This essay includes an essay that covers a discussion and critique of teaching approaches and methodologies in the Foundation Phase classroom. I achieved 85% for this assignment.
ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EFAL) TEACHING APPROACHES AND
METHODOLOGIES IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE CLASSROOM
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS IN POST GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION
(FOUNDATION PHASE) (PGCE FP)
FOR
ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE DIDACTICS (ED4-ENG 1A FP)
AT
CORNERSTONE INSTITUTE
BY
SHANNON JADE SCHOFIELD
(50393)
9 MARCH 2021
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
According to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) language skills are
integrated throughout the curriculum for both leaner’s Home Language (HL) and First
Additional Language (FAL) and are made up of four main components namely listening,
speaking, reading, and writing (DBE, 2011: 8). The time allocated to these language skills
within the FAL curriculum is limited to 2 to 3 hours per week, it is therefore necessary for
these skills to be integrated into different subjects and activities developing alongside each
other rather than as independent lessons. When English as a First Additional Language
(EFAL) is initially introduced to learners in Grade 1, there is a strong focus on developing
learner’s oral skills as they lay the foundation for learning how to read and later write which
becomes the focus in Grade 2 and 3 (DBE, 2011). This will help prepare learners for the
Intermediate Phase where they will need to express more complex thoughts and utilize
critical thinking skills in English.
For many learners in South Africa, it is necessary to gain proficiency in these language skills
specifically for English First Additional Language (EFAL) as it often becomes the Language
of Teaching and Learning (LOTL) in many schools when they start Grade 4. In order to make
this transition easier for learners whose Home Language is not English, an Additive
Bilingualism approach was implemented which focuses on transferring the literacy skills
learned in learners HL and applying them to learning an additional language (DBE, 2011). In
the Foundation Phase learners need to be given opportunities to learn EFAL in a meaningful
context and instruction should be centered on themes as learners would have already
become familiar with them in their Home Language, hence providing opportunities for
learners to use and recycle their vocabulary (DBE, 2011).
The following essay explores how language skills develop, the different teaching approaches
and methodologies that have informed education throughout the decades with a specific
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, focus on how these can be drawn on to enhance learning EFAL and how they can be
practically applied in the classroom to develop learners speaking and writing proficiency.
2. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
It is widely accepted that language develops gradually in stages and the pace of
development is dependent on the quality of input received from persons in the child's
immediate environment (Joubert, 2015).
According to Joubert (2015), the linguistic development stage is composed of two important
skills namely receptive language skills and expressive language skills which develop later on
in childhood. First receptive language skills develop and refer to the ability to comprehend
sounds and words through listening which requires a form of auditory language input that a
child can understand. Later on, as the child's receptive skills develop they began to
understand visual language input through reading, the ability to listen and read are
considered passive skills and do not require the child to reproduce language but understand
it in a meaningful way (Joubert, 2015).
Expressive language skills are used to express oneself in a meaningful way and require
language output which first occurs as speaking and later writing. These are considered
active skills because the child can understand the input as well as reproduce it to express
themselves through both speaking and writing (Joubert, 2015). By the age of 7 learners
should have already entered school and developed strong listening and speaking skills as
well as acquired an extensive vocabulary in their Home Language which they can use to
express themselves orally. Learners need to learn to use these language skills competently
in the Foundation Phase so that they can reach the learning outcomes outlined in CAPS and
effectively communicate in and out of the classroom (DBE, 2011). The sequential nature of
language learning means that listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all an extension of
each other, each one providing a building block for the next language skill as one skill cannot
develop proficiently in isolation (Joubert, 2015).
There are several theorists who have played an important role in informing education today,
most notable is Vygotsky’s theory of Constructivism. According to the Constructivist
approach to language development, language is a social or shared process that is acquired
through the daily interactions of individuals with their environment and essential for the
development of cognitive abilities (Nieman and Monyai, 2006). He believed that learning was
not a passive process where the teacher knows all as suggested in the Positivist approach,
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