Mine

Teaching Kiswahili in a Summer Abroad Program:

The Washington University’s Experience

Mungai Mutonya, Washington University in St. Louis

Introduction

Study abroad programs to African countries vary in duration, academic focus, and degree of interaction with the host culture. Short-term, language- and culture-oriented programs that seek to enrich a learner’s skills through experiential learning are essential, but rarely documented, part of that spectrum. The Washington University in St. Louis (WU) Summer in Kenya, the focus of this paper, is such a program that seeks to maximize the benefits of learning Kiswahili and understanding Kenyan society by carefully blending coursework, home stays, guest speaker presentations, and guided excursions.

Teaching Kiswahili to US undergraduates making their maiden visit to an African country abounds in unique opportunities, rewards and challenges. Unlike experiences in a traditional classroom setting where Kiswahili skills have no immediate relevance and application, proficiency in Kiswahili becomes part of the essential skills required for successful navigation of the foreign culture in the immersion setting. In addition, while navigating and gaining firsthand experience of the host culture the learner is exposed to an abundance of language-learning resources that reinforces knowledge gained in the classroom. However, overlooking the learners’ unimpeded out-of-class interactions and exposure to the diverse nonstandard Kiswahili varieties can hamper linguistic and experiential benefits inherent in such a learning environment. The guidance of the language instructor to the learner involved in intense interaction with speakers of diverse varieties of Kiswahili spoken in different regions of Kenya is essential in order to avoid frustration and confusion. Lack of group cohesion can, unnecessarily, drain energies from the more important goals of the program.

This paper discusses lessons learned teaching Kiswahili in US...