Multilingual Education: Code-Switching, Borrowing and Translation in the Classroom: Hamisi District in Review

Description

Quite a good number of children in many African countries go through an education system that provides instruction in a second language. This means they are instructed in a language that they do not speak at home- which is the language they first learn to express themselves and the world in which they live; yet UNESCO recommends the use of mother tongue for instruction in early years of schooling on the grounds that a child develops faster cognitively if he is instructed in his first language continuously over a period of time in infancy. This book is an examination of the impact of English on the teaching and use of mother tongue as a language of instruction in the classroom. The book investigates the attitudes of teachers towards mother tongue and illustrates how English is a constant reference point in the teaching and use of mother tongue as a language of instruction.

Mary Khejeri holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literature from University of Nairobi, a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from Kenyatta University and a Master of Philosophy degree in English Language from Moi University, where she is pursuing her doctorate degree in Language Education. Her experience in Language education spans over a period of twenty eight years having served as a teacher at St. Francis Girls’ High School, Mang’u, and St Peter’s Boys’ High School, Mumias; an Examiner and Moderator of English with the Kenya National Examination Council; a Lecturer at Eldoret Polytechnic; a Lecturer at Mount Kenya University’s Department of Curriculum Instruction; and currently serving as the Co-ordinator – Educational Communication Technology Department, Eldoret Campus, Mount Kenya University.