Wits Abafunde-ba-hlalefe Multilingual Literacies Programme

Dr Munene Mwaniki's public lecture

The public lecture was very informative and interesting on Friday. Dr Mwaniki said " provinces should be allowed to choose the languages they want to promote". he supported this by reading Section 29 of the South African constitution. What is your opinion about this.

Dr Munene Mwaniki who will be giving a public lecture on 08 October 2015

WAMLiP invites you to a public lecture by Dr Munene Mwaniki from University of Free State. Topic " Taking stock of language education and language in education in South Africa twenty years on: Time for a language management approach.
Date: 08 October
Time: 12:00-13:00
Venue: B4, Wits Education Campus

As we celebrate our heritage, be proud of your identity: your culture; where you come from and the language you speak. Happy Heritage month

WAMLiP will be conducting training for Literacy coaches today in Parktown.

As we are preparing to celebrate the Heritage day, lets each ask ourselves how proud am I about my African culture and language. Before we can celebrate anything let us be proud of being Africans by promoting multilingualism and our multiple cultures. How many African languages can you speak?

Good day. WAMLiP is looking for 2 dynamic research assistants to join the progrramme. Email your cv to [email protected]
Closing date: 25 September 2015
Skills Required: Good typing skills,background in research (data collection, fieldwork, analysis) will an added advantage, knowledge of at least 2 African languages
Enquiries: 011 717 3002

Prof Makelela was interviewed by The Science Inside on the topic of language following the Open Stellenbosch. He said " when people talk every day they are multilingual, they use different languages simultaneously". To hear more go to www.journalism.co.za and listen to podcast #025- # Open Stellenbosch

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Good day WAMLiP followers our director Prof Leketi Makalela will be interviewed today at 17:40 on SA FM. Switch on your radios and listen.

Wits Abafunde-ba-hlalefe Multilingual Programme promotes multingualism and the teaching of learners in more than one language simultaneously in the same lesson. We refer to this discourse practice of receiving an input and giving output in different languages as translanguaging. We challenge orthodox practices in schools were the use of more than one language is discouraged by teachers who have no real reason for doing so.

We believe that boxing languages and promoting use of one at any encounter is a monolingual bias, which was imposed on African multilingualism. We provide teachers with new knowledge and induct them into the view that multilingualism is a norm and that strategic use of more than one language is good for the learners to access knowledge and affirm their identity positions. Unlike the false stories of the past and of colonialism, WAMLiP refutes the lie that using more than one language creates mental confusion. We are inspired by the African cultural competence of 'ubuntu', which propagates fluidity and porous relations between humans. We champion the view that one language is incomplete without the other. With this in mind, we develop diagnostic tests on reading comprehension and writing in Nguni (main isiZulu), Sotho (mainly Sepedi), English, Tshivenda and Xitsonga languages to have a panoramic view of the state of literacy in grades 1-10 and across a wide array of South African languages. So far we have worked with schools in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauging, but it is our goal to expand into the rest of the provinces in South Africa and into SADC countries.

Once the diagnostic tests are concluded, WAMLiP undertakes intensive intervention programme that targets teachers, learners, parents and the print environment. This is followed by post-test measures to assess the impact of our intervention (treatment). At the tail end of the research cycle, we develop resources detailing good practices such as DVDs, CDS, training manuals, resource file for teachers, research articles, books and share these with the larger public.

In addition, we run advocacy campaigns in selected districts and make our views public in the national television, radio, and newspaper outlets. We also disseminate our results through local and international conferences, symposia, colloquium series and targeted in-service teacher workshops such as the Wits Writing Project.

WAMLiP conducted pre-test today at Emadlelweni Primary school in Soweto. Grade 4-6 learners were participating.