While director of the American International School of Freetown, I taught three sixty-hour courses in second-language instructional methodology to teachers of Sierra Leonean languages in fifteen junior secondary schools in the Freetown area. The duration of these courses were: September 15, 1997 - January 5, 1998 (SLM I); April 20, 1998 - June 29, 1998 (SLM II); and April 19, 1999 - June 23, 1999 (SLM III).
There were ten participants in each course, two from each of five schools. All were teachers of either Mende, Themne, Limba, or Krio in their schools. We met two or three times per week. Each session began with 10 minutes' dialogue journal writing. At the beginning of the course, we set up journal partners that were maintained throughout the course. In the first journal session, participants began writing in their own journal in a Sierra Leonean language--in most cases, the language they were teaching. In the next session, the partners would exchange journals and reply to what their partner had written, in the same language.
The lessons each day consisted of theories of second language acquisition and how to set up a class environment in which second language learning happens.
Everyone learned seven teaching methods, or structures, which have been found effective in second language instruction. We used teacher training videocassettes borrowed from SELI to demonstrate the methods; I demonstrated the methods in class; and then each participant chose a method to teach the group one aspect of his/her language of instruction. Once we used this drawing one of the teachers made of her language class as a symbol when I demonstrated Freire's Problem Posing method.
We maintained a class library of literature that is available commercially in each of these four Sierra Leonean languages, and participants borrowed from the library during the course. To emphasize that literature only expands if there are authors, and that each of us can be an author, we dedicated part of each session to a writing workshop. We wrote in one language (English) to make it possible for us all to conference together, but kept emphasizing that we hoped they would begin to feel like authors and launch out into writing in their languages of instruction. The SLM courses were held during a period of extreme civil unrest in Sierra Leone when schools were not operating normally. This prevented our carrying out follow-up instructional support in the teachers' own schools; however, we all took courage from being able to share what was happening around us through our writing.
There were ten participants in each course, two from each of five schools. All were teachers of either Mende, Themne, Limba, or Krio in their schools. We met two or three times per week. Each session began with 10 minutes' dialogue journal writing. At the beginning of the course, we set up journal partners that were maintained throughout the course. In the first journal session, participants began writing in their own journal in a Sierra Leonean language--in most cases, the language they were teaching. In the next session, the partners would exchange journals and reply to what their partner had written, in the same language.
The lessons each day consisted of theories of second language acquisition and how to set up a class environment in which second language learning happens.
Everyone learned seven teaching methods, or structures, which have been found effective in second language instruction. We used teacher training videocassettes borrowed from SELI to demonstrate the methods; I demonstrated the methods in class; and then each participant chose a method to teach the group one aspect of his/her language of instruction. Once we used this drawing one of the teachers made of her language class as a symbol when I demonstrated Freire's Problem Posing method.We maintained a class library of literature that is available commercially in each of these four Sierra Leonean languages, and participants borrowed from the library during the course. To emphasize that literature only expands if there are authors, and that each of us can be an author, we dedicated part of each session to a writing workshop. We wrote in one language (English) to make it possible for us all to conference together, but kept emphasizing that we hoped they would begin to feel like authors and launch out into writing in their languages of instruction. The SLM courses were held during a period of extreme civil unrest in Sierra Leone when schools were not operating normally. This prevented our carrying out follow-up instructional support in the teachers' own schools; however, we all took courage from being able to share what was happening around us through our writing.
Interesting to know.
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