In this position paper we highlight language as a perennial factor contributing to compromised meaning-making in multilingual primary school mathematics classrooms. We note use of the term 'translanguaging' in discussions around mitigating this meaning-making challenge. The paper argues that, while much work remains to be done towards clarifying…

Prevalent approaches to classroom languaging and bilingual education interpret the practices of multilingual groups of people through a monolingual lens that obscures the fluid languaging and semiotic practices of contemporary communities who engage in dynamic semiotic and linguistic practices, rather than 'add' one language to another in the form…

This paper focuses on code-switching (CS) in postcolonial (P-C) classrooms (e.g. Africa, Asia and Asia-Pacific) where the use of English has increased not only as a subject matter, but also as the language of instruction across all subjects. CS, a common behaviour among bilinguals and polyglots, refers broadly to the alternation between two or…

Developing programs that adequately prepare teachers to address the key challenges of quality and equity in schools remain an ongoing challenge in the new, democratic South Africa. This chapter reviews the changes effected in the Professional Studies theory and teaching practicum component to enhance student teachers' knowledge and skills for…

This paper reports on the oral reading of five grade 2 to 6 isiXhosa (L1) speakers reading isiXhosa (L1) and English (L2) texts. It examines the readers' oral reading miscues (or errors) to understand the extent to which these miscues constitute a language or a literacy problem in this group of readers. Conclusions are that (a) these readers read…

This article explores how a linguistically diverse, subject English class can become a multilingual contact zone in which naturalised linguistic identities are made visible and interrogated. The research is situated in a highly diverse, educational context--Wits School of Education in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is framed by a society in…

Describes a process for rethinking resources in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. Rethinking resources is possible through multimodal pedagogies that recognize students as remakers and transformers of the representational resources available to them. (Author/VWL)

Explores perceptions and practice of teachers teaching through English as an additional language (EAL) in township schools in South Africa. Lessons of five excellent teachers teaching mathematics, accounting, science, business economics, and history through EAL were videotaped, and teachers were interviewed about their perceptions of teaching…

South Africa is a multilingual country with 11 official languages. However, English dominates as the language of access and power and although the Language-in-Education Policy (1997) recommends school language policies that will promote additive bilingualism and the use of learners' home languages as languages of learning and teaching, there has…

A study in two South African schools investigated the impact of encouraging free, voluntary reading on the English language skills of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners. Subjects were 139 fourth- through seventh-grade students in an experimental group and 105 students in a control group. Pretests of reading comprehension were administered…

Regular issues of "Per Linguam" appear twice a year. The document consists of the six regular issues for the years 1985, 1986, and 1987. These issues contain the following 32 articles: (1) "SALT in South Africa: Needs and Parameters" (van der Vyver); (2) "An Analysis of SALT in Practice" (Botha); (3) "SALT and…

Presents eight language learning principles that suggest ways instructors can integrate language in their classrooms to reinforce anything from vocabulary to thinking and social skills in the form of group and pair work. The principles were developed to improve an imbalance between students' skills and teachers' expectations at Peninsula Technikon…

The collection of essays on sociocultural factors in the second language classroom includes: "Autonomy and Ideology in the English Language Classroom" (Hywel Coleman); "Safe-Talk: Collusion in Apartheid Education" (J. Keith Chick); "English Language Education in Japan" (Virginia LoCastro); "Shadow Puppets and…