Conference Report Goals Conference... · 2.6 Strategies for Sharing Stories with Children: Telling and Reading Ntombizanele Mahobe, Early Literacy Specialist, PRAESA 21 7 Writing2

Common Goals, Shared PurposeStrengthening Reading, Family Learning and the UPE Targets

24-25 January 2011, Cape Town, South Africa

A collaboration between

The British Council, South Africa,

The British Association for Literacy in Development,

Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa

Conference Report

British Association for Literacy in Development (BALID)

BALID aims to:

• promote literacy and numeracy for adults as an integral part of human development

• increase awareness of the relationship between literacy, numeracy, economic development and social change, in partnership with other appropriate organisations

• inform and advise governments, non-governmental agencies and the private sector on adult literacy and numeracy within the context of development

• contribute to programmes for adult literacy and numeracy

• facilitate interactions and exchanges between those working in adult literacy and numeracy

• exchange experiences and research findings in order to inform future practice.

The British Council, South Africa

The British Council builds trust and understanding between people worldwide by enabling them to share ideas and knowledge.

The offices in South Africa are now in their 53rd year of operation, working with South Africans to connect with the very best of the creativity and innovation of the UK. We seek to promote contemporary and innovative work from the UK to audiences in South Africa and around the world, linking thousands of artists and cultural institutions and drawing them into a closer relationship with the UK.

Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA)

PRAESA is an independent research and development unit attached to the Faculty of Education at the University of Cape Town. Established in 1992, PRAESA emerged from the struggle against apartheid education.

PRAESA focuses on language policy in education in order to further the democratisation of South African society. Focal areas of work include language planning and policy formulation at national and provincial government levels, in-service teacher education, developmental research into multilingual classrooms, early literacy and biliteracy, dual-medium primary schooling, language surveys, as well as generating publications and learning support materials.

PRAESA strives to:

• further an additive approach to bilingualism and biliteracy in education

• raise the status of the (official) African languages, particularly isiXhosa in the Western Cape

• assist teachers in coping with the challenges of working in multilingual classrooms

• contribute towards a database of research relating to language policy, planning and practice

• initiate the development of materials for use with children in multilingual situations

• initiate and support community involvement in the development of reading habits and cultural practices through community literacy clubs.

Conference Partners

Education For AllReading, Family Learning and the UPE Targets 1

Contents

Reflections on the Conference 2

1 Executive Summary 3

2 Conference Presentations 6

2.1 LiteracyasSocialPractice: UsingEthnographicPerspectivesin

ProgrammeDevelopment

Brian Street, BALID 6

2.2 WritinginaBrazilianWorkingClassNeighbourhood

Maria Lucia Castanheira, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil 11

2.3 FamilyLearninginCameroon:ProblemsandPossibilities

Ian Cheffy, International Literacy and Education Consultant,

SIL International 14

2.4 CreatingConditionsforBiliteracyDevelopment

inCommunitySettings

Neville Alexander, Director, PRAESA and Carole Bloch,

Co-ordinator, PRAESA Early Literacy Unit 17 2.5 ExposingVulnerableChildrentoStories

throughanAdultLiteracyProgramme

Lynn Stefano, Director, The Family Literacy Project 19

2.6 StrategiesforSharingStorieswithChildren:TellingandReading

Ntombizanele Mahobe, Early Literacy Specialist, PRAESA 21

2.7 WritingtoMakeBooks—WithandForChildren

Xolisa Guzula and Ntombizanele Mahobe, Early Literacy

Specialists, PRAESA 22

2.8 LocalStoriesforFamilyLearning

Brian Street, BALID 23

Appendix: Conference Participants 26

AfullcopyofthisreportmaybedownloadedfromtheBALIDwebsite:www.balid.org.uk

Education For AllReading, Family Learning

and the UPE Targets2

ForBALID,thisconferencewasafollowuptoaFamilyLearningconference,Education for All: Strengthening UPE through Family Learning,heldinSierraLeoneinFebruary2010,areportofwhichhasbeencirculated.TheaimsofBALIDincludepromotinghumandevelopmentthroughliteracy,inpartbymeansoftwo-waylearningbetweentheglobalnorthandglobalsouth.TheCapeTownconferenceamplyfulfilledtheseaims,withparticipationbymanycolleaguesfromSouthAfricaaswellasbymembersoftheBALIDExecutiveCommittee—JulietMcCaffery,IanCheffyandmyself.Wearegratefultoallthespeakersandparticipantsforgenerouslycontributingtheirtimeandenergy,makingtheconferencearichoccasionforsharingandlearning.

OurcolleaguesinPRAESAprovidedexcellentexamplesoflocalcommunitywork,especiallywithchildren.InourvisittotheVulindlelaReadingClubsetupbyPRAESAinthetownshipofLanga,wewereveryimpressedbythecommitmentoftheorganisersandbytheactivitiestakingplace—games,storytelling,

writinganddrawing.These,alongwithothermodesofengagement,suchasdanceandsong,areapproachesthatfitwellwiththesocialpracticeapproachthattakesliteracylearningbeyondthenarrowconfinesofdecoding,grammarandvocabulary.Discussionoftheseissuestookplacebothinthescheduledsessionsandinmoreinformalmeetingsbeforeandaftertheconferenceandtheylaidthegroundforfruitfulcollaborationinthefuture.

InthisandtheconferenceinSierraLeone,theBritishCouncilhasplayedakeysupportiveroleinprovidingfacilities,excellentfoodandvitalliaisonwithlocalgroupsinthefield.BALIDandPRAESAareverygratefultotheBritishCouncilforthisassistance.BALIDwillbecirculatingcopiesofthisreporttoBritishCouncilofficeswithaviewtoplanningsucheventsinthefuture.

FromtheBALIDperspective,thesuccessofthesetwoFamilyLearningconferencesgivesustheincentiveandconfidencetocontinuetheserieswithfurtherconferencesofthiskindinothercountriesinAfrica.

Reflections on the Conference Brian Street, President of BALID

MycolleaguesandIfromtheBritishCouncil,SouthAfricadirectorate,weredelightedtopartnerwithtwoleadinginternationalliteracyandchangeagencies,theProjectfortheStudyofAlternativeEducationinSouthAfrica(PRAESA)basedattheUniversityofCapeTown(SA)andtheBritishAssociationforLiteracyinDevelopment(BALID),onThe Common Goals, Shared Purpose Community LiteracyConferenceinJanuary2011.

Theconferenceprovidedanimportantspaceforcommunityliteracypractitionersandacademicstobeengagedwithsomeofthepracticalapproachestodevelopingliteratureandcultivatingacultureofreadingforenjoyment.Indoingso,theylookedatsomeofthestrategiesusedforliteracyindevelopment.Attheconference,participantsweregivenanopportunitytoexplorebestpractices,shareexperiences,andlookatimprovingsomeofthechallengestheyfaceinfacilitatingreadingratherthanteachingreadingintheconventionalway.

TheconferencewasanopportunityfortheBritishCounciltoengagewithsomeofthework

oftheseorganisationsandtohaveabetterunderstandingoftheworkdonebyvolunteersthroughthemanyreadingclubsrunontheweekends.Forus,theinteractionbetweencommunityliteracyworkers,academicsandofficialsfromtheeducationdepartmentwasonethatisnecessaryandthatneedstobefurthersupported.Theactofworkingtogetherandpoolingtheexperiences,resourcesandenergyfromalltheparticipatingorganisationswillonlystrengthentheresolvetopromotereadingandlearninginnewandinnovativeways.AsNtombizaneleMahobe,afacilitator,translatorandstorytellerfromPRAESAsaid,“Organisationsneedstobemoreproactiveinsharingideas,volunteersandresourceswhenworkinginthesamecommunities”.

Furthermore,thiswasanopportunitytobuildonthepartnershipestablishedwiththeworkthatBALIDconductedwithourBritishCouncilcolleaguesinSierraLeoneonStrengthening Universal Primary Education through Family Learning in February 2010.

Jean September, Deputy Director British Council, South Africa (Cape Town)


FamilyLearninginitiatives,whichbringtogetherparentsandchildrentoenhancelearninginbothgenerationssimultaneously,canmakeasignificantcontributiontotheachievementofinternationaltargetsforeducation,assetoutintheEducationforAllgoalsestablishedinDakarin2000,andintheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsagreedbytheUnitedNationsinthesameyear.

Theinternationalcommunityurgentlyneedstoaddresstheeducationalneedsofthemostdisadvantagedpeople.Over758millionadultsintheworldarenotliterate.Ofthese,over99%liveindevelopingcountries,themajorityinSub-SaharanAfricaandCentral,EastandWestAsia.Morethan68millionchildrenindevelopingcountriesareoutofschool,and17%ofchildreninthesecountriesfailtocompleteprimaryeducation.Manywhocompleteprimaryschoolfailtoentersecondaryschool(UNESCO2010).

ItisthereforeessentialthatallthosewithaninterestineducationandespeciallyinthegoalofUniversalPrimaryEducation(UPE)shouldconsiderwhattheycandotoimprovetheeducationalexperienceofthechildrenandyoungpeopleoftheworld.Thisconference,entitledCommon Goals, Shared Purpose: Reading, Family Learning and the UPE Targets,providedonesuchopportunityforreflectionleadingtostimulusforaction.

FamilyLearning(alsoknownasFamilyLiteracy)buildsonthestrongfoundationprovidedbythecloserelationshipbetweenparentsandchildrenandthedesireofparentstopromotetheirchildren’sdevelopmentineveryrespect.Theseinitiativesofferameansforparentswhoseeducationalexperiencemaybelimitedornon-existenttogivetheirchildrenabetterchanceinlife,andtopromotetheirowneducationalachievementatthesametime.WhiletheformofFamilyLearningvariesaccordingtolocalcontextsandneeds,projectssharemanypositiveoutcomesthroughenablingparentstobeactivelyinvolvedintheeducationoftheirchildren.Researchindicatesthattheimpactonchildren’seducationachievementbroughtaboutbytheinvolvementofparentsintheirchildren’seducationisgreaterthanthatbroughtaboutbythequalityoftheirchildren’sschool(DesforgesandAbouchaar2003).

Conference background

TheconferencewasjointlyhostedbytheBritishAssociationforLiteracyinDevelopment(BALID),theBritishCouncil,andtheProjectfortheStudyofAlternativeEducationinSouthAfrica

(PRAESA).ThecomplementaritybetweenBALID,theBritishCouncilandPRAESAbroughtaspecialrichnesstotheconferenceaseachorganisationapproachedthethemeofconferencefromtheirparticularperspective.

