Mobile Technologies, Input Hypothesis and Second Language Acquisition in the Rwandan Context

The use of technologies in education started in the 1950s specifically with the use of audio-visual tools in language learning. Those tools which were made of big heavy hardware with limited software, accessible only from a specific location, have currently evolved into handy portable and mobile devices which are accessible at any place and time with unlimited variety of software, and this gave birth to mobile-assisted language learning as a young field of study. As the world rapidly changes, there is a need for studies which integrate these technologies with the available traditional theories that were primarily based on traditional ways of teaching and learning. This article is an attempt to integrate the use of modern mobile technologies with Input Hypothesis of second language acquisition in the context of Rwanda, one of the monolingual world countries in matters of national language, but which use foreign languages for various purposes. Keywords: ICT in education; mobile assisted language learning; second language acquisition; mobile technologies in language learning (MTLL);  emerging technologies; input hypothesis&nbsp

Ufundishaji wa Kiswahili katika Shule za Rwanda: Tathmini ya Makosa, Matatizo na Mahitaji

Utumiaji wa lugha ya pili kwa wanafunzi na walimu waliozoea lugha yao ya kwanza na desturi zao si jambo rahisi. Wakati mwingine, wanatumia lahaja yao ya kijiografia ili waweze kuelewa mambo kadhaa katika lugha ya pili. Je, inawezekana kufundisha lugha ya pili bila uingizaji wa makosa kutoka lugha ya kwanza? Ni mwingiliano upi unaosababisha kufanya makosa katika lugha ya pili? Ni namna gani ya kuyaondoa makosa hayo? Ni lugha gani inayoweza kutumiwa ili kuuondoa mwingiliano huo? Lengo la uchunguzi huu ni kuangalia makosa ya kimwingiliano yanayofanywa na wanafunzi wa Kiswahili kutokana na mahali wanapoishi, pia kutokana na lugha yao ya kwanza ambayo ni Kinyarwanda na kuangalia kategoria ya makosa hayo pia na uhusiano uliopo kati ya mwingiliano na makosa katika lugha ya pili na kuangalia namna ya kurekebisha makosa hayo

A reflection on the need for a language management scheme at the university of Rwanda’s college of education

oai:sloap:article/28The issue of language policy and management has been tackled by various scholars worldwide, but gaps are observed in studies that explored the language management schemes in schools, particularly in institutions of higher learning. This paper contributes to filling this gap by reflecting on the need to design a language management scheme for the University of Rwanda’s College of Education to promote language proficiency and quality education. Using Gundersen’s language management model as a theoretical framework and drawing from an analytical approach, this article explores the urgent need for developing the language management scheme at the University of Rwanda – College of Education. It highlights the enablers and challenges for developing and implementing such a language management scheme and recommends some strategies to capitalize on those enablers to solve language problems at the College. Throughout the paper, our argument is that a language management scheme is needed for the promotion of the proficiency in all five languages used at the College generally, and in English particularly, which is used as a medium of instruction

From an African Oral Tale to an English Picture Book: Rwandan Teachers’ Experience with Online Translation of South African Institute of Distance Education’s African Storybooks

Research findings pertaining to language education and distance education point to the lack of online reading materials written in African languages and reflecting African contexts. Such a shortage is a challenge to literacy skills development in Africa. In Rwanda, although there are some graded readers to support the teaching of reading in Kinyarwanda, there is a shortage of enjoyable storybooks on which children can practice their reading skills. This paper contributes to addressing this challenge by investigating the partnership between the University of Rwanda-College of Education and South African Institute of Distance Education’s (Saide) African Storybook Initiative, which provides a website of digital storybooks in Kinyarwanda and other languages for early grade reading. Data were collected from 32 Rwandan teacher educators who participated in a workshop. Participants created online picture storybooks in Kinyarwanda, translated some from other languages and published them on the African Storybook website. The researchers firstly observed their activities during the workshop, then, all participants filled in the questionnaire and ten teachers were interviewed on opportunities offered and challenges encountered during the translation process. The key finding is that teachers’ experiences with translation revealed differences in story reading levels between the original Kinyarwanda folktales and English translated versions. They found special features of African agglutinating languages in determining reading levels, and foreignization of translated stories based on cultural clashes. Differences in length between the original and the translated stories were observed, as well as the specificity of English versions in reinforcing more critical thinking than the translated Kinyarwanda versions. The paper recommends teacher educators and translators to bear in mind that adaptation to African languages requires care and a high level of ability to maintain the meaning and moral lesson of the original tale and make it enjoyable for children. Translating and adapting stories from English into agglutinative African languages have implications for early grade reading interventions in African schools since children stories on African storybook website are available in more than 100 African languages.

Eclectic Traditional Value Hub Model or four-in-one: An Innovative Booster of Community Quadriliteracy among Adults in Rwandan Rural Communities

Various studies on literacy have been conducted worldwide, but there is paucity of studies that explored adult literacy from the perspectives of African traditional values. Many African communities, including Rwanda, still experience a low level of literacy in the 21st century. As a contribution to address this literacy gap, an innovative model coined “Eclectic Traditional Value Hub Model” is being implemented in selected Rwandan rural communities to promote quadriliteracy, community literacy and digital literacy among adults with limited literacy. The newness of this model is twofold: firstly, it draws from a range of African and Rwandan traditional values; secondly, it boosts parallel literacy practices in four languages, namely Kinyarwanda, English, French and Kiswahili, by which it is described as “Four-in-One”. This study reports on one year’s implementation of this model, exploring its level of success in accelerating quadriliteracy and community digital literacy and numeracy among Rwandan communities. Participants include University of Rwanda lecturers who initiated the model, graduates from secondary schools who are literacy trainers in their local communities and trainees who are citizens with limited literacy including motorists, street vendors, small-sized business people and others who strive to uplift their literacy levels. The successful stride of this model is that about ten thousand community members from Eastern province are accelerating their literacy practices through translingual and cross-lingual practices. We recommend the application of this model to other African settings with more African traditional values and assess its impact in minimising the high illiteracy rate reported in various corners of Africa