Two academics in the Faculty of Education have contributed two chapters to a textbook which introduces prospective teachers to children’s literature and details how children can be encouraged to become enthusiastic readers.
Drs Hanlie Dippenaar and Candice Livingston were recently part of a joint collaboration with the University of Pretoria in the writing and publishing of an undergraduate textbook for the teaching of children’s literature.
The textbook, Introducing children’s Literature: a guide to the South African Classroom was published by Van Schaik Publishers. The textbook, which comprises of 11 chapters, has been prescribed for first-year students in the English Department on the Wellington Campus.
“A lot has been published on children’s literature but little has been published on how it is implemented within the South African classroom context. This book deals with where literature fits in within the teaching and learning environment in the classroom’ says Livingston.
“It looks at how caregivers, teachers and parents play a role in the educational development of learners.”
She adds that the book also addresses how teaching should be done in the context of a decolonised curriculum which is demanded by the #FeesMustFall movement.
Livingston’s chapter deals with types of children’s literature, while Dippenaar’s looks at the historical development of the genre in South Africa in English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa with a particular reference to oral tradition.
The textbook is available at Van Schaik’ bookstores and will soon be available at the CPUT libraries.
Written by Kwanele Butana
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