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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”.