety of causes and consequences. It has a huge impact on educational systems and poses
challenges of multilingualism and multiculturalism in schools. In classrooms with such diversified learner populations, teachers often
feel inefficient and become demotivated. Tschannen-Morana and Woolfolk Hoy (2001) assert that teacher efficacy belief is a simple
concept but has significant implications in the learning process. They define a teacher’s efficacy belief as a judgment of the teachers’
own “capabilities to bring about the desired outcomes of student engagement and learning, even among those students who may
be difficult or unmotivated”. This judgment has a very powerful impact on learning as it is also impacts on the learners’ achievement
(Ross, 1992), motivation (Midgley et al, 1989) and the learners’ own sense of efficacy (Anderson: 1988). This challenge could impact
on learners psychosocially and educationally. This article suggests the development of a multilingual narratives programme that will
run adjunct to the present FAL and Home Language curriculum aimed at assisting teachers to deal with this challenge in South
African Foundation Phase schools.
Bernice Badal
badalb@unisa.ac.za
To the text and beyond...
To the text and beyond... A literary text is produced within a cultural and linguistic background which is not necessarily shared by the
reader (Thomas, 1983:93). Thomas defines pragmatics as a meeting ground where a speaker’s knowledge of grammar comes into
contact with his or her knowledge of the world. Both features of knowledge are sifted through “systems of beliefs about the world”
(Thomas, 1983: 90). Therefore, linguistic and contextual cues are necessary in order to interpret utterances appropriately. Learners
need linguistic competence to structure information coherently and syntactically, but pragmatic competence gives learners the
ability to realise a specific purpose and to understand language in context. This is achieved by deconstructing the socio-cultural
codes in the text in order to derive meaning from it. A primary aim of language development in school is to assist learners in
becoming grammatically and textually competent. Grammatical competence includes knowledge of vocabulary, morphology, syntax,
and phonology/graphology of the target language. On the other hand, textual knowledge refers to the ability to comprehend, but
also produce, larger texts. It is an awareness of the features of different genres, including appropriateness in terms of tone and
awareness of reader/writer relationships that prove problematic for teachers to impart and learners to acquire and demonstrate.
22
Judith Baker, Monge Tlaka, Sam Andema (Colloquia)
judithbakr@gmail.com
Re-Imagining African children's stories from one region for use in another region with the African Storybook Project
The African Storybook Project, now in its third year, is dedicated to providing a wide range of illustrated digital books that are
appropriate in language, context and illustration for African children to learn to read. To accomplish this, ASP has developed a
website on which people can read stories for free, download stories, re-version stories for local needs, and upload their own stories
for others to read. This workshop will give participants the opportunity to adapt an African children's story created by members of a
community in the language of that area to a story appropriate in language and content for another African context. A short
introduction to the African Storybook will be given by members of pilot projects who are developing storybooks in Uganda, Kenya
and South Africa. [10 minutes] Presenters will then briefly demonstrate the use of africanstorybook.org website: -to choose a story to substitute the text with text in the language of the target community -to substitute story details as needed to meet the needs of
early readers in the target community Participants will choose and adapt a story on equipment provided in the workshop. [20 mins]
Discussion will focus on the challenges involved in 'localisation' of stories for literacy development and offer a variety of
opportunities for participants to join the project.
Ntiyiso Helmet Baloyi
ntiyisob22@gmail.com
Folklore and imagination in literacy practices in primary schools
I am a young teacher in a rural school in Limpopo province. Being a beginner teacher requires commitment and willingness to work
with many new challenges. One big challenge has been that many learners do not know how to read and write, caused by their poor
background of learning. Other barriers include socioeconomic and emotional barriers to learning. To overcome the barriers learners
have, it is best to start with concepts and vocabulary that are familiar to them. By doing this, I can teach them strategies and skills to
improve their literacy in ways that are easy for them to understand. I believe folklore is a good place to start because these stories
have been passed down to learners and they already identify with the characters and events. Another benefit of folklore is the
potential it has to develop learners’ imaginations. Once again, because the context of the story is familiar, learners can imagine the
situations. This helps to develop their ability to comprehend when they arrive at unfamiliar texts. I will show that, by using folklore
we can help learners overcome some of their barriers and assist them to use literacy to open doors to knowledge and success.
Sara Ann Beach, George Andima, Adelheid Bwire, Angela Ward, Pamela Winsor
23
sbeach@ou.edu
Kajiado teachers explore professional reading clubs
Improving the quality of primary education needs to focus on educators’ professional growth. In a number of international studies,
teachers’ own reading practices have been associated with their success in establishing vibrant reading cultures in their classrooms.
For example, Commeyras and Mazile (2011) found that teachers in Botswana actually read quite a bit outside of school and so were
more open to trying methods such as book clubs in school. Students interviewed by Beach et al (2013) stated that they valued
teachers who shared their own reading with them, which led to them being more engaged in literacy in the classroom. Educators’
activities should have a direct impact on student learning and provide opportunity to reflect on their teaching/learning to support
instructional practice. Teacher reading practices, however, should not just be about recreational reading. The shared reading should
also encompass teachers’ own professional reading to improve and expand instructional practices. This session will describe the
experiences of a group of 26 Kenyan educators as they read and shared professional literature. The educators were provided reading
material (eg., books on literacy, articles from the Reading Teacher) during a workshop within the Reading Kenya project. The
workshop participants were from nomadic groups not traditionally engaged in literacy. As workshop leaders, we were excited by the
alacrity with which our participants became avid readers of professional articles, and their increasingly thoughtful contributions to
small group discussions. Most notable was that articles on instructional practice made the educators more engaged, interested and
interactive.
Elizabeth Bifuh-Ambe
Elizabeth_ambe@uml.edu
The role of professional development in improving teachers' sense of self-efficacy as writers and writing teachers
Teaching writing to elementary students can be a difficult instructional task for many teachers due to the complexity of the writing
process and the variety of skills students must demonstrate to be considered competent writers. Teachers’ roles include: explicit
instruction, modeling, and providing students opportunities to engage and practice writing across school disciplines. To be effective,
teachers must themselves feel confident as writers; however, many teachers do not feel confident in their writing abilities.
Professional Development can foster teachers’ writing proficiency, improve their feelings of self-efficacy as writers, and provide
them useful instructional strategies. This study was conducted within the context of a PD partnership between a university in central
Massachusetts, U.S.A. and the public school district. Two research questions are: Is there is a relationship between teachers’ feelings
of self-efficacy as writers and actual performance on a writing sample, and (2) Does the history of the piece provide insights into the
cognitive and creative processes in which teachers engage as they develop self-efficacy? Results indicate that teachers’ perception
24
of their abilities as writers may have more to do with their conceptualization of the writing task and the context of writing, than with
writing as a general academic construct.
Nolitha Bikitsha
nolitha@molteno.co.za
The role of professional development in improving teachers' sense of self- efficacy as writers and writing teachers
Teaching writing to elementary students can be a difficult instructional task for many teachers due to the complexity
of the writing process and the variety of skills students must demonstrate to be considered competent writers. Teachers’
roles include: explicit instruction, modeling, and providing students opportunities to engage and practice writing across
school disciplines. To be effective, teachers must themselves feel confident as writers; however, many teachers do not feel
confident in their writing abilities. Professional Development can foster teachers’ writing proficiency, improve their feelings
of self-efficacy as writers, and provide them useful instructional strategies. This study was conducted within the context of a
PD partnership between a university in central Massachusetts, U.S.A. and the public school district. Two research questions
are: Is there is a relationship between teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy as writers and actual performance on a writing
sample, and (2) Does the history of the piece provide insights into the cognitive and creative processes in which teachers
engage as they develop self-efficacy? Results indicate that teachers’ perception of their abilities as writers may have more to
do with their conceptualization of the writing task and the context of writing, than with writing as a general academic
construct.
Naomi Boakye
Naomi.boakye@up.ac.za
‘I felt like I could read more and more’: students' account of how extensive reading improved their academic reading proficiency
This paper reports on a qualitative study undertaken at a South African university. A reading intervention programme, which
combined affective and cognitive strategies to improve students’ reading proficiency, was conducted with first-year students. To
make the intervention more practical and to accelerate the improvement, an extensive reading component was included in the
programme. The results of the extensive reading and how it assisted students in improving their reading proficiency are discussed in
this paper. Two groups of first-year students (High Risk and Low Risk) were required to read short stories and novels of their choice
and to write down their affective and cognitive experiences during the reading. A summary of the readings and the affective and
cognitive experiences were submitted in a portfolio. Students’ recordings of their affective and cognitive experiences were analysed
25
qualitatively using content analyses. The findings show that students had benefited from the extensive reading. In particular, their
affective and cognitive reading levels, including reading speed had improved. They also reported on the transfer of reading
strategies from the extensive reading to their academic reading. Based on the findings from the students’ self-report,
recommendations are made for reading programmes, even at tertiary level, to include extensive reading in order to complement
and accelerate the improvement of students’ reading proficiency.
Eva Borgfeldt
Eva.borgfeldt@gu.se
"I drew first then I wrote" - Nine-year old students' apprehensions of sociosemiotic resources and conceptions of assessment when
creating multimodal texts
Nine-year old students' apprehensions of sociosemiotic resources and conceptions of assessment when creating multimodal texts.
The aim of this interview study is to analyze what modalities the nine-year old students in public school prefer to use in their
meaning making in multimodal text productions, which will be evaluated by their teacher. Theoretically, the study is based on
linguistic sociocultural, sociosemiotic and second language research. The included interviews with nine-year old students (n=15)
focus on what sociosemiotic resources the students’ have used in their multimodal texts each about the theme Stone Age. The
analyses show that most of the students - regardless of linguistic background - express that they prefer using images instead of
written text for text production. If they are able to choose, one third prefers to use the computer and one third prefers to express
them by making a drama or a movie. Most of the students have difficulties in verbalizing their thoughts on assessment and do not
understand how or in what way the teacher will evaluate their text productions, even if the teacher has formulated what is being
asked for from the students.
Joanne Carew
carewjoanne@gmail.com
Writing booklys - An analysis of mobile literacies and the writing of digital stories by bookly users
According to research from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) people living in the
developing world are already reading full-length books on traditional small screen devices (UNESCO, 2014). Given this trend, bookly Mxit and mobile e-book reader application - was developed as a platform for users to read literature and write their own stories
using their mobile phones. In a small pilot study looking into the use of bookly by young people, the ten most popular English entries
were studied. In addition to this, the booklys written in other South African languages were also briefly examined. The analysis
revealed the existence of an engaged reading and writing community on the bookly platform. It emerged that this group of users
26
read and write booklys, they offer advice and support to fellow authors and they produce content in different languages. By looking
at the most popular booklys, the research reveals that users have a preference for certain topics and the general style of writing by
both commenters and authors can be perceived as evidence that the group has developed a shared identity. Support from
established reading project Nal’ibali was also discussed in that is served to elevate the platform to meet its objectives of improving
literacy and encouraging users to read and write in languages other than English.
Dessane Cassell (Colloquia)
Dessane.cassell@gmail.com
Visual literacy and variation: encouraging student participation and English fluency through image-based storytelling
I am firm believer in the power of images to provoke thoughtful discussion and creative thinking among viewers, regardless of their
educational background. As an undergraduate student, I spent the majority of my time as docent or assistant at my university art
museum, where I lead tours of the collection and worked with school groups to encourage visual literacy through discussions of
artwork. Employing an educational method called Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) developed by American cognitive psychologist
Abigail Housen and museum educator Philip Yenawine, I would facilitate open-ended discussions of art objects through posing
simple and non-intimidating questions to school groups and museum visitors. The simply phrased question "what is going on in this
picture?" would become a springboard for discussions of style, historical context, and individually derived meaning. These
discussions would provide learners with an opportunity to develop greater confidence in speaking, and prompt them to
contextualize their observations through the follow up questions of "what do you see that makes you say that?" and "what more can
we find?"
Agnes Chigona
chigonaa@cput.ac.za
Pre-service teachers and digital storytelling for 21st Century: 2D classrooms
While many classrooms today are both diverse and digital, teacher education needs to prepare new teachers for such classrooms.
Integration of multi-literacies in the form of digital storytelling (DST) technique is perceived to be significant in such classrooms as it
can support educational processes of such learning environments and enhance multi-literacies among learners. Since digital
storytelling could be an effective teaching technique for such classrooms, this paper therefore, focuses on the adoption of the DST
technique for curriculum delivery within diverse and digital native (2D) classrooms. The aim of this paper was to understand how
pre-service teachers are taking on the DST and how are they intending to integrate it into the curriculum delivery once they qualify.
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In-depth interviews with purposively selected pre-service final year student teachers participated in this study. Analysis of the
results has shown that the pre-service teachers perceive the use of DST technique to be very significant for the 21st Century
classrooms, which are both digital and diverse. Integration of DST technique into teaching could be useful in dealing with diverse and
digital native issues simultaneously.
Margie Childs
margie.childs@nmmu.ac.za
Finding the possibility lens: photo-voice as a tool to address deficit perceptions of teaching literacy in multilingual contexts
Photo-voice is used as a medium to explore and express understandings of teaching literacy in multilingual Intermediate Phase
classrooms. The departure point of this project is to develop awareness of deficit notions of literacy teaching and to encourage
agency among beginning teachers. Pre-service teacher education students are taken through a process to examine their
perceptions of literacy teaching. Themes of hope and humanising from Freire’s work are used as a lens to consider Intermediate
Phase literacy contexts. This project elicits important insights regarding the meaning making of pre-service teachers. Photo-voice as
a visual participatory methodology enables teacher educators to assist beginning teachers to move forward in their journey to
become fully fledged teachers of literacy.
Godfrey Chimfutumba
godfrey.chimfutumba@roomtoread.org
Lessons from Room to Read Literacy Design and implementation program in Kafue and Petauke Schools in Zambia
Lessons from Room to Read Literacy Design and implementation program in Kafue and Petauke schools in Zambia. The Zambian
government has tried to design and adapt several reading programs to reverse low reading levels among primary school learners.
However, these programs have been too complex and expensive to implement, and consequently unsustainable. My paper will seek
to draw lessons from how Room to Read Zambia has used imagination and creativity to create a home-grown
reading program to raise reading levels among learners in 55 Kafue and Petauke peri-urban and rural schools in Zambia. Their
teacher training programs and instructional material designs are guided by proven reading principles. Their materials takes into
consideration the program’s ease of implementation in the classroom, language of instruction challenges, production cost of
instructional materials, existing delivery and support systems in schools, local ownership of the program, teacher and education
system attitudes, community engagement and program sustainability. In my project, I have examined the Primary Reading Program,
the Zambia National Literacy Framework and the Room to Read literacy program materials as well as some recent national literacy
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assessment results. I wish to argue that unless a reading program is easy to implement, is relevant, scalable, cost-effective and
actually reverses gains of illiteracy among learners, Zambian young primary scholars face a bleak future academically.
Carol Christy
carol.christy@gcsu.edu
Imagining new ways to show literacy comprehension
Comprehension is the ultimate goal of literacy. Research-based, Evidence-based, and Proven are terms that are very popular with
administrators when evaluating a literacy teacher's plans. Unfortunately, to gain those designations the comprehension strategies
involved do not necessarily reflect the variety of ways in which children think and understand. They usually rely on tests, quizzes,
and other easily quantified assessments. Learning is a messy business and performance assessments are not always easily
quantified, but may be a more accurate reflection of both what children learned and how they learned it. This session would like to
present attendees with performance assessments for comprehension across the curriculum that use visual arts, music, drama,
dance/movement, and multiple types of writing and talking to both demonstrate comprehension and deepen it with the assessment
itself. Strategies will include directions, materials needed if any, and samples of rubrics and scoring guides where applicable.
Catherine Compton-Lilly
comptonlilly@wisc.edu
The development of habitus over time: a ten-year case study of a young writer
Peter, an African American writer in a low-income community, is followed across a ten-year period as he progresses from first grade
through high school. Drawing on writing samples and related data, Compton-Lilly explores his development of habitus (Bourdieu,
1971) as a writer. This paper considers the various dispositions that contribute to Peter eventually claiming an identity as a writer.
However, while Peter develops 'habitus' as a writer, structural and institutional constraints limit his ability to capitalize on these
abilities. The findings of this study challenge notions that unproblematically associate particular abilities and skills with success in
school and beyond.
Janet Condy
condyj@cput.ac.za
The disruption of a single story
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Basing our research on Chininmanda Adiche’s YouTube on “The danger of a single story” we set out to investigate how a one-day
show day, where 78 digital stories were shown, disrupted pre-service teachers stereotypes of their own single stories. The past three
years, as undergraduate teachers, these final-year students have constantly been developing their teacher identity, as they shared
classes together while socially adjusting their behaviour in response to the actions of one another (Smit & Fritz, 2008). In their final
year, during a six- week digital storytelling workshop, these students were required to identify one critical incident, which had a
significant impact on their personal and professional growth and to develop a short 3 – 5 minute digital story. On the final Saturday
all 78 diverse digital stories were shown. A few days after the show day we collected our data using focus group interviews. Our
purpose was to identify how the show day may have disrupted student’s single stories. Adiche said: “The single story creates
stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story
become the only story.” We felt that this experience would assist in sensitizing our students for the diverse student population they
will come to work with one day.
Brigid Conteh
bgmconteh@gmail.com
Integrating digital literacies into the Year 1 communication and academic literacy course at the University of Botswana
Traditionally, literacy was defined from a print-based perspective. With the influx of digital technologies and texts, students’ literacy
and literacy practices are changing. In addition to print based resources, students are also engaging with digital technologies and
texts that provide them with learning experiences that enhance their literacy skills. In this case study, I investigated year one
students’ use of digital technologies and texts in the teaching and learning of the academic literacy course at the University of
Botswana. The focus of the study was to find out what and how year one students use digital technologies in the teaching and
learning of the Communication and Academic Literacy (COM) course. I also wanted to establish whether, and if so how, the use of
these digital technologies supports the development of their academic literacies. The findings revealed that year one students use
digital technologies and texts in the teaching and learning of the COM course to support the development of their academic
literacies, albeit minimally. Although the university has essential technological infrastructure in place, students’ access to these
facilities was noted as a major challenge. Implications for effective integration of digital technologies and texts in the teaching and
learning of the academic literacy course are discussed.
Barbara Comber (Keynote speaker)
barbara.comber@qut.edu.au
Literacy and the imagination: working with place and space as resources for children’s learning
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For over two decades Barbara has worked with teacher-researchers in Australian schools located in poor and culturally and
linguistically diverse communities to explore innovative and equitable literacy pedagogies which can enable young people to develop
durable identities as successful learners. Increasingly this research has focused on the affordances of place and space for designing
inclusive and critical literacy curriculum. This has coincided with a period of intense policy change in terms of national assessment,
curriculum, and school reform, with emphasis now firmly on accountability and standardization. This talk draws on that long-term
body of inquiry into the synergies between place-conscious pedagogy and critical literacy. It also draws from a small-scale current
study in which three teachers have made the space and time to undertake an inquiry weaving imagination into classroom literacy
tasks, despite the national standards agenda. The project involved collaboratively designing and undertaking a unit of work, for each
classroom, focusing explicitly on literacy and the imagination through the lenses of space and place. This presentation will include
images of classroom artefacts produced by teachers and students.
