Abstract
This article takes a critical look at the role played by second language teaching methods used in teaching African languages as first languages. The traditional method of teaching, used before 1984, encouraged rote learning and teacher-centred lessons. This did not foster the use of dictionaries and, if they were used, the lack of a dictionary culture made their use ineffective. Teachers should be well versed in the functional approach, introduced in 1984, to ensure a smooth transition to Outcomes Based Eductation (OBE). Although its inception since 1994 offers a greater scope for using dictionaries, teachers are still unsure about how the syllabi should be implemented. This, together with the lack of a dictionary culture, results in an inadequate and ineffective dictionary use. Some suggestions are made how this situation could be rectified. Keywords: african languages, first and second language teaching, traditional educational method, rote learning, functional educational approach, outcomes based education, interpretation of syllabi, availability of dictionaries, dictionary usage, dictionary culture
Highlights
The high Matriculation failure rate among Black students is blamed on the fact that the majority of learners, teachers and parents find it difficult to communicate, read or write in English
In the Sunday Times, 30th January 2000, page 2, John Burmeister, National Director: The Molteno Project, states that Matriculation results could be improved by "accelerating the acquisition of competence in English — it being the popular choice of medium"
At the College of Continuing Training in Soshanguve, which closed down in 1994, it was found that teachers who came to the in-service training, of which the main aim was the improvement of their teaching skills, struggled with the methods of teaching an African language, and with the content of different aspects of grammar and literature, because they could not interpret the syllabi
Summary
The high Matriculation failure rate among Black students is blamed on the fact that the majority of learners, teachers and parents find it difficult to communicate, read or write in English. In the Sunday Times, 30th January 2000, page 2, John Burmeister, National Director: The Molteno Project, states that Matriculation results could be improved by "accelerating the acquisition of competence in English — it being the popular choice of medium" This addresses the symptoms, not the cause. At the College of Continuing Training in Soshanguve, which closed down in 1994, it was found that teachers who came to the in-service training, of which the main aim was the improvement of their teaching skills, struggled with the methods of teaching an African language, and with the content of different aspects of grammar and literature, because they could not interpret the syllabi The causes for this situation in language education and its impact on a dictionary culture will be dealt with in the following discussion
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