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HANTAM COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUSTHANTAM COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUSTA Language and Basic Concepts Project
Louis Benjamin, Ph.D. (Project Consultant) Copyright 2006
ACTIVITIES OF THE HANTAM COMMUNITY EDUCATION TRUST
� school (Grade R-Grade 9)
� outreach teacher development programme
� skills training programme
� bursary programme
� primary health care clinic
� pharmacy
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTNeed for the Project
1.1. Pervasive language difficulties Pervasive language difficulties
experienced by learners at the experienced by learners at the
school.school.
2. Learners were not able to cope 2. Learners were not able to cope
with ENGLISH as the language of with ENGLISH as the language of
instruction from Grade 4 and instruction from Grade 4 and
beyond.beyond.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTNeed for the Project
UCT SPELLING TEST: Grade 6
13%
87%
2.5 yr delay
3yrs - 5yrs+delay
There were no learners on or above Grade level
Aims of the projectA LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS
PROJECTPROJECT
• To identify the language and scholastic competencies and
weaknesses of the Foundation Phase learners.
•To provide teachers with training and support to improve the
language, cognitive and scholastic functioning of their
learners
• To monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the project and to
make recommendations for intervention.
Overview of the Project: time lineOverview of the Project: time lineA LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS
PROJECTPROJECT
2003: Year One2003: Year One
2004: Year Two2004: Year Two
2005: Year Three2005: Year Three
2006: Year Four2006: Year Four
2007: Year Five2007: Year Five
Grade R
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTOverview of the Project: Goals for each gradeOverview of the Project: Goals for each grade
Grade R• To consolidate and strengthen home language: BCP and thematic language approach• Scholastic markers include a knowledge of colour, shape, size, position, number and letter
Grade 1• To use English as a language of instruction and to promote cognitive development: BCP and thematic language approach• Scholastic markers include a knowledge of BCS, vocabulary, literacy, numeracy and life skills outcomes
Grade 2-4• To extend the conceptual language and to use this language to teach literacy, numeracy, and life skills and other learning areas• 80-120 words are taught with every theme (6 themes per year)
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTTheoretical Base Theoretical Base
Piaget Vygotsky FeuersteinBASIC CONCEPTS & LANGUAGE PROJECT
CONSTRUCTIVISM
individual social-constructivism
PIAGET
•Development proceeds from less knowledgeable to more
knowledgeable states.
•Mental actions (conservation, categorization, classification,
seriation, perspective taking, multiple sources of information)
enable shifts from intuitive, spontaneous thinking to more logical
modes of thought.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
The project is hierarchically constructed- introduces learners to vocabulary and conceptual language in a systematic and graduated fashion from Grade 1 to Grade 4.
REDYELLOWGREENBLUE
BLACKBROWN
CIRCLE TRIANGLERECTANGLE
SQUAREDIAMOND
STAR
BIGSMALLBIGGER
SMALLERMEDIUMMIDDLE
LEFTRIGHTTOP
MIDDLEBOTTOM
UP DOWN
MORELESS
1,2,3,4,5 1ST , 2ND
3+4 = 77-4 = 3
A,B,C,D, ... X,Y,Z
CAPTIALSMALL
LETTERS
LOWER ORDER CONCEPTS
HIGHER ORDER CONCEPTS
CONTENT OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS PROGRAMME
COLOUR SHAPE SIZE POSITION NUMBER LETTER
VYGOTSKY• Placed emphasis on the social nature of learning, aided by
language, which are vital to effect the transition in understanding
from unmediated and meaningless symbols and signs to higher
order, scientific concepts.•Mediators (signs, symbols, language) assist with the transition
from spontaneous concepts to non-spontaneous concepts.•Placed emphasis on (a special kind) of instruction in the Zone of
Proximal Development on aspects that were still in the process of
maturing.•Mediators of the project lead learners successively to new
conceptual domains, not waiting for spontaneous concepts to
mature, but initiating the process of new learning.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
Vygotsky contended that
speech “besides being a means of
expression and release of tension … soon
becomes an instrument of thought
in the proper sense … in seeking
and planning the solution
of a problem.”
