Repetition in Malawian classroom culture: the “discoursification” of text. Eddie Williams, Andrew Makocho, Paul Thompso

1. Repetition in Malawian classroom culture: the “discoursification” of text.Eddie Williams, Andrew Makocho, Paul Thompson and Grace Varela

4. Yr 1 ChiChewa 2 ChiChewa 3 ChiChewa 4 ChiChewa 5 English 6 English 7 English 8 English English English English English ChiChewa ChiChewa ChiChewa ChiChewa Language switch in schoolMediumSubject

5. Repetition: an example from Year 5 T: Right, another type of accident? Trading centre – another type of accident at a trading centre? Margie? S: Stepping over. T: Stepping over? S: Sellers. T: Sellers’ commodities. So,stepping over sellers’ commodities, good,stepping over sellers’ commodities.Say that again, say that again. S: Stepping over sellers’ commodities. T: Again. S: Stepping over sellers’ commodities.

6. T: So, stepping over sellers’ commodities. Class, can you say that. CL: Stepping over sellers’ commodities. T: Again. CL:Stepping over sellers’ commodities. T: Stepping over sellers’ commodities. Stepping over sellers’ commodities. Stepping over nthochi stepping over bananas, OK? CL: Yes. T: Yes, so, that is one of the accidents, stepping over sellers’ commodities, like bananas, like clothes, et cetera. So, stepping over sellers’ commodities, stepping over sellers’ commodities.

7. Lesson 3: Accidents at Trading Centres The following could be some of the causes of accidents at trading centres: Rushing to sell commodities to travellers Falling down after stepping on fruit peels Being hit by a speeding vehicle Stepping over sellers’ commodities Social Studies, Pupils’ Book 5.

8. Standard explanations for repetition: (a) teachers lack confidence in their English and so employ repetition as a strategy to avoid unpredictable language. (b) repetition is a function of the teaching style favoured by teachers

10. Phase 1 research questions: • Is there as much lexical repetition where ChiChewa is the MOI as where English is the MOI? • Is there more repetition from text in English lessons than in ChiChewa lessons?

11. Lexical Analysis Procedure • Transcribe ChiChewa and English medium lessons (social science) • Discard grammatical words and elements to produce lists of lemmas (“base words”) • Calculate the Type/Token ratio per 250 lemmas

12. Producing lemmas for English - 1 • Tell me the name of the hills.

13. Producing lemmas for English - 2 • Tell me the name of the hills • tell namehillpl

14. Producing lemmas for ChiChewa - 1 Zinthu zimene zimaonetsa things / which / show / malire a dera the boundaries / of / the area

15. Producing lemmas for ChiChewa - 2 • Zi-nthuzi-mene zi-ma-on-etsa pl-thing / pl-which / pl-asp-see-cause ma-lire a dera pl-boundary / of / area

16. Producing lemmas for ChiChewa - 3 nthu on lire dera thing show boundary area

17. Type/Token ratio = Number of types/number of tokens x 100 Types = number of different words Tokens = total number of words

18. Data sources • 8 Schools, Southern Region • 13 general studies lessons (C): year 4 • 13 social studies lessons (E): year 5

19. Type/Token results for teacher+students The lower the T/T ratio figure, the higher the repetition

20. Type/Token results for teacher only

21. Type/token results for English transcripts

22. Type/token results for ChiChewa

23. Word types: % from teacher not in texts

24. Word tokens: % from teacher not in texts

25. Finding and Conclusion 1: Repetition similar in ChiChewa and English social science lessons Repetition therefore seems a function of teaching style

26. Finding and Conclusion 2: Teacher talk in English has more repetition from text (text-bound) than teacher talk in ChiChewa Teachers rely on text more when teaching in English

28. Phase 2 Research Question: Why is repetition “a teaching style”? • Further data collected from • classroom participants • other social contexts • non-classroom informants

29. Teachers responses: • to master the language: pronunciation and understanding • to check if pupils have heard/understood • to help pupils remember facts • to help slow learners learn from fast learners • to help shy children • to keep children alert • a strategy of inefficient teachers

30. Pupils’ responses : • to learn or remember the language, especially pronunciation • to learn or remember facts • to help one another

31. Adviser’s responses • Group repetition helps pupils to remember BUT • It is a teaching technique that does not help understanding

32. Repetition in Social Contexts • Political Meetings • Rites of Passage • Singing Hymns/Songs • Prayers • Funerals • Story Telling

33. Conclusion: 1 • Text serves as input to a classroom discourse of submission and solidarity • The solidarity extends both vertically and horizontally • “We are together” includes teacher and pupils

34. Conclusion: 2 • Classroom rules for creating “solidarity-oriented” discourse from text operate at a cost to rules for cognitive engagement with text • Great caution needed with any attempt at pedagogic innovation: the classroom is a part of society

35. Thanks for funding support to The University of Reading and The UK Department for International Development and for advice on ChiChewa to Sam Mchombo UC Berkeley

36. And thanks to: Grace Varela Bro. Andrew Makocho