ForBALID,FamilyLearningbringsadoublebenefitinthecontributionitmakestoboththeachievementofUPEandtherealisationofgreaterliteracyamongadults,especiallyindevelopingcountries.ForPRAESA,theinvolvementofcommunitymembers,includingparentsintheeducationoftheirchildren,andtheencouragementandstimuluswhichtheycangivetotheirchildrenthroughsharedinteractioninreadingandwriting,areessentialifchildrenaretoacquireanenthusiasmforreadingandachievetheireducationalpotential.FortheBritishCouncilinSouthAfrica,theconferencemadeasignificantcontributiontoitsgoalsoffacilitatinginterculturalexchangebetweentheUKandSouthAfricaandtheprofessionaldevelopmentofSouthAfricaneducators.JustastheimpactofFamilyLearningarisesfromtheinteractionbetweenadultsandchildren,sothesuccessofthisconferencewasduetothedynamicinteractionbetweenthethreecollaboratingorganisations.

Over80peopleattendedtheconference,includingacademicsandpractitioners,teachers,educatorsandNGOstaff.WhilemanywereworkinginSouthAfrica,thiswasaninternationalconferencewhichattractedparticipantsfromEuropeaswellasfromNorthandSouthAmerica.

TheconferencewasafurtherexpressionofBALID’scommitmenttopromoteliteracyindevelopmentandtocontributetotheEducationforAllgoalsthroughhighlightingthecontributionofFamilyLearningandLiteracy.Itwasthethirdinaseriesofconferencesonthistheme,followingothersinLondonin2007andinSierraLeonein2010.

Conference presentations

Theconferenceprogrammewasstructuredovertwodaysaroundaseriesofplenaryandparallelsessions,someofatheoreticalnaturewhileotherswerefirmlypractical.

FamilyLearning,underpinnedbyanawarenessofliteracypracticeswithinthecommunityoftheparentsandtheirchildren,canbeparticularlyeffectiveinpromotingliteracyandeducation.Thisapproachtoliteracy,whichwasexplainedbyBrianStreet,wasnewtomanyoftheparticipants,whofoundthatitofferedthem

1 Executive Summary



usefulinsightswhichtheycouldapplyintheirwork.HisexplanationoftheethnographicapproachestoliteracysensitisedthemtothecomplexityoflocalliteracypracticesandofferedavenuesforincorporatingthemintoFamilyLearninginitiatives.

MariaLuciaCastanheira’spresentationonherresearchinBrazilprovidedanexampleoftheethnographicapproachbeingusedtoidentifylocalliteracies.HerlongitudinalstudyofaworkingclassdistrictofBeloHorizonteshowedhowliteracywasintegraltolifeinthecommunity,eveniftheeducationalachievementleveloftheresidentswaslow.Nevertheless,theopportunitiestomakeuseofreadingandwritinghaveincreasedinthelast20years.Thisservestoremindfamilylearningpractitionerstobecontinuallyresponsivetochanginglocalpracticesandusesofliteracy.

IanCheffy’spresentationpointedtowaysinwhichFamilyLearningcouldaddresstheeducationalchallengesfacedbydevelopingcountries.InCameroon,inspiteofconsiderableimprovementsinrecentyears,manychildrenfailtocompleteprimaryschoolandasubstantialproportionofadultsarenotliterate.ThesechallengesareexacerbatedbythelinguisticcomplexityofthecountrywhichresultsinmanychildrenbeingtaughtinFrenchorEnglisheventhoughtheyhavelimitedgraspofthoselanguages.Ian’sexampleofaFamilyLearningprojectinonecommunitydemonstratedhowthisapproachcanbeparticularlyeffectivewhenitisbuiltonexistingstrongrelationshipswithinthefamilyandonanestablishedcultureinwhichparentsexpecttotakeresponsibilityfortheirchildren’sreligiouseducationandtheirtraininginlifeskills.FamilyLearninginthelanguagespokenathomebyparentsandtheirchildrenbringssignificantbenefits.

NevilleAlexander,thedirectorofPRAESA,providedaninspirationalexampleofFamilyLearninginpracticeashedescribedtheworkofPRAESAandinparticulartheVulindlelaReadingClubswhichhavehadaverysignificantimpactonchildrenandparent’sengagementwithbooksinthepoorestcommunitiesofSouthAfrica.SomeoftheconferenceparticipantshadgreatlyenjoyedvisitingoneoftheReadingClubsbeforetheconferencebegan.

Thefirstreadingclub,asCaroleBloch,theCoordinatorofthePRAESAEarlyLiteracyUnit,explained,wasestablishedin2006.SincethenothershavebeenestablishedinCapeTownandfurtherafieldinSouthAfrica.Relyingontrainedvolunteersandparents,theclubsattractseveralhundredchildrenwhomeetregularlyeachweekbecauseoftheirloveofreading.Theyprovidechildrenwiththeopportunitiestoreadforpleasurewhichareoftenunavailableinschoolbecauseofthelackofawarenessofthedeepsignificanceoffreereadingforeducation,the

pressuresoftheschoolcurriculaandtheemphasisplacedonlearningtheskillsofreadingandwriting.Thechildrenrangeinagefrompre-schooltoearlyteenage.Clubmeetingsincludegames,storytelling,freereading,andwriting.BothisiXhosaandEnglishareusedthroughouttheclubmeetings,thuspromotingbiliteracy,anessentialaccomplishmentinmultilingualSouthAfrica.

Anotherpowerfulexampleofawell-developedFamilyLearningprojectmakingasignificantdifferenceinthecommunitywasprovidedbyLynnStefano,directorofTheFamilyLiteracyProjectinKwaZuluNatal.BuildingontheReflectapproachinadultliteracy,theprojectintroducesthethemeoffamilyliteracyasoneofthetopicsexploredbytheadultsinvolved.FamilyLearningisthensupportedinpracticebythemothersreadingwiththeirchildren,borrowingbooksfromalocallibraryandwritingletterstooneanother.Socialinteractionbetweenthemothersencouragesthemtofurtheractivitywiththeirchildrenandfurtherinvolvementinlearning.Theprojectamplyillustrateshowreadingbookstogethercanstimulatethejoyofreadinginbothchildrenandtheirparents.

StoriesoccupyaprominentplaceinFamilyLearning,whethertoldorallyorreadinabook.Whenwellwrittenandtoldinalivelymanner,theyareasourceofgreatpleasurewhichstimulatesreadersandhearerstoexplorefurthertherichworldofliterature.ThevividdemonstrationsofeffectivestorytellingbyPRAESAstaffwilllingerlonginthememoriesoftheparticipants.

TheworkshopledbyNtombizaneleMahobeofPRAESAfocusedonhowtosharestorieswithchildren,whetherorallyorwhenreading,insuchawayastoexcitetheirinterest.Atalltimesstorytellingandreadingmustbeseentobeenjoyableandfun.

NtombizanelewasjoinedbyhercolleagueXolisaGuzulainasecondworkshopwhichshowedhowtellingstories,readingandwritingareallintertwined.Tellingstorieswithchildrenleadsintomakingbookswithandforchildren.Adultscanhelpchildrentowritedowntheirownexperiences.

BrianStreet’ssessiontookthethemeofliteraturefurtherandintroducedaninternationalcomparativeperspectivebygivingparticipantstheopportunitytodiscussthemeritsofexamplesofliteraturefromSierraLeoneandUgandaandtocomparethemwiththosefoundinSouthAfrica.Thiswasoneofthemostanimatedsessionsoftheconference,especiallyasitgavetheparticipantsanopportunitytoexpresstheirownenthusiasmforliteratureandforpassingthisontoothers.


Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Thiswasamostsuccessfulconference,asevidencedbythecommentsmadeintheevaluationexercisewhenmanyparticipantsindicatedthattheyhadnotonlyenjoyedtheconferencebuthadalsofounditusefulandrelevanttotheirsituationsandconcerns.Severalcommentedthattheywouldhavelikedtheconferenceandtheindividualsessions,especiallythepracticalworkshops,tohavebeenlonger.Thebenefitoftheconference,andthedesireforfurtherlearningopportunitiesofthiskind,isveryevident.

Theparticipantsenjoyedthemixtureofpracticeandtheoryandfeltthatallthesessionswererelevanttothem.Anumberexpressedtheirappreciationfortheintroductorysessiononliteracyasasocialpracticeandfortheopportunitytolearnfromtheexperiencesofothers.Theyenjoyedthestorytellingsfromothercountries,andweregladtoputtheirownexperienceinthewiderperspectiveofferedbylearningofcontextsofSouthAfrica.SomeparticipantsfromoutsidetheWesternCapeappearedtoknowlittleofPRAESA’sinitiativesinrunningtheVulindlelaClubs;theideaofthecommunityReadingClubswasnewtomanyandsomeweremotivatedtostartsimilarclubsintheirowncommunities.

Commentsreceivedalsoindicatedthattheconferenceprovidedavaluedopportunityforprofessionalinteraction.Acommoncomplaintwasthateveryonewassobusywiththeirownprojectsthattheybarelyhadtimetotakeaccountofthoseofothers,eventhoseinorneartheirownlocality.Conferencessuchasthisserveanimportantroleinenablingpeopletointeractwithoneanother.

Severalsuggestionsweremadeforadditionalitemsforinclusiononanothersimilaroccasion.Theseincluded:

• themechanicsandprocessesofstartingandsupportingareadingclub

• invitingthegovernmenttoattendsuchconferencesandexploringwaystoworktogether

• informationonwaystosustainvoluntaryorganisations

• apracticalbook-makingworkshop,and

• moretimetonetworkandlearnabouteachothers’projectsandexperiences.

Again,aclearmessagehereforfutureconferencesseemstobethatpeoplewantmoretime.Conferenceorganisersshouldnotunderestimatetheamountoftimewhichpeoplewillgivetowhattheyseeasofclearbenefittothem.

Theorganisationofafuturesimilareventcouldbeimprovedbygivingmoreattentiontofacilitatinginteractionbetweenparticipantsthroughcirculatingalistofparticipantsandtheirorganisations,givingtimetoself-introductionsandgivingmoreattentiontowelcomingpeoplewhowerecomingtosuchaneventforthefirsttime.

Othercommentsofapracticalnaturereinforcedtheneedtoensurethatthemeetingroomswereconducivetopromotedgroupinteraction,thatpresenterscouldbeeasilyheard,andthatwatershouldbeavailableforparticipantsatalltimes.

Thehighnumberofpositivecomments,theappreciationoftheinputs,thedesireformoretimeandformoreinformationshowthattheconferencemetanimportantpreviouslyunmetneedforinformationandexchangeofideasandthatitopenedupfuturepossibilitiesforanumberofparticipants.

TheBALIDmemberspresentwerereinforcedintheircommitmenttoholdmoresuchconferencesonthisthemeinotherpartsofAfrica.

