Banni Bannozzi : l-użu tat-taqbiliet tradizzjonali Maltin fl-edukazzjoni

Abstract

Nursery rhymes are a very important component of early childhood education. Although English nursery rhymes are still very popular, not the same can be said of Maltese nursery rhymes. In fact, many of our traditional nursery rhymes can no longer be heard. Although one can find research on the subject through works by Cassar Pullicino (1948), Attard (1969) and Spiteri (1981), very little efforts have been made to encourage the use of traditional Maltese nursery rhymes in early childhood education. The aim of this dissertation is to build on Zarb's work (2000), "Nannakola Mur l-Iskola", which is the only set of activities available on this subject. The study, which is accompanied by a resource pack, aims to revive a number of traditional Maltese nursery rhymes, which have lost their popularity. This is done through a professionally recorded CD, a set of lesson plans and their relevant resources, which can also be found on the website set up for this study, www.bannibannozzi.com. The aim of this study is to illustrate how Maltese nursery rhymes can be used as a resource for children who are in their second year of primary schooling. This is done through a multi-modal teaching methodology, which gives priority to children's learning through enjoyment and motivation.