Multimodality and English education in Ugandan schools
Date
2006
Authors
Kendrick, Maureen
Jones, Shelley
Mutonyi, Harriet
Norton, Bonny
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
English Studies in Africa
Abstract
In all societies children have many layers of representational resources
Ia vailable to them. Play, movement, song, drama, language and artistic activity are but some of the modalities by which they learn to make sense
of their world (Short, Kauffman and Kahn 160). The concept of multimodal
ways of communicating, however, although very much in vogue in literacy
studies, is not a new model within the Ugandan communities in which we
work. In many parts of Uganda, indigenous knowledge and ways of
communicating have been integrated into non-formal learning contexts,
particularly in Freirean-based adult literacy programmes such as UPLIFTUganda
(Pokorny 10-1 1) and REFLECT (Attwood, Castle and Smythe 137-
158). Within the formal school system, however, teachers are often
constrained in their ability to recognize alternative or indigenous modes of
representing and communicating knowledge due to a strong emphasis on
examinations, teaching to the curriculum and a lack of resources and teacher
training, particularly in rural areas.
Description
Keywords
MULTIMODALITYAND ENGLISH EDUCATION IN UGANDAN SCHOOLS
Citation
Kendrick, M., Jones, S., Mutonyi, H. and Norton, B., 2006. Multimodality and English education in Ugandan schools. English Studies in Africa, 49(1), pp.95-114.