References

Desforges, C. and Abouchaar, A.(2003)The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievements and Adjustment: A Literature Review Research Report RR433London:DepartmentforEducationandSkills

UNESCO(2010)EFA Global Monitoring Report Paris:UNESCO



Brian’s presentation at the opening of the conference indicated the kinds of approaches to literacy learning—notably the recognition of literacy as social practice—which are evident in the work of BALID and of other organisations working in literacy and development, such as PRAESA, Uppingham Seminars, and Education for Development. After summarising the aims and vision of BALID, he illustrated the social practice approach by describing some programmes based in the Letter Project for helping literacy tutors to take local practices into account in their teaching. This understanding of literacy can inform Family Learning projects in a powerful way.

The session generated a considerable amount of discussion. Many of the attendees were very interested in the issues which Brian raised, and in particular the relationship between a social practice approach to literacy and the work in which they were involved locally, through the rich variety of organisations which had come together for the conference.

BALID Aims, Vision and Approaches

Aim:

Promotinghumandevelopmentthroughliteracy

Vision:

Thatalladultshaveaccesstohighqualityopportunitiestodevelopliteracyandnumeracytomeettheiraspirations

Approaches:

• Increaseawarenessoftherelationshipbetweenliteracy,numeracy,economicdevelopmentandsocialchange,inpartnershipwithappropriateorganisations.

• Promotetwowaylearningbetweentheglobalnorthandglobalsouthinrelationtoliteracyandnumeracy.

TheLetterProject(LearningEmpowermentThroughTraininginEthnographicResearch)addressestheseaimsbyworkingwithfourlevelsofparticipants:literacyandnumeracylearnersintheircontext,teachers,trainersoftheteachersand,lastly,tutorstrainingthetrainers.Inaddition,thoseinvolved,notablyAlanRogers,BrianStreetandDaveBakerfromtheUK,MaliniGhosefromNirantarinIndia,AlemaGebreinEthiopia,andGeorgeOpenjuruinUganda,haveproducedpublicationsandconductedresearchontheproject(seereferencesbelow).LetterworkshopshavebeenheldinIndia,EthiopiaandUgandaanditishopedtoholdfurtherworkshopsinTanzania,Mexico,BrazilandSouthAfrica.

ConsideringliteracyassocialpracticeassumesthatwearedealingwithwhatBrianterms‘localliteracies’inthepluralratherthanasingleuniformthingcalledliteracy.Whilstthedominantperspectivetendstofocusonwhathewouldterm‘schooledliteracy’,itisimportantforteachersandfacilitatorstoalsorecognisethesignificanceforlearnersoftheirownlocalliteracies,theirusesof,forexample,commercialorreligiousliteracypractices.

Theapproachtoliteracyassocialpracticebuildsonadistinctionbetweenan‘autonomous’modelandan‘ideological’modelofliteracy(Street1984).The‘autonomous’modelofliteracyworksfromtheassumptionthatliteracyinitself—autonomously—willhaveeffectsonothersocialandcognitivepractices.Thismodel,heargues,disguisestheculturalandideologicalassumptionsthatunderpinitwhichcanthenbepresentedasthoughtheyareneutralanduniversal.Researchinthesocialpracticeapproachchallengesthisviewandsuggeststhatinpracticedominantapproachesbasedontheautonomousmodelaresimplyimposingwestern(orurbanetc.)conceptionsofliteracyontoothercultures(Street2001).

Thealternative,ideological,modelofliteracyoffersamoreculturallysensitiveviewofliteracypracticesastheyvaryfromonecontexttoanother.Thismodelstartsfromdifferentpremisesthantheautonomousmodel.Itpositsinsteadthatliteracyisasocialpractice,notsimplyatechnicalandneutralskill,andthatitisalwaysembeddedinsociallyconstructedepistemologicalprinciples.Thewaysinwhichpeopleaddressreadingandwritingarethemselvesrootedinconceptionsofknowledge,

2 Conference Presentations

2.1Literacy as Social Practice: Using Ethnographic Perspectives in Programme Development

Brian Street President, BALID


identityandbeing.Literacy,inthissense,isalwayscontested,bothitsmeaningsanditspractices,henceparticularversionsofitarealways‘ideological’,theyarealwaysrootedinaparticularworld-viewandadesireforthatviewofliteracytodominateandtomarginaliseothers.

Theargumentaboutsocialliteracies(Street1995)suggeststhatengagingwithliteracyisalwaysasocialactevenfromtheoutset,ratherthanassumingthatliteracycanbelearned‘autonomously’,asitwere,andthentakenoutintosocietyafterwards.Thewaysinwhichteachersorfacilitatorsandtheirstudentsinteractisalreadyasocialpracticethataffectsthenatureoftheliteracybeinglearnedandtheideasaboutliteracyheldbytheparticipants,especiallythenewlearnersandtheirpositioninrelationsofpower.Itisnotvalidtosuggestthat‘literacy’canbe‘given’neutrallyandthenits‘social’effectsonlyexperiencedor‘addedon’afterwards.Forthesereasons,aswellasbecauseofthefailureofmanytraditionalliteracyprogrammes(Abadzi1996;Street1999),academics,researchersandpractitionersworkinginliteracyindifferentpartsoftheworldarebeginningtocometotheconclusionthattheautonomousmodelofliteracyonwhichmuchofthepracticeandprogrammeshavebeenbasedisnotanappropriateintellectualtool,eitherforunderstandingthediversityofreadingandwritingaroundtheworldorfordesigningthepracticalprogrammesthisrequiredwhichmaybebettersuitedtoanideologicalmodel(Aikman1999;Heath1983;Doronilla1996;Hornberger1997,2002;Kalman1999;King1994;Robinson-Pant1997;Wagner1993).

Thequestionthisapproachraisesforpolicymakersandprogrammedesignersisnotsimplythatofthe‘impact’ofliteracy—tobemeasuredintermsofaneutraldevelopmentalindex—butratherofhowlocalpeople‘takehold’ofthenewcommunicativepracticesbeingintroducedtothem,asKulick&Stroud’s(1993)ethnographicdescriptionofmissionariesbringingliteracytoNewGuineavillagersmakesclear.Literacy,inthissense,isalreadypartofapowerrelationshipandhowpeople‘takehold’ofitiscontingentonsocialandculturalpracticesandnotjustonpedagogicandcognitivefactors.Thisraisesquestionsthatneedtobeaddressedinanyliteracyprogramme:Whatisthepowerrelationbetweentheparticipants?Whataretheresources?Wherearepeoplegoingiftheytakeononeliteracyratherthananotherliteracy?Howdorecipientschallengethedominantconceptionsofliteracy?

Inordertobegintofindoutabouttheselocalmeanings,facilitatorsandtrainersintheLetterProjectexposethelearnerstoethnographicperspectives.ThisiswellcapturedbyrecountingtheBuddhiststoryoftheTurtleandtheFish,whichillustratestheerrorofethnocentrism.

There was once a turtle who lived in a lake with a group of fish. One day the turtle went for a walk on dry land. He was away from the lake for a few weeks. When he returned he met some of the fish. The fish asked him,

“Mister Turtle, hello! How are you? We have not seen you for a few weeks. Where have you been?”

The turtle said, “I was up on the land, I have been spending some time on dry land.”

The fish were a little puzzled and they said, “Up on dry land? What are you talking about? What is this dry land? Is it wet?” The turtle said, “No, it is not.” “Is it cool and refreshing?” “No, it is not.” “Does it have waves and ripples?” “No, it does not have waves and ripples.” “Can you swim in it?” “No, you can’t.” So the fish said, “It is not wet, it is not cool, there are no waves, you can’t swim in it. So this dry land of yours must be completely non-existent, just an imaginary thing, nothing real at all.”

The turtle said, “Well, that may be so.” And he left the fish and went for another walk on dry land.

Anotherversionofthestoryendsinthisway:

The fish said, “Don’t tell us what it isn’t. Tell us what it is.” “I can’t,” said the turtle. “I don’t have any language to describe it.”

Thestoryshowshowethnographicperspectivescanhelpthefish,who,likeus,mightthinkthateveryoneisswimminginthesamesea,torecognisethedifferentwaysofbeing,thedifferentmeaningsthatlearnersengagein.Withregardtoliteracythismaymeanthatthereadingandwritingpracticeswhichteachersarefamiliarwith,thattheycommonlyswimin,maynotbethesameasthoseoftheirlearnerswhomay,asitwere,beondrylandengagingindifferentusesofreadingandwriting.Theusesofliteracyforlocalcommercialpractices,writingnotesandrecords,keepingnotesoftheweightandnumbersofobjectsbeingsold,maybequitedifferentfromtheformaltextbookkindofliteracyfamiliarinschools.



Afurtherconceptualissueiswhatiscurrentlytermed‘multimodality’—therecognitionthatmeaningcomesinmanymodes,visual,sound,movementetc,andnotjustwriting.Indeed,formanyoftheparticipants,afirstmoveinhelpinglearnersacquireliteracyisoftentodanceandsingandtoprovidevisualdisplays,suchasintheSaturdaymorningVulindlelaReadingClubheldatLanga,alocaltownshipinCapeTown.

Asissuggestedbytheaccompanyingphotographs(seepage10)ofexamplesofwritingonlocalwalls,oftheuseofbowlsformeasurement,ofdifferentscriptsandlanguages,teachersshouldnotsimplyassumethattheirlocalenvironmentis‘illiterate’,asmanynationalandinternationalpolicydocumentstendtoimply.Thesephotographspointtoanumberoffeaturesoflocalliteracypracticeswhichteachersshouldbealertto,andwhichtheymightbuilduponinafamilylearningprogramme:

• surfaces/materials/resources—ephemeral/permanent;permitted/transgressed

• askingwhichlanguages/whichscriptsareusedforwhichpurposes

• orthography—varyingresponsestoprescriptiverules,punctuation,spellingetc;scripts/typewriter

• modality;e.g.writtenvs.visual,spoken,gesture

• genrese.g.notices,books,messages,instructions

• notices/signs—forinformation/instruction/literary/interactionORnonotices—forexclusion/privacy

• bookse.g.religious,‘heritage’.

TeacherscanlearnfromtheTurtleandFishstorywhichunderlinestheneedtolistentoothers,andtounderstandvarietyanddifference.Ausefulwayofdoingthiscouldbethroughtheuseofethnographicperspectives.