Language structures and directs the processes of thinking and concept formation
‘…‘…in early second language acquisition (L2) in early second language acquisition (L2)
beginning at between approximately age beginning at between approximately age
five or six, children often achieve native-five or six, children often achieve native-
like pronunciation and syntax within a like pronunciation and syntax within a
relatively short period of a year or two. relatively short period of a year or two.
The ability of young children to achieve The ability of young children to achieve
native-like proficiency in a foreign native-like proficiency in a foreign
language in a rather short time is a language in a rather short time is a
reflection of a type of neural plasticity, reflection of a type of neural plasticity,
and it appears to be related to the distinct and it appears to be related to the distinct
characteristics of the young brain.’ characteristics of the young brain.’ Yvonne F. Stapp, 1999
Gaikokugo Center, University of Tsukuba, Japan,
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
FEUERSTEIN
• Provided further detail of the mediation processes that were
required to advance development.
• The mediational teaching style aptly describes the quality of the
human interactions required in learning, arguably the most
important dimension of any educational process.
• The primary role of the mediator is therefore to establish the
prerequisites for learning: motivated, attentive and focussed
learners who are ready to receive systematic mediation in order to
promote their cognitive modifiability.
• The aim is to produce changes that are durable, flexible and
capable in turn of effecting changes in the rest of the system.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
SUMMARY OF THE THEORETICAL BASE
Provides a framework that seeks to guide teachers’ attention to their role as mediators of human learning processes as well as to the symbolic tools required for higher order thinking.
The project includes complex, detailed descriptions of the developing mental actions that are required for producing the kinds of changes in cognitive performance desired by such a programme.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
Grade 2003 2004 2005
Grade R 16 12 15
Grade 1 18 18 14
Grade 2 12 9 18
Grade 3 20 14 11
Grade 4 14 12 12
Total 80 65 70
Number Of Grade R To Grade 4 Learners AtThe Hantam Community Education Trust School
SAMPLEA LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS
PROJECTPROJECT
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTTEST BATTERY
*UCT Graded Spelling Test:
A norm-based test developed for learners in the Western Cape.
*UCT Graded Reading Test: A norm-based test developed for learners in the Western Cape.
*Boehm Test of Basic Concepts: A norm-based test, however, used without making direct reference to these American derived norms. This test was developed to assess the understanding of 50 high frequency basic concepts in young learners.
* Administered to Grade 1-4 learners.
*Ballard One-Minute Test:A norm-based test which is deemed appropriate to assess mathematical competency.
Basic Concepts Complex Figure Test:
A dynamic assessment test (test-teach-test) developed to assess
the ability of younger children to learn recall from memory and
reproduce a complex figure. This is a test of visual memory,
spatial relations, cognitive functioning and cognitive modifiability.
Administered to Grade 2-4 learners.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTTEST BATTERY
Basic Concepts School Readiness Test For Grade R’s: A test developed by the writer in 2004 in order to assess the ability of learners to accurately identify and name 30 subordinate concepts (e.g. rectangle, triangle, square) and 6 superordinate concepts (colour, shape, size, position, number and letter). Administered to Grade R learners.
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTGRADE R ASSESSMENT BATTERY
Colour Shape Size Number Letter Position
Yellow Circle Big No Range: …….….1-10 ; 1-20 ; 1-30+
Identify: yes/no Left Hand:Yes/No
Red Rectangle Small 1:1: yes/nosystematic/not systematic
Write: yes/no Right Hand: Yes/No
Blue Triangle Categorizeby size
One more: yes/no Sound:1st letter/last letter/all letters
Top: Yes/No
Black Square Categorizeby colour
One less: yes/no Alphabet sequence:4 (1), 5-21 (2),22-26 (3)
Bottom:Yes/No
Score (4): Score (4): Score (4): Score (6): Score(8): Score (4):
Areas Covered:Areas Covered: Names and/or Identifies: 4xcolour, 4xshape, 2xsize, 4xposition,
number (number range), letter (name & letters of the alphabet)
Categorizes: colour (2colours) & size (2 sizes)
Application: number: adding 1-2 more, taking away 1-3 away,
one-on-one correspondence, letter: writing & reading
Do Grade 1 Learners In The Western Cape Know Their Basic Conceptual Systems (2006) ?
