1. Good practices in mother-tongue first multilingual education
Catherine MB Young
2nd International Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalisation and Multilingual Education
Bangkok, July 2008

3. What are the desired outcomes of mother tongue based MLE?
A responsive system to address local and national needs
Equity and access to quality education opportunities for all – in the multiple languages of the nation
Retention of learners in school
Maintenance of heritage language and culture
Non-academic outcomes of education

4. Begin in the mother tongue of the learner and promote full, continuing literacy in the mother tongue and oral and literacy skills in the additional languages of education. It is found that the most effective programmes maintain the use of the mother tongue for as long as possible – up to six years or longer. The first language of the learner should be used not only for basic literacy but also to support transfer of learning to additional languages throughout schooling.

5. Not just language of instruction but …
WHAT is taught?
WHO teaches?
WHY something is taught?
HOW it is taught?
WHICH materials are used to teach?
WHEN and for HOW LONG does teaching happen?
Reflective process of teaching -

6. Components of a sustainable MLE programme

7. Good practices …
What are the strategies that have been adopted in SE Asian mother tongue first MLE programmes that have proven to be successful?
How can we learn from innovative programmes that have begun in the region?

8. Programme planning Participatory methods
Parents and other stakeholders understand the rationale and principles of MT-first MLE.
Reliable, sustainable funding sources

9. Orthography development
Acceptable within language community
Acceptable to government – systematic, multi-agency approaches
Supportive for transfer between languages

10. Curriculum development
Develop standards and indicators for multilingual education based on national curriculum guidelines
Supportive for transfer to other school systems
Include themes and topics that are reflective of learners everyday life.

11. Instructional materials
Reflective of culture and world view of learners.
Able to be used by teachers with limited formal training
Supportive for transfer between languages

12. Literature development
Materials that begin with the experiences of the learners
Methods replicable in the community for sustainable literature development to support programme expansion
Materials that preserve and develop the culture and values of the language community.

13. Teacher identification and training
Teachers who are respected by the local community
Cascading training through approaches which train trainers
Training for educational administrators and supervisors

14. What are the indicators of strong MLE programmes?
Time
Training
Tools

15. Time Challenges we have observed …. Short, early-exit programmes
Rapid implementation (short preparatory phase)
Short pilot programmes
Thai – “successfully and quickly”!

16. Training
Awareness raising for parents and other community stakeholders
Training for teachers in MLE specific pedagogical and curriculum issues
Training for teachers from minority language communities
Training for educational administrators or supervisors
How to train key personnel to run projects in other parts of Thailand. (How can training be “cascaded” to different partners.)
Lao PDR creative model for equipping teachers from minority language communities

17. Tools Multi-agency process towards an agreed writing system
Reading materials in L1 to promote reading fluency as a foundation for skills transfer
Advocacy and awareness raising strategies for stakeholders
Testing, evaluation and documentation procedures

18. How do we get there? Systematic, theoretically grounded practices
Appropriately funded innovation
Clear processes for moving to “scale”.
Information to ensure shared understanding of reasons for implementation
Training (initial and on-going) to support practice – teachers, administrators, others
Classroom materials for students and teachers
Initial language acquisition studies and second language acquisition studies outline the ways in which children acquire and develop basic interpersonal communication skills in their L1 and the ability to use languages for academic purposes. Concentrated Language Encounters – language experience approach -
If huge sums of money are poured into pilot programmes through external sources in order to develop systems, what processes are maintained in order to expand that innovation

19. Supportive language and education policies that…
Provide clear, non-conflicting legal status and support for ethnic minority languages,
Institutionalise infrastructures for implementation and support of MLE programmes in both formal and non-formal education systems
Non-conflicting … what are the policies and practices of the National Textbook Board-equivalent, the teacher training institutions, post-qualification training given to teachers, training given by external national, international and multilateral organisations. How money/budget is allocated for innovation and practice?
Also, international statements and positions to which your nations are signators ..
Particularly in situations where decentralisation is encouraged, important to analyse ways in which policies are mutually supportive.
Conversation – need for non-conflicting and mutually supportive social development and economic policies – social, political and economic participation.
Infrastructures at multiple levels – local language committees (community input in decision making on the use of the local languages in education), regional level, national level etc.

20. Conclusion
Need for documentation, monitoring and evaluation processes to develop replicable approaches that can be shared, adopted and adapted between nations in the SEAMEO region and beyond.

21. Conclusion
Need for documentation, monitoring and evaluation processes to develop replicable approaches that can be shared, adopted and adapted between nations in the SEAMEO region and beyond.