Thefollowingguidanceishelpfultofamilylearningpractitionersapplyingasocialpracticeperspectivewhichdiffersfromthedominantmodelsofliteracythattheyarelikelytohaveencountered:

Avoid:

• animposedoutsideview,e.g.internationalornationalpolicies,typifiedbytheEducationforAllGlobalMonitoringReportandtheWorldBank

• conceptssuchas‘theydonothave’/‘illiteracy’

• wrongmetaphors:‘fillingemptyvessels’;‘banking’.

Work with local meanings and uses:

• startfromwherelearners/localpeopleare

• useethnographicperspectiveswithteachersandtrainers

• recognisemultiple,diverse,‘mobile’languageandliteracyuses

• developappropriatemetaphorsforworkingwiththelocal,e.g.building,bridging,scaffolding.

Resources on Literacy as a Social Practice

Letter Project

Gebre, A., Openjuru, G., Rogers, A. and Street, B. (2009)Everyday Literacies in Africa: Ethnographic Studies of Literacy and Numeracy Practices in EthiopiaAddisAbaba:FountainPublishers

Nabi, R., Rogers, A. and Street, B. (2009)Hidden Literacies: Ethnographic Case Studies of Literacy and Numeracy from PakistanBurySt.Edmunds,UK:UppinghamPress

Nirantar(2007)Exploring the Everyday: Ethnographic Approaches to Literacy and Numeracywww.nirantar.orgDelhi:Nirantar

Street, B.V., Rogers, A. and Baker, D.A.(2006)Adult Teachers as Researchers: Ethnographic Approaches to Numeracy and Literacy as Social Practices in South Asia”Convergence,XXXIX(1)pp31–44Montevideo,Uruguay:InternationalCouncilforAdultEducation/NIACE

Literacy and Development

Abadzi, H.(2003)Improving Adult Literacy OutcomesWashington:WorldBank

Aikman, S.(1999)Intercultural Education and Literacy: an Ethnographic Study of Indigenous Knowledge and Learning in the Peruvian AmazonAmsterdam:Benjamins

Canieso-Doronilla, M.L.(1996) Landscapes of Literacy: an Ethnographic Study of Functional Literacy in Marginal Philippine CommunitiesHamburg:InstituteforEducation


Hornberger, N.(1997)‘IndigenousLiteraciesintheAmericas’inHornberger,N.(ed)Indigenous Literacies in the AmericasBerlin:MoutondeGruyter

Hornberger, N. ed. (2003)Continua of Biliteracy:a Framework for Educational Policy,Research and Practice in Multilingual SettingsClevedon,UK:MultilingualMatters

Kalman, J. (1999)Writing on the Plaza: Mediated Literacy Practices among Scribes and Clients in Mexico CityCresskill,NJ:HamptonPress

King, L. (1994)Roots of Identity: Language and Literacy in MexicoStanford:StanfordUniversityPress

Kulick, D. & Stroud, C.(1993)‘ConceptionsandUsesofLiteracyinaPapuaNewGuineanVillage’inStreet,B.(ed.)Cross-Cultural Approaches to LiteracyCambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress

Prinsloo, M. and Breier, M.(1996)The Social Uses of Literacy: Theory and Practice in Contemporary South AfricaBertsham,SA:SachedBooks(Pty)Ltd.

Robinson-Pant, A.(1997)Why Eat Green Cucumber at the Time of Dying?: The Link between Women’s Literacy and DevelopmentHamburg:UNESCOInstituteforEducation

Rogers, A. (2003)Teaching Adults(ThirdEd.)Buckingham:OpenUniversityPress

Street, B.(1984) Literacy in Theory and Practice Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress

Street, B.(1995)Social LiteraciesLondon:Longman

Street, B. ed. (2001)Literacy and Development:Ethnographic PerspectivesLondon:Routledge



Fig. 1 Dalit women and local measure of quantity (D. Baker)

Fig. 2 Multiple scripts in Ethiopia (B. Street)

Fig. 3 Panchang (religious calendar, India) Purnima

Fig. 4 Writing on the wall of a house in Ethiopia (Negussie Hailu)

(Trans: “I became lonely in order to make my life easier [because] today’s friend is tomorrow’s enemy”.)

Illustrations of the social practice approach


Maria Lucia’s presentation discussed her longitudinal research project which has demonstrated how changes in the local environment impact the literacy practices of the people. Family literacy practitioners need to be sensitive and responsive to the changing practices of people in their context.

Although her presentation examined literacy practices in Brazil, the conclusions which she drew are applicable all around the world.

Introduction

InthistextIpresentdatafromethnographicresearchofwritinginvolvingworkingclassfamilieswholiveinTrombetas,adistrictontheoutskirtsofBeloHorizonte,Brazil.Thesefamiliesparticipatedinacasestudythatexaminedthewaysinwhichchildrenfromtheirneighbourhoodhadaccesstowritinginandoutofschool.Datacollectionforthestudyoccurredin1988and1989.Twodecadeslater,in2009,IreturnedtoTrombetas,tore-encounterthechildrenandtheirfamiliesthatparticipatedinthispreviousresearchandtoinitiateasecondcasestudywiththem.Sincethen,Ihavehadtheopportunitytovisitandinterviewmembersofthreeofthesefamiliesabouttheroleofliteracyintheirlivesandthoseoftheirchildren.

Thisprojectenablesacomparisonoflivingconditionsacrossthreegenerationsofthesefamilies:childreninterviewedbeforearenowadults,havechildrenoftheirownand,insomecases,livewithorclosetotheirparents.Theseaspectsraisedthefollowingquestions:Whatchangeshaveoccurredinthelargercontextthatmighthaveinfluencedchangesintheconditionsinwhichthesefamilieslive?Howhavethesechangesaffectedtheirusesofwriting/literacy?Toaddressthesequestions,Iexaminemydataarchivesguidedbythefollowingquestion:Whatchangescanbeidentifiedbycontrastingpictures,fieldnotes,interviewtranscriptsfrom1988–1989andthoseproducedin2009–2010?Thecomparativeanalysisbetweenthetwodataarchivesshowedthatsignificantchangesoccurredinthreeareas:economic,religious,andhome/schoolliteracy.Inthispaper,Iwilldevelopabriefdiscussioninrelationtothefirstareaandsomeofitsimplicationforliteracy.

Living and writing in Trombetas in late 1980s

ThefirstmembersofthesefamiliesarrivedinthecityofBeloHorizonteinthe1970scomingfromruralareas.Atthattime,internalmigrationwasintensifyingasaresultofstructuralchangesintheBrazilianeconomythatwasmovingfromanagrariantoanindustrializedmodel.Inthelate60s,newlawsredefiningruralworkingcontractsandcropsharingmadeworkingconditionsevenmoredifficultforworkersintheruralareas.Incontrast,thenewindustrialeconomicmodelpromotedthedevelopmentofindustrialareasinmajorBraziliancitiesandattractedfamiliessearchingfornewjobopportunities.Themajorityofmigrantswenttoliveinfavelasorshantytownsontheoutskirtsofbigcities,wheretheinfrastructurefortransport,electricity,waterandsewerwasminimalornon-existent.Asanunqualifiedworkforcewithnoschooling,oronlyfewyearsofschoolingatbest,theywerecontractedforverylowpayment,receivingaminimalwageornoteventhat.ApictureofTrombetasfrom1988(Fig.1),whenthefirststudywasconducted,showsthecharacteristicsofthisneighbourhood18yearsafterthefirstarrivalsinthearea.Atthattime,Brazilwasgoingthrougheconomicrecession.Trombetascontinuedtobewithoutbasicinfrastructureandmanypeoplelosttheirjobs.

WritingwasnotyetveryvisibleinthepublicspacesofTrombetas.Forexample,signsindicatingthenamesofstreetsorthenumberofthehouseswerescarcelypresent.Besidesthat,theonlylibraryintheareawastheschoollibrarythatwasnotinuseevenforthestudents.However,visitingthehousesandinterviewingchildrenandadults,itwaspossibletounravel

2.2 Writing in a Brazilian Working Class Neighbourhood

Maria Lucia CastanheiraFederal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Fig. 1 Trombetas in 1988



someofthewaysinwhichwritingwaspartoftheirdailylives.Foradults,readingwasnecessary,forexample,toreadbills,totakenotesofdebtinthemarket,toreceiveandsendpersonalletters,andtoidentifywhichbusestotake.Asmanyofthemhadonlyafewyearsofschoolingorhadnotevenhadthechancetogotoschool,theyfoundworkascleaners,masons,orstreetsellerswithnoformalcontract,jobswhich,accordingtotheadultsinterviewed,didnotrequirewriting.Someparentsexpressedtheirworriesaboutnothavingmoneytogiveabetterlifetotheirchildren,suchasbybuyingbooksorsendingthemtobetterschools.Somemothersmentionedthattheybroughtusedtextbooks,donatedfromthehouseswheretheyworkedascleanersormaids.Mostofall,itwasclearthatadultsmadeeffortstopreparetheirkidstoenterelementaryschool,hopingthatschoolingwouldgivethemabetterchanceinlife.

Thestudyalsoshowedthatchildrenengagedwithwritinginmanywaysastheyparticipatedinactivitiesdevelopedbyadultsorplayedwithfriends.Theyalsodemonstratedtheirknowledgeofusesandfunctionsofliteracyinvarioussituations.Sometimes,theyweretheonestoreadaletterortowritetheanswertoit.Ayoungerone,agedfour,readandcommentedaboutthesoftdrinkbrandlabelwrittenonthebagIcarriedwithmyresearchparaphernalia.Heroldersisterexplainedthatshehadlearnedbyhelpingtheirfatherinthebar.AchildplayingonthestreetpointedouttomethenumberofahousehangingfromaTVantenna,whileotherscomparedmyresearchnotebookwiththeirparents’notebooktoregistermoneyowed.Inmanyhouses,notebooksliketheoneshowninFig.2wereusedcollectivelybyfamilymembers.Notebooksfromschoolwereusedandre-usedmanytimestoteachthosepreparingtogotoschoolthea-e-i-o-u,syllablesandnumbers.Theinfluencesoftheschoolingapproachwereeasilyidentifiedinsuchpractices,giventhatparentsoroldersiblingswouldusetheirownlivedexperienceinschooltodeveloptheseactivities.

Living and writing in Trombetas in 2009 and 2010

ThetwopicturespresentedbelowhelptoshowchangesthathavetakenplaceinTrombetasover

thelasttwodecades,comparedwithwhatisshowninFigure1.

