Table of Contents
- 1 What language would you choose as medium of instruction in primary and secondary schools in Namibia?
- 2 What is the South African language in education approach and what it entails?
- 3 Why English is used as a medium of instruction?
- 4 How does language is used in teaching as well as in learning?
- 5 Why English is not a medium of instruction?
What language would you choose as medium of instruction in primary and secondary schools in Namibia?
English
Mother tongue undoubtedly plays a crucial role in the acquisi- tion of any second language, i.e. English in the case of Namibia. English will therefore be used in its official capacity as a medium of instruction and assessment throughout the education system in public schools as from Grade 4 onwards.
What is the South African language in education approach and what it entails?
According to the country’s official language policies, schools must choose a language or languages of learning and teaching. Most choose English or Afrikaans and not the African language spoken in the area. African languages are then only taught as subjects and are rarely used as a medium of instruction.
Why English is used as a medium of instruction?
English is used from the beginning of a course as the main language in class, and the teacher adapts their methodology to support meaning, by using a lot of visual information and non-verbal communication to support meaning.
What is the medium of instruction in Namibia?
At this time, the official language of Namibia switched from German to Afrikaans and English, with Afrikaans as the main language of instruction used in schools (Frydman, 2011).
What should the medium of instruction be from Grade 4 onwards?
Grade 4 should be a transitional year in which the mother language plays a supportive role in teaching, with English as the medium of instruction. English should be the medium of instruction for all subjects in Grades 4-12, while mother languages should be taken as additional subjects.
How does language is used in teaching as well as in learning?
Teachers and students use spoken and written language to communicate with each other–to present tasks, engage in learning processes, present academic content, assess learning, display knowledge and skill, and build classroom life. In addition, much of what students learn is language.
Why English is not a medium of instruction?
The easiest language to learn for all human infants is the language they hear spoken at home, the mother tongue. When children who do not hear even a smattering of English at home are taught English in their first year of schooling, their entire learning process is impaired.