Yesly Contreras (Colloquia)
ycontreras@reading.org
Freeing the imagination of teachers in post-conflict Sri Lanka
To many people in the Western world, Sri Lanka is an exotic and illusive, but relatively unkown country. In this presentation, Yesly
Contreras (from the International Literacy Association) explains how in 2015, the ILA are conducting a site-based literacy project in
rural post-conflict Sri Lanka. The project is designed to support children who have suffered and are continuing to suffer from the
prolonged conflict in the country. The specific purpose of the ILA literacy component is to provide hands-on opportunities for
teachers to re-imagine the skills needed to develop participatory teaching and learning methods and to support a core group of
teachers in a leadership role in their school districts. The project is being conducted in the north east of Sri Lanka in a town called
Mullaitivu with 9 rural schools. The population of the district, like the rest of the east and north, was affected by the civil war, which
killed an estimated 100,000 people. In addition, the town was also one of the worst hit during the tsunami of December 26 2004.
This makes this town a high area of need for support for teachers to re-imagine their teaching practices.
Achmat Dangor, Judy Pearsall, Victor Mojela, Langa Khumalo (Plenary)
Contact the OGL Community Manager, Simone Bichara at simone.bicharadesecki@oup.com, for more information.
Launch function – Oxford Global Languages (OGL) Northern Sotho and isiZulu: a living dictionary platform for language communities
Oxford University Press (OUP) invites you to drinks and canapés at the launch of Oxford Global Languages (OGL) Northern Sotho and
isiZulu: a living dictionary platform for language communities. This worldwide initiative is being launched for the first time in South
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Africa. OGL will result in the creation of a series of local websites, each hosting a wealth of information about words and their usage
in particular languages. The sites will be based on the latest semantic technology and will be heavily focused on community
engagement, with individual users able to create and review lexical content. OUP is working closely with local language communities
to create living dictionaries. We want everyone to get involved in developing these language resources. Two of the languages
included in the first phase of the project will be Northern Sotho and isiZulu. As such, the programme is likely to influence the
development of African languages online, which will in turn play a role in literacy development – making it particularly pertinent for
the RASA conference. OGL combines OUP’s tradition of digital innovation with the wide reach and scale of our global dictionaries
programme. The launch event will provide delegates with an opportunity to find out more about the project and about the benefits
that it may bring to communities in South Africa. They will also be among the first to be able to participate on the interactive sites,
submitting word translations. Speakers will include Achmat Dangor (award-winning South African writer and former Executive
Director of the Nelson Mandela Foundation), Judy Pearsall (Dictionaries Director, Global Academic, OUP), Dr Maropeng (Victor)
Mojela (Northern Sotho OGL Language Champion, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director at the SsL Dictionary Unit, University of
Limpopo, and President of Afrilex) and Dr Langa Khumalo (isiZulu OGL Language Champion and member of the Linguistics Program
at the University of KwaZulu-Natal).
Find out more about Oxford Global Languages by visiting www.oxforddictionaries.com/ogl
Kerryn Dixon, Hilary Janks
Kerryn.dixon@wits.ac.za
Cells and bells: exploring how the use of space in the university shapes pre-service teachers' understandings of teaching
Within education and our university a range of powerful discourses exist that encapsulate a vision of the world and education. This
vision calls for creative, critical, flexible dispositions, for people who embrace democracy and social justice. We expect early years
student teachers to demonstrate learner-centred active learning, differentiated learning, and carefully thought through guided
reading. These pedagogical practices require a mastery of spatial literacy that too often is implicit in university courses rather than
explicit. But space is the product of interrelations, it is constituted through interrelations, simply put, we make space and space
makes us. We expect our teachers to make use of space in innovative, imaginative ways. Many pre-service teachers come from
school, graduate and return to the similar schools they attended perpetuating the original function of mass schooling during the
industrial revolution as spaces of conformity, knowledge transmission and the hierarchy of subjects. This paper considers the
messages our university sends to pre-service teachers about what it means to be a teacher and how teachers are expected to teach
from a spatial perspective. It also considers how spatial design and layout affect students’ experience of university. We draw on the
work of Foucault to read spaces students inhabit inside and outside the lecture room and the powerful notion of the panopticon.
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This is combined with data from student experiences about how space ‘makes’ them. We explore the disjuncture between spaces of
conformity and liminality and the possibilities for creative reimagining.
Virginia Dlamini-Akintola, Thulisile Dlamini
vtdlamini@uniswa.sz
Intensive reading as a vehicle for teaching communicative language ability in a second language context: a case study of University of
Swaziland students
To acquire a communicative language ability (Bachman, 1990) in second language teaching and learning using methods associated
with rote-learning seems to have good short-term advantages in that many learners tend to focus on just achieving high test scores
rather than the acquisition of both the organizational competence and pragmatic competence through extensive reading. In this
paper, we argue that teaching intensive reading to tertiary students, in our context, and giving them space to deduce meaning on
their own is much easier when their organizational competence has been strengthened to allow them to navigate through texts with
ease; thus, making them access and develop their pragmatic competence effectively. However, there are challenges associated with
the participants’ reading and critical thinking skills in implementing this approach, which the paper discusses in detail. The paper also
shows that the focus on using teaching methods based on the Communicative Competence Approaches are inadequate in teaching
and learning advanced reading skills.
Melanie Drake
mdrake@ufh.ac.za
Drama in teacher education: bringing teacher training to life
Drama in Education (DIE) forms part of the BEd degree at the University of Fort Hare. DIE is a powerful way for teachers to impact on
children’s development in literacy. Fourth year students are introduced to DIE through theoretical lectures and practical
assignments. Over the past three years, the lecturer of the module has introduced a contextual element to the module. Students are
provided opportunity to experiment with what they learn in lectures and through assignments in schools. Student teachers were
invited to participate in real-life DIE teaching and learning; through a school play involving 280 pupils at a local theatre, and through
Saturday morning workshops for pupils. This paper presents reflections from student teachers on their experiences of this
contextual element in their fourth year course. Seldom is the ‘every-day classroom’ brought into the lecture environment. Students
participate in school experience as part of their training, but often these courses appear isolated from the university setting. The
author proposes that these student voices demonstrate how important it is for academics to appreciate the context in teacher
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training. Opportunities for more contextual learning should be the focus in order to adequately equip students for their teaching
careers.
Maretha Dube
marethadube@gmail.com
Exploring the provision support towards the improvement of reading in English language by school children in the Gwanda district
rural schools
It is common knowledge that in most rural areas of Zimbabwe many primary school children experience problems with reading
English for comprehension purposes. Research evidence attests to poor scholastic achievement by students categorised as nonreaders, yet little is known in Zimbabwe about the kind of support that these students receive towards reading. This study seeks to
explore and establish the kinds, adequacy and effectiveness of literacy support availed to primary school children in some selected
rural schools in Gwanda. Involving a purposive sample of ten (10) grade four pupils, ten (10) grade four teachers, one (1) district
education officer (DEO), one (1) provincial education director (PED), two (2) opinion leaders and ten and parents from five
purposively selected schools, this selected qualitative case study employs unstructured interviews, open ended questionnaires and
focus group discussions for data collections. Data analysis involves content analysis based on ideas borrowed from grounded theory.
Informed by the capacity building approach to education as the theoretical framework, the study expects to reveal findings on the
kinds, adequacy of support the sampled children are receiving towards reading for comprehension and imagination. Conclusions and
recommendations will be drawn from the findings.
Dorothy Dyer
dorothy@fundza.co.za
Using the FunDza cellphone library to deepen reading practice
FunDza Literacy Trust promotes reading for pleasure by creating exciting and relevant content for young South Africans that is
published on the FunDza mobisite. This library on a cellphone now houses hundreds of short stories, articles and books aimed at
getting young South Africans reading, and every month over fifty thousand readers visit the site to read for an extended period of
time. Currently, in response to many calls and requests from beneficiary organisations and educational projects, FunDza is
developing online questions and activities linked to its stories, to support the process of reading for meaning. This paper explores
the rationale behind FunDza’s new programme, Deepening Reading Practice, and the challenges of using an online programme to
promote creativity and critical thinking as well as comprehension skills. It also describes the pilot project of the programme’s
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implementation in an afterschool programme in eight high schools schools in the Western Cape.
Viv Edwards (Keynote speaker)
v.k.edwards@reading.ac.uk
African language publishing for children: a story about stories
This presentation tells a story about books for children in African languages. It is a tale of struggle and pain, of
politics and profit. But does it have a happy ending?
Viv Edwards (Colloquia)
v.k.edwards@reading.ac.uk
Telling Tales: the story of the Nal’ibali Reading-for-Enjoyment supplements
Based on the responses of a wide range of stakeholders - team members, volunteers and children - this paper will assess the impact
of the bilingual newspaper supplements, one aspect of the national South African Nal'ibali reading campaign, at the end of its first
year of operation. It will consider how the supplements are addressing the main aims of the campaign: the urgent need for readingfor-enjoyment materials for children in African languages; and the move away from approaches to the teaching of reading which
stress technical issues at the expense of reading for enjoyment. It will also consider the logistical challenges and lessons learned
which can be applied in other settings.
Kieran Egan
http://www.educ.sfu.ca/kegan/
Engaging imaginations in learning literacy
Kieran Egan is a professor of education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada (http://www.educ.sfu.ca/kegan/). He
will be talking about engaging imaginations in learning literacy. The Imaginative Literacy Program is distinct because of the ways it
uses feelings and images, metaphors and jokes, rhyme and rhythm, stories and wonder, heroes and the exotic, hopes, fears, and
passions, hobbies and collecting, and much else in engaging the imaginations of both teachers and learners with developing literacy.
Unfortunately Kieran Egan cannot attend our conference himself, but he has made a powerpoint and presentation especially for us
in Vancouver. After his keynote presentation, it will be possible to explore your questions and ideas about his keynote in a
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community of enquiry between 9 and 10.30 in the Conference Room in the College of Music. Our exploratory conversation will be
taped and sent to him afterwards. Karin Murris will facilitate this process.
Emmanuel Ekale Esambe
Esambee@cput.ac.za
Interim literacies and being in first-year essay writing practices
The varying literacy standards that undergraduate at-risk students represent are a reflection of their interim grasp of academic
literacy (Paxton, 2007). This paper analyses seven undergraduate students’ depiction of their interim grasp of academic writing in a
health science discipline and reflects on how the students’ lecturers respond to these students’ academic writing transitions within
their discipline. The main research question for this study is: How does the articulation of at-risk students’ interim literacies enhance
the provision of adequate support during essay writing practices? Qualitative data from focus group interviews with lecturers,
photovoice presentations by seven at-risk first-year students, and textual analyses, was used to explore how students demonstrate
their interim grasp of academic essay writing in a health science department at a university of technology. Using activity theory to
analyse the students as subjects during an essay-writing activity, the study reveals that images are potent artifacts that students and
lectures use to build meaningful dialogue during academic essay writing in an uneven terrain.
Intisar Etbaigha
ilpsn10@yahoo.com
Using L1 for L2 teaching and learning under 'local' conditions
Using the first language (L1) in second-language (L2) teaching has been out of favour since the advent of Communicative Language
Teaching and the Direct Method several decades ago. However, arguments for using the L1 as a resource for L2 learning are
becoming increasingly widespread (Cummins, 2008; Widdowson, 2001). This paper is based on current PhD research into the
effectiveness of using Arabic, the L1, in accessing English amongst a group of 12 Libyan adults newly arrived in Cape Town. In this sixmonth action research project a range of interpreting and trans languaging practices are utilised (cf Garcia, 2009), and research
participants' attitudes towards the use of their L1 are gauged. While the main focus is on improving English speaking skills,
imaginative ways are being explored to negotiate aspects of everyday and academic literacies. Qualitative data include observations
and interviews, while questionnaires and test data add a statistical dimension. Findings are expected to highlight the importance of
the L1 in L2 learning, under carefully described ‘glocal’ conditions, with implications for L2 teaching and further research. Some of
the theoretical underpinnings of this study are also expected to need refining.
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Lorayne Excell, Alta van As
lorayne.excell@wits.ac.za
Music matters for literacy matters: enhancing literacy teaching through music
Music is an ideal vehicle to implement Early Childhood Education (ECE) methodologies for the development of pre-literacy concepts
and skills. However, since few students have had the privilege of meaningful Music Education during their own schooling, they are
unaware of the value of music as a purposeful and fun teaching tool. Instead they favour ‘desk bound’ methodologies to the
detriment of a play-based, creative approach that allows for free expression and discovery. How, we asked, were we to nurture an
ECE teacher who was both theoretically competent and methodologically innovative? A short Music Education intervention was
introduced as part of a student teachers’ education programme. Through a series of participatory music making experiences, the
Music intervention aimed to include music literacy as an alternative theoretical and methodological perspective for these future
teachers. Students’ perceptions of the value of music in the ECE classroom, the extent to which they were including music in their
teaching, and whether they felt competent to teach through music before and after the intervention. The data obtained through
questionnaires and video recordings will form an integral part of this presentation, which explores how Music Education provided
the means to enhance both theory and methodology for students’ personal and professional development.
Lorayne Excell, Viv Linington (Colloquia)
lorayne.excell@wits.ac.za
‘Reading’ students: an intervention focused on the enhancement of home language teaching in the Foundation Phase in disparate
contexts
In this paper we interrogate the outcomes of a literacy course at the Wits School of Education aimed at improving the professional
practice of in-service Foundation Phase Limpopo teachers studying for a B.Ed degree. We first provide an overview of the literacy
course, which drew on Scarborough’s Reading Rope (2001) to consider what is involved in skilled reading. The course was offered in
English but focused on the teaching of three different home languages which are used as the language of learning and teaching
(LoLT) in the Foundation Phase in Limpopo. Using a multiple case study approach, we then present the teachers’ reflections on this
course in relation to their professional development. Finally, we report on the sustainability of this intervention 18 months after the
completion of the course when the teachers were back in the classroom. This is on-going research that raises important questions
about teacher education in the multiple contexts that South Africa presents.
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Bernadette Chinyere Ezeanochie, Abu Egwa Ozegya, Juliana Rotkangmwa Bodang
bezeanochie@gmail.com
Effects of comprehension habits strategy on struggling readers: acquisition of literacy and entrepreneurial skills in secondary schools
This paper investigated the effects of comprehension habits strategy on struggling readers' acquisition of literacy and
entrepreneurial skills in secondary schools in Jos, Plateau state - Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to find out the effect of
comprehension habits strategy on struggling readers' acquisition of literacy and entrepreneurial skills in secondary schools and
ascertain whether or not exposure to comprehension habits strategy will improve JSS 3 struggling readers' ability to acquire
prediction and tailoring skills. A research question and two hypotheses were postulated to guide the study. This included: what is the
reading level and tailoring skills of the struggling readers' before exposure to the strategy? There is no significant difference in the
posttest prediction skills means scores of JSS 3 struggling readers who are exposed to comprehension strategy and those who are
not. The study utilized experimental design involving 24 JSS 3 struggling readers selected through proportionate stratified sampling
technique. The instrument included: The Umolu Informal Reading Inventory (UIRI), Prediction Skill Test (PST), Entrepreneurial
Assessment Tool in Tailoring Skill (EATTS). The coefficient of stability obtained for each instrument is 0.97 for UIRI, 1.00 for PST and
0.99 for EATTS in sequence. The treatment consisted of Comprehension Habits Programme. Data were analyzed using bar charts and
t-test statistics. Results showed that comprehension habits strategy had significant effects on the acquisition of literacy and
development of entrepreneurial skills of the struggling readers. Recommendations were equally made.
Amy Flint, Mona Matthews, Peggy Albers (Workshop)
aflint@gsu.edu
Creating possibilities: enhancing literacy with Drama, Art, and Music
This interactive workshop session will demonstrate how to use drama, art, and music to enhance the literacy learning of young
children in readiness through third grade classrooms. Geared towards novice and developing readers, the activities are designed to
promote young readers' comprehension, word reading, and fluency development. The workshop facilitators will draw from their
more than two years of experience working with teachers in an under- resourced primary school in the Paarl Region of South Africa.
Three lines of inquiry frame the workshop facilitators' approach to professional learning: (1) communities of practice, wherein
learning is viewed as a process of social engagement and participation; (2) an ethic of care, which promotes a view of education as
relational, and (3) professional development structures that reflect a view of professional learning as collaborative, learner centered,
and situated in the concerns teachers face daily (Avalos, 2011, Doolittle, Sudeck, & Rattigan, 2008; Flint, Kuramada, Fisher, & Zisook,
2011). Participants will be invited to engage in the activities and then interact with other participants to discuss how the activities
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might be used in their own classrooms.
Lauren Fok, Sarah Murray, Lillie Pretorius, Portia October, Paulene Solomon (Colloquia)
lauren@zenexfoundation.org.za
Can teachers change their classroom practices? The Zenex Foundation Phase Literacy Project 2015-2017
In this colloquium a series of four papers will be presented that focus on different aspects of the Zenex Literacy Project (ZLP), a
three-year teacher in-service training programme, based on a coaching model and aimed at improving literacy in the Foundation
Phase. The ZLP is an innovative and testing model that has been implemented in 21 schools across three provinces in South Africa.
The aims and nature of this in-service programme and its different components will be described in order to share ideas and
information, promote discussion of the nature of literacy interventions in schools and find ways of improving in-service teacher
programmes. 1. In the beginning: Conceptualising and planning a medium scale, in-service literacy intervention for Foundation
Phase teachers. Lauren Fok, ZLP Project manager, Zenex Foundation 2. Developing Expert Reading Teachers: Building content,
pedagogic and curriculum knowledge. Sarah Murray, Literacy advisor and trainer, Rhodes University 3. Expanding horizons: Building
teachers’ vocabulary. Lilli Pretorius, Literacy advisor and trainer, Unisa 4. Reporting from the ground: The role of coaches in changing
classroom practices. Paulene Solomon and Portia October, coaches from READ appointed by the ZLP
Toni Gennrich
toni.gennrich@wits.ac.za
‘It allows me to go in my thoughts wherever I want to go’: rural teachers' encounters with new ways of practicing literacy
In a context where Foundation Phase literacy teachers’ personal literacy often involves operational practices rather than creative,
this paper argues that teachers need to be exposed to new ways of enacting literacy in order to be able to imagine the possibilities
these afford. Using a Bourdieusian framework of habitus, field and capital, I examine the effect on a group of rural teachers from
Limpopo Province of being removed from their classrooms, and being sent to complete a four-year B.Ed degree at the University of
the Witwatersrand. This case study used reflective journals and focus groups to trace shifts in the ways these teacher-students
enacted literacy. Findings from this study suggest that besides being provided with many opportunities to “do” literacy in new,
previously unimagined ways, teachers of literacy need to engage in these practices regularly and often and that this brings about
shifts in the structure of literate habitus. This paper will discuss, in particular, Elela’s experience with poetry and Kganya’s with a
drama script, assessing the impact of this on their personal literacy practices and how they think about the teaching of literacy.