Fromtheearly1990s,theBrazilianeconomygraduallybecamemorestable.InflationsomehowcameundercontrolandtheindustrialareaofthecitywhereTrombetasissituatedhas,sincethen,increasedthenumberofindustriesandservices.In2009and2010,changesinlandscapeoftheareareflecttheinvestmentofthestateandmunicipalityinthisareawithimprovementofurbaninfrastructure,whichhasmadelifebetterforitsresidents(seeFigs.3and4).Overtheyears,familieshaveimprovedtheirhousesorbuiltanewunitonthesamepieceoflandforrelativeswhohaveestablishedanewfamily.Thepeopleinterviewedmanifestedtheirsatisfactioninexperiencingsomedegreeofworkingstability,andmanyofthemarenolongerintheinformaljobmarket.Secondgenerationmenandwomenofthesefamiliescontinuetoworkasmasons,cleanersormaids,althoughsomeareworkingasteachersorsecretaries.Wheninterviewed,someofthesecondgenerationaffirmedthattheirjobdoesnotinvolvemuchwritingandthatafteralongjourneytoandfromworktheydonothavetheenergyforreading.

Fig. 2. Notebooks

Fig. 3 Trombetas in 2010

Fig. 4 Street in Trombetas 2010


Analysisofschoolingacrossthethreegenerationsoffamiliesinterviewedshowsthatthesecondgenerationstayedlongerinschoolsthanthepreviousone,atleastcompletingelementaryschoolbeforestartingwork,andafewofthemfinishedhighschoolinthenormalexpectedtime.Teenagers,thethirdgenerationofthesefamilies,havenotyetbeenpressedtoleaveschoolinordertowork,ashappenedwiththeirparents.ThevisibilityofwritingonthestreetsofTrombetasindicateshowmuchtheareabecameintegratedintotheurbanlifeofBeloHorizonte(seeFig.4).Theneighbourhoodnowhasonenewsstandandinternetcafé.Insomehouses,childrenhaveaccesstoTV,andtoCDorDVDplayers.Theycanbeseenteachingadultshowtousetheseresources.Theyalsohaveaccesstonewspapers,magazinesandtheBible.Agovernmenteducationprogrammeisprovidingfreetextbooksindifferentdisciplinesforallofthem.

Conclusion

Someconclusionsarepossiblebasedonthisinitialanalysis.WritingismorevisiblypresentinthelivesofthepeopleofTrombetasthanitwasbefore.However,economicchangesandtheconsolidationofanewjobmarkethavenotrequiredspecialqualificationsorhigherlevelofschoolingfromworkers.Rhetoricaboutliteracy

asnecessaryforworkthereforeseemstobedifferentfromreality.Yearsofschoolingareincreasingacrossgenerationsofthesefamilies.However,tounderstandtheeffectofthatinrelationtoliteracypracticesoutsideschoolorupwardmobilityinthejobmarketneedstobefurtherinvestigated.Newtechnologiesarealsopresentinthehouses,althoughtheresidentsstillhaveverylimitedaccesstocomputerandinternet,comparedtotheuppersocialclasses.Furtherresearchandanalysisareneededforabetterunderstandingofhowthechangesthattookplaceimpacttheusesandmeaningsofwritinginthiscontext,andhowthesechangesinBrazilrelatetothoseidentifiedinothercountries.



Family learning approaches can make a significant contribution to the learning of younger and older people, but their potential has not been fully realised. Ian’s presentation discussed the many challenges faced by formal schooling in Cameroon, not least because of the highly complex linguistic profile of the country. He highlighted one particular family learning project which, although in its infancy, is showing indications of making an impact on the educational achievement of children and adults in the marginalised Fulani community.

The session proved very stimulating both for Ian and the audience who gained insights into their work through comparing the South African context with that of Cameroon.

The challenges for formal education in Cameroon

Inrecentyears,Cameroonhasmadeconsiderableprogressinincreasingthenumbersofchildrenwhoattendformalschool,butthecountrycontinuestofaceseriousdifficulties.Insomeareas,largeclassnumbersandalimitedavailabilityoftrainedteachers,combinedwithpoorfacilitiesforbothteachingandlearning,conspiretohinderchildrenfromachievingtheirfullpotentialinschool.

Recentstatisticsindicatethat,althoughmostCameroonianchildrencompletesixyearsofprimaryschool,only32%ofthemcontinuetheireducationatsecondarylevel.Therelativelyhighcostsofschoolfees,equipment,andtheboardingaccommodationwhichisoftennecessaryinviewoftheinaccessibilityofsecondaryschoolsinsomeareasmakesecondaryeducationunaffordableformanyparents.Thishasanimpactonliteracyamongadults;only77%ofmenand60%ofwomenareestimatedtobeliterate(UNESCO2010).

Theseaggregatedstatisticsconcealconsiderabledisparities.Achievementlevelsforeducationandliteracytendtobelowerinruralareasthanintheurbancentres,andareloweramongolderpeoplethanamongyoungeradultswhohavehadtheopportunitytoattendformalschooling.Thisis

particularlyevidentinthenorthernpartofthecountrywheretheestablishmentofprimaryandsecondaryschoolshaslaggedbehindthatofthesouthernpart.

Afurtherchallengefacingeducationalprovisionisthecomplexlinguisticprofileofthecountry.Cameroonishighlymultilingualinthatover270languagesareindailyuse(Lewis2009).Theconstitutionpermitstheuseoftheselanguagesasthemediumofeducation,butonlyasmallnumberareusedinthiswayinschools,andevenfewerareusedbeyondthefirstthreeyearsofprimaryeducation.ThegreatmajorityofchildrenaretaughtthroughthemediumofFrenchorEnglish,thetwoofficiallanguagesofthecountry.However,manychildrenareunfamiliarwiththeselanguagessincetheyarenotcommonlyusedoutsideoftheschool,especiallyinruralareas.Childrenthushavetolearntoreadandwriteinalanguagewhichtheydonotspeakwell,whichinevitablyslowstheireducationalattainment.Theresultisaneducationalvoidinwhichchildrenarenotlearningintheirownlanguage,andarehavingdifficultylearninginalanguagewhichtheydonotunderstandwell.

Hints of Family Learning in Cameroon

AlthoughfamilyliteracyprojectsdonotexistinCameroonintheformalsenseoftheterm,thereareneverthelessavarietyofnon-formalandinformalinitiativeswhichattempttosupplementtheformaleducationofferedinschools.Naturally,agreatdealofinformalfamilyliteracytakesplaceinthenormalinteractionsbetweenparentsandtheirchildrencentredonthepassingonofessentiallifeskillssuchasself-care,relatingtoothers,andcontributingtotherunningofthehomethroughsharinghouseholdchores.Someparentsalsotakeformalresponsibilityforthedevelopmentoftheirchildren’sknowledgeandunderstandingoftheirreligioninthehome.

Somefamilyliteracyinitiativesofamoreorganisednatureareevident.Inthemaincities,wheremanylanguagesarespokenalongsideFrenchandEnglish,someparentsruncomplementaryschoolsintheformofholidayclubsfortheirchildrentoensurethattheirchildrendonotlosetheirethniclanguage.Inthisway,thechildrencancommunicatewiththeirrelativesintheirextendedfamilywhentheyvisitthemintheirhomeareaaswellasmorefullyenteringintotheirculturalheritage.

Inruralareas,wherethereislesslikelihoodoflanguageloss,butwherethelocallanguagesarenotusedinschool,someparentshaveorganised

2.3 Family Learning in Cameroon: Problems and Possibilities

Ian CheffyInternational Literacy and Education Consultant, SIL International


after-schoolclubs,bringingtogethergroupsofchildrentoreadandwriteintheirownlanguageandtoenjoyitsinherentpowerforexpression.Inareaswherelocallanguagesfeatureinformalschooling,parentshavebecomealerttotheeducationalpotentialoftheirlanguage.Theyhaveshownanincreasedlevelofinterestintheirchildren’seducation,comingtoschooltoobservewhattheirchildrenaredoingandsubsequentlyjoiningadultliteracyclasses.TheyarethusempoweredtohelptheirchildrenintheirschoolinginawaywhichisnotpossibleforthemwheneducationisexclusivelythroughFrenchorEnglish.Thechoiceofthelocallanguageasthemediumofinstructioninschoolhasenabledparentstofulfiltheirdesireasparentstofacilitatetheirchildren’slearninganddevelopment.

Family Learning for the Fulani

AninnovativefamilyliteracyprojectiscurrentlyunderdevelopmentfortheFulanicommunityintheNorthWestProvinceofthecountry.TheFulaniaremarginalisedintheareaastheyaresemi-nomadicpastoralists,whosewayoflife,ethnicityandlanguage,andtheirIslamicreligion,distinguishthemsharplyfromthesettledindigenouscommunities.Thishasledtoanuneasyrelationshipwiththesettledpopulation,evidencedespeciallyinconflictsovertheuseoflandfortheircattle.AlthoughtheFulaniarechoosingincreasinglytosettleinfixedlocations,theyremainindispersedhomesteadsandtheirlifecontinuestorevolvearoundthepossessionandcareoftheircattle;thisrequiresthemenofthecommunitytomigrateonaseasonalbasistoobtainpasturefortheiranimals.

FewFulanichildrenattendschool.Boyshavelittletimefreefromthedemandsoflookingaftercattle,andgirlsarenotencouragedtoventurefarfromtheirhomes,anissuewhichiscompoundedbythedistancewhichFulanichildrenmayhavetowalkfromtheirhomesontheedgeofavillagetothelocalschool.

Nevertheless,theFulanihavealonghistoryofinformaleducationcentredontheirhome,wayoflifeandreligion.Boysaretaughthowtolookaftercattlebytheirfathers,andgirlslearnfromtheirmothershowtocarryouttheirhomeresponsibilities.FulanifamilieshaveastrongtraditionofpassingontheirreligiousvaluestotheirchildrenthroughthejointstudyoftheKoran.Thisisparticularlynecessaryastheirsemi-nomadicwayoflifepreventsthemfromeasilyaccessingreligiousteachersorschools.SuchreligiousliteracyhasimpactedotherliteraciesandsomeFulaniareliterateintheirownlanguage,usingArabicscripttowriteit.Remarkably,withinfamilies,therearenoconstraintsonwhocanbetaughtbywhom,anditisacceptedthatchildrenandyoungerpeoplecanteachtheirelders;whoeverknowsmayteach

whoeverdoesnotknow,irrespectiveofageorstandinginthefamily.

TheFulaniarenowbecomingincreasinglyattractedtoformaleducationastheyrecognisethattheyarebecomingsociallyandeducationallydisadvantagedrelativetothemajoritypopulation.Theydesiretoconnectwithmajoritycultureandallthatitentailsintermsofknowledgeandeducation,withoutlosingtheirownidentityandculture.ThisincludeslearningthemajoritylanguagesandliteracyinRomanscript,asusedfortheotherlanguagesofthecountry.

