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MotherTongue‐BasedMultilingualEducationPilotProgramforTimor‐LesteABriefProgressReportonActivitiesConducted
January–May2012
“Iamsohappythatfromnowonwecanfreelyusemothertongueinourdailyteaching,notlikebefore
whenusingmothertonguewasdoneinaclandestineway”–Teacher,Oecusse
“Inthisvillagewethinkmothertongue‐basedteachingisnecessaryasitfacilitatesandbridgesour
childrentotheofficiallanguages”‐VillageChief,Lautem
1. BackgroundoftheProgram
TheMotherTongue‐BasedMultilingualEducationpilotprogramisaMinistryofEducationinitiative
aimedatimprovinglearningoutcomesatthepre‐schoolandearlygradeofprimaryschoolinglevels.InFebruary2011,theNationalEducationCommission’s“LanguageinEducationWorkingGroup”launchedits“MotherTongue‐BasedMultilingualEducation–MTB‐MLE‐PolicyforTimor‐Leste”.Thepolicyhad
beencommissionedsome12monthsearlierbytheMinisterofEducation,acknowledgingtheneedforacomprehensive“languageineducation”policy,clearlyrootedinTimor‐Leste’seducationalandlinguisticrealityandininternationalbestpractice.Thepolicystatesthatastudent’smothertongueshouldbe
usedasamediumofinstructioninpre‐primaryeducationandinthefirst4yearsofprimaryschooling,thusenablingchildrentoacquirethefundamentalskillsofreadingandwritinginthelanguagetheyknowbest.Thissolidfoundationinpre‐andearlyliteracyskillsallowschildrentotransitiontothe
second,thirdandfourthlanguageswithgreaterfacilityandspeed.TheNationalStrategicPlan2011‐2030referencesthepolicy’srecommendationsonPages18and27(SocialCapital/Pre‐SchoolEducation/SocialInclusion).Thepolicy’sImplementationPlanrecommendsanMTB‐MLEpilotprogram.
InDecember2011,theMinistryofEducationconvenedameetingofsenioreducationofficialsinDiliatwhichitwasdecidedthatapilotMTB‐MLEprograminthreedistricts–Lautem,ManatutoandOecusse
–wouldbeimplementedbytheTimor‐LesteNationalCommissionforUNESCO,incollaborationwiththeMinistryofEducationandarangeofpartnerorganizations,includingCARETimor‐Leste,ChildFund,MaryMacKillopInstituteandtheAlolaFoundation.Twopre‐schoolsandtwoprimaryschoolsperdistrict
weresubsequentlyidentifiedwithinputfromDistrictEducationDirectorstoparticipateintheMLEpilotprogram.Consequently,atotalof12schoolsarenowparticipatinginpilotprogramactivities,includingteachertraining,communityeducation,writingworkshopandclassroomimplementation.
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2. DetailsofActivitiesPerformed
2.1 ActivityOne:MLETrainingofTrainers
PhaseOneTOT:ThefirstroundofMLEtrainingoftrainerswasconductedinDilifrom5‐6
December2011andwasattendedby14trainersand10otherparticipantsrepresentingsome15organizations.Thisfirst‐everMLEtrainingwasaimedatenhancingtheunderstandingofthetrainersoftheMLEprinciplesandbenefitsandintroducingbasicMLE
teachingmethodologiestothetrainers.Thetrainingwasdoneinaparticipatorymannerinwhicheverytrainingparticipantcontributedtheirideasonhowtodeliverteachinginthemothertonguesinallpilotschools.Ateachertrainingmanualwasdevelopedand
introducedtothetrainersduringthetrainingandanumberofinputs,feedbackandrecommendationswerereceivedfromtrainingparticipantsforfurtherdevelopmentofthemanual.
PhaseTwoTOT:ThesecondroundofMLEteachertrainingtookplaceinDilifrom7‐8March
2012and15trainerswerepresent.Whilethephasetwooftrainingoftrainersinitiatedto
refreshanddeepenthetrainers’comprehensionoftheprinciplesandbenefitsofMLE,itfocusedmoreondemonstratingMLEteachingmethodologies,followingrecommendationsfromthetrainersfromthefirsttraining.Thistrainingwassuccessfulinthesensethatevery
participantcontributedtheirideasbasedontheirexperiencesinthediscussiononhowtoteachstudentsinthelanguagetheyaremostfamiliarwith.
2.2 ActivityTwo:TeacherTrainingandCommunityEducationinLautem
TeacherTraining:Thecompletionofthetwophasesofthetrainingoftrainersenabledthe
firstroundofteacher
trainingtotakeplacefrom14‐16March2012inLautem
district.Thetrainingtargetedall4pilotschoolsandatotalof
10teachersand6teachingassistants.Pre‐schoolandgrade
oneteacherswerethemaintargetforthistraining,however
teachersofgrade1to4TeachersinonethepilotschoolsinLautemwerereceivingMLEteachertrainingfromMLEtrainersandthetrainingtookplaceinsidetheclassroom.
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werealsointerestedinattendingthetraining.Ateachertrainingteamcomprisedof5trainersfacilitatedthetrainingInLautem.Itwasobservedthatteacherswereverymuch
opentoandsupportiveofMTB‐MLEprinciplesandpracticeandshowedgreatenthusiasmtowardstheapproachestoinitiallearningintheirmothertongue(inthiscaseFataluku).