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Christine Glanz, Norbert Nikiѐma, Godfrey Sentumbwe (Plenary)
c.glanz@unesco.org nikiema.norbert@gmail.com gsentumbwe@labeuganda.org
Plenary Panel Discussion: Mother-tongue and bilingual learning in Africa
(hosted by Oxford University Press in association with UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning)
Oxford University Press hosts a plenary panel discussion on the research done by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning about
mother-tongue and bilingual education, as well as experiences from panellists working in Burkina Faso and Uganda. Dr Christine
Glanz, co-editor of the UNESCO report Optimising Learning, Education and Publishing in Africa: The Language Factor, will open with
a presentation on the key findings of the report (with a specific focus on how the mother-tongue and bilingual learning affect
creativity and imagination), as well as a brief update on the progress made since the report’s publication in 2011, and the role that
mother-tongue learning will play post-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2016 onwards. The other two panellists will
share their practical experiences with the audience on the crucial work they do in the field in Burkina Faso and Uganda. Prof.
Norbert Nikiѐma (Honorary Professor of Linguistics at University of Ouagadougou and affiliated with Saint Thomas of Aquinas
University, Burkina Faso) will share his involvement in mother-tongue-medium and multilingual education in Burkina Faso. Mr
Godfrey Sentumbwe (Head of Programmes at Ugandan NGO Literacy and Adult Basic Education) will share his thoughts on the
importance of local agency in implementing multilingual education, particularly in post-conflict contexts in Uganda.
Read the UNESCO report at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002126/212602e.pdf
For more information on the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, visit http://uil.unesco.org/about-us/
N Gxowa-Dlayedwa
ndlayedwa@uwc.ac.za
Continual employment of computers, visuals and storytelling in South African disadvantaged schools can improve learners' low
literacy results
Some South African schools with low literacy results, operate in low socio-economic conditions which (Msila, 2014:339) describes as
'poor and under resourced'. Such low results are confirmed in Progress International Reading & Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2006:28), that
'more than English and Afrikaans speaking learners and over 80% of African language speakers in South Africa, do not even reach the
lowest international benchmark'. Such findings bring learners without basic reading skills and strategies to cope with academic
tasks', for more details see (2006:29). As a result most employers and lecturers always complain that emerging employees or
students are unable to express themselves fluently or write academic tasks satisfactorily. As researchers, we offered extra literacy
40
lessons voluntarily in one of the public primary schools in Cape Town, aiming to assist Grade 6 learners with English literacy.
Employment of colourful visuals namely pictures, photographs or illustrations, presented on power point combined with storytelling
sessions, appeared to attract the learners by keeping them attentive and involved. The study argues that visual resources,
storytelling and technology bring a pleasant atmosphere to learners especially if educators allow them to talk freely.
Rosamund Haden
ros@fundza.co.za
Fiction for social change - using short stories on cellphones to shift attitudes and encourage empathy amongst South African teens
FunDza Literacy Trust and Cover2Cover Books believe that fiction is a powerful vehicle for social change. Reading for pleasure
develops critical and creative thinking as well as empathy for others. Stories allow readers’ to experience different worlds and
expand their knowledge and understanding of the lives of others. This understanding helps to shift attitudes around social issues.
Through the choices that fictional characters make readers can reflect on their own choices. FunDza reaches thousands of teens and
young adults weekly with its serialised short stories. These are available on the FunDza mobile network through cellphones and on
the web. Questions at the end of story chapters give readers a platform where they can express and share their opinions on issues
that arise in the stories. This presentation explores a series of stories that FunDza commissioned, and which bring to life certain
rights in the South African constitution, together with three short stories funded by Corruption Watch – looking at issues around
corruption in different settings. It will look at the content of these stories and readers’ responses to them. It will also look at the
challenges the writers of the stories have faced in writing around these issues.
Marcelle Harran
marcelle.harran@nmmu.ac.za
Copying for academic literacies access? Imaginative practices for language acquisition
ESL learners often have to copy or 'bluff' (Bartholomea, 1988: 273) the target language to access literacies. Access is also made more
complex as learners often have to 'invent' (McKenna, 2004:279) teacher's expectations to acquire the discourse or academic
literacies. As these expectations are seldom made overt, they tend act as gatekeepers for success in Higher Education (HE) (Ferris,
2003:8; McKenna, 2002; 2004). Therefore, classroom literacies practices require a critical awareness of literacies as a social practice
as well as the need for creative ways and opportunities to change and modify traditional teaching and learning practices. This not
only necessitates teachers and learners acquiring a 'meta-awareness of the nature of genres' (Wardle, 2004; Jacobs, 2007:22), but
understanding the influence of any human social behaviour on language acquisition. As a result, the study uses Norton's framing of
41
'social identity' (1990:420) to describe the ESL study participants 'to know the meaning attached to language' (Nielsen, 1990) as this
will have a direct bearing on the relationship between identity, language and literacies as symbolic capital. The study also considers
whether it is possible to shift or change the learners' 'literate habitus' (Bourdieu, 1977; 1989) by valuing and enacting literacy. At the
HE Institution in the UAE where the study was conducted, first-year students actively 'cheat' and copy to produce required tasks. To
determine the influence of identity on language learning and to facilitate change and improvement in literacies practices, it was
important to gain the students' perceptions of copying (or cheating practices). Therefore, the participants were required to write
paragraphs providing reasons for copying to determine their understanding of these practices.
Mike Hart, Sthe Qomo, Gertrude Nkabinde
hartm@lantic.net
Evaluating the impact of the Reading to Learn methodology on learners' literacy development in Grades 6 and 7 in an urban school
of isZulu speakers
Evaluating the impact of the Reading to Learn Methodology on learners’ literacy development in Grades 6 and 7 in an urban
school of isiZulu speakers Sthe Qomo, Gertrude Nkabinde and Mike Hart This paper arises out of action research into the systematic
implementation of the Reading to Learn (RtL) methodology by two teachers in their grade 6 and 7 classrooms for the first two terms
of 2015. The research follows six learners from each classroom selected from the baseline data of their literacy levels at the
beginning of the year. Their development will be assessed four times over the course of the two terms by means of reading aloud
and assessing their writing, using RtL’s fourteen criteria covering all aspects of written texts. This assessment is used as a diagnostic
and formative tool and a measure of learners’ overall understanding of the structure and language patterns of different genres, and
their ability to use this understanding when they write. The paper will show students’ work through the stages of the RtL
methodology focusing on their writing of joint constructions based on model texts, their individual rewriting and independent
writing, and the assessment of these.
Mike Hart, (Film)
hartm@lantic.net
Using the Reading-to-Learn methodology in English as a medium of instruction with a Grade 3 class of isiZulu learners
The DVD shows Nana Mthalane teaching a narrative text using the Reading to Learn (RtL) methodology to a Grade 3 class of isiZulu
speakers learning through English as a medium of instruction. It starts with a brief overview of the of the RtL methodology and then
follows the teacher taking the class through the stages of the RtL process: Preparing for Reading; Shared Reading; Sentence Making;
42
Spelling and Letter Formation; and Sentence Writing. The film also illustrates the distinctive RtL interaction pattern, which supports
and prepares learners for all the tasks required of them through the reading and writing process. This careful and systematic support
process provides the means for all learners to participate actively and be affirmed in the reading and writing process. This
affirmation, in turn, opens the door to independent reading and writing, the basis for further academic success. The film ends with
an interview with Nana about her experiences in using RtL, and she emphasises that it enables her to ‘really teach reading’.
Examples of learners’ writing will also be presented.
Lynn Holmes (Workshop)
lynn@holme.co.za
The compensatory strategies used by a participant with developmental dyslexia in order to pass Grade 12 and go on to tertiary
studies
'The man who learnt to fly' Developmental dyslexia is a brain based, lifelong disorder, which affects 5-10% of the world's population.
Although much research has been conducted worldwide about the causes and effects of dyslexia, scant research has been
conducted with regards to how people with developmental dyslexia compensated for the barriers they faced and managed to pass
Grade 12, and go on to further studies. There is also limited research that investigated what compensatory skills they used, or who
or what assisted them to make it this far in their studies. In addition, all the published literature and research findings have been
conducted overseas. I found no research conducted within the South African context. This paper will discuss the findings from my
PHD research which investigated how the male participant with developmental dyslexia managed to compensate for the barriers he
experienced, what compensatory skills (cognitive, academic, behavioural, social, emotional) he used in order to learn to read
proficiently enough and comprehend sufficiently, and who or what assisted him to pass Grade 12 (High School) and go on to further
studies, and finally qualify as a pilot.
Lynn Holmes
lynn@holme.co.za
Who am I Stripy Horse?
This workshop will engage participants in combining bibliotherapy and creative expressive arts. All children love stories and will
often ask parents to read the same books over and over again to them. Most of us recall stories that we have been told, or story
books that have been read to us when we were little. As adults we often lose the imagination and creativity that stories evoke in us.
Parents, teachers, counselors and psychologists have a large variety of stories available to them that have already been written in
43
most of the eleven official languages, beautifully illustrated and published. A carefully selected story book can easily be used as an
“in-road” to the challenges that children may be facing, such as divorce, loss, bullying, anger and self-esteem. When children and
adults identify with the character/s in a story, they often find it far easier to engage in the therapeutic process, as they drop their
guard and engage more readily with further creative expressive arts therapy. This workshop will engage the participants in the
reading of a story, and will then expand into drawing and colouring to explore self-esteem issues and getting to know who they are.
The participants will learn how to use stories in their own classrooms through a real experience. The workshop will conclude with a
group reflection on the ethical considerations when engaging in creative expressive arts therapy, especially bibliotherapy, and how
teachers can adapt this for their own ethical use.
Des Hugo (Keynote speaker)
Des.Hugo@stmary.co.za
Reggio inspired practice: new literacies and technologies in various Junior School contexts
The Reggio philosophy has inspired teachers in a variety of settings to consider new literacies and technologies in their classrooms.
Using digital documentation, the presentation will outline how this approach can shift a teacher’s view of child and classroom
practice to include these new literacies and technologies in inner city, township and independent school classrooms.
Nayr Ibrahim
nayr_ibrahim@hotmail.com
Plurisemiotic literacies: exploring children's multilingual voices via drawings, objects and narratives
This paper explores a plurisemiotic approach to analysing children’s use of oral and written narratives, drawings and chosen objects
as they make sense of living and learning in multilingual spaces. Based on Cummin’s (2011) notion of ‘identity texts’ and Phal and
Roswell’s (2010) concept of ‘artifactual literacies’, this paper shares the results of a study, which investigates how children
appropriate and display their multilingual identities in language-specific or language-hybrid spaces. The interviews, drawings or
written narratives and symbolic objects, give children a voice in exploring their sense of place across multilingual spaces. Initial
findings suggest that children mediate their identity construction through real people, tangible places, and lived experiences, which
have value for the children. Children’s plurisemiotic identity narratives indicate that they are aware of their different worlds; that
they are living between worlds; and that they attempt to find coherence in their diversity by communicating in their different
languages via different modes. Finally, I look at the implications for classroom practice and teacher responses in language learning
contexts in nurturing children’s multiple literacies, identities and intercultural competencies. This approach is flexible and sensitive
44
to children’s social learning contexts, and to the communicative styles of the individual child participants.
Basilia Igbokwe, Chinwe Mary-Rose Chiadikobi
macybon70@yahoo.com
Story-telling: a teaching method in literacy practices among primary school pupils
Story-telling is a vital method in literacy development especially among children in that it helps them to a great extent to develop
both fluency and accuracy in language. It also exposes the children reasonably in retaining comprehensive skills and in development
of vocabularies. This technique helps the teacher to provide input that makes the language spoken in class both comprehensive and
engaging. This study therefore analyses story-telling as a vital method in teaching literacy practices among the primary school
children. The main objective of the study is to investigate how pupils' academic performance through literacy practices can be
influenced by story-telling. The study also examines the factors that influence the acquisition of literacy practices through the use of
story-telling. Data collection instrument used was questionnaire. Two Hundred and Sixty (260) respondents were used drawn from
primary schools in ten local government areas of Abia State using stratified random sampling technique. The data collected were
analysed using chi-square. The main result of the findings among others revealed that story-telling helps greatly in the acquisition of
literacy skills. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for story-telling to be strengthened in schools to enable pupils
acquire more literacy skills.
Helen Inyega
hinyega@yahoo.com
Literacy innovations in Kenya: working knee to knee with schools and communities to join the dots
In this colloquium, four discussants from three organizations will showcase several literacy innovations they are currently
implementing within schools and communities across the country. Specifically, the discussants will demonstrate how they are
uniquely complementing each other to improve children's literacy skills in Kenya. The discussants will share tried and proven
strategies for large-scale assessment of literacy outcomes on the one hand, and working knee to knee with pre-and in-service
teachers to augment their reading instructional skills through professional development, coaching, peer support and use of ICTs.
Discussants will share also on school-community connections and how, through questions such as are our children learning, they
have catalyzed communities and rallied them to action to demand better quality of education for their children. Recommendations
on four essential Ts (Time spent on task, quality of Teachers, reading instructional Texts, and instructional Tongue (language of
instruction) for a successful classroom will be made. Implications on relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of literacy
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innovations, on policy reform and on education for all for sustainable development will be made.
Helen Inyega, Evans Mahaya, Sally Wangamati (Colloquia)
hinyega@yahoo.com
Family-based literacy intervention for struggling readers: a reading family, a literate offspring
This presentation will show-case a family-based literacy intervention implemented with 2nd graders at-risk of reading failure in rural
Kenya with specific reference to: Experiential relationship-building with children around reading material; dialogue and consensus
building about value of reading; effective communication and formative feedback on children’s reading progress and consequent
reading behavior change - driven by intrinsic motivation and reinforced extrinsically through rewards and recognition by significant
others. What’s more, a small children’s community library, strategically located in a local market centre, has become a focal point for
parents to converge and discuss their children’s literacy and general academic outcomes. Through workshops and seminars parents
are shown how to use high-quality multi-genre culturally relevant materials with children. Indeed, expansion of the space where
learning occurs beyond the school presents the best opportunity for improving literacy in early years of primary education. Family
literacy is a veritable instrument for positive change and therefore critical to promoting early childhood education. Let us not forget
the child’s first teachers! A reading family most likely develops a literate offspring.
Annette Islei, Margaret Baleeta (Colloquia)
annetteislei@gmail.com
Engaging teachers to improve literacy in the local language in their classrooms: a collaborative project in western Uganda
A statement that can be heard frequently from educationists in Uganda is ‘our teachers are not creative’. In 2007 the Uganda
government rolled out a new Thematic Curriculum to be delivered through local languages from Primary years 1 - 3, with transition
to English in Primary 4. This was a radical move from the accepted practice of teaching through English from as early as possible.
Although government reports indicated an increase in pupil participation, improvement in literacy results at Primary 3 were limited.
Our survey in 2012 revealed contradictions: those in charge of the Curriculum said teachers were failing to interpret it correctly;
locally, school Inspectors reported that teachers needed help as they were poorly qualified. Why were teachers struggling to know
what to teach in the ‘Literacy Hour’? With the support of the District Education Offices and CPD Tutors, we engaged with
experienced teachers from seven schools. In a series of workshops we shared expertise and drew out knowledge of syllabic methods
that were being lost. Teachers then chose their own intervention to carry out in their classroom. Results showed that this
collaborative process provided the teachers with the confidence to take action themselves.
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Nicole Jabson, OreOluwa Badaki, Christian Kochon, Amy Lee, Micaela Wensjoe, Mayli Zapata
jabson@gse.upenn.edu
Literacy in multi-grade classrooms in South Africa: incorporating teaching strategies for an inclusive education
As noted in any classroom, learners come from diverse backgrounds and have different aptitude levels. This is more evident in multigrade classes where learners’ ability levels vary more drastically. In South Africa, more than a quarter (27%) of public schools contain
multi-grade classrooms. The largest percentages are found in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, and
particularly in rural area public schools and government-aided farm schools. Poor learning outcomes often result as teachers face
significant challenges to accommodate the various needs of their learners (Education Excellence Consortium, 2014). From Grade 4,
the onset of the Intermediate Phase, English becomes the medium of instruction. Noting that learners in multi-grade classes already
encounter difficulties, they must now be able to use English in every subject. Research shows that the transition from Foundation
Phase to Intermediate Phase results in one of the highest drops in Annual National Assessment (ANA) learner performance across
multiple subject areas (Department of Basic Education, 2012). Literacy instruction remains a priority as it will help to improve the
ANA performance of learners in multi-grade classes. Also, developing a resource guide on multi-grade and inclusive teaching
strategies is a vital step to ensuring that teachers are supported. As a supplement to the resource guide, a pilot study focusing on
diagnostic assessments for Intermediate Phase in English First Additional Language (EFAL) was conducted in the Eastern Cape
Province (2015). The purpose of both tools, as shown in this presentation, is to help enable teachers to gauge learner performance
early on and subsequently utilise appropriate teaching methodologies in order to support them.
Abudulai Jakalia, Abraham Kwesi Bisilki
jabudulai@yahoo.com
Kidwatching as a tool for accelerating early childhood literacies: a report on a kidwatching project at the University of Education,
Winneba Ghana
Kidwatching as a tool for accelerating early childhood literacies: A report on a kidwatching project at the University of Education,
Winneba. Ghana Kidwatching as an educational informal technique for studying and developing children’s personalities has been
used in developed countries for quite some time. Both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of early childhood literacy growth
have provided evidence for appropriate interaction, assessment and intervention. Such studies have been used to support parental
and teacher efforts in caring for early childhood education and children with learning peculiarities. However, this technique has not
been very popular in Ghana. This paper presents a report on a project on kidwatching in a university campus in Ghana. Two groups
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were the target of the investigation. In one case student-ladies who picked seed while on campus volunteered to engage in special
literacy activities from pregnancy through delivery. In the second case very young children were welcome to interact with literacy
materials in a special library that was quite accessible to them. Evidence from both cases reveal babies positive attitudes to literacy
and improved literacy activities. The study suggests that early parental awareness of literacy engagement with their babies
accelerates the children’s literacy and cognitive development.
