Alternative literacy training for business and industry

• Main Author: Justus C. Roux
• Format: Article
• Language: Afrikaans
• Published: Stellenbosch University 2013-02-01
• Series: Per Linguam : A Journal of Language Learning
• Online Access: http://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/355
• ISSN: 0259-2312; 2224-0012

Because there is an enomwus need for literacy training in a developing country like South Africa, various organisations, including government departments, have embarked upon devising and presenting courses to meet this demand. Despite the useful and meritorious work done across the country, a certain measure of doubt is cast upon the effectiveness of these courses by questions raised about the basic approaches regarding the role of the instructor, the learner and the course material. It is argued that a literacy course, widely used in business and industry, is not conducive to optima/learning. This conviction is strengthened by examining the nature and contents of the teaching material and the proposed method of instruction. An alternative literacy programme based on a suggestopedic!SALT method, currently in the process of being applied in a mining environment, is presented as a possible viable alternative. However, the application of this approach presupposes the adequate training of instructors. While it has become practice that any literate person may in principle qualify as a literacy instructor, it is suggested that effective literacy training can take place only when administered by suitably qualified instructors and not merely by willing individuals. Omdat daar 'n geweldige behoefte is aan geletterdheidsopleiding in 'n ontwikkelende land soos Suid Afrika, het verskeie organisasies, insluitende regeringsdepartemente, onderneem om kursusse te ontwerp en aan te bied om in hierdie behoefte te voorsien. Ten spyte van nuttige en verdienstelike werkwat deurdie land gedoen is, is daar 'n mate van twyfel oordie effektiwiteit daarvan a$ gevolg van vrae wat ontstaan het oor basiese benaderings ten opsigte van die rol van die instrukteur, die leerder en die kursus-materiaal. Daar word geredeneer dat 'n geletterdheidskursus wat algemeen gebruik word, onder andere in die sake- en industriele wereld, nie bevorderlik is vir optimale leer nie. Hierdie oortuiging is versterk deur 'n ondersoek van die aard en inhoud van die kursusmateriaal, asook die voorgestelde onderrigmetode. 'n Alternatiewe geletterdheidsprogram, gebaseer op 'n suggestopediese/SALT-metode wat tans in' n mynomgewing toegepas word, word as' n moontlike lewensvatbare alternatief aangebied. Die toepassing van die benadering veronderstel egter voldoende opleiding van instrukteurs. T erwyl dit in die praktyk algemeen aanvaar word dat enige geletterde per soon in beginsel kwalifiseer om as geletterdheidsinstrukteur op te tree, word voorgestel dat effektiewe geletterdheidsopleiding alleenlik kan plaasvind wanneer dit geadministreer word deur opgeleide instrukteurs en nie deur enige gewillige individu nie.