Designing an effective phonics teaching strategy for grade one class in isiNdebele in the Nkangala district.

Abstract

This study aims to design an effective strategy to teach isiNdebele phonics in a Grade one class in KwaMhlanga North East Circuit Inkangala District North East Circuit Inkangala District of Thembisile Local Municipality in the Mpumalanga Province. The study explores the challenges faced by teachers in teaching isiNdebele phonics. Identified and prioritised challenges are teachers teaching inappropriate sequencing of phonic content, teachers being unable to understand the principle of phonetic rules (graphemes and phonemes, teachers having problems with the application of phonetic patterns, teachers having challenges in creating lesson plans that are not adapting to meet the diverse needs of learners, teachers having issues in the application of phonic skills (encoding and decoding). The study has adopted the posthumanism theory. Posthumanism theory questions the anthropocentric view that positions humans as the central and privileged beings in the world. An anthropocentric view of posthumanism in phonics teaching focuses on embodied learning experiences as a means to engage learners. Activities involving movement, gesture, or physical materials designed to appeal to Grade one learners' sensory experiences and facilitate their understanding and retention of isiNdebele phonics concepts. Phonological awareness was the conceptual framework that guided my study, and Participatory Action Research (PAR) as my methodological approach. PAR creates cooperation between educators, pupils, and other stakeholders, enabling them to participate actively in developing and improving phonics teaching approaches. The research team identified the challenges and came up with solutions through the discussions during the meetings. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was used to analyse data. CDA was used to uncover language use's underlying power dynamics, ideologies, and societal implications, aiming to create awareness, challenge dominant discourses, and foster more equitable communication practices.