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Language Teaching with Dr Nontembiso Jaxa, NewPark, Kimberley (2026)

27/07/2026

REFINING OUR LANGUAGE TEACHING SKILLS

TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION

We continue with our series on reading comprehension.

Please note, colleagues, that these lessons are relevant for all educational phases. Questions and discussions are always welcome because we learn best by sharing ideas and experiences.

Welcome, teachers!

What makes it difficult for learners to answer comprehension questions successfully? Let us explore some of the underlying causes.

1. We often overlook learners' prior knowledge and experiences.

Learners understand a text more easily when it is connected to their everyday experiences. Therefore, before reading, teachers should activate learners' prior knowledge about the topic. The CAPS curriculum also encourages this approach.

2. Vocabulary should be taught in depth, not just by giving definitions.

Knowing the dictionary meaning of a word is not enough. Learners should understand that the meaning of a word can change depending on the context in which it is used. This deeper understanding enables them to interpret texts more accurately.

3. Understanding the structure of a text.

Many learners struggle to identify whether a text is descriptive, narrative, persuasive, explanatory, or comparative. This becomes a challenge because understanding the structure of a text helps learners predict what is likely to come next, organise information, interpret ideas, and make meaning from the text as a whole.

4. Monitoring comprehension while reading.

Skilled readers quickly recognise when they do not understand what they are reading. They reread the passage or change their reading strategy to improve understanding. Many learners do not naturally develop this habit, so teachers should explicitly teach and encourage it.

5. Understanding the purpose for reading.

It is important for learners to understand that reading for information is different from reading for enjoyment. Likewise, reading to evaluate or analyse a text is different from reading to locate specific information. Learners should be taught these different purposes for reading and the strategies associated with each.

6. Understanding the relationships between paragraphs.

Many learners can understand the content of individual paragraphs but struggle to see how the paragraphs connect to one another to develop the overall message of the text. Teaching learners to identify these connections helps them construct a coherent understanding of the entire passage.

🌿 Dr. Nontembiso Jaxa
IsiXhosa Language Education Specialist | Lecturer | Researcher
Supporting Teachers. Empowering Learners. Transforming IsiXhosa Education.

27/07/2026

𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐋𝐀 𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎 𝐙𝐎𝐊𝐔𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐔𝐋𝐖𝐈𝐌𝐈

Siphethe ukufunda ngokuqonda ngokuqonda oko kufundwayo.

Masiqaphele mawethu, ezi zifundo zilungele, zonke izigaba. Okunye, imibuzo yamkelekile, umbona umnandi ngokuchubelana

Bhotani bootitshala!

Yintoni eyenza ukuba ngaxa limbi abafundi kube nzima ukuphendula imibuzo yovavanyo lokuqonda? Sizama ukuvingca amazibuko.

Ezinye zezizathu zezi:
1. Ulwazi asele enalo umfundi namava akhe siyawatyeshela
-Abafundi bakulandela msinyane oko kuthethwa kwitekisi xa kunxulunyaniswa namava abo emihla ngemihla. Ngoko ke titshala qala uhlokoze oko bakwaziyo malunga nesihloko, noxwebhu iCAPS lutsho.
2. Mabaziswe isigama esisetyenzisiweyo ngokunzulu, kungagwengulwa nje intsingiselo yaso.
-Ukwazi intsingiselo yentsusa yegama akwanelanga, koko mabazi ukuba intsingiselo yegama iyaguquguquka ngokwemixholo elisetyenziswe kuyo.
4. Ulwakheko lwetekisi
-Uninzi lwabafundi bayohlulwa kwa ukubona ukuba itekisi le ingaba iyachaza okanye iyabalisa, okanye icengela ukujija ingqondo kungenjalo, iyacacisa okanye iyathelekisa. Kuyingxaki ke oku kuba ukuqonda indlela eyakheke ngayo itekisi kubancedisa ukuba baqikelele okuza kulandela xa befunda, malunga nolwazi, neengcamango batolike nezimvo ngokusemxholweni.
5. Ukuqinisekisa ukuqonda ngeli xa ufundayo
-Abafundi ababukhali ekufundeni bakhawuleza baziqaphele xa bengakuqondi oko bakufundayo, ze baphinde bafunde kwakhona. Kungenjalo batshintshe indlela (istratheji) sokufunda. Abafundi abaninzi ke bayasilela koku, kungoko kufuneka bawuqheliswe lo mkhwa.
6. Ukwazi Injongo yokufunda nako kubalulekile.
-Sokhumbula ukuba, ukufundela ukwazi, akufani nokufundela ukuzonwabisa. Ngoku njalo ukufundela ukuphonononga akufani no kufunda ngeenjongo zokufumana ulwazi uthile kwitekisi. Kubalulekile ukuba abafundi bawuqo ndiswe lo mahluko.
7. Ukuzalana kwemihlathi yetekisi
-Ixesha elininzi abafundi bayakwazi ukuqonda okuqulethwe ngumhlathi ngamnye kodwa boyiswe kukuyiqonda ukuba imihlathi le xa iyonke izalana njani ngokomxholo wetekisi ukwakha umyalezo uwonke.

