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<header><h1>For better maths, science marks, instruct in English</h1><p class="gmail-meta"><a href="https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/opinion">Opinion</a><span> / </span><span>12 February 2018, 4:45pm</span><span> / </span><span><strong>Siwaphiwe Myataza</strong></span></p><div><div class="gmail-social-icons"><ul><li><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iol.co.za%2Fcapeargus%2Fopinion%2Ffor-better-maths-science-marks-instruct-in-english-13241170" title="Share on Facebook"><img src="https://www.iol.co.za/assets/images/social-icons/facebook-rnd-ico.svg" alt="Share on Facebook" id="gmail-article-facebook-share"></a></li><li><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?via=IOL&text=For%20better%20maths%2C%20science%20marks%2C%20instruct%20in%20English&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iol.co.za%2Fcapeargus%2Fopinion%2Ffor-better-maths-science-marks-instruct-in-english-13241170" title="Share on Twitter"><img src="https://www.iol.co.za/assets/images/social-icons/twitter-rnd-ico.svg" alt="Share on Twitter" id="gmail-article-twitter-share"></a></li><li><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&title=For%20better%20maths%2C%20science%20marks%2C%20instruct%20in%20English&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iol.co.za%2Fcapeargus%2Fopinion%2Ffor-better-maths-science-marks-instruct-in-english-13241170" title="Share on LinkedIn"><img src="https://www.iol.co.za/assets/images/social-icons/linkedin-rnd-ico.svg" alt="Share on LinkedIn" id="gmail-article-linkedin-share"></a></li><li><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/opinion/for-better-maths-science-marks-instruct-in-english-13241170#email-share" class="gmail-show-popup" title="Share via Email"><img src="https://www.iol.co.za/assets/images/social-icons/email-rnd-ico.svg" alt="Tell a Friend" id="gmail-article-email-share"></a></li></ul></div></div></header><div class="gmail-article-body"><figure><div class="gmail-sixteen-nine"><img class="gmail-imgLandScape" src="https://image.iol.co.za/image/1/process/620x349?source=https://inm-baobab-prod-eu-west-1.s3.amazonaws.com/public/inm/media/image/100868274.JPG&operation=CROP&offset=0x64&resize=2008x1127" alt="" title="INSTRUCT IN ENGLISH: (From left) Athi Menziwa, Philisiwe Ncube and Elizabeth Moyo read at Cape Town Library. Improving pupils’ grasp of English will lead to better marks being achieved in maths and science, says the writer. Picture: Cindy Waxa/African News Agency (ANA) archives"></div><figcaption><span class="gmail-imageCaption">INSTRUCT
IN ENGLISH: (From left) Athi Menziwa, Philisiwe Ncube and Elizabeth
Moyo read at Cape Town Library. Improving pupils’ grasp of English will
lead to better marks being achieved in maths and science, says the
writer. Picture: Cindy Waxa/African News Agency (ANA) archives</span></figcaption></figure><div class="gmail-articleBodyMore" id="gmail-article-more-body">Maths and science in rural schools will improve once English competence is instilled.
<p>You cannot expect rural pupils to perform well in either subject if you do not strengthen their understanding of English.</p>
<p>I say this because some pupils struggle hugely in exam halls
while attempting to understand questions written in English - more so
than they struggle to apply their knowledge.</p>
<p>So, teachers, please be mindful that educating pupils in
their mother-tongue languages increases failure rates and does not help
to achieve high pass rates in maths and science. </p>
<p>The language of instruction in classrooms should strictly be in English.</p><div id="gmail-ad-inarticle-middle"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/116466607/IOL/capeargus/opinion/for-better-maths-science-marks-instruct-in-english-13241170_8__container__" style="border-color:currentcolor;border-style:none;border-width:0pt;display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px"></div></div>
<p>In the context of rural schools in South Africa, oral
reading fluency data was collected by the National Education and
Evaluation Development Unit (Needu) in 2013, which tested 4 697 Grade 5
pupils from 214 schools. </p>
<p>A sub-sample of 1 772 of these pupils was selected for an oral reading fluency test.</p>
<p>The results showed that only 6% of the sample achieved
comprehension scores above 60% and that 41% of the sample were
non-readers (illiterate), since they were reading so slowly that they
could not understand what they were reading. </p>
<p>Sadly, 11% of the sample could not read a single English word from the passage.</p>
<p>Similarly, in 2016 Research on Socio-Economic Policy (Resep)
identified other culprits behind mass illiteracy in South Africa, which
are: insufficient policy for early childhood development and primary
schooling; weaknesses in the relationship between teacher, student and
curriculum content, known as the instructional core; home background;
and large class sizes in the foundation phase.</p>
<p>What Needu and Resep found in their reports was what
occurred on a daily basis in rural schools, especially from Grade 4
onwards. Pupils could not read, as they could not understand English.