Since2008,asmallliteracyprojecthasbeenundertakenwiththeFulani,inwhichmothersareencouragedtobringtheirdaughterstotheclasstolearntogetherthebasicskillsofliteracyintheirownlanguage.Ithasbeennotedthatthosemotherswhoarelearningwiththeirdaughtershavemadegreaterprogressinacquiringliteracyskillsthanthosemotherswhoarelearningontheirown.Theinteractionathomebetweenthesetwogenerationsoflearnersmaycontributetothis.Ashasbeenobservedbytheprojectleader,mothersanddaughtersexperiencetheexcitementof“enteringanewlandtogether”astheyshareliteracytextstogether.IthasalsobeennotedthattheFulanigirlsinvolvedinthisprojectarenowattendingschoolmorefrequently.

Thesecondstageoftheprojectwillcommencelaterthisyearwiththedevelopmentofliteracymaterialswhichcanbestudiedwithinthehomebyparentsandchildrentogether.Thesewillcontinuetobeinthelanguageofthecommunity,usingRomanscripttofacilitateinteractionwiththemajoritycommunityandasmoothertransitionforchildrenintoschool.Thecurriculumwillechothatoftheformalschoolbutwillbedrawnuptoenableparentsandchildrentolearntogetherwithoutbeingdependentonateacherorattendingaspecialclass.

Fig. 1 A Fulani mother and daughter reading together. (C. Huber)



Discussion

Ian’spresentationgeneratedagreatdealofdiscussionbothaboutthechallengesofeducationinCameroonandtheapproachtakenbytheFulanifamilyliteracyproject.SeveralparticipantsexpressedsurpriseatthecomplexityofthelanguageprofileofCameroonandhowlanguageclearlypresentedanevengreaterchallengetoeducationalprovisionthanitdoesinSouthAfrica.

InrelationtotheFulaniproject,oneparticipantcommentedthattheapproachenvisagedwouldineffect“putateacherineveryhome”.AnotheradvisedthattheprojectshouldseektovalidateFulaniculture,notonlyinthelanguageused,butalsointhemethodologyofteaching,suchthattraditionalwaysofteachingwithinthecommunityshouldbeincorporatedintoit.ItwasalsosuggestedthatifalinkwastobemadebetweenFulanifamiliesandlocalschools,theteacherswouldneedtobewillingtobuildbridgeswiththefamiliesbytakingtheinitiativetocontactthemintheirhomes.

References

Lewis, M. P., ed.(2009)Ethnologue: Languages of the WorldDallas,Texas,SILInternational

UNESCO(2010)Education for All: Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the Marginalised Paris,UNESCO


Neville and Carole’s opening address on behalf of PRAESA introduced the work of this NGO in promoting literacy with children in South Africa. Neville first reflected on what he himself had learned about literacy as he engaged with young literacy learners and inspired the audience to become further involved in vitally important interventions of this kind.

Carole described the work of PRAESA in South Africa which is helping to imbue children and adults with a love of reading. She showed how the interaction between adults and children is enormously influential in enabling children to enjoy reading and writing. The audience found her presentation highly inspirational.

Nevilleemphasisedtheimportanceofliteracyasanessentialpartofone’ssurvivalkitinthe21stcentury.HeunderlinedtheimportanceoftheworkPRAESAhadbeenabletoinitiateattherequestoftheZisukhanyoYouthEmpowerment(ZYE)communityorganisationinLanga,CapeTown,withtheestablishmentofthefirstVulindlelaReadingClub.Inthemeantime,thenumberofclubsintheCapePeninsulahasincreasedbeyondallexpectations.Afewreadingclubs,inspiredbytheVulindlelaexample,havebeenestablishedfurtherafieldinSouthAfrica.Althoughhehadoriginallyexplainedthenatureanddirectionoftheinterventionintermsofanarrowclassanalysis,hesaidthathehadbeenpersuadedbyhiscolleaguesintheEarlyLiteracyUnitofPRAESAtotakeawiderviewofthematter.Consequently,henowbelievedthatitispossibletocreateconditionsconducivetolearningtoreadandwriteforchildrenwhosehomesarenotabletoprovidesuchconditions.InSouthAfrica,thesehomesaretobefoundmostlyinruralareasandinurbantownshipsandshacklands.Theinspirationthatsuchchildrengetfromcommitted,nurturingadultrolemodels,whovolunteertheirtimeandexperienceonaregularbasis,undoubtedlysparksoffthatlove

ofreadingwhichisthebeginningofthevirtuouscircleallofuswanttobringintobeing.

Carolepointedoutthatattheheartoftheliteracyteachingissueisthesystemiclackofappreciationthatlearningthetechnicalskillsofreading(likerecognisinglettersandsounds,andputtingthemtogethertomakewordsandsentences)isonlyonepartoflearningtoread(andwrite).Thereareotherhugelysignificantaspects,whichhavetodowithbecomingmotivatedtowanttoreadthroughexperiencingandappreciatingthepowerandvalueofstoriesandothertexts.Thisoftenhappens‘naturally’inhomeswherebooksandwriting(usuallyinEnglish)arepartandparcelofeverydaylife,andwherethereisahugebodyof(Englishlanguage)storyandotherbooksthataresharedwithchildrenfromwhentheyarebabies.Whenthisdoesn’thappeninhomesettings,asisthecaseformany,mostlypoor,childreninSouthAfrica,theyareatanenormousdisadvantageinlearningtoreadandwrite.Becauseofthewayteachersaretrainedtoteachthebeginningsofreadingandwriting,theseessentialbutinformalaspectsofliteracyareoftentotallyabsent.

TheVulindlelaReadingClubswereestablishedinordertocreateconditionsincommunitysettingswhichinspire,promoteandsupportreadingforenjoymentandthedevelopmentofreadinghabitsinmothertongueandadditionallanguage/samongchildrenandadults.Theyaimtocreateanurturingspacewhichmotivateschildrentowanttoreadandwrite,givesthemasenseofidentityandbelonging,anddemonstratesthroughactionthat‘we’areadultswhocareenoughtobethereeveryweektoplay,readandwriteandaboveall,listentothem.

2.4 Creating Conditions for Biliteracy Development in Community Settings

Neville Alexander Director, PRAESA

Carole BlochCo-ordinator, PRAESA Early Literacy Unit

Fig. 1 Getting down to reading together (I. Cheffy)



TheReadingClubsinCapeTowntakeplaceeachweekatthesametimeofday.Forinstance,since2006,a2hoursessiontakesplaceeverySaturdaymorningattheoldestVulindlelaClub,inthegroundsofStLouisPrimarySchoolinLanga.Upto150childrenagedbetween3and15aremettherebyagroupofvolunteerswhoarereadytoplaygames,singsongs,tell,readandwritestorieswiththechildren.Thevolunteersincludeparentsandothersinthecommunityorfromfurtherafield,aswellasPRAESAstaff.ThePRAESAstaff,whoinitiatedthereadingclubattherequestoftheZisukhanyoYouthEmpowerment(ZYE)communityorganisationinLanga,havetherelevanttheoreticalknowledgeandpracticalexperiencetomentorvolunteers.Volunteerscanincludehighschoolortertiaryeducationstudents,teachers,lecturers,parents—infactanyonewithaninterestinchildrenandyoungpeople.SessionsalternatebetweenisiXhosaandEnglish.Followinganinitialtrainingsessionforvolunteers,regularworkshopsareheldaroundissuesrelatingtohowtochooseappropriatebooks,whichlanguagestoreadandwritein,howtoreadastorytoagroup,aswellasplanningandorganisationalmatters.

Activitiesatthereadingclubsincludestorytelling,readingandwriting,games,rhymesandsongs.Outingsarealsoplannedandtake

placewhenfeasible.Theseincludevisitsforthechildrentoplacesofinterest,andalsooutingstoplaceslikeoldpeople’shomesandchildren’shospitalswherethereadingclubchildren‘giveback’byreadingtoothers.Challengesincludeobtainingenoughappropriate,enjoyablebooks,especiallybooksinAfricanlanguages,gettingenoughcommittedpeopletovolunteerregularly,particularlypeoplewhospeak,readandwriteinisiXhosaandfundraisingsothattherearefundstobuybooks,toofferthechildrenasnackandadrinkandtotakethemonoutingsandtohelppayfortravelcostsofthevolunteers.

Thereisnoformalassessmenttoascertainthe‘success’ofthereadingclubs.However,thefactthatthechildrenreturnweekinandweekoutistestimonyitself.Moreoverwehavemanyreportsfromparentsandteachersabouttheincreasedconfidencelevelsofchildren,andimprovedreadingandwritingdesiresandabilitiesathomeandinclass.Thus,successcanbe‘measured’bychangesinbehaviour.Atpresent,wearedocumentingtheVulindlelaReadingClubsaspartofaresearchprojectinwhichPRAESAisinvolved.


Lynn’s presentation vividly illustrated a family literacy project which is having considerable impact in KwaZulu Natal. Using a Reflect methodology, it focuses on empowering parents in their own literacies and enabling them to help their children develop a love of reading.

After showing a DVD, Lynn discussed the achievements of the project and the key ingredients for its success. Her presentation generated much animated discussion which continued outside of the meeting room.

(The following text is adapted from the script of the DVD, written by Dr Snoeks Desmond.)

TheFamilyLiteracyProjectstartedinMarch2000andworksin10villagesindeeplyruralareasofKwaZuluNatal,alongsidetheSouthernDrakensberg.Ascanbeexpectedofaworldheritagesite,theareaisspectacularlybeautiful.Howeverformanyofthepeoplelivingthereitisaveryunder-resourcedareawithfewgoodroads,littleelectricityorpipedwater.Mostpeoplestruggletomakealivingandchildmortalityishigh.

ThegroupmembersjoinedTheFamilyLiteracyProjectwantingtolearntoreadandwriteorimproveexistingliteracyskills.Mostofthemhaddroppedoutofschoolatanearlyagebecausetheirparentscouldnotaffordschoolfeesorneededthemathometohelpwithherdingcattleorcaringforyoungersiblings.

TheFamilyLiteracyProjectaimstohelppeopleseeliteracyasavaluableandenjoyableskill.Wehelppeopletoreadandwrite,butwealsoencouragereadingforpleasure.Anotherveryimportantaspectisthatweencourageeverygroupmembertotalktochildren,tolistentothemandtolookatbookswiththem.Wewanttofillthisprint-poorareawithwordsandimagesthatexciteandinterestbothadultsandchildren.