Percentage Of Correct Answers For Each Conceptual Domain (n=194)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
COLOUR SHAPE SIZE NUMBER LETTER POSITION CATEGO
Willows
Parkfields
Rondebosch
Turfhall
Voerspoed
Grove
Average Score for lower ses schools = 18.9Average score for middle to higher ses schools = 24.9Average score for Hantam Grade R learners (2005) = 26.1Average score for Hantam Grade R learners (2005) = 26.1
‘Attendance’ In Grade R
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECT
57.9
50.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
RSANorthern Cape
Source: Systemic Evaluation, Northern Cape, Provincial Report, 2003
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTRESULTS
Mean Scholastic Gains
0
50
100
150
Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4
2003
2004
2005
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Reading Spelling Maths + Maths - BasicConcepts
Grade 1: Comparative End Of Year Results
200320042005
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTRESULTS
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTRESULTS
05
1015202530354045
Reading Spelling Maths + Maths - BasicConcepts
Grade 2: Comparative End Of Year Results
2003
2004
2005
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTRESULTS
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Reading Spelling Maths + Maths - BasicConcepts
Grade 3: Comparative End Of Year Results
2003
2004
2005
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTRESULTS
05
1015202530354045505560
Reading Spelling Maths + Maths - BasicConcepts
Grade 4: Comparative End Of Year Results
2003
2004
2005
• Results are encouraging, however, these have not yet been statistically analysed.
• The learners who were in Grade R or Grade 1 at the start of the project appear to have made the most progress. This is in contrast to learners who only started the project in Grade 2 or Grade 3.
• There have been impressive gains in the FP towards Grade level in three of the four scholastic areas assessed since the start of the project.
Mean Gains Reading 50.5%
Maths (+) 49% Maths (-) 48%• It is contended that the mean gains for reading have started to
positively influence the spelling level of Grade 2 and 3 learners (Mean gain of 61% & 27% respectively, since the start of the project).
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTDISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTTheme Writing From The Foundation Phase (2005)
(Grade (Grade 2)2)
‘‘At night I wash and, eat and, watch At night I wash and, eat and, watch
TV and, go to bed. In the morning it is TV and, go to bed. In the morning it is
light. I wear my school uniform and go light. I wear my school uniform and go
to school. At night I can see the stars to school. At night I can see the stars
and moon. During the day I play with and moon. During the day I play with
my dog. Yearstiday it did rain.’my dog. Yearstiday it did rain.’
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTTheme Writing From The Foundation Phase (2005)
(Grade 3)
‘‘During the day I play with my friends. During the day I play with my friends.
During the day it is light. At night I go During the day it is light. At night I go
to bed. At night my brother snores. At to bed. At night my brother snores. At
night I dream. During the day I play night I dream. During the day I play
with my friends cricket. During the day with my friends cricket. During the day
I play ball. At night the stars twinkle. I play ball. At night the stars twinkle.
At night the moon shines.’At night the moon shines.’
A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS A LANGUAGE AND BASIC CONCEPTS PROJECTPROJECTCONCLUSIONS
• The project is premised on the belief that cognitive and language
prerequisites are essential for learning.• Learning of language has therefore been prioritized and has been
linked with learning areas.• Progress of learners is not only attributed to the structured and
effective teaching-learning intervention, but to the systematic
development of the cognitive functioning and language of these
learners.• Language is the central mechanism used to direct learning: words
are used as a stimulus for the advancement of thinking.