USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: TEACHING SCIENCES IN ANOTHER PERSON’S LANGUANGE IS DANGEROUS FOR OUR CHILDREN

I have chosen to include, here,  a chapter from a recently completed book '"IWE IMO-JINLE EKINNI LI EDE YORUBA"  This book is recently completely in the Yoruba language and with no accompanying English translation. All will agree that this topic deals with a scientific issue.and can be taught to a primary three child.

Ordinarily, with English, this topic (CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS) can only be dealt with in the secondary school and really, some of the terms that would be used, e.g. Irritability, will still be foreign to a child in the low secondary classes.

However, once the idea is mastered in the Yoruba language,the English translation of the already mastered subject matter will be easy when the child is in the secondary school. 

Ẹ̀KỌ́ 8

 

ÀWỌN ÀFIHÀN ÌWÀLÁÀYÈ

 

Ìwàláàyè	Onjẹ	Atẹ́gun
Omi	Irúgbìn	Ọmọ
Tábìlì	Àgùntàn	Dájú-dájú
Àfihàn	Eléso	Ẹranko
Ìjẹẹ̀mun	Ìpòyìdà	Ìkẹgbin
Ìṣẹ̀dátuntun	Bíbí	Gbòngbò
Ìdàgbàsókè	Àkíyèsára	Ìpapòdà

 

Kini a npe ni ìwàláàyè? Dajudaju, o mọ pe o wa láàyè. O si mọ pe awọn igi eleso gbogbo wa láàyè. O si tun mọ pe okuta tabi tabili ko si láàyè. Kini awọn afihan ti a nri lati sọ wipe awọn kini kan wa láàyè? Lọna kini, gbogbo nnkan ti o wa láàyè ni nwọn nilo onjẹ ati omi. A le bere wipe 'ṣe awọn igi njẹun?' Dajudaju, awọn igi a maa jẹun. Nwọn si i nmu omi pẹlu. Onjẹ ati omi awọn igi a maa wa lati ilẹ; a si gba gbongbo igi ati irin igi titi de awọn ewe. Bi a ba ge igi ti a ko si fun un laye lati fa omi mu lati ilẹ, kiakia ni yi oo ku Gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè nilo atẹgun. Awa eniyan ati ẹranko pẹlu awọn igi naa nilo atẹgun lati mi. Botilẹjẹpe a le ṣe lai jẹun fun ọjọ diẹ, a ko le ṣe lai mi ju iṣẹju meji tabi mẹta lọ. A si mọ pe gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè ni nwọn ṣẹ̀dá (bímọ) ti o ri bii tiwọn. A ri i wipe bi ewurẹ ba bi ọmọ, yi oo bi ọmọ kekere kan ti ó dabi tirẹ̀. Bẹ́ẹ̀ni aguntan ati aja pẹlu. Bi a ba si gbin irugbin kan, Yi oo si hu, a dagba, a si ri bi igi ti a gbin. Bi a ba gbin eso ọsan, igi ọsan naa ni yioo hu jade. Nitorinaa, gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè lo nni agbara lati mu iru ara rẹ̀ jade. Lakotan, gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè ni yioo ku ti yi oo si fi ọmọ rọpo. Njẹ o tun mọ awọn nnkan miran ti o le jẹ afihan iwalaaye? Àwọn ìṣesí méje yi ló nṣe ìdáyàtọ láarín ẹ̀dá oníyè àti ẹ̀dá àìníyè: 1.       Ìjẹẹmun (ìjẹ àti imún): Àwọn ẹ̀dá oníyè a má wá oun jíjẹ àti mímu ní àgbègbè wọn tí nwọn sì nlò fún ìdàgbàsókè àti fún ìpèsè agbára. 2.       Ìpòyìdà (pa òyì dà): Àwọn ẹ̀dá oníyè a máa fọ́ onjẹ sí wẹwẹ nínú pádi wọn láti ṣe ìmúlò agbára àwọn onjẹ yi. 3.       Ìpapòdà: Gbogbo àwọn ẹ̀dá oníyè ni nwọn npa ipò dà. 4.       Ìkẹgbin:  Gbogbo ẹ̀dá oníyè ni nwọn nṣe ìkẹgbin kuro ninu ara wọn. Nitórí dídà onjẹ tó nṣẹlẹ nínú àwọn pádi wọn, nwọn níláti wá ọnà láti kó ẹgbin tó jẹ́ ẹsún àwọn idà onjẹ yi. Bí bẹẹ̀kọ́, nwọn lè di nnkan olóró fún àwọn pádi fúnra wọn. 5.       Ìdàgbàsókè: Gbogbo ẹ̀dá oníyè ni a nri pé nwọn ndàgbàsókè. Nwọn má nlò onjẹ láti dá àwọn pádi tuntun. 6.       Ìṣẹ̀dátuntun: Gbogbo awọn ẹ̀dá oníyè ló ní anfani lati ṣẹ̀dá irúfẹ wọn (láti bímọ) 7.       Àkíyèsára: Gbogbo àwọn ẹ̀dá oníyè ló ní anfani láti fura àti láti náání àwọn ìṣẹ̀lẹ̀ ni àgbèègbè wọn. Irú àwọn ìṣẹ̀lẹ̀ yi ni ìtanná, ìgbóná, òjò, òòfà-ilẹ àti àwọn nnkan miran Bótilẹjẹpé a rí àwọn ẹ̀dá àìníyè tó le ṣe lara àwọn nnkan wọnyí. Àwọn ẹ̀dá oníyè nikan ló ní gbogbo àwọn ìṣesí yi.     ÀWỌN ÌBÉÈRÈ KINI: FÈSÌ SÍ ÀWỌN GBÓLÓHÙN ÌSÀLẸ̀ YI:   GBÓLÓHÙN: ÈSÌ: Bẹ́ẹ̀ni abi Bẹ́ẹ̀kọ́ 1. Gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè nilo atẹgun   2. Okuta tabi tabili wa láàyè.   3. Awọn igi ko si láàyè   4. Awọn igi inu igbo ko nilo atẹgun   5. Awọn okuta nbi ọmọ   6. Gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè l'o nilo onjẹ   7. Awọn igi ni ẹnu ti nwọn fi njẹun     ÀWỌN ÌBÉÈRÈ KEJI: KỌ ÀWỌN Ẹ̀KA-Ọ̀RỌ̀ TÍ Ó TỌ́ SÍ ÀLÀFO WỌNYI: 1. Gbogbo nnkan ti o wa láàyè ni nwọn nilo ......................... ati omi 2. Gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè nilo ........................ 3. Botilẹjẹpe a le ṣe lai jẹun fun ọjọ diẹ, a ko le ṣe lai mí ju .................... meji tabi mẹta lọ 4. A si mọ pe gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè ni nwọn nni ................. ti o ri bii tiwọn 5. Nitorinaa, gbogbo nnkan to wa láàyè lo nni agbara lati mu .................. ara wọn jade   ÀWỌN ÌBÉÈRÈ KẸTA: TỌ́KA SÍ ÈSÌ TÍ KO BÁ GBÓLÓHÙN WỌNYI MU 1.           2. Okuta ko si láàyè nitoripe i.                     ko le mi ii.                    ko le  jẹun iii.                  ko le bi iru ara rẹ̀ iv.                  ó nsọrọ Ewurẹ wa láàyè nitoripe i.                     ó le mi ii.                    ó le jẹun iii.                  ó le bi iru ara rẹ̀        iv.          ko le sọrọ

