Section 5: Supporting additional language learning

Key Focus Question: How can you build supportive relationships in the additional language?

Keywords: personal communication; pen-pals; sharing local information

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will have:

  • begun developing relationships between pupils that support their learning in the additional language and help them reflect on their own learning;
  • provided opportunities for pupils to communicate with proficient or mother-tongue speakers of the additional language,
  • set up opportunities for communication with pupils beyond your school.

Introduction

Many pupils in Africa have few opportunities to interact with mother-tongue speakers of the additional language. Often, exposure to the language has to come through reading, listening to the radio or watching the TV.

Nevertheless, there are ways to get your pupils talking and writing to those who are more fluent in the additional language. You may also be able to help your pupils communicate, in the additional language, with pupils in another school.

This section looks at ways to do this.

1. Focus on everyday language