Masibeke ingca kule ndawo. Siqhube kwixa elizayo. Imibuzo neengxoxo zamkelekile!

Dr. Nontembiso Jaxa
IsiXhosa Language Education Specialist | Lecturer | Researcher
Empowering Teachers • Inspiring Learners • Advancing isiXhosa Education

27/07/2026

🔠 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐋𝐀 𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎 𝐙𝐎𝐊𝐔𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐔𝐋𝐖𝐈𝐌𝐈

Bhotani bootitshala!

Nanku umbuzo:

Kutheni abafundi befumana ubunzima ukuphumelela itekisi yovavanyo lokuqonda?

Ingxaki yokusilela kuvavanyo lokuqonda ayisoloko ikukuba umfundi akayazi impendulo. Maxa wambi ingcambu yengxaki kukuba umfundi akakwazi ukungena kwitekisi ayifundayo, atolike ngokukuko oko kuthethwayo, ukuze eve intsingiselo yayo.

Ezinye izizathu zezi:

🔹 1. Ukufunda amagama ngaphandle kokuqonda intsingiselo

-Kuyenzeka ukuba umfundi akwazi ukuwabiza amagama, kodwa engayiqondi intsingiselo yawo ngokungqamene noko kuthethwa yitekisi.

🔹 2. Ukungakwazi ukufumana/ ukuqonda iingcinga ephambili

-Umfundi usenokulahleka kwiinkcukacha aze angayiboni ingcinga ephambili ephuhliswa ngumhlathi wesicatshulwa.

🔹 3. Ukungasebenzisi amacebo okufunda
Ukufunda ngempumelelo kufuna:

ukuqikelela,
ukubuza imibuzo,
ukudibanisa ulwazi lwangaphambili,
ukushwankathela.

🔹 4. Ukungakwazi ukufunda phakathi kwamagam

-Imibuzo emininzi ifuna umfundi aqonde into engathethwanga ngqo, afumane umyalezo kunye nentsingiselo yoko kuthethwayo kodwa kubgabekwanga elubala ngamagama.

🔹 5. Ukungabi namava okunxibelelana netekisi

-Ukufunda asikokufumana amagama kuphela; kukwakha intsingiselo phakathi komfundi, itekisi kunye neemeko zayo.

Umbuzo kootitshala:

Ingaba sifundisa abafundi indlela yokufunda itekisi, okanye sibafundisa kuphela indlela yokuphendula imibuzo?

Esi sifundo sisekelwe kwiSchema Theory, Constructivist Theory kunye neTransactional Theory of Reading, apho umfundi angengomamkeli nje wolwazi kodwa engumakhi wentsingiselo.

Dr Nontembiso Jaxa
IsiXhosa Language Education Specialist
Teaching • Research • Empowering Language Educators

27/07/2026

Silola Izakhono Zokufundisa uLwimi

Ukufundisa Ukuqonda Okufundwayo: Ukunceda abafundi baqonde ulwakhiwo nokuqulethwe yitekisi

Bhotani bootitshala

Xa sifundisa abafundi ukuqonda oko kufundwayo nokufunda ngokuqonda, kuluncedo ukuba singaqali ngokunika abafundi imibuzo. Kubalulekile ukuba abafundi baqale bafunde indlela eyakhiwe ngayo itekisi ukuze bakwazi ukuqonda umxholo nomyalezo wayo.

KwiSigaba esiPhakathi (Intermediate Phase), abafundi banokuncediswa ekuqondeni ibali ngokujonga:

📌 Isihloko sebali
📌 Abalinganiswa abaphambili
📌 Indawo elenzeka kuyo into
📌 Ingxaki ephambili
📌 Iziganeko eziphambili
📌 Isisombululo okanye isiphelo
📌 Isifundo esidluliswa libali.