Angela James, Lisa Jacobs, Michele Stears
jamesa1@ukzn.ac.za
The adventures in the playground: learning science through reading
In South Africa, early childhood education (ECE) spans the years from birth to nine years of age. The formal part of ECE is termed the
Foundation Phase and represents the initial stage of schooling. This is where the ‘foundation for further learning is laid’). This is the
phase when the learners’ love for science should start and be nurtured so that they may become critical thinkers and develop a
curiosity about the world. Learning Science in the foundation phase is not focused on in many schools. Developing readers, which
have science concepts related to everyday experiences of learners. An inquiry based learning approach integrating literacy
development was used to develop the reader where learners develop an understanding of the concepts, insects, water, insulators
and conductors in their experiences in their school garden.
Hilary Janks
Hilary.janks@gmail.com
Critical literacy and the social justice project of education
In working with literacy in relation to questions of power, diversity, access and design/redesign, critical literacy educators believe
that they contribute to education for social justice. In this paper, I intend to problematise the notion of social justice and the moral
project that underpins critical literacy education. In plural societies do we all have a shared understanding of what social justice is or
how education, currently a dividing practice, might contribute to a better social order? Can we imagine what 'better' looks like and
for whom? Having dealt with this problematic, I will argue that the ability to read texts (broadly defined) in relation to the interests
they serve is fundamentally important for democratic citizenship. The case of South Africa will be used to examine these ideas given
that critically literate subjects are precisely the kind of 'very clever and bright people' capable of critique that President Zuma
maintains are not 'ordinary voters'.
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Hilary Janks, Kerryn Dixon, Catherine Compton-Lilly, Amy Stornaiolo, Barbara Comber, Cathy Burnette, Annette Woods
(Colloquia)
Hilary.janks@gmail.com
Annual National Literacy Assessment tests and how they imagine childhood
The Global Institute for Researching Literacy (GIRL) was established to investigate the multiple literacies of girls between the ages of
6 and 9 who are living in poverty. GIRL is currently constituted with two researchers, all women, from seven different countries:
Australia, Canada, England and the United States from the political North and Brazil, India and South Africa from the political North.
Given the importance attached to annual national assessments in many of these countries, GIRL is undertaking a critical discourse
analysis of the content of these papers in the different countries in order to understand how these tests imagine the childhoods of
the children writing them. What people, objects, stories, questions, and practices do these tests include? We are particularly
interested to see if the constructions of childhood are inclusive of diversity in general and of girls in particular. It is envisaged that
one participant from 3 or 4 different countries will present an analysis of the national tests set for children between 6 to 9 in a
session that includes all the separate presentations. Although only one person will present,
the papers will be written by Catherine Compton-Lily and Amy Stornaiuolo from the US, Barbara Comber and Annette Woods from
Australia, Hilary Janks and Kerryn Dixon from South Africa and Cathy Burnett from England.
Bernadette Jerome
bjerome@mangotreeuganda.org
How can use of classroom observation videos fill in the gaps left from using rigid rubrics? Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial
Alternative assessment practices (eg Reggio Emilia), Multiliteracies and learning outcomes Rationale: Classroom observation rubrics
help researchers gather specific information within classrooms. However, information is limited to specific questions and require
trained/specialized teachers to sit within these classrooms to gather informed observations. With research in Northern Uganda,
these trained/specialized teachers are few in numbers. By training individuals to record video lessons, these lessons can be
thoroughly analyzed on a range of areas not only by trained in-country specialists but also abroad. Intervention: The Mango Tree
literacy program combines multiple educational components including a mother-tongue-first instructional approach, a revised
curriculum, locally appropriate teaching materials, extensive teacher support and training, and parent engagement. Methods: 38
government primary schools were randomly assigned to receive the program or to a control group. Classroom observations for
Primary 1 students were collected twice in 2013 through rubrics by trained non-teachers and twice in 2014 through recorded lessons
and analyzed by trained classroom specialists and teachers. Expected Findings: We expect to find a correlation between: differences
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in teachers’ behavior in the classroom where they shifted to mother-tongue instruction and activities, and spent less time bringing
students back on task, teacher/pupil relationship with higher local language literacy and teacher preparation with mango tree
materials leading to closer adherence to ministry curriculum.
Lineo Rose Johnson
johnslr@unisa.ac.za
Cultural and social uses of functional literacy: a narrative approach
Cultural and social uses of functional literacy: A narrative approach like many colonised countries, Lesotho’s educational system and
development was largely influenced by missionaries and colonisers who taught the three “Rs” (reading, writing and numeracy skills)
to the Basotho. Most of those Basotho were to carry on the duties of either educating others or as missionary workers like clerks,
interpreters, police officers, nurses and Sunday school teachers. This article is an account of a functionally literate Mosotho male
adult learner who was herding livestock and made use of it to teach himself literacy skills. In his narrative, Motsamai compares
literacy to money and a watch or a clock. He further expressed how some people muster some basic and functional “literacies”
through intuition, and for their utility. The story is based on Paulo Freire’s work where culture largely influences literacy discourse.
Conscientisation leads to critical awareness, if individuals are able to transform their own world through their action and reflection
praxis. A qualitative narrative approach was used to relate Motsamai’s lived-experiences as he navigated his ways and challenges
using functional “literacies” acquired through various life encounters. This inspirational narrative is challenging adult education,
literacy, development practitioners and policy-makers to be innovative in their approaches to multi-literacies.
Jenny Katz
jenny@molteno.co.za
Investigating effective materials development and pedagogic practice in Grade One reading literacy in Nguni languages
Grade One African language reading schemes in South Africa are failing to provide young children with the necessary and
appropriate practice required to facilitate home language literacy acquisition (NEEDU 2012). Texts have been developed with little
appreciation for the agglutinative nature of African languages, in particular the Nguni languages, which encompass transparent,
conjunctive orthographies. In transparent orthographies, reading is typically taught using purely phonics-based approaches focusing
on grapheme-phoneme correspondences (Aro & Wimmer 2003: 622). However investigation has revealed that current early
foundation phase Xhosa reading texts consist of many very long words containing complex phonic structures. These provide
inappropriate reading practice for Grade One beginner readers who should receive literacy instruction using easily decodable texts
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at their instructional reading level (Fountas & Pinnell 1996). From a diagnostic perspective, a text in which a learner can read and
comprehend 90% of the words easily is considered to be at that reader’s instructional reading level; more difficult text is considered
to be at the reader’s ‘frustration’ level and will require additional teacher support (Clay 1991). An examination of the readers in
three different Xhosa Grade One reading series attempts to establish whether these texts are at an appropriate instructional level,
and also determine a viable blueprint for the development of early readers that can effectively help to ameliorate current deficient
literacy levels in African languages.
Jane Kembo (Workshop)
matieno73@yahoo.com
Teaching reading from short texts: an integrated approach
The teacher of English Language is often hard pressed to find interesting and authentic ways to present language to target second
language speakers. While language can be taught, part of it must be acquired and contexts provide powerful tools for doing so.
Short texts provide opportunity to focus on detail: reading, listening, vocabulary, aspects of grammar and even writing skills in ways
that a full length text may not because of the time it takes learners to get through it and the questions that accompany them. The
workshop will utilize two short texts to demonstrate to teachers that in many second language classes, they should concentrate on
enabling their learners to develop different skills of the language: comprehension, language, literary skills through reading. The
session will demonstrate how to use the short texts: prose, poetry, students’ own writing, and extracts from other subjects to teach
comprehension, literary, grammar, listening, speaking. The session will be hands-on with participants acting as learners, with
questions and answers intermingled into the demonstration.
Annukka Kinnaird
annukka_kinnaird@sil.org
Overcoming barriers to literacy through mother-tongue education - a sustainable MLE economy model for rural area
Education can have a dramatic effect on individuals and communities, yet in rural areas children often struggle to learn to read and
many do not reach even the primary leaving certificate. Teaching in the mother tongue could help them to succeed, but is it really
possible to develop a sustainable Multilingual-Education (MLE) programme for minority language groups? This small-scale study was
done amongst two rural language groups in a Francophone area of Cameroon. The MLE model from the Anglophone Kom region,
which encourages using literacy across the curriculum through integrated readers, was adapted to meet the curriculum
requirements for Francophone areas. Seven local volunteer primary teachers from four different primary schools were given initial
51
and ongoing training on how to teach in the mother tongue. Reading methods used in Finland were applied to teaching reading. The
Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) were given encouragement and training. Despite the challenges, some encouraging results
emerged, and in one school excellent results in reading were achieved. A community-based MLE programme can help to overcome
barriers to literacy through simple yet creative teaching materials and methods, co-operation with PTAs, and carefully planned
teacher training.
Emmarentia Kirchner
ekirchner@unam.na
Changing reading behaviour: hooking Namibian children onto books?
This paper will report on the main findings of the study, “The reading behaviour and preferences of Namibian children” that was
undertaken in seven Namibian regions during 2012 and 2013. Data were collected from 1 402 grade 6 learners and 88 teachers in 36
schools The investigation established the percentages of Namibian grade 6 students who read and do not read for pleasure in their
free time and why, what the readers like to read and whether they read in their mother tongue or in English. It was established only
a minority of Namibian children could be classified as readers. Readers of non-fiction were found to be virtually non-existent.
Resource provision in Namibian schools and the socio-economic conditions of Namibian families seem central in the current
situation. Relationships could be established between the reading behaviour of the students and various factors that, in the case of
most non-readers, form a complex syndrome of deprivation. The reading behaviour and preferences of the small group of readers
that was identified showed that given a fair chance, Namibian children could become avid readers. The paper concludes with a
discussion on ways to create an enabling reading environment and recommendations on reducing the percentage of students who
do not read.
Rebecca Kirunda
rfkirunda@yahoo.com
Language in Education policy
Each country sets up a Language in Education Policy with the best intentions for its citizenship. This is crucial in multilingual
communities. Uganda is diversely multilingual hence a functional Language in Education Policy is imperative in her education. This
study examines Uganda's Language in Education Policy (1992), its implementation and impact on the learners' academic
achievements in education and on their lives. Its major concern is the use of different languages as medium of instruction for the
different categories of learners who do the same national examination but using only one of the languages. Embedded in Critical
52
Discourse Analysis (McGregor, 2004; Wodak and Meyer, 2001; Fairclough, (1995) and grounded in the New Literacy Studies
theoretical framework on literacy practices (Machet, 2001; Baynham & Massing, 2000; Banda, 2003), it uses data from lesson
observations, stakeholders interviews and primary and secondary school learners' focus group discussions to explore the impact of
literacy practices on Ugandan rural and urban children's education. Acknowledging the dichotomous situation in Uganda relating to
location of origin and recognising existence of a variety of factors the paper suggests leveling the ground and eradicating poverty
inter alia for narrowing the academic performance gap between the rural and urban learners.
Michael Kretzer
michael.m.kretzer@zeu.uni-giessen.de
Areas, contexts and potentials of code switching at South African schools: case study of the Nguni-and Sotho-Cluster in Gauteng and
North West
This paper researches the areas, context and potentials of code switching between English and Afrikaans and the Nguni- and Sotholanguages. Within this paper the main focus lies on Bojanala and Dr Kenneth Kaunda district in North West and Sedibeng,
Johannesburg and Tshwane in Gauteng. The use of Sesotho sa Leboa (Sepedi), Sesotho, Setswana or isiZulu differed greatly within a
lesson (oral and written) and with the communication to the parents between the districts and within each territorial entity. The
linguistic setting influenced the individual usage of African languages, as well as the language attitude(s) of the involved educators.
Field research was done 2013 in North West and in 2014 in Gauteng, whereby over 2,000 questionnaires were collected at 240
public primary and secondary schools. The only limitation, due to practical reasons, was to select schools with a minimum of ten
educators. The general response rate of around 90 per cent showed the high motivation. Further quantitative research in Limpopo in
2015 will give additional information about the real daily language usage and appearance of specifically Sesotho sa Leboa (Sepedi),
Sepedi, Tshivenda and Xitsonga in schools.
Sandra Land (Colloquia)
Sandraland3@gmail.com
Skilled reading in isiZulu: what can we learn from it?
For the colloquium organised by Rosemary Wildsmith Research on reading in African languages is particularly pertinent in South
Africa now, in view of the poor reading performance in many South African schools. This paper is based on a study of competent
adult readers of isiZulu that analysed what its orthography (the way it is written) requires of readers. IsiZulu is an agglutinative
language with a conjoined writing system, which means that it carries meaning not only in separate words, but also in morphemes
53
that cluster together, forming long complex words. Eye tracking data shows that competent readers of isiZulu move their eyes across
text in saccades (shifts of the point of focus) that are short in comparison with the saccades of efficient reading of English. It also
shows that readers of isiZulu fixate on points of text for longer periods than do readers of English. The study links eye movement
data to a stimulated recall process, to discover strategies consciously used by competent readers of isiZulu. Some of these strategies,
such as visualisation, are common to efficient readers of all languages, while others might be peculiar to agglutinating and/or tonal
languages. These strategies inform suggestions for the development of effective reading skills in isiZulu.
Michael-Lucien Le Cordeur
mlecorde@sun.ac.za
Improving literacy with a Reading- to- dogs-program: supporting learners who struggle to read
The poor learner achievement levels of South African learners in basic literacy in regional and international tests have been a matter
of general concern. In an attempt to improve the literacy levels of learners, a Reading-to-dogs-program have been developed by
Stellenbosch University. Reading to dogs in order to improve reading abilities is nothing new and have been successfully
implemented in Canada and the United States. Developing the courage to read aloud in front is critical for classroom success. A
Masters student and her dog visited the grade 3 class of a struggling school once a week for 3 months. This program provides a
relaxed environment in which the child feels comfortable. Each child signs up for a 10- minute session during which they can read to
the dog -- without fear of being judged or graded on their reading ability. Learners who might otherwise be reluctant to read in front
of their class, gained confidence as they realize that reading can be fun. Through action research the responses of the learners were
recorded. Based on the observation in the first cycle changes were made and implemented for another 3 months. Learners’ were
again carefully recorded. After the 2nd cycle interviews were conducted with the teachers and parents. Based on this data together
with the data gained from the recording journal, conclusions were drawn and certain findings were made. The study showed that
the literacy dogs made a significant contribution to improve the learners’ reading skills.
Polo Lemphane
pololemphane@yahoo.com
Use of social practices to teach French in Lesotho schools
Initiative to transit from bilingualism to trilingualism is hampered by the language socialisation in Lesotho secondary schools.
Sesotho is the learners’ mother tongue while English is a language of learning and teaching in this context. A pilot project to teach
French to these bilingual learners which intended to develop the learners’ linguistic repertoire was implemented in 2010. The action54
oriented approach is used to develop students’ communicative competence in French. The purpose of this study is to explore the
position of French in Lesotho secondary schools. This study draws its theoretical framework from social practices approach (Prinsloo
2005). English teachers from 8 of 10 pilot schools completed a survey, which aimed to establish the usage of French in the schools.
Interviews indicated that French almost lives in the classroom. Literature review provides an overview of research on multilingual
literacy in educational settings. The study presents ideas on how social practices can spill French outside the classroom and how this
language can change from being a subject to a lifetime skill.
Miriam Lephalala
lephammk@unisa.ac.za
Kindling the imagination through reading for pleasure in the primary years
This paper reports on the potential of a reading intervention programme to promote and model positive reading habits in grade 6
learners. Focusing on one school, it examines the feasibility of promoting reading for pleasure to inculcate reading as an integral,
accepted and lifelong activity at primary school level. Described as 'a form of play that allows us to experience other worlds and
roles in our imagination' (Nell, 1988), reading for pleasure, is a voluntary and self-directed act that can kindle the imagination and
promote literacy. In this intervention, pupils responded the reading sessions in various ways, including retelling the story through
illustrations, translations, plays and games. The findings reveal that although some learners responded with great enthusiasm to the
intervention, there were also challenges. For instance, some learners had difficulties embracing the notion of reading as pleasure.
For these learners, reading tends to comprise mainly of classroom activities linked to assessment and testing and sometimes
punishment. On the whole, the intervention, not only provided an escape from routine for some of the learners, but it also opened
up a whole new experience of reading as an exciting and pleasurable activity that they eagerly looked forward to. In conclusion,
possible strategies that can be employed to promote reading for pleasure at classroom and school level and the implications of this
research in the field of reading for pleasure are provided.
Phillip Louw, Megan Hall
phillip.louw@oup.com
Modern dictionary-making and the use of bilingual dictionaries
Mastering reading, especially in an additional language, is impossible without a solid grasp on the language’s vocabulary - making a
dictionary a key-learning tool. But dictionary-makers often get asked, “Where do you get the words from”? Technology has made
our lives a lot easier in this regard. This paper will explore the transition from anecdotal evidence to huge electronic text collections
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(corpora), which lexicographers access with software to tell us how words are used. It will reveal the latest advances, which allow for
comparative analysis of corpora or subcorpora, e.g. to isolate specific word lists such as South African English words or subjectspecific terms. These advances will be illustrated by examples from the latest Oxford South African Pocket Dictionary. Corpus
analysis not only helps modern-day lexicographers compile monolingual dictionaries. In a multilingual society such as SA bilingual
dictionaries play a very important role. They are the stepping-stones learners use to progress to monolingual dictionaries as they
gain proficiency in their additional languages. However, creating bilingual dictionaries with an African language and English has long
proved difficult due to the languages’ structural differences. We will show how corpus lexicography has helped OUP to overcome
this problem by moving from stem-based headwords to a mainly full-word approach. Examples from our Oxford Bilingual School
Dictionary: IsiXhosa and English will illustrate how this approach makes it much easier to find the words learners look for, without
needing a detailed understanding of the grammar of the particular African language.
Berit Lundgren
berit.lundgren@sprak.umu.se
Youth identity shaping in a post-apartheid society in South Africa
This presentation focuses on youth, living in the suburbs in South Africa, and aims to gain critical insight into the impact of the
apartheid history on the youth identity construction through the objects they perceive during a vernacular week captured from their
own perspectives. The intention was to enable participating to reinterpret the history from young people’s own perspectives in
relation to their own living experiences. This article proposes a situated research methodology that combines space, place and
individual. Theoretical frameworks are socio cultural and socio-constructivism views of identity, where language is situated in the
social society and the medium for expressing feelings, identity and development We approached the study within a methodological
framework of participatory research, in which participants engage in the process of research actively by reflecting on the lives of
their own or their communities. Data has been conducted through participatory photography and reflected writing, from one school.
14 students from Grade 11 participated voluntary. The students took photos every day for a week. In the afternoon the students
came together for 2 hours to show and talk about their photos. After the seven days of photography the students
selected the paramount photos to write their narratives. The students’ photos and texts showed that space; a democratic
country, places; their own house and individuals; grandparents have most influence on young peoples’ identity shaping.
