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The ubuntu paradigm in curriculum work, language of instruction and assessment

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Abstract

This article discusses the concept “ubuntu”, an African worldview rooted in the communal character of African life. Some of the same thinking can, however, be found in various Eurasian and Latin-American philosophies. The concept “ubuntu” is also used in language planning: here, the question of language of instruction is discussed through an ubuntu paradigm. The article focuses on policies regarding language in education, both at the micro-level, where translanguaging and code-switching are central, and at the macro-level, where Prestige Planning is discussed. The assessment practices taking place in schools are also looked at through an ubuntu lens. How far is it possible for developing countries to adhere to an education policy based on their own values when they have to participate in tests like Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for Development?

Résumé

La pensée Ubuntu dans la conception curriculaire, la langue d’instruction et l’évaluation – Cet article analyse la notion Ubuntu, représentation du monde africaine ancrée dans le caractère communautaire de la vie en Afrique. Certains éléments de ce concept humaniste se retrouvent dans plusieurs philosophies eurasiennes et latino-américaines. La pensée Ubuntu est également appliquée dans l’aménagement linguistique : la question de la langue d’instruction est abordée ici à travers un principe Ubuntu. L’auteure se penche sur les politiques linguistiques dans l’éducation, à la fois au micro-niveau où prédominent translinguisme et changement de langue, et au macro-niveau où est effectué l’aménagement linguistique valorisant (Prestige Planning). Les pratiques d’évaluation appliquées dans les écoles sont également envisagées à travers l’optique Ubuntu. Dans quelle mesure les pays en développement peuvent-ils adhérer à une politique éducative fondée sur leurs propres valeurs, s’ils doivent participer à des enquêtes d’évaluation telles que les Tendances de l'Enquête Internationale sur la Mathématique et les Sciences (TEIMS) et le Programme International pour le Suivi des Acquis des élèves (PISA) pour le Développement ?

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Notes

  1. The Wajaama are relatives, family members.

  2. There is no good English translation of the German word “Bildung”. Often the word is therefore used in its German original form even in texts otherwise in English. Bildung is something more than and different from “education”. While the word “education” normally leads our thoughts in the direction of formal schooling, this is not the case with Bildung. A person with Bildung may be self-educated and not have any formal education; but she or he is likely to have refined manners, knowledge and generosity. According to Wilhelm von Humboldt, the purpose of Bildung is to unite the individual and culture in a rich, free and harmonious interplay.

  3. The paper is one of the articles in this special issue.

  4. LOITASA (Language of Instruction in Tanzania and South Africa) was a research project which ran for ten years (2002–2012) with Norwegian funding. The three partners were the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the University of Oslo, Norway, and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. The project produced ten books, four published in Tanzania, four in South Africa, one in the Netherlands and one in the UK. Twelve students took their PhDs in connection with the project and more than 30 wrote their Masters theses based on fieldwork connected to the project.

  5. From a keynote speech presented on Monday 10 August 2015 at the second international symposium on language and education held at the University of the Witwatersrand.

  6. While the term “form” is used in most African countries with a British colonial past, some countries like Kenya, have become somewhat Americanised, so that you also hear the term “grade” being used.

  7. Teach science in Kiswahili, former president Mwinyi says. Guardian, Tanzania, 8 August 2015, http://www.ippmedia.com/?l=83116 [accessed 25 August 2015].

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  1. Department of Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Birgit Brock-Utne

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  1. Birgit Brock-Utne
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Brock-Utne, B. The ubuntu paradigm in curriculum work, language of instruction and assessment. Int Rev Educ 62, 29–44 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-016-9540-2

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