Institute of Education

This article develops a critical analysis of policies in the public sector which involve an increasing focus on self-assessment. In particular it investigates the possibilities that might be presented through the self-assessment which Ofsted require to support the
inspection of youth work. The article begins with a short summary of different types of evaluation and their history in youth work, describing both outcome focussed evaluation
and more self-reflective evaluation. I suggest that  self-assessment can be understoodusing Foucault’s concept of technologies of power, because it has the potential to act
in a way that enforces the adoption of externally determined priorities. However, the action of a technology of power creates possibilities for resistance. In this context, selfassessment
might be used as ‘empowerment evaluation’. Barriers to this might include a lack of time and a lack of reflection on the need for and possibilities for resistance. Some may also face a social positioning as lacking the authority to resist. However, self-assessment may present the possibility for fore-fronting critical reflection and accountability to co-workers and young people.

Schools in England are being encouraged to develop a global dimension in the curriculum to develop pupils as global citizens. This paper presents data from school leaders, teachers, pupils and governors in eight English primary and secondary schools where the headteacher or deputy headteacher had just undertaken a three-month placement in an African school. It illustrates how different conceptions of global citizenship were used in schools, and how, in some cases, they came into conflict. The predominantly negative perceptions of Africa held by pupils are presented, and the role of education for global citizenship in the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and patronising attitudes is examined. An approach that aims to create critical, autonomous citizens is advocated.

The cross-border flow of people and languages, a key feature of globalization, brings many challenges, including the need to support children who arrive in school with little or no knowledge of the language of instruction in the new country. In many countries, teachers who have been responding to these challenges for several decades have been able to establish models of what is widely considered to be good practice. In other settings, language-in-education policy is at an earlier stage of development. One such example concerns Roma children in Croatia where a recent court case, Oršuš and Others v. Croatia, has highlighted important differences in both provision and the educational philosophy which underlines it. This paper offers a comparative context against which provision for Roma children in Croatia can be judged. It examines the nature of provision for second language learners in a range of countries, showing how and why arrangements have changed over time. Particular attention will be paid to why segregated provision of the kind provided in the respondent schools has been found unsatisfactory in other contexts, prompting a move to alternative models of delivery. It also examines developments in the theory and practice of second language teaching with implications for both pedagogy and curriculum, outlining the progress which has been made in strengthening the academic rigour of second language teaching in integrated classrooms. Finally, it draws attention to the complexity of assessing young second language learners, the importance of including a first language dimension in initial assessment and the inappropriateness of using tasks designed for first language speakers.

The aim of this project, funded by the Sino-British Fellowship Trust was to explore issues in providing effective higher education for Chinese students.

A one-day workshop drew on representatives of British universities whose experience encompassed both teaching and pastoral support. Various pastoral concerns were identified, including the challenges of adjustment on arrival, the perceived isolation of Chinese students, and anxieties in relation to health care. Academic issues included student-teacher relationships, study skills, plagiarism, group work and competence in English

African language publishing in South Africa has been the subject of some controversy in recent years. Public figures such as Pallo Jordan when Minister of Arts and Culture have been highly critical of the lack of vision and commitment of the publishing industry; publishers, for their part, have countered by producing catalogues which showcase their African language materials.

This report offers an independent perspective on the state of African language publishing for children in South Africa today based on an analysis of current resources. It synthesises the views of key players in the book value chain on both opportunities for and obstacles to further development.

The Culture of Reading Project is a key programme of the Early Literacy Unit of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA). This report, prepared by Professor Viv Edwards, Director of the National Centre for Language and Literacy at the University of Reading, UK, is based on:

* an analysis of reports to the funding partners, the publications arising from the project, and correspondence with PRAESA from users of the materials,
* interviews with PRAESA staff, representatives of partner organizations and ‘Reading Moms’ who act as volunteers in schools, and
* an observation of a Reading Club for children in a Cape Town township that has grown out of the programme.