Edith Lyimo
edithbalyimo@yahoo.co.uk
Gender role construction in children's literary books: examples from Kiswahili children's books in Tanzania
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Literary books are media that records and transmit cultural activities and categories of society among which are gender issues. They
therefore play a great role in the preservation and reproduction of these cultural characteristics to next generations. The major
premise of this paper is that, since gender construction in a given society is something, which grows with time, it is imperative to
study the representation of such constructions at an early stage. This paper
aims at analyzing the portrayal of gender roles in children’s literature. Apart from what they learn from their parents, these
literary books are powerful sources from where children continue to be molded to become responsible members of a given society.
Basing on this premise, a total of four children’s Kiswahili books (two written by men and two by women) will be analyzed.
We seek to examine among other things, the roles assigned to male and female characters in children books in Tanzania with the
view to find out gender stereotype as depicted by Swahili writers.
Thabsile Magagula
thabsilemagagula@yahoo.com
Using wordless picture books and storytelling to promote imagination in early years learners
This study attempted to examine the extent to which learners in grade 3 at SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School in Swaziland learn
to sustain their English writing and imagination by using wordless picture books, storytelling, and the effectiveness of using wordless
picture books in terms of promoting imagination and creativity in English language learning. In this study, a qualitative case study
methodology was used to gather data from the perspectives of the participants involved. This study employed the following
techniques to collect data in this study: 1) teacher observations of learners’ participation in whole-class and small-group activities; 2)
learners’ writing sample; 3) informal interviews; 4) class presentations; 5) pre-test writing sample; 6) learners’ reflective writing. The
benefits of using wordless picture books showed that learners improved their visual literacy and oral to written expression,
promoted their creative writing and thinking skills, and enhanced their enjoyment of the writing process. Limited oral language skills
and lack of time for teachers to teach and evaluate the writing process were examined in depth for this research question. Based on
the data and observation, this study highly endorsed the use of wordless picture books and storytelling to improve learners’
imagination skills and writing.
Ntombizanele Mahobe, Malusi Ntoyapi, Carole Bloch, (Keynote speaker)
carole.praesa@gmail.com
PRAESA and Nali’Bali: it starts with a story
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As the 2015 laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, PRAESA has recently been recognised for the many years it has focused
on the significance of implementing mother tongue based multilingual education and holistic story-based biliteracy teaching
approaches for children's literacy learning and for deepening societal reading and writing habits. This presentation will concentrate
on the Nal'ibali national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, which PRAESA has driven since 2012 in collaboration with many partners.
The aim is to ensure that joyful and personally meaningful story encounters become desirable and possible between adults and
children, irrespective of culture, class or language background. We'll share insights from advocacy, training, reading clubs and
Nal'ibali Storyplay to try and illustrate what we believe inspires and motivates adults and children of all ages to become literate.
Sydney Maluleke
sydney.fetsie@gmail.com
Grade 5 learners’ conceptualisation of writing and their own writing development
This paper explores the ways in which Grade 5 learners, who participated in the Mobile Literacies Project, conceptualise writing and
their own writing development. The Mobile Literacies Project is a writing intervention conducted in a primary school with Grade 5
learners in Orange Farm in the Johannesburg South region. It introduced the learners to the use of a digital device called an iPod
Touch as a tool for writing. Interviews with 24 learners in four focus groups of six shows that learners conceptualise writing and their
writing development in relation to the writing discourses they encounter at school and outside of the project. It also reveals that
their conceptions are influenced by the affordances and classroom use of the technology, which include the ability to write and
receive comments, send messages, and check spelling. Second language writing theory and product/process approaches to writing,
together with sociocultural theory pertaining to literacy, will be used to analyse the data.
Minda Marshall
info@lectorsa.com
The missing link in education: effective on-line reading and comprehension development
The need for accurate improvement of reading skills is growing almost daily. Lab-on-line is grounded in more than 30 years research.
In 1993, we developed the first Computerized Afrikaans reading intervention software, introducing it to the South African market,
launched it with success and expanded the program nationally. This enabled us to receive invaluable market feedback and data from
diverse application environments. In 2011 we launched Lab-on-line, a CLOUD hosted solution and available 24/7 with Google and
Firefox, which makes application on pc, laptops, tablets and smartphones possible. We have successfully improved visual and
reading skills with Lab-on-line and assisted more than 26 000 users, from Grade 1 to adults, to read faster, read better and
58
remember more. Lab-on-line is a proven, user friendly, efficient on-line intervention system that is workable in today's fast growing
internet environment. We have seen excellent improvement through visual skills development, as well as reading speed and
comprehension strategies upgrading through Lab-on-line. With billions being spent on improving curricula across the world, we can
now safely confirm that Lab-on-line is the missing link in education; enabling students to develop the configuration needed to
successfully interact with the information they are studying in order to cultivate new knowledge, in order to be able to shape a
better future. The presenter will use a multimedia presentation to highlight the use of LAB-on-line to assist learners in developing
accurate reading skills. Learning objectives: 1. Understanding what 'makes' a good reader 2. Pre- and post evaluations 3. Different
implementation strategies 4. Results with Lab-on-line
Nazarana Mather
nmather@varsitycollege.co.za
Bringing SA boys back on board
Research has indicated that girls outperform boys in language learning and that they are fast closing the gap in other learning areas
as well (Pavy, 2006; Van de Gaer, 2009). A possible explanation for this could be that language is the medium through which all
learning takes place so it makes sense that if girls are performing better in English, they should naturally perform better in the other
learning areas. For instance, textbooks are a discipline specific genre and require learners to be able to both decode and
comprehend (Hart, 1995). Additionally, writing letters, essays and so on is required in other learning areas and these skills are taught
in the language classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the boys who participated in the study achieved
lower results than the girls in all nine learning areas, especially English; explore contributing factors for that underachievement; and
suggest strategies that could be used to possibly increase male learners’ chances of academic success.
Sive Mbolekwa, Nathalie Koenig
nathalie@axiumeducation.org
Creating spaces to ignite imagination
Axium Education is based in Zithulele, a village in the Eastern Cape. The context is deeply rural, with all that goes with it. When
attempting to ignite imagination and pleasure in literacy development in this setting, the maximisation of literacy spaces is essential.
Axium’s Community Reading Programme aims to tap into community potential through the recruitment of Nobalisa’s (‘Storytellers’,
also called ‘Community Readers’) from the surrounding area, and develop literacy through creating fun, dynamic spaces for stories
and reading, in- and out-of-school. An in-school literacy programme for Foundation Phase is sparking interest in reading amongst
59
young learners, and the dynamic team of Nobalisa’s is growing in number and skill. Community-based reading clubs are growing,
providing a ‘third space’ for literacy development outside of school, and close to home. A local library-based reading club is drawing
a growing number of children to the Zithulele library; a space we hope will become a hub for literacy and learning. The time we’ve
spent on this programme thus far has grown our understanding of the context, exposed us to various challenges and to
opportunities for positive change. Now, we’re asking ourselves – ‘In this context, with these challenges, how do we create spaces
that ignite imaginations and inspire reading for pleasure?’ This is an opportunity to hear some more about our work – and
contribute to answering this question.
Carolyn McKinney, Pinky Makoe, Leketi Makalela, Robyn Tyler, Xolisa Guzula (Colloquia)
carolyn.mckinney@uct.ac.za
Reimagining children's linguistic repertoires as resources for learning
This colloquium responds to the challenge of inequity in education, foregrounding a crucial resource children bring to formal
schooling, their linguistic repertoire. While English-speaking children from middle-class homes generally have their language
resources celebrated, reinforced and used as indicators of their engagement and intelligence in schooling, children from nondominant language and class backgrounds are recast as linguistically deficient. The focus is thus consistently on what they don’t
have (non-standard varieties and/or non-English languages) rather than on what they do have. Recent paradigm shifts in the study
of language and society recognize the historical monolingual bias and essentialist constructions of languages as autonomous,
boundaried phenomena. In contrast to this, the papers in this symposium view language as socially, culturally, politically and
historically situated sets of resources (Heller, 2007; Blackledge and Creese, 2014; Blommaert and Rampton, 2011) and as part of a
multimodal repertoire for meaning-making. This heteroglossic view of language has provided impetus for an exciting body of
research and practice, e.g using notions of translanguaging (Garcia, 2009), that aims to reposition children as linguistically and
culturally resourceful and to enable them to use these resources to learn. Through four papers presenting different research sites
and data, the colloquium aims to critique deficit conceptualizations of children, showcasing practices that either reposition children
as linguistically resourceful or show their agentic repositioning of themselves.
Belinda Mendelowitz, Karen Lazar
beemen@telkomsa.net
Reading one’s way into imaginative youth writing: a pedagogic model for developing the Wits Teachers’ Writing HOTSPOT
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Recent research shows clearly that in order to be an effective teacher of writing, teachers need to develop their own creative writing
practices (Cremin, 2012). Despite such research, students on undergraduate education degrees have few opportunities for
imaginative, collaborative, local, process- driven writing. With this in mind we have developed and refined an undergraduate
creative short story writing course for trainee English teachers over the past five years in order for them to become more proficient
readers, writers and literacy practitioners. A fundamental principle of the course is that reading and writing are interdependent
literacy practices. This paper explores our own pedagogical shift from using traditional short stories as the target and model for
students’ production of short stories, towards a production of well-crafted short-chapter stories for the FundZa site and audience.
FundZa’s story site is a highly significant literacy project which promotes digital reading and writing for a South African youth market
of more than 35 000 readers. The FundZa site houses our newly created Wits Teachers’ Writing Hotspot, which showcases our best
stories from the course. Channeling our course towards FundZa’s platform resulted in stories with a strong local and multilingual
flavour, which afforded Wits’s future teachers an opportunity to be published, with the possibility of feedback from readers and
editors. Our students are therefore contributing to the literacy development of the kind of learners they will be teaching through an
appealing contemporary digital format. The constraints and benefits of making the Fundza site the focus of our course will be
explored. Our analysis emerges from focus group evaluations, reflective essays and the nature of the work students produced on the
course, as well as our own professional reflections over the past five years.
Mary Metcalfe, Karin Murris, Clare Verbeek, Kerryn Dixon, Nick Taylor (Colloquia)
metcalfe.mary11@gmail.com
Early literacy: South African teacher educators reading from the same page
In the last decade, poor early literacy results in South Africa have attracted much attention, mainly as a result of national and
international assessments, but the problems (and therefore the solutions) are less obvious and are open for interpretation and
debate. At the same time, recent research suggests that there is little commonality in how South African universities teach literacy
to their student teachers. In April 2015 and with funding from DHET, Karin Murris organised a residential meeting with a small group
of academics and thinkers in NGOs who are all passionate about teacher education and the teaching and comprehension in the
foundation phase. Two days of rich debate and discussion at Mont Fleur lead to ‘The Mont Fleur Statement: Initial Teacher
Education and Early Literacy’ as a contribution to ongoing discussion and research in widening circles that are inclusive of the range
of experiences and contexts in South Africa. Four of the participants (Kerryn Dixon, Mary Metcalfe, Nick Taylor and Clare Verbeek)
will present the statement and invite further discussion and elaboration on its approaches.
Tracey Millin, Mark Millin
61
millintracey@gmail.com
Success or failure of an innovative literacy intervention: a discussion of some school-based barriers to 'Reading to Learn' in South
Africa
Another year of dismal National Senior Certificate results highlights the need for on-going research into literacy practices at senior
secondary school (Grade 11) level. Reading to Learn (RtL) is an innovative literacy intervention, which was originally developed in
Australia, and has shown success in improving literacy skills in various contexts. Despite showing a measure of success in a tertiary
context in South Africa, recent implementation of RtL in two school-based contexts in the Western Cape, proved problematic for
various reasons. This paper reports on some of the findings of a current Doctoral research project concerning RtL, and seeks to
present an informal discussion of some of the problems encountered. This presentation will firstly, offer a brief background to the
study (purpose for the study), followed by a short overview of the implementation of RtL within the English Home Language and
English First Additional Language curriculum (Grade 11). Thirdly, this paper will discuss various barriers encountered during the year,
which has had a bearing on the efficacy of RtL.
Isabelle Millon (Workshop)
millon.isabelle22@gmail.com
To philosophize through tales
I will read a story based on a tale to the participants. 1) I will ask the participants (I will take some volunteers who think they
understood the story) to give the essential of the story in one or two sentences (separation between "essential" and "accidental"),
and then I will check with the others. All the participants will have to decide between two or three different formulations which one
seems the best and give arguments for this. 2) I will ask all the participants to answer some questions, first on a "question of
comprehension" based directly on the tale itself, and then on a "philosophical question" that is not based on the tale but that a link
with it. The participants will have to give a valid argument to the question (if there is the time for it, this last part will have to be a
written work in order to involve all the participants. At the end, we will listen to everybody). The technique I use is inspired by
Plato’s maïeutics, and is based on the work of Oscar Brenifier (French-Canadian Philosopher) with whom I have been working for
more than 20 years. The competencies that I will work on are: identification (searching for presuppositions, argumentation...,
problematization and conceptualization. The objectives of the workshop: product ideas, questions, articulate them correctly, deepen
them, listen carefully to the speech of the others, make abstract links between the different ideas, analyze and synthesize the work
that has been done.
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Penelope Moanakwena
moanakwenap@gmail.com
Workplace language and literacy practices in multilingual Botswana: implications for pedagogical practice in vocational education
To describe situated language and literacy practices of hairdressing salon workers, and students in a vocational college hairdressing
program in Botswana, I will present the preliminary findings of a qualitative case study on the subjects’ language use in their
workplace and if the curriculum acknowledges their practices. A good body of research looking at literacy in the workplace and
encompassing different types of institutional and non-institutional contexts, as well as varied aspects of workplace interaction is a
useful resource for informing curriculum development, where official languages have been imported and exist alongside indigenous
languages. Based on the social practices theory, I explore the appropriateness of English only policies, and implications for classroom
practice with non- native English speakers. The British colonial heritage language situation ignores the linguistic multi-competence
emanating from the fact that the majority of Batswana are bi/multilingual. Code alteration strategies such as code mixing and codeswitching in bi/multilingual communities must be viewed as enriching the bilingual’s pragmatic strategies and not as gaps in
knowledge of the inherited language. This study builds on the body of knowledge on occupational literacy within vocational
education so that richer conceptual bases for curricular and pedagogical possibilities in such circumstances are established.
Serefete Molosiwa, Keinyatse Kgosidialwa
molosiwasm@mopipi.ub.bw
Exploring primary pupils’ reading comprehension performance using cooperative learning versus individual learning in two schools: a
case of Botswana
Cooperative learning has proven to be effective in improving young learners' reading proficiency levels. Since Botswana learners and
their understanding of the read text is a national concern, this study intends to explore the reading performance in meaning making
of stories by primary school pupils whose reading comprehension ability is low using cooperative learning versus individual learning.
Two schools in Gaborone were randomly selected and a group of eight (8) Standard Three pupils whose reading comprehension
performance was low were purposively selected from each school with the help of their teachers. To establish the reading
comprehension baseline, the researchers assessed the understanding levels through individual reading whose results were then
recorded. The researchers then conducted cooperative learning with the 16 pupils for eight weeks. Learners' performance was
assessed after every two weeks. In comparison, the outcome demonstrated learners' improved reading comprehension
performance as well as increased interest in reading. Based on the study findings, the researchers recommend the adoption of
cooperative learning for teaching English reading comprehension at the primary school level.
63
Hlaviso Motlhaka
hlavisomhlanga@yahoo.com
Exploring postmethod pedagogy in teaching English as second language in South African Higher Education
This study investigated the use postmethod pedagogy for professional growth of lecturers to improve ESL students’ English
proficiency using qualitative approach with open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interviews to collect data. The research
population of this study included twelve ESL lecturers (six females and six males) in the faculty of education at three institutions of
higher education with five to twenty years of teaching experience. The study found that postmethod pedagogy recognises the need
for inclusivity of students and the empowerment of lecturers to ensure that what happens in the classroom is making a difference
outside the classroom. The results suggest that lecturers recognize their own powers as great sources in creating methods for their
professional growth and creation of a meaningful learning environment. This study recommends that lecturers should consider
student choices and initiative as a fundamental factor for successful ESL learning and teaching, while striving for professional
growth.
Karin Murris
Karin.murris@uct.ac.za
‘Post-Age’ Picturebooks: Imaginative Lesson Planning
As the result of hegemonic national and international educational policies, picturebooks live in the shadows of text books and the
hierarchical, sequential reading programmes that our schools use to teach isolated literacy skills. The current focus on short term
reading achievement goals has meant a foregrounding of the mastery of a set of decontextualised skills as laid down by the national
curriculum ‘clock’, as opposed to employing the concept of real time, or a time for listening. A pedagogy of listening requires making
space for the imagination, emotion, and embodied engagement and means having respect for children of all ages as rich, resilient
and resourceful meaning makers. Real time listening involves paying thoughtful attention to children’s own imaginative ideas about
stories without being manipulative, instrumental or colonising. In this presentation I will present a selection of picturebooks to
demonstrate the criteria I use when planning my literacy lessons.
Margaret Muthiga
mmuthigaus@yahoo.com
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Challenges and achievements in the implementation of MDG for women and girls in the area of education in rural Kenya.
While governments and other stakeholders try to improve access, equity, quality and relevance in education, only access and equity
partly have a small impact. The progress and the role of the MDG in relation to education for women and girls in rural Kenya reveals
that their rights and equality in primary education are recognized and close to being achieved but disparities persist, mostly at
higher levels of education where there is poor enrollment and hence low completion rate. Maternal mortality and gender violence
continues to be a challenge. Factors like cultural, historical, economical and capacity of teachers are critical in addressing quality
education. This creates unattainable literacy development to many women and girls. I will try to look at issues affecting women and
girls in literacy empowerment and mobility in relation to educational development in our cultural background. I will bring their own
voices to show how education policies that result from bad politics have a deep impact on their perception of identity/ self, and this
hinders literacy development. The social and outdated cultural structures hinder them from realizing their full potential and leave a
deep impact on their quality of education. Women and girls must have equal opportunities for quality education, employment and
enjoyable life in the society. Governments and private sectors should work together to provide opportunities for life long learning
and skills development thus improving literacy development and capability. I believe change is the law of life and goals are not only
absolutely necessary to motivate us.
Grace Mwathe (Colloquia)
Gmwathe2000@yahoo.com
Reading developmental trends in early years: the influence of word identification skills and second language oral ability
Language, reading and reading-related tasks were administered to 148 children from lower primary (year 1, 2 and 3) in Kenyan
schools. The aim was to investigate the literacy developmental trends across the years and establish which of the two variables,
word identification skills or second language oral proficiency influenced reading comprehension performance. The results indicated
that word identification skills independently influenced reading comprehension performance in both year 2 and year 3 classes, but
language skills did not. Further, the analysis of invented spelling task performance revealed evidence of transfer of alphabetic coding
skills other languages to English orthography. The spelling errors reflected letter-sound patterns not found in English orthography.