ÀWỌN ÌBÉÈRÈ KẸRIN:

Njẹ awọn nnkan ti a kọ si isalẹ yi wa láàyè? Dahun pẹlu Bẹ́ẹ̀ni tabi Bẹ́ẹ̀kọ́

		Bẹ́ẹ̀ni tabi Bẹ́ẹ̀kọ́				Bẹ́ẹ̀ni tabi Bẹ́ẹ̀kọ́
1.	Okuta			6.	Iwe
2.	Mọto			7.	Ọ̀pọ̀lọ́
3.	Tabili			8.	Atupa
4.	Eniyan			9.	Ijóko
5.	Ile			10.	Maluu

FAKINLEDE


On Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 9:14:34 AM UTC+1, Kayode J. Fakinlede wrote:

Findings based on science have come to the conclusion that using another person's language to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics is dangerous – dangerous - to our children, and to us adults too.

I itemize below, many reasons why this is the case:

1.       Our students, no matter how much they try, are at least five years behind those students who were taught in their native language.

2.       His level of understanding of the subject matter is significantly less than a child who is probably five years younger in the first place.

3.       Much knowledge of the surroundings is not transmitted to the child. This means that he may never know the use values or even the names of the plants and animals within his locality.

4.       Much knowledge about the the universe is not transmitted to the child. This means that the child is not exposed to the wonders of the heavens and things under the sea. Since he cannot receive the information till he learns a foreign language, he has very little chance of learning them at all.

5.       The level of appreciation of science and scientific reasoning is affected by the lateness in grasping scienctific methods. A mind already polluted with superstitious ideas cannot easily shed primitive ideas. For example, a Nigerian child may actually believe that money can come from human body parts – a la Africa Magic.

6.       The level of retention of the subject matter is much less – as much as 50% - over a period of one year compared with a child who was taught in his own language. This means that the student who is taught in a foreign language easily forgets what he learned.

7.       The use value of science and technology is much, much diminished in a child who leaned science and technology in a foreign language.

8.       The child is more likely prefer foreign things, materials, etc. to local things even when those local things are of better quality. This means he will prefer apples to mangoes.

9.       The child is more likely to think that his own language is inferior to the language with which he is being taught.  This inferiority carries on to adulthood.

10.   He child is more likely to think that the person in whose language he is learning is superior to him. This also carries to adulthood.

The disadvantages of not learning science and technology in our own language manifest themselves in adulthood. They affect the way we think and the way we see ourselves. They affect our creative abilities and ability to compete on the global stage. They affect our ability to become a technlogical society. In which case we cannot use science and technology to industrialize and create wealth.

It is therefore obviously evident that learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics in another person's language is dangerous to our existence.

 

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.