On-site
and outreach learning sessions are conducted to help non-literate youths and
adults develop the necessary basic literacy and numeracy skills
Helping learners to
develop Basic English language competency is among the services which are
provided as part of the ABET programme. Robert
Nsubuga, the main English Language Tutor has helped over 50 learners from
Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda and Somalia to gain the skills to use the language of
power to improve their social and economic status.
With
his colleagues, Mr. Nsubuga concedes that there have no single fixed methods of
teaching English especially to the foreigners without a command of any local
lingua. It is indeed an innovative blending of different techniques. The tutors believe that learning to speak a
language is simpler than writing and reading. The tutors share a bit of how
exactly the teaching is done:
At times the learners are exposed to the English alphabets and helped to identify, write and pronounce each letter; From the single letters, they
develop simple words and nouns; The tutors frequently write
these simple words and nouns on the chalk board; They often use flash cards with
images of the nouns or doing words; They also display the objects as
they pronounce the nouns (for instance they can either display a picture of a
broom or bring the real object; For the verbs, the tutors write
as they demonstrate. For instance, the verb ‘jump’ is accompanied by physical
jumping; Another way is through direct
translation of words into vernacular which greatly motivates the learners. For
instance, in the Dinka language from Sudan, Good Morning is Sirwoni and the
reply is Singirayi. As you mention and
write the vernacular word next to the English version, you ask the learners to
repeat.
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