Analysis of the miscues in the spelling task revealed that children rely on first language phonological processes to spell second
language unfamiliar words as long the languages have a common alphabetic system.
Geraldine Nanjala, Sr Julita Mary Gathata
geraldinenanjala@yahoo.com
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Showcasing imaginative classroom practices
Showcasing imaginative class Imagination is the ability to form new images and sensation in mind and the four skills-hearing,
speaking, seeing and writing. It helps knowledge applicable in solving problems in everyday life and critical thinking. The primary
training of imagination is listening to stories told by teachers or story-tellers. The teachers choose the words to use in telling the
story according to the level and age of the children. The mood can be good or bad. Imagination makes children take role-play. These
develop their interests and they can build on them as they grow. As Albert Einstein says, (imagination is more important than
knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world). In classroom situation imagination makes children write great
essays, poems, plays and finally become great book writers. In social relations imagination helps children pity and feel for each
other. Children imagine, experiment and put in practice. They model animals, cars etc. Imaginations go hand in hand with
remembering. That is why there is the comprehension part in language teaching. Children are able to draw what they can
remember.
Renee Nathanson
rrn@sun.ac.za
Mobile technology in literacy education
Imagination in literacy practices: Digital literacies and new technologies This paper reports a case study of mobile technology
adoption by a group of educators in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University. The pilot study, which is scheduled to run
from February 2015 to July 2015, aims to investigate how the use of tablet devices (in this case iPads) impacts on teaching and
learning in the Faculty. It focuses on how lecturers harness mobile technology to support the learning experiences of third year
student teachers that are learning to teach language and literacy at primary school level. The model of deployment of the
technology involves mobile labs where devices are retained in the university and issued to the students for particular lectures and
purposes. Research data will be drawn from baseline and exit surveys, reflective journals, video recordings and lesson observations.
The report forms part of an longitudinal investigation that is seeking to make informed judgments about future patterns of
technology adoption in the Faculty.
Someka Ngece
sngece@gmail.com
Investigating isiXhosa language literacy practices in the Foundation Phase: an ethnographic case study in the Western Cape
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International and national studies show that there is a literacy crisis in many South African schools, particularly in the Foundation
Phase (Grades R -Grade 3). This paper reports on research that was conducted in one primary school in the Western Cape. The
research study investigated language literacy practices of Grade 3 teachers and learners in the Foundation Phase where isiXhosa was
used as a medium of instruction. Through the lens of the Sociocultural theory the study explored the extent to which the
instructional practices influenced literacy practices in the Grade 3 classroom. Data were collected by means of classroom
observations, interviews and document analysis. This paper argues that while there is a general perception that the use of home
language as a medium instruction enhances literacy development, there is a number of other factors that should be taken into
consideration to strengthen literacy practices in the Foundation Phase. The paper concludes that literacy instruction determines
literacy practices, regardless of the language used for learning and teaching.
Grace Njoki Mwathe
gmwathe2000@yahoo.com
Reading developmental trends in early years: the influence of word identification skills and second language oral ability
Language, reading and reading-related tasks were administered to 148 children from lower primary (year 1, 2 and 3) in Kenyan
schools. The aim was to investigate the literacy developmental trends across the years and establish which of the two variables,
word identification skills or second language oral proficiency influenced reading comprehension performance. The results indicated
that word identification skills independently influenced reading comprehension performance in both year 2 and year 3 classes, but
language skills did not. Further, the analysis of invented spelling task performance revealed evidence of transfer of alphabetic coding
skills other languages to English orthography. The spelling errors reflected letter-sound patterns not found in English orthography.
Analysis of the miscues in the spelling task revealed that children rely on first language phonological processes to spell second
language unfamiliar words as long the languages have a common alphabetic system.
Edith Ng'oma, Sylvester Zimba, Mavis Nachande, Dawn Chansa
engoma@zambia.childfund.org
Is it really working in Zambia?
ATLAS stands for Active Teaching and Learning approaches in schools. As the acronym states, the approaches (methodologies) used
in ATLAS is active, hence child friendly and child centred. This is a run-away from teacher centred approaches (methodologies)
which a good number of teachers still use. ATLAS was introduced in Zambia in 2008, and was implemented until 2011 in Mumbwa
district with the support of ChildFund New Zealand working in conjunction with IRA and ChildFund Zambia. 12 schools with 10,364
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pupils and 199 teachers in the district were involved in the project. An end of project evaluation was conducted and the findings
showed positive results pertaining to pupils’ participation in class, learners being on task; clarify of lessons, and class attendance.
After these positive results, the ATLAS project was extended to two more districts of Luangwa district, supported by New Zealand
and later in Kafue and Chibombo districts, supported by ChildFund Deutschland. Since its introduction, over 20,000 learners and
over 600 teachers have benefited from the ATLAS Training. Due to the ATLAS training, the learner performance has also significantly
improved in the schools where ATLAS is being implemented. Two examples of improved performance was recorded in Mumbwa, at
Mutombe and Mwiimbi schools, the percentage of learners that passed the end of primary school exams was 4.1% in 2008 and
52.9% in 2010 and 2.8% in 2008 and 60.0% in 2010 respectively. Currently, ATLAS is rolling out in Kafue and Chibombo districts with
200 additional teachers expected to have been trained by March, 2016. To show how practical (Active) ATLAS is in Zambia, the
Zambian delegation/team, apart from sharing the results of the evaluations conducted in Mumbwa and Luangwa, will demonstrate 5
Diagnostic Teaching Techniques (DTTs).
Karin Nell
nellmartin200@gmail.com
Developing writing proficiency in the secondary phase: is self-intervention a useful tool in strengthening grammatical skills
associated with successful writing?
Abstract Assessment is essentially a process in which the instructor, based on a set of data drawn from a learner, judges whether
that learner has mastered specific concepts (Rinaldi, 2001). Edwards (1997) postulates that assessment practices should extend
beyond measuring learning outcomes - ideally it should provide insight into learning processes. According to Boud (2000), learners
must actively participate in their own learning process and must progress through self-evaluation, interpretation and decision
making. The present study investigates the influence of imaginative feedback on assessment, focusing on Imaginative Formative
Assessment Methods (IFAM). One aspect of IFAM is self-intervention, which will be the primary focus of this paper. The participants
in this study were Grade 8 English First Additional Language learners. All participants wrote a pre-test to determine problem areas in
their use of English grammar, specifically focusing on the area of writing and the need to construct grammatical sentences in writing.
On the basis of the pre-test, learners were given a personalised self-intervention programme to complete in their spare time. A posttest was conducted in order to determine the usefulness of self-intervention in acquiring English grammar proficiency. The
distinction of Allal (1979) between Interactive evaluation and Retroactive evaluation (in the process of formative assessment) acts as
point of departure with regards to imaginative assessment methods in this study, and will be used as theoretical framework in the
data analysis process. The results of the intervention described above will be discussed in detail in this paper.
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Joanne Newton, Deb Avery (Workshop)
Joanne.newton@britishcouncil.org.za
Activating imagination before, during and after reading – key strategies for the successful teaching of reading
Reading is an active process - it involves a range of skills, strategies and knowledge. Successful teachers design tasks to support
learners in this active process and pre-, during and post-reading stages. This workshop focuses on the pre-reading stage and
presents ways in which teachers can engage learners and activate their imaginations and prior knowledge in order to build
comprehension. We will briefly focus on schema theory and its applications in the teaching of reading, but then move on to examine
practical ideas and activities for teachers of reading. The activities presented will be suitable for both teachers of early reading (from
phonics and whole word approaches to short paragraphs) and teachers of later reading (dealing with literary and transactional
texts). The activities will be suitable for those working with low resources, but also adaptable to those wishing to exploit ICT more
fully.
Marriote Ngwaru
marriote.ngwaru@aku.edu
Parent-teacher empowerment through children story book development in low-resource communities
Education empowers people and strengthens nations as it is a powerful 'equalizer', opening doors to all to lift themselves out of
poverty. For this reason, imagination and literacy become an important early literacy development concept that can lead to
practically appropriate innovations especially in low-resource communities. Imagining creative ways of promoting literacy
development among children, irrespective of their socio-economic status is an imperative that literacy stakeholders need to
consider especially for the crucial early years. This paper presents findings and outputs from a literacy baseline study on factors that
influenced early literacy development among the 3 - 8 year olds in Lindi Rural district, Southern Tanzania. Using the sequential mixed
method research paradigm the study utilized the written questionnaire survey; rapid ethnography and focused vertical case studies
with teachers and parents of pre- and lower primary schools children. After analyzing the results that showed a succession of factors
that militated against literacy development including the dearth of reading materials, parents and teachers were brought together
for an imaginative innovation to develop reading materials. For inclusion, three of the story books were translated into braille - one
from the English stories and two from Kiswahili. As the presentation will demonstrate, this innovation has caught the attention of
community leaders, regional and district education officials, education officers and Ministry of Education officials calling for the
national extension of the intervention.
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Rhulani Nkuna
rhulanin@read.co.za
Reading Aloud as a way to develop literacy in very young children
Being read to fuels imagination. As a teacher trainer in rural Limpopo, I have found that children who never had a story read to them
before formal schooling take longer to comprehend than their peers who have experienced stories. These children often are forced
to sit still while they are being read to at school. They struggle to visualise, hence they have very little interest in reading and their
comprehension levels are weak because they do not engage with text. I have found that young children naturally want to act out
what they are hearing during Reading Aloud sessions and my presentation will suggest that it is crucial to allow this interaction with
text to develop children’s imagination, vocabulary and many other skills. However, enthusiasm is not enough. A selection of quality
books is a very important part of the literacy process, and when combined with an interactive format, learning comes alive. Early
development of children’s intellectual, social and physical abilities is the key to their long-term educational success. By combining
interesting children's stories with space for them to physically demonstrate what they have heard, children not only find reading
appealing but imagination is cultivated and their understanding is deepened.
Beauty Ntereke, Boitumelo Ramoroka
beauty.ntereke@mopipi.ub.bw
Reading competency of first year undergraduate students at University of Botswana: A case study of humanities students
The ability to read and interpret textbooks and other assigned material is a critical component of success at University level.
However, studies in reading at higher education indicate that first year students are not adequately prepared for the demands of
university reading (Zulu, 2005; & Alexander & Dinsmere, 2007). Therefore, the aims of this study are threefold; (a) to evaluate the
reading levels of first year students when they first enter the University in order to determine how adequately prepared they are for
university reading demands (b) To find out reading problems of first year students and (c) to find out if there is any change in
students performance after going through an academic literacy course offered to year one students. The participants were 51 first
year undergraduate Humanities students enrolled in the Communication and Academic Literacy course at the University of
Botswana. The data was collected through a reading test adopted from Zulu (2005) which was administered at the beginning of the
first semester. The same test was administered at the end of the semester after the students had gone through the academic
literacy course to see if there was any difference in performance. The findings of this study will aid the academic literacy lecturers in
reviewing the reading module.
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Shelley O’Carroll, Cathy Lincoln, Jane Coombe (Workshop)
shelley@wordworks.org.za
The journey from spoken to written language: supporting young writers
Learning to write begins long before a child’s first day at school. However, in South Africa, many children do not have opportunities
to experiment with written language before entering formal schooling. Their first experience of writing might be a worksheet to
complete or a handwriting activity in a classroom context. In this workshop we will explore phases in children’s development as
writers and share ideas on how to introduce writing and concepts of written language to young children (aged 4-8 years). There will
be an emphasis on creating a supportive context for drawing and writing, and celebrating young children’s have-a-go writing and
invented spelling. Participants will be introduced to simple activities to support emergent writing in homes and Grade R classes, with
examples of how to include writing in play and writing for a purpose. In addition, we will look at ways of supporting children as they
transition into more formal writing in Grade One. Throughout the presentation, there will be an emphasis on both code-related and
language skills that support the development of early writing.
Shelley O’Carroll, Cathy Lincoln, Jane Coombe (Colloquia)
shelley@wordworks.org.za
Supporting early literacy: Celebrating the role of Grade R teachers, families and communities
It is well known that South African children are underperforming significantly in literacy. Many children, particularly those living in
poor communities, fail to learn to read and write in their first three years at school. The reasons for this are complex and extend
beyond the confines of the classroom. Although it is important to improve quality of teaching in Grade One to Three, the evidence
shows that learning to read begins long before children begin school, and many children from disadvantaged communities are
starting school already behind, having missed out on vital learning opportunities in the early years. This colloquium describes an
early intervention across a range of contexts with a focus on supporting young children’s literacy as they make the transition into
school. The presentations show how literacy and language teaching can be strengthened in Grade R classrooms, how community
volunteers provide compensatory support for young children at risk for reading difficulties and how parents and caregivers become
involved in supporting language and literacy learning at home. The colloquium highlights the importance of interventions that both
celebrate the role of Grade R teachers, communities and families, and equip them practically with the information, skills and
materials to support their children’s language and literacy development.
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Titus Ogavu, C Lincoln, J Coombe
ogavut@gmail.com
Teaching French literacy to early grade learners in Uganda
Despite the fact that the language in education policy of Uganda recommends learners to be taught in area languages for rural and
English for urban, some schools also teach French, a foreign language as a subject. Teaching literacy in a foreign language for pupils
in a primary school in a multilingual community require a lot of imagination and creativity by teachers. Teaching creatively involves
using imaginative approaches to make learning more interesting and effective (National Advisory Committee on Creative and
Cultural Education, 1999). One of the challenges is that there is no institution that trains teachers of French at primary level in the
country since the policy does not cater for that. What happens is that teachers trained for teaching French at secondary and tertiary
level find themselves in primary schools where they have to adapt their teaching skills to teach basic literacy in French by trying to
be as creative as possible. The purpose of this research is to clarify on the creativity involved in the pedagogical process of teaching
French to early grade learners in Uganda.
Gabriel Oludele Oyinloye
olugaby33@yahoo.com
Literacy and introduction of entrepreneurial skills in secondary school curriculum
The ultimate goal of education is to provide all round development to the recipient. A critical observation of the Nigeria society
revealed that there are many young secondary school leavers who are roaming the streets looking for jobs. Some of them seem not
to possess any entrepreneurial skills and their literacy level seems not to be fully developed to make them functional. This study
therefore intends to investigate the need to include and implement entrepreneurial skills into the secondary school curriculum. The
study will adopt a descriptive design of the survey type, which will elicit information through questionnaire. The population of the
study shall be secondary school students that have spent at least four years and their teachers. The samples shall be selected trough
multistage stratified random sampling technique; data collected shall be analyzed and subjected to descriptive and inferential
statistics. All hypotheses raised for the study shall be tested at 0.05 level of significance, findings, conclusions and recommendation
shall be drawn from the data analyzed.
Bernadette Ozoji, Patricia Uwamezie Mmegwa
mbozorji@yahoo.com
Reading habits, gender and science performance of secondary school students in Jos, Nigeria
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The study investigated reading habits, gender and science performance of senior secondary one students in Jos, Nigeria. One
hundred and twenty students constituted the sample for the study. Three research questions and three hypotheses were used to
guide the study while an ex post facto research design was employed in the investigation. Data for the study were collected using a
Students' Reading Habits Questionnaire (SRHQ) and Students' Examination Scores in Science Performance Test (SESSPT).
Frequencies, means and percentages were used to answer the research questions while t-test and chi square statistics were used to
test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that 27.00% of the students underlined key
words/main ideas when they read their science textbooks and notes, thirteen percent of them read their science textbooks and
notes regularly while 25.00% of them reported science practical promptly. The findings further showed a significant association
between students' reading habits and science performance, and, a significant association between reading habits and gender. The
implication is for teachers to encourage the use of effective reading habits and techniques by students for meaningful learning and
enhanced performance outcomes in science.
Kholisa Papu
Kholisa.Papu2@nmmu.ac.za
Developing argumentation as a literacy practice through laboratory report writing
Developing argumentation as a literacy practice through laboratory report writing This study on improving first-year mechanical
engineering students' laboratory report writing practices is based on an adapted version of a Science Writing Heuristic (SWH)
approach. Modifications included using Toulmin's argumentation pattern and an academic literacies approach. The sample (56
matched pairs) was divided into three groups by way of convenience sampling. Group 1 (n=15) used an online intervention, group 2
(n=20) used a paper-based intervention and the comparison group (n=21) utilised a traditional paper-based laboratory report writing
template. Pre- and post-test scores of critical thinking, argumentation and language literacies scores, as well as conceptual
understanding scores, were generated from students' laboratory reports. These data were analysed statistically using Analysis of
Variance techniques (ANOVA). While no statistically significant improvements were recorded in terms of critical thinking, the data
suggest improvements in terms of student's ability to argue their findings as required by the Engineering Council of South Africa.
Thematic analysis of the laboratory reports revealed that students struggled to write the methods section, their discussion section
and to formulate a supported claim. However, improvements were made in terms of these issues over time. Focus group interviews
indicated that students preferred using the modified template over the traditional approach.
Kathryn Phillip, E Umoren
kathrynphilip@uniuyo.edu.ng
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Reference services & the academic library user: actualising information literacy expectations in enquiry process, with cognate
constraints.
Abstract Reference work at various libraries generally, is known primarily for its provision of personalised and targeted information
services. In academic libraries, the services are relatively enormous and quite engaging. This paper therefore discusses a six-year
account of both creative and experiential involvements of the author as a reference service practitioner. The discourse at various
levels with an interface which culminates into fact finding is taken into consideration, with practical insight into professional
guidance and tutorials accorded an information enquirer (formally and informally) to actualise desired goals of information literacy.
The predisposition to falter this process as further noted is ironically commonly found among advanced library users, a situation
which as understood could ultimately be redressed in view of a seemingly 'faceless' yet convenient reference service practice fast
gaining grounds
Marne Pienaar, Donovan Lawrence, Karien Brits, Amanda de Stadler, C van der Merwe, A Oosthuizen (Colloquia)
mpienaar@uj.ac.za
Teaching Afrikaans in Soweto and Kayamandi
The ATKV (“Afrikaans Language and Cultural Association”) has been involved in various reading projects over the years. A number of
volunteers in Soweto who were offering Afrikaans classes to the children in their immediate surroundings came to the attention of
the ATKV and the ATKV was asked to assist. The volunteers were formally appointed as language facilitators by the ATKV and in
cooperation with the Department of Afrikaans of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), they were trained. Suitable textbooks as well
as other readers were identified and made available to the learners. The project is currently the community research focus of the
Department of Afrikaans and is still being developed and expanded. It has thus far inter alia led to UJ offering Afrikaans on the
Soweto Campus from 2015 onwards as well as a multilingualism week that was held at the Soweto campus of UJ in March 2014
which included storytelling and dancing, demonstration classes, an academic symposium on multilingualism in the classroom and a
multilingual quiz. The colloquium will showcase the project and give an overview of the various practices entrenched in the offering
of the classes. An attempt will also be made to answer the following research question: Why do parents in Soweto encourage their
children to learn and read Afrikaans?