KwiSigaba esiPhakamileyo nakwiSigaba SeMfundo noQeqesho oluqhubela phambili (FET) , apho abafundi besebenza ngeetekisi eziziindidi ngeendidi (amanqaku, izincoko, imibongo, iidrama, iinoveli kunye nezinye iitekisi), kufuneka bafundiswe ukujonga:

📌 Isihloko setekisi — sisixelela ntoni?
📌 Ingcamango ephambili yomhlathi ngamnye.
📌 Iingongoma ezixhasa ingcamango ephambili.
📌 Indlela imihlathi ezinxulumana ngayo, ngendlela ethululela ngayo kwisihloko.
📌 Injongo nohlobo lwetekisi.
📌 Umyalezo ophambili wetekisi.

Xa abafundi bekwazi ukubona ukuba umhlathi unegalelo njani ekuphuhliseni isihloko kunye nomyalezo wetekisi, baba nako ukuqonda nzulu, ukuphendula imibuzo ngcono, nokuphucula izakhono zabo zokubhala.

Icebiso kubafundisintsapho
Phambi kokuba abafundi baphendule imibuzo yokuqonda, banike ithuba lokucazulula nokuxoxa ngendlela eyakhiwe ngayo itekisi.

💬 Umbuzo kubafundisi:
Zeziphi iindlela ozisebenzisayo ukunceda abafundi bakho baqonde iitekisi ngaphambi kokuphendula imibuzo?

Sharpening Language Teaching Skills

Teaching Reading Comprehension: Helping Learners Understand Text Structure

Greetings, teachers.

When teaching reading comprehension, we should not begin with questions only. Learners need to understand how a text is structured before they can fully understand the writer’s message.

In the Intermediate Phase, learners can be guided to analyse a story by looking at:

📌 The title
📌 Main characters
📌 Setting
📌 Main problem
📌 Key events
📌 Resolution
📌 The lesson or message of the story

In Senior Phase and FET, where learners engage with different text types (articles, essays, poetry, drama, novels and other texts), they should be guided to identify:

📌 The meaning of the title
📌 The main idea of each paragraph
📌 Supporting details and evidence
📌 The relationship between paragraphs
📌 The writer’s purpose and the type of text
📌 The overall message of the text

When learners understand how each paragraph contributes to developing the title and overall message of a text, they develop deeper comprehension, improve their responses, and strengthen their writing skills.

Teaching tip:
Before asking comprehension questions, allow learners time to analyse and discuss the structure and meaning of the text.

💬 Reflection question for teachers:
What strategies do you use to help learners understand texts before answering comprehension questions?

– UGqr Nontembiso Jaxa
Language Lecturer | Teacher Educator | Researcher

26/07/2026

WELCOME TO LANGUAGE TEACHING WITH DR NONTEMBISO JAXA! 🎉

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to this professional learning community dedicated to Intermediate Phase, Senior Phase, and FET language teachers, subject advisors, student teachers, and everyone passionate about language education.

This page has been created to support, inspire, and empower educators through practical, research-informed teaching strategies that can make a real difference in our classrooms.

On this page, you can expect:
📚 Practical lesson ideas
📖 Reading, writing, listening, and speaking strategies
📝 Assessment and moderation guidance
🎭 Effective approaches to teaching literature, including novels, drama, poetry, and folklore
🎓 Professional development for teachers and subject advisors
💡 Research-based insights that connect theory with classroom practice
🤝 A space to share experiences, ask questions, and learn from one another

As an isiXhosa lecturer and teacher educator, I believe that when teachers continue learning, learners benefit. Together, we can strengthen language teaching, promote excellence, and build confident, successful learners.

I warmly invite you to:
✅ Follow this page
✅ Like and share our posts
✅ Invite your colleagues and fellow educators
✅ Ask questions and suggest topics you would like us to discuss

Please introduce yourself in the comments by telling us:
📍 Where you teach or study
📚 Which phase or grades you work with
🗣️ Which language(s) you teach or are preparing to teach

Let us grow together as a community of educators committed to excellence in language teaching.

Empowering Teachers. Inspiring Learners. Transforming Language Education.

Welcome—I look forward to learning and growing with you!

Language Teaching with Dr Nontembiso Jaxa

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

26/07/2026

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