Therefore, how can one possibly demand better performance in maths and
science, because an understanding of English influences how they write
and, simultaneously, the marks that they attain in these subjects.</p>
<p>In rural schools, some pupils attest that they passed matric
through their own efforts, because they would be taught maths, science,
geography and other major subjects in IsiXhosa - whereas in the exam
hall, they would be expected to write and articulate their knowledge in
English.</p>
<p>At the time that they were being instructed, they were
misled into seeing nothing wrong with being given maths examples in
isiXhosa, as they felt it helped them to understand the subject better. </p>
<p>This is not the case, however, so this is one belief that we
need to eradicate as a nation. If the curriculum approves of English as
the language of instruction, then teachers must instil a culture of
speaking English in classrooms.</p>
<p>If this is not done, pupils will continue to struggle during
exams and most rural pupils will continue to confess that they leave
some questions blank and unanswered, not because they are too lazy to
write, but because they don’t understand some of the questions.</p>
<p>This becomes a problem, because without the ability to
understand what they read in English, pupils are unable to engage with
what is being taught. They are excluded from engaging with every aspect
of the formal curriculum, which from Grade 4 presupposes both the
ability to decode (read) independently and the ability to read for
meaning, making links between passages of text and one’s own experiences
or knowledge.</p>
<p>With every school day spent struggling unsuccessfully over
the hieroglyphs of English sounds and words, these pupils lose learning
time and fall behind. They cannot recover this lost ground. The texts
become more complicated and the gap widens.</p>
<p>These pupils will be haunted by poor academic performance for the rest of their school careers. </p>
<p>Evidence shows that students who have fallen behind in school by Grade 4 struggle to achieve educational outcomes by Grade 12.</p>
<p>Pupils become demotivated and disengaged, disillusioned that there is any hope or future for them inside the school system.</p>
<p>Moreover, when pupils continue to perform poorly in maths
and science, we always look for bigger faults to point to and forget
about the tiny mistakes that are practised daily in classrooms,
frequently yielding poor outcomes.</p>
<p>So, it’s a new year with new resolutions, and rural schools
must note that if they miss the gist in the beginning, it will be hard
to make strides that lead to success later in the year.</p>
<p>We have all observed in previous years how basic education
in South Africa is struggling to yield excellent performances in both
urban and rural schools.</p>
<p>Most schools that perform well in maths and science are
urban schools, which have an adequate understanding of the English
conveyed by teachers to pupils. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, in rural schools teachers are not comfortable
about addressing pupils in English, hence they fail to boost pupils'
confidence in speaking the language. It is therefore the duty of each of
us to work together to bring change to rural schools by instilling
English competence.</p>
<p>The change begins when we know our responsibilities and
respect the language policies in schools. I am not saying that pupils
shouldn’t be allowed to speak their mother tongues inside school
premises, but that all pupils should be taught in English.</p>
<p>Furthermore, as a new school year commences, I believe that
we should learn from our faults and comprehend that development is
feasible only when we plan to give our best when it comes to advancing
the learning processes in rural schools. </p>
<p>In this way, pupils will score excellent marks in maths and science.</p>
<p>We are forced as community builders, teachers, parents and
pupils to be strident about eradicating all stumbling blocks in schools.
Teachers are influential overseers in schools and so it’s better to
work with them to solve the issues affecting schools.</p>
<p>The vision of strengthening English competence requires
undivided attention by the Department of Education, as this is the only
possible channel to facilitate improvement in maths and science results
in rural schools.</p></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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