Recommendations regarding language barriers

The concept of language barriers were addressed through Gardner’s (1983) mode of intelligences, as outlined in Table 6.1 (below).

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Table 6.1. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Adapted from Charlesworth, 2004; Gordon & Browne, 2008)

Types of intelligences Description

Verbal/linguistic Intelligence The ability to read and write and to use language to express your thoughts. Logical/mathematical Intelligence

Working with numbers and problem solving. The ability to think in a logical way.

Visual/spatial Intelligence The ability to see the world through, for example drawing and painting.

Musical intelligence The ability to hear patterns and express some melody.

Bodily - Kinaesthetic intelligence The ability to touch and use one’s body skilfully and interacting with space.

Interpersonal Intelligence To have the capacity to share, give to friends and relating to one another.

Intrapersonal intelligence The ability to express one’s own feelings of joy or sadness.

Natural Intelligence The ability to differentiate between the natural world and man-made world.

The researcher should embark on using concrete resources rather than abstract concepts, and also as the educator in this study should seek to explore other approaches, namely the Multi-literacy Approach and the Different learning styles approach, helping visual and kinaesthetic language development. Learning is about seeing and experiencing things, amongst the key aspects of OBE. Knowledge regarding these approaches would help the educators to plan teaching

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and learning activities for all the lessons in a particular grade (Charlesworth, 2004; Gordon & Browne, 2008).

The verbal / linguistic mode consists of the following aspects, namely, reading, writing and speaking. The researcher allowed the learners to play simple games and word puzzles with their peers to enhance their vocabulary, phonic skills and sight words. It allows the learners to see or visualise the words, say them (verbalise) and develop the capacity to express ideas of their own and others (Gardner, 1983).

The concept of visual / spatial skills gives the learners an opportunity to enhance their perceptive skills by visualisation and the drawing of concepts. They have a natural talent for drawing, thus it is highly recommendable for the researcher to explore this talent. Since the learners do not feel threatened they are more at ease to express their ideas freely. They are not learning under pressure and their thoughts tend to flow naturally (Gordon & Browne, 2008).

The barriers pertaining to grammar indicate that learners cannot identify simple nouns, verbs and other simple language concepts, so it is recommended they role-play these activities. The researcher should also use concrete resources to elaborate on certain aspects in language, namely allowing learners to identify common nouns in the classroom, such as pen, pencil and window (Smith, 2007). Another mode of intelligence is the bodily – kinaesthetic mode, which explores the creative abilities in a learner by using the body, for example by learning through exercise and drama. These actions represent verbs and inevitably this involves a co-operative mode of learning, whereby there is interpersonal interaction that involves touching, moving around, skipping, running, jumping and singing. According to May (2011), some aspects of play therapy can be explored, such as, touching and throwing a ball. In this manner the concept of the verb is emphasised, by using the words, ‘play’, ‘catch’ and ‘touch.’ Furthermore, there is an integration of other learning areas such as Life Orientation (the physical education) and Arts and Culture (drawing aspects) (Beynon, 2004).

The concept of imaging should be explored in great depth, whereby the ESL learners are requested to imagine a picture that they have in their minds, or try to draw a picture of the text being discussed. Once the ESL learners have grasped

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the concepts and synthesised at an elementary level they can summarise or evaluate the information. If the topic is on structures in Technology the researcher should take the learners outside and explain those found at school (concrete examples), rather than abstract concepts. However, once the learners have gained full clarity on these concepts the educator could enhance the lesson by using visual imagery of other structures. Thus, one could encourage social interaction to build upon certain concepts (Charlesworth, 2004).

The music / rhythmic aspects of intelligence enhance the aesthetic values as learners enjoy singing and acting, are more at ease and will eagerly become engrossed in the use of language concepts. Perhaps poems / rhymes can be sung by the learners to make learning an enjoyable experience. This aspect of learning together with the movement can greatly enhance and deepen a lesson, affording learners the opportunity to be introduced to new words, contextualise them and acknowledge that some have more than one meaning. The repetition of phrases, words in the text is emphasised and high frequency words may also be used (Snow, 2005).

Code-switching is another useful technique to implement in class discussions when the learners from different backgrounds are working with each other. The advantage lies in their ability to learn from each other’s language, and meaningful ideas can emerge from such contexts (Angelova, Maria, Gunawardena, Delmi, Volk & Dinah, 2006). Another way to unlock a language barrier is to learn the basics of the vernacular language, using code-mixing. There may be three languages taught in a South African school, for instance English, Afrikaans, and a vernacular language, with the latter involving oral activities to assist all learners to understand one another better (Angelova, et al., 2006).

Various problem-solving strategies will enhance learners’ language skills, motor planning and revisualisation. The purpose of motor planning is to improve motor skills, for example in project tasks. If learners are required to make a house they must use their fine and gross motor co-ordination to complete the task. The learners visualise an image of a concept and use their spatial awareness in its design (Bouwer, 2002), giving them freedom to form figure relationships, for example tall buildings. They have now perceived vital aspects to embark on their task of building a house, which include the principles of the NCS and the

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integration of other learning areas such as LO, Art and Culture, English and Mathematics (Bernstein, 2002).

The introduction of computers at school is a dynamic way of improving learners’ literacy level in a world of technology where pictures are easily accessible (Bouwer, 2002). Users are able to edit the picture and there is a vast variety of literature which is easily accessible on the Internet, allowing for a creative form of teaching and lightening the task of the educator. Educators are encouraged to enrich their lessons by using PowerPoint presentations, a form of learning that tends to differ from normal teaching. Learners are encouraged to partake in shared learning activities to gain a better understanding of concepts (Green, 2001).

During an Art and Culture lesson, the theme may relate to the drawing of flags of nations, with assistance in learning the basic concepts available on art software, namely painting, erasing, drawing, and selecting and detecting colours and shapes (Greenwood, 2001). However, traditional drawing and painting develops a different set of skills, and these should also be accommodated. Furthermore, learners are able to respond to certain information easily through the use of a computer. The topic on ‘Structures’ in the Technology lesson could, for instance, be enhanced by seeing pictures of bridges or different types of buildings. Diverse methods of teaching are enhanced and a meaningful lesson could arouse the learners’ enthusiasm. On the other hand, most of the learners who participated in this study lacked the privilege of having a computer at home (Snow, et al., 2005), making it more important for them to be made available in schools.