TheFamilyLiteracyProjectfacilitatorsarenotprofessionalteachersbutwomenchosenbytheircommunity.Eachfacilitatorhasbeentrainedintheuseofparticipatorytools,adultliteracyandearlyliteracy.Inthegroupstheyuseteaching

unitsdevelopedbytheproject.Aunithasatleastsixtwo-hoursessions,beginningwithaparticipatoryexercisewhereeveryonetalksabouttheissuethatisthefocusofthatunit.Allsessionsincludediscussionandactivitieswherethegrouppracticesliteracyskills.Onesessionineveryunitfocusesonearlyliteracyandhowadultscanentertainandeducatechildren.TheunitscovertopicsofinteresttothegroupssuchasChildProtection,budgets,HIV/Aids,Environment.BothisiZuluandEnglishareusedintheprogramme.Attheirownrequest,thegroupmemberstakeatestoftheirliteracyskillsattheendofeachyear,usingABETmaterials.

WeusetheReflectapproachtoadultliteracy,whichaimstoempowercommunitiestotakeactiontoimprovetheirlives.Theteachingunitsdevelopedbytheprojectstartwithanissuethatthegroupshaveidentifiedthattheywanttodiscuss;theyanalysethisusingparticipatorytools.Thereareopportunitiesforreadingandwriting,guestspeakersattendsessions,andwesourcerelevantanduptodateinformationpertainingtotheissue.Importantly,thegroupagreestotakespecificactionstoimprovetheissue/problemsituationthatisunderdiscussion.

TheFamilyLiteracyProjecthasproducedanumberofbooksforgroupmemberstoreadanduse.Theseareusedinthesessions.Everybookwastestedbygroupmembersbeforepublicationtomakesurethatthetextwasrelevantandclearandtheillustrationsrepresentativeofthearea.

Ifliteracyskillsarenotusedoften,theycandisappear.TheFamilyLiteracyProjectprovidesmanyopportunitiesforgroupmemberstousetheirdevelopingskills.Forexample,everygrouphaseitheralibrarybuildingoraboxlibrary.Membersborrowbothadults’andchildren’sbooksfromthelibraries.Recordsofbooksborrowedarekeptbythefacilitatorandsheishelpedbyagroupmember.

Manywomenweresoexcitedbythebookstheyreadthattheywantedtosharethemwithothersinthegroup.So,bookclubswerestartedbythewomenthemselves.NoweveryweektheymeetafterTheFamilyLiteracyProjectsessiontodiscussthebookstheyhaveborrowed.

The10villagesarequitefarfromoneanothersomembersnowwritetooneanotherandalmosteveryonehasapenfriend.

Thecommunitynoticeboardprovidesanotheropportunitytopractiseliteracyskillsandto

2.5 Exposing Vulnerable Children to Stories through an Adult Literacy Programme

Lynn StefanoDirector, The Family Literacy Project



sharenewlyacquiredinformation.Onegroupmemberisresponsibleforencouragingtheotherstoproducedrawingsortexttoputonthenoticeboard.

Aprojectnewsletterisproducedregularlythroughtheyear.Groupmembersreaditandalsosendlettersintotheeditor.Eacheditionisreadwithgreatexcitementtoseewhathasbeenreportedandwhoselettershavebeenprinted.

Earlyliteracy,workingwithchildrentohelpthemdevelopasenseofexcitementaroundbooks,isvitaltotheworkofTheFamilyLiteracyProject.Everymemberhasasmallbookcalled“UmzaliNengane”whichmeans“Parentandchild”.Theypasteordrawpicturesonapage.Thentheytalktotheirchildrenaboutthepictureandwritedowntheconversation.Thishelpsdeveloptheadult’sliteracy.Thechildcanobserveanadultwriting.Thechildknowsthatwhatshesaysisimportantenoughtoberecorded.Theadultusesopen-endedquestions,encouragingsequencing,recallandprediction—allimportantearlyliteracyskills.Andtheybothhavefun!

TellingstoriesisimportantandTheFamilyLiteracyProjectworkedwiththegroupstohelpthemtellandrecordtheirownstoriesofgrowingup.Theresultisabook“GrowingupintheSouthernDrakensberg”,aselectionofhappy,sad,goodandpainfulmemories.

ManyofthewomenwanttousewhattheyhavelearntinTheFamilyLiteracyProjectintheircommunities.Theybelongtoothergroupslikesewingorgardeninggroupsorschoolandchurchcommittees.Theynowtakealeadingroleinthesegroups.Theyalsowanttosharewhattheyhavelearntwithothermothers.Theyvisittheirneighbourstoreadtochildrenandtotalkabouthowtotalkandlistentochildrensothattheydevelopgoodcommunicationskills.Andtheyshareimportantinformationabouthealthandwellbeingofyoungchildrenwiththeseneighbours.

Totakethejoyandexcitementofreadingouttonearbycrèchesandschools,TheFamilyLiteracyProjecthasprovidedbooksforcrèchesandtrainedthepre-schoolteachersinhowtodevelopearlyliteracyskills.

InschoolsTheFamilyLiteracyProjectfacilitatorsrunchildtochildgroups.Eachgroupismadeupofchildrenofdifferentages.Childrenreadtoeachother,andeventheyoungestchildrentakebookshometolookatwithgrandparents,parentsandoldersiblings.EveryonehasfunandthetopicsofthesessionsoftenmirrorthoseoftheadultsessionsinTheFamilyLiteracyProject.

Webelievethatfamiliesshouldhavebooks.Andiftheyhavebooks,thiswillprovideafirmfoundationforlifelonglearningandenjoyment.Weallneedbooksandstories:

• lookingatbrightpictures

• sharingstories

• re-tellingstories

• inventingstories

• tellingourstories

• learningabouttheworld

• relaxingandenjoying.

TheFamilyLiteracyProjectmembershavediscoveredthejoyofreading.Theyreadfortheirownpleasure.Theyreadtotheirchildren.Theirchildrenreadontheirown.Readingbookswithchildrenisfun.Wetalkaboutthecover.Welookatthepicturestogether.Sometimeswhenwehavefinishedreadingthebooktogether,childrenlookatthebookontheirown.

BooksandreadinghavebecomepartofthelivesofTheFamilyLiteracyProjectmembers.Theyhaveacquirednotonlyliteracyskillsbutnewandimportantinformationandpracticalskillstouseintheirdailylives.Theyandtheirchildrenenjoyreadingandtalking.WearelivinguptooursloganofMasifundeNjengomndeni—FamiliesReadingTogether.

Fig.1 Having fun in the community library


This was one of two workshops led by PRAESA specialists focusing on practical issues relating to helping children to develop a love of reading. Both workshops were much appreciated by the participants many of whom have daily contact with children in schools and the community.

Theworkshopaimedforparticipantstodiscussviewsondifferentstrategiesforsharingstorieswithchildren.Thesestrategiesincluded:

• readingaloud

• pairedandsharedreading

• silentreading.

Differentbooksweredisplayedandtheparticipantswereaskedingroupstochooseappropriatebooksforthedifferentagegroupsanddiscusswhythosebookswererelevantforthatagegroup.Thisaimedtoencouragetheparticipantstothinkabouttheimportanceofchoosingbooksforyoungchildren.

Readingaloudwasdemonstratedanddiscussed,emphasizingtheimportanceofchildrenseeingadultsexcitedaboutreadingandofadults

beinggoodrolemodels.Participantswerealsogiventheopportunitytoreadtoeachothertoexperiencethatreadingaloudtootherscanbefun.

Wediscussedpairedreadingasanimportantstrategytohelpyoungchildrenintheearlystagesofreading,encouragingthemtotryreadingmaterialsthatmaybebeyondtheirnormalreadinglevel.Wetalkedabouttheroleadultsplayduringpairedorsharedreadingandhowtheirtalkaboutthebookshowsaninterestinthechildrenandtheirchoiceofbooks.Theresultisthatchildrenbecomemoremotivatedtoread.

Bookchoiceduringsilentreadingisanotherareaweexplored.Duringsilentreading,childrenchoosetheirownbookstoread.Duringthediscussion,someparticipantssharedtheirownexperiencesofdecidingwhichbookstheirchildshouldread.Somesharedhowtheyhadimposedontheirchildrenbooksthattheylikedwhentheywereyoungandhowthishadputtheirchildrenoff.Weconcludedthatchildrenshouldgenerallybelefttochoosetheirownreadingmaterialsduringsilentreading.

2.6 Strategies for Sharing Stories with Children: Telling and Reading

Ntombizanele MahobeEarly Literacy Specialist, PRAESA



The second workshop demonstrated how a love of reading develops from the spoken word and how a child’s own language and experience is the foundation for a bridge into the written word.

Theobjectivesoftheworkshopwereto:

• considertheimportanceofmakingmothertongueandbilingualreadingmaterialsfocusonoralstoriesasanimportantsourceforreadingmaterials

• giveparticipantsskillandconfidenceinmakingbooksandotherreadingmaterials

• provideparticipantswithinformationandguidanceonthedifferentaspectsofmaterialsdevelopment

• helpparticipantstoviewwritingasaprocessthatdevelopsovertime.

Ourdiscussionfocusedonthefollowingimportantpointsaboutwritingwithyoungchildren:

• childrenlearntowritebywriting

• drawingisrehearsalforwriting

• picturestellstories

• orallanguageisrehearsalforwriting

• adultsarerolemodelsastheydemonstrateconventionalwriting

• theneedforadultstoacceptchildren’sinventedspellingaspartoftheprocessoflearningtowrite

• copyingasanothersafewayforencouragingchildrentotakerisksatwriting

• SharedWriting,theprocessinwhichanadultandthechildwritetogether,where

theadultleadsthechild/childrentoshareideasandthenrecordsideasasthechildwatches(CunninghamandAllington,1994).SharedWritingasastrategyformodellingwritingwasshowntohavethefollowingbenefits:

• Itisabridgebetweenoralandwrittenlanguage.

• Ithelpschildrentounderstandthatwhatwethinkandsaycanbewrittendown.

Intheworkshop,wealsosuggestedsomeideasforchildrentowriteabout,whichinclude:

• recipebooks

• originalstoryendings

• newsoftheday

• storiesaboutfamiliesandthemselves,myfriends,myschool

• rhymesbooks

• songbooks

• tonguetwisters

• riddles.

WealsodiscussedGuidedWriting,theprocesswhichinvolvesindividualorsmallgroupsofchildrenwritingarangeoftexttypesundertheguidanceofanadultorateacher(whomayprovideshortminilessonstodemonstrateaparticularaspectoftexttype(e.g.narrative),grammar,punctuationorspelling.

Weintroducedwritingframesasscaffoldsforwriting,e.g.recountframes.

2.7 Writing to Make Books—With and For Children

Xolisa Guzula and Ntombizanele MahobeEarly Literacy Specialists, PRAESA


Brian facilitated a discussion about the use of stories for literacy learning by exploring the similarities and differences between the experience of participants in South Africa and that evident in books from other countries, particularly Sierra Leone and Uganda.

