Using the Mother Tongue as Bridge language of
Using the Mother Tongue as Bridge language of Instruction in case of the Lao PDR
Introduction • The Lao PDR’s population is 5. 6 million • 49 ethnic groups • 4 main linguistic - Lao - Tai 64, 9% 8 ethnic groups, - Mone - Khmer 22, 8% 32 ethnic groups, - Hmong - Iewmien 8, 5% 2 ethnic groups, - Tibeto - Burmese 2, 8% 7 ethnic groups. • The literacy rate is 76% ( 2007 )
Education issues - Poor health and nutrition-cause by poverty - Poverty leading to child labour in homes, the forest and looking after animals - Lack of school within walking distance - Lack of a teacher or properly trained and qualified teacher who understands the children’s special need - No teaching and learning materials ( books , paper )
Education issues ( cont. ) - Relevance and quality of teaching and learning materials - Language of instruction - Little recognition of the value of education by ethnic groups
Context for second language teaching - Lao as the language of instruction for all levels of schooling. - Curriculum reform and teaching Lao had not been successful with ethnic groups. - The four major language families sometimes differ widely in their cultural and linguistic needs.
Context ( cont. ) - General materials for the whole country in such a context is difficult. - That not a good assumption with second language learning for ethic groups. - Need to develop second language learning materials and teaching approach ( Concentrated Language Encounters ).
Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE) - CLE uses a number of methods to involve the children and their language in the development of these skills. - CLE uses shared experiences between teacher and students. - CLE is best to have a teacher shares the language and culture of the children.
Developing and trialing materials - Developed supplementary materials on Lao language, math and life skills. - The materials have designed for second language learners living in remote areas. - The try-outs consisted of two parts: training and test/observation/evaluation.
Ethnic and Female Teacher Training - Provided scholarships for ethnic girls to study in a “ 5+4 “ or “ 8+3 “ sandwich model. - The trainees are recruited in villages that lack teachers, and after graduation they must return to teach in their respective villages.
Ethnic and Female ( cont. ) - A total of 371 ethnic teachers, 269 of whom are women completed primary school teachers. - The latest batch of 141 graduates commenced their teaching in the cademic year ( 2006/2007 ). - 4, 000 teachers received in-service training.
Conclusion - Improving the quality of life for ethnic groups has become a priority in Lao PDR. - The government sees education as very important for the development. - The development of second language leaning curriculum and materials in an attempt to improve the relevance, quality and efficiency of education for ethnic groups, especially for girls.
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