Afrikaans for Education
Overview
Afrikaans is one of the youngest languages in the world, and was (like Hindi, Modern Hebrew, and Indonesian) established as a fully standardised language during the 20th century. Afrikaans can be taken as a university subject in, amongst others, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and USA. Afrikaans is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa and is the mother tongue of the majority of the students studying on the Potchefstroom campus of North-West University.
Knowledge of as many languages as possible is a great asset for teachers in a multi-lingual country such as South Africa, and in an increasingly globalised world, therefore it is expected of education students to be able to teach through the medium of more than one language. There is also a good deal of research done about teaching through the medium of a second or third language, as well as the actual teaching of second and third languages –the former especially in the subject English, and the latter especially in the subject group Afrikaans and Tswana.
Degree options
- Bachelor of Education (BEd)
- Postgraduate degree options
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
English for Education
Overview
In the Department of English we offer core subjects as well as electives. Our focus is on equipping students to deal with the realities of language education in multilingual classrooms in South Africa, as well as dealing with the challenges of teaching overseas.
Core Modules: (ENGF 121 & ENGF 221)
In these modules we focus on teaching language across the curriculum in the content classroom, thus establishing content and language-integrated learning. These modules are also closely linked to the in-service training we provide to teachers in our research project.
Electives: (ENGE 111/122; ENGE 212/221; ENGE 311/321)
Content is selected to provide the teacher with all the required in-depth knowledge regarding the content of English as a subject while simultaneously providing the opportunity for acquisition of methodological and pedagogical skills.
Teachers of English should have knowledge of
• how language works
• how we learn to use it
• the ways in which contemporary critical and cultural theories of text and textual study clarify these processes.
Didactics: (ENGD 212; ENGD 322; ENGD 411/421; ENGD 511/521
More than ever before, teachers of English must deliver a complex and dynamic curriculum to students from different socio-economic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, society is increasingly technologically and media-oriented. Multiple forms of literacy demand a broad theoretical knowledge of language and literacy acquisition and teaching. The NCS (Grade R through to grade12) forms the basis for the preparation of English teachers, who must equip their students to meet the challenges of this changing world.
Degree options
Setswana and African Languages for Education
Overview
The Subject group offers five languages for Education – Setswana, Sesotho, Sepedi, isiZulu and isiXhosa – contact and distance learning. According to the North-West Provincial Language Act, Afrikaans, English, Setwana, Sesotho and isiZulu are the languages of the province. The fact that many prospective students who apply for various qualifications and practicing teachers choose to qualify and upgrade their professional qualifications with us, we saw it a need to extend the subject group by including Sepedi and isiZulu, especially for us to respond to the Minister of Education and Arts and Culture's call to develop indigenous Languages.
The Subject group aspires to offer high quality innovative teaching and learning that is driven by self-directed learning, blended learning, and research that integrate the aspects of diversity, Ubuntu, and Indigenous Knowledge to the benefit of South African learners.
Degree options