Benjamin Piper
bpiper@rti.org
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Mother tongue, training modalities and literacy outcomes: Kenya's primer research program
Improving literacy in Kenya is a challenge of paramount importance given the guiding educational documents in the education
sector, particularly the 2014-2018 National Education Sector Plan. The Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) initiative, implemented
from 2011-2015, utilized a set of randomized controlled trials to estimate the impact of several key literacy interventions. Given that
most previous mother tongue interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa had only a control group as a comparison, PRIMR was organized to
compare the impact of two mother tongue interventions against another literacy intervention that did not utilize mother tongue, as
well as against a control group. The design of the study allows for a technical comparison of the mother tongue and non-mother
tongue programs in several languages and in mathematics. This study is one of the largest mother tongue evaluations in SubSaharan Africa, and was undertaken in two disparate counties in Kenya for further comparison. In addition, the PRIMR evaluation
compared the impact of literacy programs that simply trained teachers on how to improve lesson delivery, with another treatment
group that also provided improved literacy materials for students, with another treatment group that used the same improved
literacy materials for students with teachers' guides for teachers. The randomized controlled trial results for this comparison and the
mother tongue program utilized differences in differences analytic strategies and is one of the largest evaluations of its kind in SubSaharan Africa. This paper will present results as well as recommendations for policymakers and literacy experts in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Peter Plüddemann
ppluddemann@uwc.ac.za
Imagining community reading clubs as a third space for literacy
South African education has thus far not succeeded very well in enabling primary school children to read, as numerous recent
reports of national and international standardized assessments attest. While the lessons from Whole Language have been absorbed
into the new curriculum, the associated practices of free voluntary reading (Krashen 1982) and end-user choice of reading material
are seldom encountered, particularly in under-resourced school communities. In such contexts it has been left to NGOs, community
reading clubs and, more recently, a high-profile national reading for enjoyment initiative to demonstrate the possibilities in creating
a culture of reading. This paper traces the evolution of a school-based reading club located in a multilingual township on the Cape
Flats, from its beginnings in 2010 through to the present. Using a participatory action research methodology (Auerbach 2011), the
paper reflects on the potential as well as the limitations of reading clubs as a ‘third space’ for literacy (Gutierrez et al, 2011) between
home and school. Issues discussed include mother-tongue based multilingual literacy; volunteer involvement and public
75
participation; and the continued viability and sustainability of the clubs. The theoretical frame informing the paper is that of literacy
as a social and cultural practice.
Kofi Poku Quan-Baffour
quanbkp@unisa.ac.za
Literacy ‘matters’ in sustainable livelihood development: among refugee adults in South Africa
Literacy here means the ability to read, write, calculate and communicate in any language with basic understanding in one's
environment. Political and economic upheavals in the current millennium globally have displaced millions of people making crossborder and forced migration a reality. Many adults and youths forced out of their countries arrive in other countries of which
languages are unknown to them. South Africa as a signatory to the UN Convention on Refugees accepts refugees from all over the
world. The refugees are mostly illiterate in English and the indigenous languages of the country. They find it difficult to get
employment in the formal sector and often use their ingenuity to create own jobs in order to survive. This qualitative study used
interviews and observations to explore how literacy matters in the sustainable development of entrepreneurial activities among the
refugee adults and youths in South Africa. The study revealed that refugee adults learn functional literacy in English and local South
African languages informally and formally as communication skills for the survival of their small businesses in their 'adopted home'.
Key words: literacy, sustainable livelihood, communication skills, adults, entrepreneurship.
Lillie Pretorius
pretoej@unisa.ac.za
Where are their eyes? What can we learn about early reading in low performing schools from eye tracking data?
Not much research has been done to date on early literacy development in African languages. It cannot be assumed that
developmental profiles and norms for reading will be the same in English and the African languages, given the agglutinative nature
of the Southern Bantu languages. However, print-poor environments and large classes are also challenges in early literacy
instruction. In this presentation some preliminary findings are presented from a one-year longitudinal study of reading development
in Zulu, Northern Sotho and English, using eye tracking technology. The data were collected from learners in Grade 1 and 3 in three
different schools (Quintile 1 and 3 schools) where the three languages are used as language of learning and teaching in Foundation
Phase. Eye tracking profiles are compared within and across the three languages and grades to ponder possible implications for early
reading instruction in Foundation Phase classrooms.
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Margie Probyn, Peter Plüddemann
mprobyn@uwc.ac.za
Igniting a spark: reflections on extensive reading in a BEd language education programme
The importance of extensive reading - for the development of literacy, imagination, creativity, empathy (cf Waring and Nation, 2004)
- seems self-evident for those who have been immersed in a culture of reading. Yet many aspirant language teachers at a South
African university have fairly limited experiences of reading as a social activity, and do not truly imagine and identify themselves as
readers. The new CAPS curriculum documents do specify independent reading as part of the reading curriculum. However this is
seldom a timetabled activity; and in many cases it appears that there are few appropriate reading resources in schools to support
extensive reading in the classroom and at home. This paper presents a reflection on an extensive reading assignment as part of a
BEd English method module; and how this has help students to re-imagine themselves as readers and champions of extensive
reading in the language classroom. Data is drawn from the students' findings in their extensive reading assignments and from their
written reflections. Our experience of this aspect of the BEd programme has led us to believe that kindling a passion for extensive
reading is a critical aspect of language teacher preparation.
Rose-Anne Reynolds (Workshop)
rlawrencereynolds@icloud.com
The language(s) of our imaginations: exploring the social and emotional development of a group of 11-13 year olds, from a primary
school in Cape Town, through picture books and a community of enquiry pedagogy.
This presentation will show how using Philosophy for Children, picture books and a community of enquiry pedagogy can facilitate
the social and emotional development of a group of primary school children. Their social and emotional growth and development is
expressed through the language used, questions developed, reasoning skills, critical, imaginative and creative thinking used during
the philosophical enquiries. We will reflect on the language(s) of their imaginations, used during these enquiries.
The data presented will consist of pupil questionnaires, transcripts of the children engaging with picture books in community of
enquiry lessons and parent and pupil reflections on their social and emotional growth. I will share the data gained and the children,
will through a video clip of a recorded demonstration lesson, reflect on their thinking, and social and emotional growth.
Maryna Roodt
mroodt@cut.ac.za
77
Creating a sense of identity through storytelling
Creating a sense of identity through storytelling One of the major attributes of a successful teacher is a profound sense of identity. In
order to teach effectively you have to know who you are so that you can help learners to become reflective and independent
learners. A group of 25 second year B.Ed students participated in a weekly session of written storytelling. Each week they would be
given a prompt or a theme to write on, for instance ‘ My early childhood’, ‘My first good memories’ and ‘ My biggest challenge so
far’. The lecturer would then take in the written stories, read them and write comments. At the next session volunteers were asked
to share their stories with the rest of the group if they wanted to. Some of them never felt confident enough to share their stories,
as they wrote about very private and often hurtful experiences. The last 2 of the 12 sessions were spent in reflection upon the
growth and sense of an individual identity that students felt they developed. Across the board students felt that writing about their
past experiences and verbalizing their goals and dreams helped them to develop a sense of self and that knowing who they are will
help them to develop into mature adults and effective teachers.
Linda Rutgers
lrutgers@sun.ac.za
Towards context-responsive literacy teacher preparation: re-imagining early literacy instruction to focus on both content and
context
It is imperative to not only prepare student teachers to teach early literacy effectively, but also to re-imagine their visions of early
literacy instruction to radically improve the achievement gaps of learners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The
mismatch between the culture of student teachers and their learners necessitates a focus on pre-service students’ own cultures and
their understanding of the different cultures of their learners and the school community at large. During the literacy education
coursework of the Bed degree, pre-service teachers are challenged to critically, examine how they view their own cultures and that
of their learners, in order to re-think the importance of more context-responsive literacy pedagogy. With a knowledge base of
context-responsive pedagogy, student teachers can be better prepared to become agents of change in literacy instruction. The
objective of this paper is to share information on the capacitation of pre-service teachers to practice context-responsive literacy
instruction in the classroom. This paper describes a re-envisioned context-responsive approach to literacy instruction, the
conceptual framework of this approach and the practical strategies involved in working with learners with diverse literacy needs. A
socio-cultural perspective provided the foundation.
Wendy Saul, Brigid McDonnell (Workshop)
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saulw@umsl.edu
Choosing and using books
Although book choice is often a matter of compromise and financial consideration, it is important to understand parameters and
possibilities so that wise choices can be made and so that student learning and growth are promoted. In the proposed workshop a
literacy educator and book donation specialist guide participants through the process of imagining what a classroom might look like
fully stocked with appropriate books. What is to be prioritized: genre diversification? Reading level? Student interest? Illustrations
that help scaffold decoding and comprehension? Local vocabulary and experiences? Books that foster critical thinking and
imagination? In addition to selection criteria, this workshop will attend to the question of what teachers might do to enhance
opportunities for teaching given the books that are available. Sources for new books, both electronic and hard copy, will also be
shared and discussed. Participants will develop and be able to share an action plan with other local members of the literacy
community.
Godfrey Sentumbwe (Film) need abstract
gsentumbwe@labeuganda.org
Classes for three: new literacy spaces in post-conflict community
Access to and participation in useful literacy practices for post-conflict Northern Ugandan communities continues to be elusive
despite twenty-five years of efforts associated with UNESCO’s Education for All Goals and the MDGs. The film ‘Classes for Three’ is
about how three literacy provisions (adult/parenting literacy, early-grade literacy and home-based ECD) designed into one Family
Basic Education package complements formal school-based literacy to mitigate this challenge. In this film, the three literacy
provisions are delivered within community-initiated Home Learning Centres (HLCs) and primary school settings in Koboko, a postconflict district. The film depicts scenes showing three categories of ‘learners’– parents/grandparents, their primary school children
and pre-school siblings – engaged in literacy learning at a HLC. We then move to a primary school classroom and see parents
attending literacy classes alongside primary school children. Next we see one parent and her children at home engaged in emergent
and after-school literacy activities linked to school-related learning. We listen to one parent, teacher and teacher-tutor talk about
what they find interesting from this learning. Viewers will learn from this film that even disadvantaged families/communities possess
‘funds of knowledge’ to harness as a resource for education change and policy implementation.
Monica Shank
79
monica.shank@mail.utoronto.ca monica_shank@yahoo.ca
Transformation in the mainstream: creative possibilities for integrating Waldorf into Kenyan and Canadian schools
Everyone deserves access to holistic education which nurtures imagination and critical consciousness. This paper explores
possibilities for integrating storytelling, arts, and imaginative play into pre-primary and early primary mainstream classrooms as
essential components of emergent literacy development. Drawing from the author’s experiences of integrating Waldorf-inspired
pedagogies into mainstream Kenyan schools, and of collaborating with a Waldorf-inspired public school in Canada, this paper
demonstrates how Waldorf approaches can be used to support different curricular requirements. By focusing on the ‘essence’ of
Waldorf education, this paper explores the adaptability of the Waldorf approach to different cultures, environments, and education
systems. Transformative education frameworks are employed to explore how early literacy instruction, broadly conceived, can
nurture learners’ sense of purpose and critical consciousness, while meeting curriculum objectives. This paper also offers candid
discussion of the many challenges of integrating Waldorf into mainstream schools, including school-parent misunderstandings,
resource constraints, large class sizes, and standardized exams, and looks at imaginative responses, past, present and future,
working to transform these challenges into creative possibilities.
Eileen Scheckle, Sally Potgieter
eileen.scheckle@nmmu.ac.za
Literacy practices are alive and well in a cross-age bilingual township reading programme
This paper reports on a paired reading programme between Grades 4 and 6 learners in two township schools in Port Elizabeth. Using
the weekly Nalibali stories, grade 6 learners were prepared to engage with a grade 4 partner in weekly reading partnerships in
English and isiXhosa. The study is framed by socio-cultural understandings of literacy as a social practice and draws on research of
Krashen and Vygotsky to explore language learning and development. This intervention allowed teachers and researchers to use
classroom structures imaginatively to allow learners new spaces to interact creatively with texts. As this intervention is concerned
with developing enjoyment in reading, learners’ experiences and perceptions of the training and preparations as well as the
experience of reading to a younger learner provide critical data. So, in this paper we attempt to track learners’ responses to the
stories and the Masikhulisane (May we grow one another) reading programme. In addition an examination of the ANA results of
these learners provides another layer to our understanding of the possible effects of long term engagement with literacy for
pleasure.
Leila Schroeder
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leila_schroeder@sil.org
Transitional Reading in Africa: leaping across a chasm
African children are usually expected to leap a linguistic chasm when they enter school. They are confronted with two completely
different sets of phonologies, grammars, vocabularies and orthographies—on the first day, in the form of oral instructions,
chalkboard vocabulary, textbooks, alphabet charts and posters. Even if time is allotted for L1 reading instruction, the colonial
language and its widely disparate orthography are given virtually all of the instructional time. The result seems to be that L1 reading
never really develops, while learners limp along with little understanding of the content they are expected to learn via the former
colonial language. I describe an attempt to narrow the linguistic chasm. An ESL/ṭransitional reading program begins orally, with
phonemic awareness, vocabulary and grammar development, while translanguaging maximizes cognitive development and creative
expression. Meanwhile, children learn to read in the language they already speak and English transitional reading is presented in a
way, which makes its orthography seem consistent!
Kelly Shiohira
kellyshiohira@gmail.com
Friend, foe, accomplice: refining ICT in education practice
The continuing invent of Information Communications Technology (ICT), from phones to cell phones to computers to tablets to
whatever comes next, has created new opportunities and new challenges to educators, learners and education systems as well as
the social, political and economic systems that education serves. The academic and teaching professions have been forced to adapt
or adopt strategies to deal with, eliminate, utilize or advance ICT in teaching, and along the way have met with technical difficulties,
social and systemic resistance and even outright failure. And yet the potential for increased equity, access and learning outcomes is
too great to ignore or subsume under a preference for 'traditional teaching'. What separates the success stories from the rest? Put
another way, what educational questions can technology be used to answer effectively, and what are the conditions that must
frame the response? This paper is based on the programmes, collaborations, implementation strategies and findings of the Molteno
Institute for Language and Literacy in the development and delivery of ICT early literacy interventions on various platforms. The
presentation will discuss specific programmes and outcomes and will present development and delivery frameworks, critical success
factors, challenges and mitigation strategies currently in use by the Institute. The discussion will include critical reflections on various
approaches to ICT use specifically within the South African curriculum, with relevance to other developing contexts.
Dianne Shober
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dshober@ufh.ac.za
Promoting literacy through literature with a voluntary reading programme for first year varsity students
Lecturers in the English Department at the University of Fort Hare share the concern in academia for incoming varsity students who
lack the literacy competence to succeed in their courses. Given the strong correlation between reading and literacy, our department
commenced an innovative and effective reading programme which witnessed positive and enthusiastic results. By engaging students
in reading select works of fiction, we were able to increase their comprehension, build their vocabulary and inculcate an individual
interest in reading literature. This paper will discuss the resultant voluntary reading programme that was organized for first year
students enrolled in English language classes, the theoretical methodology of the programme, its implementation and positive
results. It will also explore ways to configure this programme to extend beyond university boundaries into effective community
engagement.
Irene Simiyu
irene_wanjala@yahoo.com
Peer editing and improved classroom relationships in a writing lesson
Writing lessons in East African ESL contexts are characterized by among other things, teacher-centredness and one way
communication from the teacher to the students resulting in gaps in classroom relationships. Similarly, student-student relationships
also exhibit detachment arising from lack of trust in the linguistic ability of peers, competition among students and lack of
interactional skills. However, research and literature show a link between classroom relationships and a student's academic
achievements. This paper is a report of findings of a study which I conducted in a Form three class in a rural secondary school in
Western Kenya, as part of my MEd dissertation that focused on improving students' compositions using peer editing. As I introduced
peer editing, I was able to observe the classroom relationships. Data for the study was gathered mainly using observation and
interviews, Analysis of the findings revealed improvement in student-student and, student-teacher relationships that led to
increased interest in the writing tasks. The findings suggest that peer editing, which introduces collaboration in a writing task, could
be a means of bridging the gap among students and in student-teacher relationships.
Duma Sithebe
Duma.Sithebe@umalusi.org.za
How curriculum design might influence instructional design: the case of English First Additional Language (FET)
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In research conducted by Umalusi (Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training), researchers
reflected on the overall design, structure and coherence of the curricula and the teaching and assessment guidance provided by the
curricula amongst some. Resulting from the investigation, the researchers asked questions about for the impact of the curriculum
design and organising principle on the instructional design of a subject. Interest in the case of English First Additional Language led
to investigating how a curriculum design that encourages an activity-based approach and another which favours a discipline-specific
approach would influence the instructional design, the role of the learner and the teacher in the subject. To find answers on how the
curriculum design might influence the instructional design in English First Additional Language, this paper draws on the NCS/CAPS
comparative research and also reflects on the suggestion from the 2009 Ministerial Task Team report that teachers need a more
clearly structured teaching plan to devote their energy to delivering quality instruction. The paper pays particular attention to the
impact of change in the curriculum design from a learning outcomes-based curriculum to a curriculum embedded in an instructional
theoretical framing. The influence of a learner and/or teacher centred approach on the interpretation, implementation of the
curriculum and the teaching and learning of English First Additional Language, were also considered.
David Sombie (Colloquia)
David.sombie@crs.org
Promoting reading and other learning outcomes: the role of integrated school feeding programs in Sierre Leone
Governments, development agencies, and civil society organizations have long advocated school feeding programs as a way to help
improve the general well-being and educational participation for the poorest and most marginalized children. School feeding can
serve as an important incentive for poor parents to send (and keep) their children in school; at the same time, through providing a
nutritious meal, it can reduce hunger and help children concentrate in class. Research has shown that school feeding programs can
improve enrollment, attendance, and educational achievement of children living in poor/food insecure households, especially if
supported by a wide range of complementary interventions, such as de-worming, water and sanitation, and teacher training.
This presentation will explore school feeding as part of an integrated effort to improve education for all. Results to date from the
Food for Education Program implemented by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with the International Literacy Association (ILA)
and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MEST) will be shared, along with lessons learned and how school feeding can
be used as a platform to mobilize teachers and communities in efforts to improve their schools.
The Food for Education program in Sierra Leone has combined school feeding, improvements in early grade reading instruction,
capacity building, and economic strengthening of households through Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) activities as a
way to reach the most marginalized children and their families and promote equity in education. The presenter will share the midterm evaluation results from this program and discuss the implications; these results include changes in students’ reading levels; in
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enrollment, attendance, and retention; teacher classroom performance; and household-level economic decisions with respect to
children’s education.
