MOTHER TONGUE BASED MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

AND CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

-Diane Dekker-

“ Everyone loses if one language is lost because then a nation and culture lose their memory, and so does the complex tapestry form which the world is woven and which makes the world an exciting place.”

-Vigdis Finnbogadotter

1.SEQUENCE OF LEARNING First, continued development of oral L1 so that the language for thinking continues and is not silenced. If the language of thinking is silenced, their thinking is silenced as well. Second, learners begin to develop literacy skills in their L1 while continuing development of their oral L1 While continued development of oral and literate L1 is on-going, development of oral L2 is begun. While oral L1 and L2 are on-going and literacy in L1 is continues, literacy in L2 is introduced. While continued oral and literate growth of L1 and L2 are strengthened, oral L3 is introduced. While oral L1, L2 and L3 continue to progress and literacy skills in L1 and L2 continue to increase with comprehension being in focus,

literacy in L3 is added. For the remainder of the school progress, all three languages are focused on to develop strong thinking skills, comprehension and academic skills in all three languages.

2. Learning Languages and using languages learn2.1 First Language AcquisitionIn the home babies listen to language for around a year before they begin to attempt responding in sensible syllables and words (speaking). Babies are allowed to try, to make mistakes and to try again without blame. This same safe environment should exist in the classroom, allowing continued development of the first language in order to continue developing cognitive skills. As learning is very much dependent on language, a classroom should be a place where language flows confidently with the four modes(listening, speaking, reading, writing)constantly interweaving.

• Children come to school with a good foundation of oral language development in their mother tongue which requires expanding through experience and practice. It is the teacher's responsibility to provide children with those experiences which will increase their language capacity and practices, expanding their competence and confidence in the four language modes.Conversation is an important tool for developing oral L1.

Conversation between teacher and student Conversation between student and student

Conversation provides ways to Explore new topics Share tentative ideas Consider possibilities

2.2 Second Language AcquisitionGeneral Principles of 2LA:

Comprehensible input is crucial – learners need to understand what the teacher is saying in order to learn. Language learning is a result of meaningful interaction in the L2.

Low anxiety situations enable the comprehensible input to be processed by the learner. When high anxiety situations occur in the classroom even comprehensible input does not get past the learners’ emotional filter.

Social factors include societal support and opportunity to practice and use the L2 in a (emotionally) safe environment affect language learning.

Relationship between the learner, their cultural group and the dominant cultural group (language status) can impact language learning.

Beginning learning by developing BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) for meaningful conversation should come before cultivating CALP(Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). Basic L2 literacy helps develop cognitive process if L2 oracy – BICS is already developed. Often development of BICS and literacy occur at the same time rather than sequentially. A child’s second language competence is partly dependent on the level of competence already achieved in the first language. The more developed the first language, the easier it will be to develop the second language. Use events and activities that the pupils are familiarwith when using language and learning new languages. Familiarity increases comprehension.

Learning a language before learning in a language is crucial for educational achievement

3.CLASSROOM STRATEGIES3.1 First Language Development

Listen Listening to understand, enjoy, and appreciate

Recognizing and distinguishing sounds; recognizing parts of words; following directions

Speak Speaking to communicate thoughts, ideas, needs, experiences

Using language correctly (pronunciation, grammar)

Read Reading for meaning and understanding

Decoding words by recognizing their parts

Write Writing to communicate thoughts and feelings

Forming letters properly, neatly, and spelling words correctly

Speaking and Listening

• Every subject area offers scope for real-purpose talking and listening … real problems to solve, real situations to explore:

thinking up questions suggesting possible answers reflecting on experience sorting ideas into order.• In every subject and every lesson there may be: whole class discussion small group discussion one to one discussion pupil reports to the class tape-recorded interviews use of radio and TV talks use of audio/video tapes, films.

Kinds of Classroom Talk: Conversation. This does not need to be taught; but it does need to be given the opportunity to flourish. Use small groups and the provision of subjects within the range of children's interests. Talk in 'Situations'. The teacher prescribes 'situations‘ such as those that are close to real life (e.g. telephone calls, greetings, real life problem solving such as “If you had ). Talk in Drama. The simple real-life 'situations' merge into somewhat more structured dramas of human conflict, fromthe role play of an improvised. Family squabble or the 'imaginative creations' of scenes from traditional stories. Reading Aloud. Many suggest that teachers should read aloud to their class every day (in both primary and secondary schools). The children too, when able, should get the opportunities to read aloud, and that both these forms of reading will greatly encourage the child's reading, writing, talking and listening abilities. Children can read aloud

in pairs or small groups, including reading their own written work, with discussion following. Choral Speaking. Speech making.

A group, or the whole class can prepare a poem or rhyme, or the individual can make a speech before a group or whole class. The latter is relatively stressful and advanced form needs a gentle approach. (Attentive listening is by having pupils write one or two questions during the speech for asking at the end.)

Developing Oral language for meaning and communication

Listen and respond to different kinds of questions. “Have you ever…?” questions.. Ask the child a question. Theme is rice. “Have you ever planted rice?” Children talk about experience... Imagination questions. “If you were walking by the river and saw a tiger, what would you do?”

o “If your small brother/sister fell into a deep hole, what would you do?”o “If you found P100, what would you do?”o “If you saw a friend steal someone’s money, what would you do?”o “If you went to [name a place], what would you see?”o Once the C understand the purpose of the game, they can make up questions for each other.

- How and why questions. Tell and read a story then ask “open-ended” questions about the story. Prediction questions. Describing character questions. Children develop their own oral stories focusing on meaning. Life Stories. Life Stories Relay. Guess our story Making stories with exaggeration Exaggeration relay story. Class story Students’ Skits

From a picture...Sharing ideas and information with partners or in small groups. Focus on meaning using familiar songs, poems, riddles, wise sayings, creating new songs, creating and acting out songs, action songs. Focus on meaning through listening and responding to stories. Listening stories Predict what comes next. Re-tell stories Change the ending of the story Act out the story. Listening for special words

• Developing Reading and Writing in L1

• Pre-reading and writing Sequencing – focus on meaning Sorting and matching – focus on

meaning Talk about pictures – focus on

meaning Making patterns – focus on accuracy• Theme pictures to develop children’s oral language skills And observation. The teacher asks appropriate questions related to personal experiences associated with the

picture.

• Shared reading to encourage prediction in reading, helping learners understand the relationship between print and speech, informally introduce print conventions provide and enjoyable learning experience and teach sight vocabulary.

Procedure: talk preparing for the reading, building suspense,setting the stage. Read to the learners while they

listen or follow along.

Talk – look at pictures, talk about the story, predict

what might come next.. Read Do and talk – retell, sequence, silent reading, paired reading, creative writing, keyword lesson.

• Big books to develop listening and talking, predicting, learning that print has meaning, learning the conventions of the written word. Big books should have predictable text so that learners can easily participate in reading with the teacher.

Listening Stories to develop hearing and communication skills and comprehension and interest in listening and reading. Teacher reads a one page story – not more than five minute – then asks comprehension questions about the story and leads in dialogue.As you are reading: ask what they think will happen next’ ask learners to tell you something that has alreadyhappened

ask when, where, who, how and why questions afterreading.• Series Pictures for developing knowledge, vocabulary, observation and communication skills. Teacher uses good questions to develop conversation around the pictures.• Experience stories for understanding that writing is merely our thoughts written down, that print it indeed for

meaning, and to encourage creative writing and self expression.Procedure:1.Do a group activity related to the weekly theme or talk about an activity they all know about related to the weekly theme.2. Learners make up a story about that experience3. