CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY MODULE 2

Research-based answers to questions about mother tongue-based

Curriculum and instructional materials. Policy makers provide clear directions regarding
MTB MLE curriculum, focusing specifically on these points:
•• Teachers use only the MT for instruction in early grades. They use the MT and the school
language for instruction in middle to upper primary and they use the MT to support the
school language in the final year of the programme. (See the language education example
above.)
•• Students’ MT is taught as a subject (listening, speaking, reading and writing) from the first
year of the programme to the end of primary school. The MT is the first language of literacy
and provides the foundation for learning to read and write other languages.
•• The curriculum provides time for students to gain a basic level of oral fluency in the official
school language before they are expected to read and write it.
•• Tests for math, science and other academic subjects are given in the language(s) used for
instruction for that subject. When the students’ MT and L2 are both used for instruction,
tests include items in both languages so they are assessing students’ knowledge of the
subject, and not their L2 ability.
•• Mainstream and MTB MLE learning competencies for all academic subjects except the
official language(s) are the same for all primary grades; only the language of instruction is
different. (Again, see example above.)
•• Grade 1-5 learning competencies for the official school language are adjusted to allow
more time for MTB MLE students who must learn to understand and speak the language
before they can read and write it.
•• Mainstream and MTB MLE learning competencies for the official school language are the
same only in the last year of primary school.
•• Instructional materials, based directly on the MTB MLE curriculum, are developed for each
grade and provided for each teacher in the programme. Since MTB MLE teachers are
bilingual and biliterate, their teaching materials can be written in the official school language.
Reading and learning materials. Policy makers ensure that capable and respected MT
speakers from the minority language communities are identified and equipped to develop
graded reading materials and other classroom materials in the students’ MT. Policy makers
also ensure that sufficient numbers of those materials are printed and distributed to each
classroom and that there are safe storage containers to keep them. 4
Teacher recruitment and training. Policy makers provide clear directions for recruiting
and training teachers for MTB MLE:
•• Teachers who are fluent in the students’ MT and understand and speak the official school
language are recruited for MTB MLE schools in their language area.
••MTB MLE-specific pre-service teacher training courses are developed and incorporated into
regular teacher training programmes in established institutions.
••MTB MLE teacher trainees do their practice teaching in their home areas and in schools that
understand and support MTB MLE.
••MT teachers are assigned and encouraged to remain in their home language area and in
schools that understand and support MTB MLE.
•• Supervisors are responsible for providing regular in-service training.5

Monitoring and evaluation. Policy makers assign responsibility for assessing MTB MLE
students’ progress as well as programme components such as pre-service and in-service
training and materials. They give specific attention to these points:
•• Supervisors make regular visits to each MTB MLE classroom and provide written
documentation of their observations.
•• Testing for each subject each year is in the language that teachers use for instruction in that
subject.
•• Each component of the MTB MLE programme (the circle diagram in p. 16) is evaluated
during and at the end of the pilot phase and as the programme expands.6
•• People responsible for implementation use programme evaluation results to make necessary
adjustments to the programme as needed, and specifically at the end of the pilot and at
each stage of expansion.
Supportive partnerships. Policy makers foster an atmosphere of cooperation among all
supporting agencies—government, NGOs, universities and others—in working with local
communities to develop and sustain strong programmes.

Many parents, educators, and researchers are aware of the problems that students experience
when they are not allowed to use their home language in school. Let’s look briefly at several of
the problems and then at the way that MTB MLE provides the solution for each one:
Problem: Students are expected to understand and use the official school language for
learning from the first day of school, even though they do not use it at home. Eventually,
students may learn to copy, repeat and even memorize their teacher’s words and sentences.
But without understanding, they are not able to use the words and sentences to build new
knowledge. A researcher in India described this kind of situation in 2005:
The children seemed totally disinterested in the teacher’s monologue. They stared vacantly
at the teacher and sometimes at the blackboard where some [letters] had been written.
Clearly aware that the children could not understand what he was saying, the teacher
proceeded to provide even more detailed explanation in a much louder voice.
Later, tired of speaking and realizing that the young children were completely lost, he
asked them to start copying the [letters] from the blackboard. “My children are very good
at copying from the blackboard. By the time they reach Grade 5, they can copy all the
answers and memorize them. But only two of the Grade 5 students can actually speak [the
school language],” said the teacher (Jinghran, 2005, p. 1).
MTB MLE solution: In strong MTB MLE programmes, teachers use their students’ MT as
one of the languages of instruction to the end of primary school. UNESCO explains why
that is beneficial:
The language used in teaching is of central importance for enhancing learning. It
is necessary to bridge home and school experiences by using the children’s mother
tongue(s) as the medium of learning and teaching in the school. This helps children to
develop necessary tools and literacy skills in order to move forward and acquire another
language. (UNESCO, 2007, p. 19).
Problem: Lessons and textbooks focus on the dominant culture and ignore the knowledge
and skills that ethnic minority students have learned at home and in their community. As a
result, young students cannot use what they already know to help them understand what
they are expected to learn in school.
MTB MLE solution: Teachers are fluent in the students’ MT and share their cultural
background. They use examples from everyday life to help young students understand
new concepts. When their teachers encourage them to talk about and apply new ideas
and skills, students gain confidence in their ability to learn successfully. Also, when the
community language is used in school, parents and other community members are more
likely to become involved in classroom activities and help to link the school curriculum
to community knowledge and practice

To summarize, strong MTB MLE programmes that are planned and implemented carefully result
in students who are
Multilingual. They are confident in using two or more languages for learning in school and
for interacting with people within and outside their home community.
Multi-literate. They read and write with understanding in both or all of their languages.
Multicultural. They maintain their love and respect for their home culture and community
and interact confidently and respectfully with people who look, talk and believe differently
than they do.
Successful learners. They achieve their educational goals and develop a life-long love of
Learning.

Students learn to read and write in their MT. Teachers introduce students to reading and
writing in their MT—the language they know best—because
… the purpose of reading is understanding. And understanding is achieved when children
make connections between what they read and the knowledge that they already have
acquired. Children who have no access to reading materials that build on what they already
have acquired, whether language, culture, or geography, are seriously disadvantaged
(Prouty, 2009, pp. 17-18).
MTB MLE teachers use a “dual approach” to help their students learn to read and write in their
MT. Students learn the letters of their alphabet and the language sounds associated with
each letter. They use that knowledge as they practice reading words and sentences correctly.
They also practice writing letters, words and sentences correctly and neatly.
As students learn to sound out words and write sentences correctly, teachers also help
them understand that reading and writing are meaningful activities. They give students
simple stories in their MT about familiar people, places and activities and encourage them
to use the pictures on each page to “read” the stories to each other. They also encourage
students to write their own stories—using their own invented spelling systems—and share
the stories with a partner. Teachers continue to use this “dual approach”, focusing equally on
accuracy and meaning, to help students gain fluency and confidence in reading and writing
their MT. Here is what educators said about this dual approach at an MTB MLE curriculum
development workshop in Ethiopia:
We are trying to focus more on meaning and not just on accuracy in the new materials
we are preparing. Many times our children don’t manage all four skills [hearing, speaking,
reading, writing] because this one–the focus on meaning—is missing. ... We have to
strengthen speaking and thinking skills and free writing that will make them strong.
The coordinator of an MTB MLE programme that uses the dual approach in northwestern
Pakistan said this about their students after just two years of MTB MLE:
Students from our MTB MLE schools can read and write after completing two years of preschool
while those from government schools cannot read and write, not even in Grade 5.
Students begin learning the official school language. Students begin learning the school
language through “hear-see-do” activities that help them develop their oral vocabulary. At
first, teachers call out simple commands such as “Stand up” or “Point to the door.” Students
listen and observe the teacher say the commands and do the actions several times. Then
they listen again and they do the actions. The teacher adds new words and phrases each
day according to a carefully constructed lesson plan.

Teachers often report that after three to five weeks, they observe students giving commands
to each other on the school grounds during recess. At that point, teachers begin asking
questions that students can answer in one or two words. The questions gradually require
longer responses and soon students are able to use their growing vocabulary to talk about
a variety of topics that are very familiar to them. Teachers also use meaningful question-andanswer
times to help students develop an understanding of the basic grammatical features
of their new language.

QUESTIONS:
1. How does MTB MLE help minority language children achieve a quality
education?
2. How does MTB MLE support gender equity?
3. How does MTB MLE support social cohesion and national development?
4. What are the essential components of successful and sustained MTB MLE
programmes?
5. Can it be done? Can strong MTB MLE programmes be established and sustained?