CommunityEducation:Anotheractivityperformedwasawareness‐raisingtargeting
teachers,schoolprincipals,parentsandlocalcommunityleadersandmembersatthepilot
schoolstoraisetheirawarenessontheimportanceofMother
Tongue‐basedinstruction.Theactivity,whichwasled
bythesocializationteam,wasconductedsuccessfullyineach
pilotschoolsiteandnearly200people
cametothemeeting.Localleadersandthe
districteducation
directorparticipatedintheactivityandexpressedtheirkeeninterestinsupportingthepilotprogram.“Weunderstandthatthis
initiativehasbeenunderpoliticalattackatthenationallevel,butwethecommunityinthisvillagewouldliketodeclarethatwe
supportourchildrentostartlearninginourmothertongueasitwillbridgethemtothelearningoftheofficiallanguages”saidoneof
thevillagechiefs.Someparentsexpressedtheirconcernsovertheimplementationofthemothertonguepilotinstructionbasedon
fearsthatitwouldhindertheirchildren’sabilitytoacquiretheofficiallanguagesofTetumandPortuguese.Thesocialization
teamclarifiedtoparentsthebenefitsoflearninginmothertongue,oneofwhichistoassistchildrentobetteracquiretheofficiallanguages.
FocalpointfortheMLEpilotprogramfromtheMinistryofEducation,Ms.AbelinadaCosta,explainstheMinistry’sstandpointontheimplementationofthepilot.
LocalcommunitymembersinLautemdistrictwereenthusiasticinwelcomingtheteachertrainingandsocializationteamsintheirvillagewherethepilotistakingplace.
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2.3 ActivityThree:TeacherTrainingandCommunityEducationinManatuto
TeacherTraining:PhaseoneteachertrainingwasalsoheldinManatutofrom23‐27April
2012targetingfourpre‐schoolsand2primarygradeoneteachersinthefourpilotschools.
Teachersofgrade2to4werealsopresentastheywereanxioustohaveanearlyexposure
tothenewMLE
teaching
methodologiesahead
ofexpansionofthe
programtohigher
gradesintheyearsto
come.Consequently,
around15teachers
and6teaching
assistantsparticipated
inthetrainings.
CommunityEducation:AnotheractivityperformedinManatutowascommunity‐based
advocacy,targetingmainlyschoolprincipals,teachers,localleadersandparentsatthepilot
sites.Localleadersandthecommunitywerelargelyinfavourofmothertongue‐basedteaching,althoughsomeparentsinthe
moreurbanenvironmentofObrato,located
withinafewkilometersfromthedistrictcapital,
expressedtheirconcernthat,forsomeofthe
students,TetumratherthanGalolen,
isthedominanthomelanguage.
StudentsatRemborPrimarySchool,Manatutodistrict,proudlyshowofftheirMTB‐MLEpilotschoolt‐shirts(fundedbyChildFund)forthecamera.
OneteacherinManatutowritesnumbersinhisownmothertongue,Galolen,inthecourseoftheteachertraininginRembor,Manatuto.
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2.4 ActivityFour:TeacherTrainingandCommunityEducationinOecusse
TeacherTraining:PhaseoneofteachertrainingwasheldinOecussefrom30Aprilto4May
2012.Thetrainingwas
attendedby20teachersoftwopre‐schoolsandtwo
primaryschools(grades1to4)inallpilotschools.
Teacherswelcomedthetrainingasawayofstrengtheningtheir
abilitytomoreeffectivelyuse
students’mothertonguesintheclassroom.Furthermore,mostoftheteachersviewedtheMTB‐MLEpolicyandpilotasprovidingthemwiththe“legalblessing”forusingchildren’sfirstlanguageinthe
teachingandlearningprocess.“Nowwefeelwearenotusingmothertonguetoteachourchildreninaclandestineway”saidoneoftheteachers,referringtothefactthattheyhave
beenusingmothertongueintheirteachinginasecretiveandunsupportedwaytodate.
CommunityEducation:Communitymembers,localleaders,parentsandteachersinthe
pilotsitesparticipatedinthesocializationdespitethefactitwas
amarketdaywheremostpeopleweresupposedtobeatthe
market.Whenaskedwhytheycameforthemeetinganddidnotgo
tothemarket,theysaidtheycaredabouttheirchildren’s
education,andwereanxioustoknowhowtheprogramwould
meettheirchildren’slearningneeds.
Smallgroupdiscussionwithpre‐andprimaryschoolteachershadtheaimofencouragingsharingonhowlanguageispresentlyusedwithintheclassroom.
Parents,teachersandlocalleadersattendingcommunityeducationinoneofthepilotschoolsitesinOecussedistrict.
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3. ChallengesandOpportunities
Themainchallengeuncoveredduringthefirstroundofteachertrainingrelatedtothelevelofeducationoftheteachers.Most
teachersarehighschoolgraduatesandhavelimitedexperienceofteachingusingmodern,child‐centredmethodologies.Thus,
ongoingintensivetrainingisneeded.Theseteacherssometimesfinditdifficulttoabsorbknowledgeandexperiencefrom
formalteachertrainingsessionsunlesstheyareprovidedregularlyandarelinkedtoclassroomrealitiesandtotheprecisesocio‐
linguisticbackgroundsofbothteachersandstudentsineachpilotsite.Also,someofthenewly‐recruitedteachingassistantshavelittleornoexperienceofteachinginaclassroomenvironment.However,theyshowedkeeninterestindeepeningtheirunderstandingofMTB‐
MLEprinciplesandpractice.Mostparents,teachersandcommunitylocalleadersinthethreedistrictswereenthusiasticabouttheprogramandthisshouldbeviewedasanimportantopportunityinmovingforwardwithimplementingMTB‐MLEinsidetheclassroom.
TheEducationDirectorofOecussedistrictposingforaphototogetherwithstudentsintheirT‐shirtswhichread:“Ilikeusingmymothertonguetolearn”.