Swahili pedagogy roundtable / Mjadala wa Kufundisha Kiswahili

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Key information

Date
Time
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Venue
SOAS University of London
Room
S116

About this event

The event is part of the BARAZA: Swahili Studies conference which takes place the following day, and will explore key issues in Swahili pedagogy, such as curriculum design, diversity, and teaching strategies, with contributions from experienced Swahili instructors from the UK, Europe, the USA, and East Africa.

Key themes

The key themes for discussion include:

Curriculum structure and pedagogy

  • What’s the rationale behind our curriculum design? What themes and grammar do we cover, and at which levels?
  • What are some effective strategies, exercises, or teaching approaches (e.g., communicative approach, deductive vs. inductive grammar teaching)?

Curriculum diversity

  • Do we include cultural elements, and if so, whose culture do we prioritise given the diversity of Swahili-speaking regions?
  • Should we teach only ‘Kiswahili Sanifu’ or also include regional and informal varieties?
  • How does a teacher’s identity (e.g., race, ethnicity) influence interactions with students and the content taught?

Course delivery

  • How do we structure courses (e.g., lectures, tutorials, conversation classes, walkabouts), and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Speakers

Florida International University Fulbright-Hays TeamTwiga Tots: A Swahili-English Learning Journey
Dr Filipo LubuaSwahili Program Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh. Rais wa CHAUKIDU (Global Association for the Promotion of Swahili)
Bi. Shani Suleiman KhalfanMkuu wa Idara ya Kiswahili kwa Wageni, Chuo Kikuu cha Taifa Zanzibar (SUZA)
Dr Haroun MaalimChuo Kikuu cha Taifa Zanzibar (SUZA)
Professor Lutz MartenProfessor of General and African Linguistics, SOAS
Donovan McGrath Swahili teacher, SOAS Language Centre. Co-author (with Professor Lutz Marten) of Colloquial Swahili (Routledge 2003, 2015)
Dr Ida Hadjivayanis Senior Lecturer in Swahili, SOAS
Adam Rodgers JohnsSwahili teacher, SOAS
 
  • Wafaa Eisa, Swahili teacher assistant, University of Dar es Salaam
  • Pedagogical department at the Alliance Française of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • Department of Kiswahili at Osaka University, Japan

If you teach Swahili and would like to participate, please email aj29@soas.ac.uk

The Roundtable will be held in a hybrid format (in-person and online) in English and Swahili languages.

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