Three main aims were identified at the outset of the programme:

1. to stimulate the production of high quality, multilingual materials for children,
2. to develop allegiances with other similarly minded individuals and organizations, and
3. to initiate activities which help promote a culture of reading as opportunities arose. These aims form the base line against which the project has been evaluated.

The main findings

The realization of the need for African language reading materials for children grew out of experimental work in the 1990s to encourage teachers to read to and with the children.

PRAESA has produced – on occasions as sole publisher but mainly in collaboration with other publishers – English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa versions of some 40 books for children of all ages. Its efforts now extend well beyond South Africa. Since 2004 it has taken the lead in the development of a pan-African network which has already collaborated on the production in 10 different countries of a pack of 1 Little Hands books in 24 different language versions; work is under way on three anthologies of stories with an ever widening range of languages and co-publishers. Selection by organizations such as IBBY South Africa and inclusion in initiatives such as the Western Cape Education Department’s 100 books in every classroom point to the quality and relevance of PRAESA publications. Feedback from reading volunteers and others who use the books provides still further confirmation of their usefulness.

The PRAESA Early Literacy Unit has developed strong allegiances with a number of key individuals and organizations that share their vision. The most important of these is the publishing industry. PRAESA has been able to offer direct support for African language publishing by using donor money to buy into print runs, and indirect support by helping to create new markets. It has also offered support in nurturing writers and illustrators, and in setting standards in relation to both the origination of stories in African languages, and translation. These time-consuming interventions have served as a form of quality control which publishers are unlikely to have achieved working in isolation.

PRAESA is well aware of the problems associated with book distribution and has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that books reach the children for whom they are intended by working closely with both Education Departments and with Biblionef, a book distribution NGO which carefully monitors how its books are used. There has also been a useful synergy between PRAESA and these distribution partners. Collaboration between PRAESA and Biblionef, for instance, has strengthened the NGO’s commitment to African language publishing. And since 2001 PRAESA has played a central role in the training of teachers, trainers, trainers of trainers, and officials for the move to mother-tongue based education in the schools of the Western Cape.

Finally, PRAESA staff have initiated two outreach activities clubs which help promote a culture of reading: one in an Afrikaans-speaking area of Cape Town, and the other in the township of Langa. These initiatives are small scale and face a number of organizational challenges. Both schemes, however, offer a useful model from which others can learn and move forward.

The Culture of Reading Project grew out of the work of PRAESA over the previous decade; the work undertaken during its lifetime has laid strong foundations for the ongoing work of PRAESA. The achievements of the project are substantial. At a time when most publishers were willing to invest only in European languages and little attention was being paid to early years education, the decision to develop African languages materials suggests that the PRAESA team was not averse to risk. The strategies adopted, however, were underpinned by a clearly articulated political and pedagogical understanding of the strategies most likely to improve educational outcomes.

While PRAESA is small, its influence has been disproportionately large. A major strength has been the determination of PRAESA to act as a catalyst for change, demonstrating what needs to be done, and developing models for others to build on. PRAESA and like-minded individuals and organizations have lobbied successfully for attention to be paid to the evidence of international research on both the teaching of reading and writing and bilingual education. The importance of a culture of reading is now firmly embedded in educational policy, as, too, is the assumption that children need to access stories in all the official languages of South Africa. The implementation of the mother-tongue based bilingual education policy in the Western Cape, in turn, is acting as a stimulus for African language publishing to which growing numbers of publishers are responding.

As measured against the initial aims, the Culture of Reading Project is an unqualified success. The vision and dedication of its staff have led to a number of exciting outcomes. Some of these are highly tangible, in the form of high quality books for children in a wide range of African languages. Others, such as influencing the educational domain to recognize the role of story reading for literacy learning and development, the support offered to publishers and the creation of a market for the books, are more difficult to measure but equally important.

The main obstacles to future progress for PRAESA are capacity and sustainability. Because of its holistic approach, it is committed to working in many different areas at the same time. There are therefore issues both of capacity for the current members of the team and of the availability of additional staff with the requisite skills and experience. Expansion also depends on ongoing, long-term funding. The PRAESA view of the future is, however, resolutely optimistic.