Tanya Spronk
tanya_spronk@sil.org
Creating creative writers in South Sudan
In order to learn to read, one must read. But what is there to read when a learner speaks a language that does not have a long
written history? What motivates children to want to learn to read when the only thing to read where the only thing to read in a
language the learner understands is an ABC Book and or a Primer? This is the case in many language communities in South Sudan,
where there is very little printed material in South Sudanese languages. This paper will look at some of the methods that are being
used in South Sudan to tap into the imaginations of native speakers of these languages to create reading materials for children in
their communities, motivating them to learn to read and create their own stories. In Writer’s Workshops, mother tongue speakers
are led through a process of using their skills as oral storytellers first, learning about the elements of what makes an interesting and
linguistically and culturally appropriate story. Writers also analyse what makes a good story for beginning readers, and then write
their own short simple stories for various stages of early reading. The paper will be full of examples of creative stories that have
been developed in South Sudanese languages, inspiring a whole generation of children to reading and writing their own imaginative
stories.
Alexandra Stevenson, Josephine McClellan, Mildred Bopoto
alex-louise-stevenson@hotmail.co.uk
Stimulating literacy and relationships through imagination and spaces
South Africa demonstrates extremely low rates of literacy, language and cognitive development in children and there is a demanding
need to find effective preventative interventions that encourage child literacy. This paper examines an experimental research study
implemented in a non-profit organisation, Ikamva Labantu, with specific reference to themes of imagination and reading spaces.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres at Ikamva Labantu aim at providing children with the best possible foundation for
learning. In line with these aims, a quantitative study was carried out at the centre to assess the effect of shared reading practices
implemented in the home and school environment, with regard to child literacy and the parent-child relationship. Emphasis was
placed on the role of imagination during shared reading practices and the importance of reading spaces. Children (n=57, 2-6 years)
were assessed through child literacy measures, PPVTTM-4 (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and EOWPVT-R (Gardner, 1990), and the parent84
child relationship was monitored using the PSI-SF (Abidin, 1995). The result of this research not only produced important
information about imagination and reading spaces but also it produced the creation of a shared reading programme, a community
book making competition, parent support groups, creation of reading clubs, and encouraged library involvement. The paper
discusses how this evolved and the long –term benefits to the community.
Barbara Strydom, and a panel of reading experts (Colloquia)
Barbara.Strydom@oup.com
Teaching children how to read in a multi-lingual society
One of the biggest challenges facing Foundation Phase and Intermediate Phase teachers is how to teach children from different
cultural backgrounds, in a multi-lingual society, how to read. Due to provincial and across border migration, teachers may be faced
with as many as nine different mother tongue languages and different cultural contexts. Often a cultural context means that the
learners enter school language deficient. The panel will discuss practical and relevant strategies as to how a teacher can successfully
teach learners from vastly different language backgrounds to read through exploring: o The pros and cons of code switching o How
to develop a multi-lingual vocabulary o The role of phonic teaching o How to activate prior knowledge within different cultural
contexts o How to accommodate a range of Proximal Development Zones (Vygotsky) o How to involve illiterate parents in the child's
reading development o How to pair learners for Group Guided and Paired reading o How to motivate through positive assessment
practices o Best practice
Karina Strydom
karinaS@brainboosers.co.za
Rethinking teaching and learning English as a second language in Grade R
Research shows that many children in South Africa cannot comprehend what they read. Using rhymes like ‘a’ for apple, ‘b’ for
banana etc. when teaching English as a second language is not an appropriate way to introduce the alphabet because most of these
children don’t have sufficient vocabulary, nor do they understand the letter sounds. BrainBoosters uses a complete different
approach. By showing children a picture and then discussing that picture in the child’s vernacular, we introduce the English sentence
relating to the picture. We suggest teaching children, through fun and games, to first recognise the individual words of the sentence
(1 week), then the first sound of each word in the same sentence (1 week), and then the last sound of each word in the same
sentence (1 week). In this way, children learn 4 different sentences over a 12-week period. We encourage children to use their
imagination when we have discussions about each picture e.g. “What did the father and son do before reading the book?” Brain
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connections become permanent through repetition and our method of immediate feedback where the teacher corrects children
immediately by holding up the right card, actively engages each child - even in classes with more than 50 children. This thinking is in
line with many international studies that confirm that feedback is an essential ingredient in training our brain.
Linda Superville
lindasuperville@hotmail.com
Literacy for understanding/learning as a means of facilitating students' improved academic performance across the curriculum
This paper adopts the position that it is imperative for teachers to get the teaching of literacy (reading and writing) correct as this
can impact students’ academic performance. Students need to be taught literacy for understanding/learning rather than the mere
repetition of words or writing in rote mode. Students who lack this competency cannot achieve their full academic potential.
Granted, students may become experts at cutting and pasting from material on the Internet and may even get good marks for their
assignments. However, they do not develop the skills or competencies needed to apply what they have been taught and hopefully
learnt. In the process of applying what has been taught students’ brains come alive as they enter the realm of imagination and
creativity. For children to be taught literacy for understanding, teachers will be challenged to use their own imagination and find
creative methods and activities to teach this skill across all curriculum areas. The teachers should therefore model what they want of
their students. This paper will explore how best to teach literacy for understanding/learning; identify some barriers to literacy; and
how literacy for understanding/learning can influence students’ academic achievement in all subject areas across the curriculum.
Beatrice Tafon Takeh
bonglibea@yahoo.com
An African perspective of African children's imagination and literature
Using African culture is to relate literature and content to children's home culture in order to give them the opportunity to link their
own lives and experiences to their own imagination. Ideas and experiences from their home culture can reinforce their imagination
easily because they are still very much attached to it. Their self esteem and imaginations are enhanced thereby reducing stress and
anxiety when the story hails from their own part of the world. This presentation will focus on African children's imagination and how
some aspects of African customs and beliefs can stimulate a child's imagination and literature. The first part of this presentation will
briefly identify some aspects of children's imagination. For instance standing from afar a child thinks that he can touch the sky when
he moves to the edge of a hill, watching the sky at night a child imagines that the moon is moving etc. The second part of this
presentation will involve developing the African child's imagination using aspects of African culture like folk tales, songs, dance,
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masquerades, cultural practices in marriage, death and childbirth etc. Most especially how these aspects can ignite children's
imagination thereby leading to creativity.
William Teale (Colloquia)
wteale@uic.edu
Digital technologies and literacy learning: what do we know about what works – and what doesn't?
This presentation discusses what research has shown so far about the impact of digital technologies on children’s literacy
development from ages 4 – 12. It focuses mainly on uses of technology in classroom settings but also considers technology in the
home environments of young (ages 4-6) children.
Juliett Tembe, Yvonne Reed
juliett@saide.org.za
Using African Storybook project materials as a vehicle for teacher professional development: a Ugandan case study
Since 2007 the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sport and the National Curriculum Development Centre have required that the
curriculum for grades 1 to 3 be taught through the dominant local language in each district (Heugh, 2014). However, this
requirement can be very challenging for teachers to meet because although such a local language may be their mother tongue and
thus a language they speak fluently, it is not necessarily a language in which they read and write competently and confidently. Our
paper reports findings from an action research project in which the African Storybook Project co-ordinator for Uganda and a small
group of primary school teachers worked together once a week for two school terms to (i) improve their literacy in the Lunyole
language and (ii) devise ways of using ASP materials to support the development of literacy in Lunyole among learners in grades 1 to
3. We argue that versioning materials into local languages is a necessary but not sufficient condition for their take up by teachers. If
materials in local languages are to be used optimally to support learners’ literacy development in these languages, then teachers
need opportunities to participate in imaginative and sustained professional development activities.
Janet Thomson, Hlengiwe Mfeka, N Hlela, E Klaasen, A Driessen, Senzo Ngcobo, Peter deLisl, Rodney Nissen (Colloquia)
janet@schoolnet.org.za
Learning gains through play
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This research is exploring learning through the use of play in Grades R and 1 in 10 schools in KZN and Western Cape using innovative
technologies. The D G Murray Trust has funded SchoolNet South Africa to provide professional development to teachers around the
effective use of the Xbox Kinect and a bank of Intel tablets that have been pre-loaded with carefully-selected relevant apps. While
there is a deliberate emphasis on the relationship between motor development and cognition, the research has targeted four
distinct literacies, namely visual literacy, oral communication in English, as well as gross and fine motor coordination. An additional
focus is the visual literacy of the interpretation of emotions. At the heart of the study is how the development of these literacies is
enhanced through play. Thus far, teachers have been excited to discover that digital games have been able to assist them to achieve
the outcomes listed in CAPS. Teachers use apps and games to identify teachable moments and stealth learning opportunities which
trigger learners’ imaginations and target specific literacies. Teachers are rating the effectiveness of each game, thus gradually
compiling an anthology that will be of value to all Foundation Phase educators who integrate technology.
Angelina Totolo, Gofetamang Phirinyane
totoloa@mopipi.ub.bw
Reading in Botswana junior secondary schools
Reading in Botswana Junior Secondary Schools A qualitative study on the merits or de-merits of the Unseen Text assessment that
was introduced in the Botswana Junior Secondary School Syllabus in 2013 is proposed. Researchers who argue in support of teaching
students Unseen text method in literature say that it teaches inferential skills, critical reading skills as well as writing clearly and
coherently. Studies have been conducted on the teaching of English as a second language in Botswana and challenges were
reported. Therefore, the teaching of English as a second language is not without hurdles. Researchers in Botswana in the
Information Science field have also reported that students lack information literacy skills and these include comprehension, reading
and writing skills, which according to literature consulted, can be corrected by the introduction of the Unseen text method. The
study was prompted by the results of a content analysis of the Literature in English results of 2013 and 2014 which were not as good
as was expected after the change in the syllabus in 2013.The research will use content analysis of the school results and syllabi as
well as interviews for the teachers, to find out the merits and de-merits of the Unseen text method on the students. It is envisaged
that the study will inform the teaching of Literature in English in Botswana Junior Secondary Schools as well as guide policy
implementation.
Lisa Treffry-Goatley
lisatg@saide.org.za
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Open affords critical: an example of how the African Storybook Project's open license publishing model enables a critical literacy
approach to redesigning stories for children
Critical in critical literacy is the importance of offering teachers and learners multiple subject positions from which to make meaning
of both the world and the word. Books produced and published digitally, with an open license, can be freely translated, adapted,
versioned, rewritten, re-illustrated and remixed. This provides rich opportunity for users of such books to intervene in various ways
to shape and change published - apparently fixed - narratives, and to redesign stories to express different interpretive subject
positions. In my presentation I will discuss a practical approach to storybook reading and redesign, motivated by a critical literacy
agenda, which can be used in teacher training contexts. By developing and reinforcing our own capacity for critical engagement with
texts for children we establish our theoretical and practical resources for enabling critical literacy in learners. We as educators can
afford children the opportunities to entertain different subject positions, to resist subjected positions, and to express positions of
autonomy and agency. Ultimately with the goal of providing children with models that enable them to articulate their own positions
and find vehicles for their own voices.
Pamela Uwamezie Mmegwa
mbozorji@yahoo.com
Reading habits, gender and science performance of secondary school students in Jos, Nigeria
The study investigated reading habits, gender and science performance of senior secondary one students in Jos, Nigeria. One
hundred and twenty students constituted the sample. Three research questions and three hypotheses were used to guide the study
while an ex post facto research design was employed in the investigation. Data for the study were collected using a Students'
Reading Habits Questionnaire (SRHQ) and Students' Examination Scores in Science Performance Test (SESSPT). Frequencies, means
and percentages were used to answer the research questions while t-test and chi square statistics were used to test the hypotheses
at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that 27.00% of the students underlined key words/main ideas when
they read their science textbooks and notes, thirteen percent of them read their science textbooks and notes regularly while 25.00%
of them reported science practical promptly. The findings further showed a significant association between students' reading habits
and science performance, and, a significant association between reading habits and gender. The implication is for teachers to
encourage the use of effective reading habits and techniques by students for meaningful learning and enhanced performance
outcomes in science.
Caroline van der Mescht
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c.vandermescht@ru.ac.za
Imagining ourselves: the reflective conversation as a teaching tool in an Academic Literacy teacher education programme
This paper presents an argument for the inclusion of reflective writing in an academic literacy programme in teacher education. It
reports on the benefits and challenges incurred when reflective writing was introduced experimentally into the Academic
Development course an in-service Bachelor of Education. The study is an Action Research investigation into Higher Education
teaching practices and uses data from the first two cycles of intervention. One purpose of introducing reflective writing was to
develop students as reflective practitioners. This goal is key to teacher development in South Africa today as teacher upgrade
programmes engage with in-service teacher’s slow uptake of the transformative principles embedded in the curriculum and
coursework material. It suggests that teachers benefit from being involved in an ‘internal conversation’ (Archer) through which they
can develop agency within the professional structures they inhabit. To supply context, the paper first briefly presents a review of
literature on reflective practice and on reflective writing in Higher Education contexts. It considers the value of systematic reflection
in teacher education programmes as well as potential challenges for the students and lecturers. It explores some of the unintended
consequences of assessing reflective writing for an academic literacy teaching intervention. Finally, the paper presents conclusions
which suggest the benefits to teachers of being able to ‘re-imagine ourselves’ through this writing genre in academic literacy support
programmes.
Gert van der Westhuizen
gertvdw@uj.ac.za
Talk moves in reading conversations
Conversations about readings take many forms. They are often formally organised in classrooms, or happen spontaneously in social
settings. This paper considers the nature of reading conversations, what they are about, and how they are structured. The purpose is
to analyse examples of formal and informal conversations about story books with a view of understanding the 'talk moves' - how
participants use their turns to demonstrate the stances they take, and how sequences of interactions recruit interest and convince
the other. Differences between formal and informal reading conversations are highlighted, and implications for expanding reading
classrooms interactions are explored. Finally, recommendations for conversation analysis research on reading interactions are
proposed.
Retha van Niekerk (Colloquia)
Rethavn@vodamail.co.za
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A morphinuum of literacies for the 21st century
Giesecke (2005:29) points to the fact that we are currently living in a post typographic era, which requires post typographic defining
of all educational concepts including the ideas associated with literacy. Roth & Barton (2004 ;x) state that the term literacy can be
viewed as a “sliding signifier”. By this they imply that the term can have many different meanings depending on who is using it for
what purpose during which time in history. One of the problems with re-defining different literacies in the 21st century is that the
boundaries are blurred. With new processes and new concepts come new terminologies and frameworks. Based on this, the
author has coined the term “morphinuum” instead of continuum to capture this dynamic complex emergent phenomena. Redefining literacy would involve a collective co-construction by individuals as well as organizations, at different levels of interaction,
which ultimately relies on power relationships (Roth & Barton, 2004:77). One way to optimize this idea of power in a constructive
way would be to create a multimodal discourse network (among specialists from many educational domains), that allows for intradisciplinary as well as trans-disciplinary dialogue about the nature (interrelatedness) of a “morphinuum” of literacies. This paper
will share the emergence of a “morphinuum” of literacies in Early Childhood, utilizing mathematics and science contexts. The
author will share exemplars of design research data of multilingual learners (4 and 10 years) spanning the last 5 years in South Africa
and the USA.
Jo Westbrook, Ellen Olu Fagbemi (Colloquia)
jlw24@sussex.ac.uk
Imagining the gaps in-between: inference & context in African - and UK – classrooms
Inference-making is about reading between the lines within the text and drawing on external knowledge of context, other texts or
the self in elaborative inference and as such develop mental representations of the text – the imagined world of the text – in the
readers’ mind leading to full comprehension. The need to provide contextually relevant texts is a clear focus in Africa, for example,
through the African Story Book Project and other writing projects. However, the reading of longer texts often coincides with the
transition to reading in English or French in grades 3 and 4 in Sub-Saharan African classrooms, compounding what an already
complex comprehension process. Furthermore, the teaching of continuous text at sentence, paragraph and whole text level remains
a gap in teacher education and teacher practices, identified in multiple studies and resulting in low reading attainment. This paper
explores inference, comprehension, language learning and the role of indigenous knowledge in African story books but also goes
beyond the continent to look at the knowledge that UK teachers need to teach fiction written by African writers – especially when
their students are part of the African diaspora.
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Rosemary Wildsmith, Kellie Steinke (Colloquia)
wildsmithr@ukzn.ac.za
Teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and the teaching of extended text
This paper discusses preliminary data collected from four teachers in two primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal. The focus was on how
the teachers used their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to teach literacy at Grades 3 and 4 levels. Specifically, the researchers
wanted to see how teachers managed the transition from teaching the skills of reading, or decoding, to reading extended text with
comprehension. Data collection included questionnaires, learner assessments, semi-structured interviews, lesson observations and
recordings. The data were analysed according to a coding schedule based on principles of effective practice, stimulated recalls of
lessons from recordings and thematic coding of answers to questions in the questionnaire and interviews. The questions in the
questionnaire and interviews tapped into teachers' underlying attitudes towards and beliefs about the teaching of literacy, which
could later be matched to the profiles of their practices and PCK. The coding schedule included categories that focused on
questioning techniques which stimulated learners' imagination, predictive abilities and reasoning abilities, all of which contribute to
reading to learn and to the development of cognitive academic language proficiency. Twenty learners were assessed for their
reading ability and matched with the teacher profiles. The results of the data analysis are presented on a wheel profile which
provides a clear picture of the types of questions and feedback teachers were using most frequently, as well as the patterns or
clusters of behaviours that emerged.
Hanna Onyi Yusuf
hannayusuf@yahoo.com
Effectiveness of using creative mental images in teaching reading comprehension in primary schools in Nigeria
The study examined the effectiveness of using creative mental images in teaching reading comprehension in primary schools in
Nigeria. A sample of sixty (60) pupils from two primary schools were used (i.e. 30 pupils from each school). A quasi experimental
research design was used for the study. Kargi primary school in Kaduna South was used as the experimental group while Katsina
Road primary school in Kaduna North was used as the control group. Both groups were pre-tested to establish the homogeneity of
the two groups. The two groups were taught reading comprehension for eight (8) weeks. The experimental group was taught
reading comprehension using creative mental images, while the control group was taught reading comprehension using the
traditional method. Both groups were assessed using reading comprehension test. T-test was used to test the hypothesis raised in
the study. The findings revealed significant differences in the performance of pupils taught reading comprehension using creative
mental images. Based on the findings teachers are encouraged to use creative mental images in teaching reading comprehension.
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This will help to stimulate pupils to create feelings that are vital to making reading comprehension more vivid, exciting, enjoyable
and fun. As pupils create mental images individually or in groups, they are able to trigger a wide range of memories and feelings,
thus creating movies of the text in their minds. Workshops should be organized for teachers on how to stimulate pupils to create
mental images in reading comprehension lessons. Curriculum planners and textbook writers should equally provide creative mental
images exercises as part of pupil’s activities in the reading component of the Basic Educational Curriculum.
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