Bachelor of Education Honours in Bilingual Education for Diversity and Access

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to provide learners with knowledge and skills that will enable them to respond critically to challenges facing continuing professional development for teachers.

A qualified learner will be able to

• Engage in independent research and produce findings in the form of a research report from a range of appropriate research designs, methods, techniques and technologies in Bilingual Education for Diversity and Access.
• Develop theoretical understandings of language learning, bilingualism biliteracy and teaching practice in school.

Rationale

The Bachelor of Education Honours in Bilingual Education for Diversity and Access is designed to provide learners with skills and knowledge that will enhance critical thinking and to be responsive to educational challenges with the focus on continuing professional development for teachers. It has been reported that, the Eastern Cape Province needs to provide continuing teacher professional development opportunities to strengthen the quality of education in the province within the long term. This qualification focuses on enhancing educational knowledge (the sociological, psychological and philosophical dimensions of education), and also supports the development of applied research competence and reflexive practice for educators, while preparing learners for a Masters level research. This qualification is aimed to providing learners with skills that will enable them to teach in different languages for purposes of accommodating learners from diverse communities with different backgrounds to enable them to access a certain qualification (i.e. in the Eastern Cape, English and Xhosa are expected to be languages of communication because of the historical background and the majority of learners who want to enrol at institutions like Rhodes University).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Applicants who fall outside of the normal admissions process and who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the University that they have experiential or work based learning which has taken them to a level equivalent to the above, under formally accredited learning, may be considered for admission for the recognition of prior accredited and or prior experiential learning. Applicants who after such assessment, are deemed to have sufficient potential but are in need of further academic development, may be require to broaden their curriculum to include preliminary programmes prior to admission or parallel programmes after admission.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor's Degree at NQF Level 7 or equivalent.

This qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules at NQF Level 8, totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 70 Credits

• Educational Idea and Issues, 40 Credits.
• Educational Research I, 20 Credits.
• Educational Research II, 10 Credits.

Electives Modules, 50 Credits (select two)

Adult Education Processes, 25 Credits.

• Bilingual Education for Equity and access, 25 Credits.
• Classroom based Research in Bilingual Education, 25 Credits.

1. Engage in independent research and produce findings in the form of a research report from a range of appropriate research designs, methods, techniques and technologies in Bilingual Education for Diversity and Access.
2. Develop theoretical understandings of language learning, bilingualism biliteracy and teaching practice in school.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Educational ideas and issues relevant to a South and Southern African context are analysed and evaluated using philosophical, psychological and sociological lenses.
• Critical engagement with issues and ideas underpinned by theories of teaching and learning (including, but not limited to, Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner), debates around issues of quality in education and in-depth consideration of the above in terms of curricular design and implementation is conducted.
• Educational research in relation to educational policy, practice and theoretical development is carried out.
• The differences and contributions of qualitative and quantitative research are understood.
• Common research methods in educational research are applied.
• Research ethics and exploring the difference between procedural ethics and relational or contextualised ethics in educational research are reflected upon.
• Issues of validity and trustworthiness in educational research and strategies to enhance these are considered.
• Academic literacy skills such as reviewing literature, developing a line of argument, avoiding bias, colloquialisms, sweeping statements, accurate referencing and avoiding plagiarism are developed.
• Research, reflective practice and practical research tool such the questionnaire, focus group discussion, and taping and transcription are used.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Historically constructed development of English as a globally powerful language is examined.
• The displacement of African indigenous languages in South Africa is explained drawing from scholarly literature.
• The role of languages across the curriculum and how home learners' languages can be harnessed for epistemic access as well as for the acquisition of English, through classroom practice-based assignments is explored.
• Teachers' classroom practices such as lesson planning, pacing, and sequencing, classroom interaction analysis such teachers' questioning, teacher talk and code-switching, as well as learner - and learning-centred activities and tasks is analysed.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment of learning on this qualification is guided by the University's Policy on Assessment. Both formative and summative assessments are designed to create an opportunity for learners to demonstrate through a variety of procedures how they have developed as professionals. Summative assessment consists of written examinations at the end of each year that comply with the University's policy on assessment, the procedures and practices. The policy stipulates that assessment should be open and transparent to learners and encourages the use of multiple forms of assessment.

The University has an external examining policy which formalises what is accepted as good practice. The assessment results are first examined internally. Once the results have been consolidated, scripts are sent to the external examiners. The assessments will integrate the Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification into the assessments and will be subjected then to external examination by appropriately qualified academics.