After his introduction, the audience broke into groups to discuss the questions which he had put forward. Each group examined a book from one of these two countries, and then a rapporteur provided feedback to the plenary session as a whole.

The final reports were brief, but turned out to be one of the highlights of the session, with rich and insightful accounts being provided in lively fashion. Indeed, a number of the presenters were applauded for the sheer quality of their account and everyone left with a sense of excitement and learning, with lots of interest in applying the comparisons to their own work.

‘Stories and Songs from Sierra Leone’

In1984,thePeople’sEducationAssociationofSierraLeonebegancollectingstories,riddlesandproverbs,writingdownoralperformanceinbooksthatwerethenpublished.(AdescriptionofthisactivitywasprovidedinthepreviousBALIDreportontheFamilyLearningConferenceheldinSierraLeoneinFebruary2010.)

Therewereseveralreasonsgivenatthetimeforthiswork:

• Storiesandsongsarearichtraditionandvaluableheritagewhichrepresentamajorsourceofliteratureinthecountry.

• Thetranscriptionandpublicationofstoriesandsongs,aftertheyhavebeencollected,contributestothemodeststockofwrittenmaterialsfromSierraLeoneavailableforschools,youthsandadults.

• ThetranslationofstoriesandsongsintoseverallanguagesofSierraLeonecontributestointerculturalunderstandingwithinthecountry.

Thefinishedproductsoftheprojecthavebeenpublishedinaseries‘StoriesandSongsfromSierraLeone’(seetextbox).

Stories for Children: Uganda

InUganda,anumberofinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinrecentyearstomakestoriesavailabletoschoolsinordertohelpteacherssupportchildren’sliteracyandtoprovideasourceforkeymessagesregardingavoidanceofHIV/Aidsetc.,aswellasthe‘culturalheritage’prominentinSierraLeone.

• TalesfromthePastprovidedstoriesthatweretoldtochildrentohelpthemunderstandtheimportanceoflove,honestyandgoodmanners.

• TheFountainJuniorLivingYouthSeriesmadeavailablestoriesbysomeofUganda’sleadingwritersofstoriesforchildren.Thisseriesaimed‘tohelpyouthenhancetheirselfesteemandlifeskillandtoresisttemptationsthatmayexposethemtoriskybehaviour,whichmayleadtothemcontractingHIV/Aids.Storiesaredrawnfromyouths’backgroundsusingcharacterstheycanidentifywithandexperiencestheyarefamiliarwith’.

• TheOurHeritageseriesincludedcarefullyselectedandgradedchildrenreadersintendedtoimproveEnglishlanguagereadingandcomprehensionskills.‘Storiesarechosentomeetthelanguageneedsofbothruralandurbanprimaryschools.Thestoriescomefromdifferentpartsofthecountrysothattheycanwidenthechildren’sknowledgeofboththelanguageandtheculturalvaluesofthedifferentsocietiesofUganda’.

Brianraisedthefollowingquestionsfordiscussioningroups:

• Comparingthebooks:

• HowdothesebookscomparewithbookscurrentlyinuseinSouthAfrica?

• PedagogicalIssues:

• Howmightteachersmakeuseofbookssuchasthese?

2.8 Local Stories for Family Learning

Brian StreetPresident, BALID



• Whatproblemsmightariseinjustpassingthemtoteacherswithoutprovidinglearningsupport?

• Whatideasdothesebooksraiseregardingscaffoldingvs.directinstruction;‘autonomous’modelofliteracy;centralideologyvs.localknowledge?

Relation of ‘Use of Stories’ to ‘Social Literacies’ Approach

Finally,Brianlinkedtheissueofpedagogyintheuseofsuchstorieswithconsiderationofthesocialliteraciesapproachtoliteracylearningwhichhehadpresentedatthebeginningoftheconference(seepage8),usingthenotionsof‘avoid’and‘workwith’.

Thesessionthensplitupintodiscussiongroupsandmembersspentabout20minuteslookingatthebooktheyhadbeengivenanddiscussinghowitrelatedtotheirownuseofstoriesandbooksinSouthAfricaand,morebroadly,howallofthisrelatedtothesocialpracticeapproach.

Discussion outcomes

ComparingBooks

• commonthemese.g.revenge,beauty,love,husband-wiferelationships

• moraltoneandmessagee.g.relatingtorape,HIV/Aids

• contemporarybooksoftentellrealitystoriesdealingwithchallenginglifeissueswhereasbookspublishedinthe1970sand80stendedtobefolkstoriesoranimalstories;thereisstillaplaceforthese

• writersneedtobeencouragedandhelpedtotrynewapproachestotheoldthemes

• booksneedtobeattractive(havecolouredpictures),butthiscreateschallengesforlocalpublishing.

PedagogicalIssues

Theteachershould:

• befamiliarwithabookbeforeusingitwiththeirchildren

• selectbooksaccordingtotherelevanceoftheirtopicforthechildren

• selectbookswhichareappropriateforthechildreni.e.

• readinglevel,especiallyifthechildrenaretoreadthestorythemselves

• layoutandamountoftext

• containastorywhichinterestsandgripsthechildren.

Usingbooks

• usewilldependontheteacher’spurpose—todevelopskillsofaccuratereading,grammar,vocabularyetc.(didacticpurpose),orexplorationanddiscussionofthethemesandideasofthebook,answeringthequestionsitraises(moralpurpose)

• storiesmustbetoldinanattractiveway

• childrencanre-tellthestoryintheirownwords

• thestorycanbelinkedwithsong,drama,dance(asintheVulindlelareadingclubs).


‘Stories and Songs from Sierra Leone’

TheSeriesEditorsareEdwardD.A.Turay,PeterO.Koroma,FrederickB.JamesandS.A.Tamu.AnoriginalleadingparticipantintheprojectwasProfessorEldredJones,adistinguishedfacultymemberatFourahBayCollegewhohasrecentlypublishedfurtherstoriesintheseries,intheKriolanguage—‘StoriGoStoriKam;FolktalescollectedbyEldredD.Jones’(2009KnowledgeAid,SierraLeone).TheGermanDevelopmentAgencyDVVwasinvolvedintheearlyprojectandHeribertHinzenwastheSeriesEditorin1987.

ThefollowingbooksfromtheSierraLeoneProjectwerecirculatedattheCapeTownconference:

• Stori Go Stori Kam: Folktales collectedbyEldredDJones(2009)Knowledge Aid

• Stories from Wonderland (2009)Community Empowerment for Rural Development

• The Bossy Wife byLele Gbomba(1987)StoriesandSongsfromSierraLeone,People’sEducationalAssociationofSierraLeone(PEA)

• Lice in the Lion’s Mane; poets and poems of Sierra Leone(1995)EditedbyHannah Hope Wells. PEA

• My Country: Sierra Leone(2009)CEFORD

• Adult Education in Sierra Leone(1996)Journal of PEA



AppendixConference Participants Morethan80peopleattendedtheconference.Thefollowinghavegivenpermissionfortheirdetailstobepublished.

Name Organisation EmailNevilleAlexander PRAESA [email protected]

ColleenBaker StratfordReadingClub

JennyBirkett Wordworks [email protected]

CaroleBloch PRAESA [email protected]

GillionBosman BritishCouncil [email protected]

AdéleBotha GreaterStellenbosch DevelopmentTrust [email protected]

BrianBuqa VulindlelaReadingClub [email protected]

MariaLucia FederalUniversityofMinasCastanheira Gerais,CentrodeAlfabetização eEscritura(CEALE) [email protected]

TsakaniChaka CentreforEducationPolicy Development [email protected]

IanCheffy BALIDandSILInternational [email protected]

BrigidComrie Wordworks [email protected]

FadeelaDavids KaleidoscopeEducationalServices [email protected]

WinaduPlessis GreaterStellenboschDevelopment Trust [email protected]

ElizabethEverson VrygrondCommunityLibrary [email protected]

MlulamiFoleni LathhfinSOS [email protected]

JonathanGevisser Extra-MuralEducationProject (EMEP) [email protected]

HergelyGreen StratfordReadingClub

XolisaGuzula PRAESA [email protected]

NcedoJabe PRAESA [email protected]

GriseldaJacobs KaleidoscopeEducationalServices [email protected]

NadeemaJogee PRAESA [email protected]

DavidKer SILMozambique [email protected]

AlisonLazarus IndependentConsultant [email protected]

LeslieLimage UNESCO(retired) [email protected]

NadiaLubowski AntonLubowskiTrust [email protected]

NtombizaneleMahobe PRAESA [email protected]


MoegsinaMajiet HydeParkPrimarySchool,CapeTown [email protected]

NomfundoMali PanSouthAfricanLanguageBoard [email protected]

LungiMalotana InjongoPrimarySchool

MikeMasala StratfordReadingClub [email protected]

SibabalweMasinyana UCT-Linguistics [email protected]

NokhanyoMayaba NelsonMandelaMetropolitan [email protected] University

JulietMcCaffery BALID [email protected]

PhillipMethula TheDGMurrayTrust [email protected]

ThembekaMqambeli SDU [email protected]

GcotyelwaMwahleni KidsinArtProduction [email protected]

RoshilaNair IndependentConsultant [email protected]

ElizabethNel StratfordReadingClub [email protected]

MarrioteNgwaru AgaKhanUniversity [email protected]

ThembisaNkohla CentreforEarlyChildhood [email protected] Development

ThenjiNtwana UniversityoftheWesternCape [email protected]

NtsikiNyamza WesternCapeEducation [email protected] Department

RithuliOrleyn ZaziFoundation [email protected]

SpasaRatković [email protected]

VuyelwaRola SakumlandelaPrimarySchool

TembisaSabela SharingDreams [email protected]

LindaSandt VulindlelaReadingClub

AzizaSchreuder CentreforEarlyChildhood Development

JeanSeptember BritishCouncil [email protected]

LynnStefano TheFamilyLiteracyProject [email protected]

BeaullaStofile DepartmentofCulturalAffairs [email protected] andSport

BrianStreet BALID [email protected]

KathrynTorres ShineCentre [email protected]

MauritaWeissenberg ShineCentre [email protected]

ValerieWilliams VulindlelaReadingClub

BukelwaYuze NelsonMandelaInstitute,EastLondon [email protected]

MelanieZeederberg PRAESA,ReadingMumsProject [email protected]



Notes

Report produced byBALIDc/o Feed the MindsPark place12 Lawn LaneLondon SW8 1UD

Email: [email protected]

Documents

Conference Report Goals Conference... · 2.6 Strategies for Sharing Stories with Children: Telling and Reading Ntombizanele Mahobe, Early Literacy Specialist, PRAESA 21 7 Writing2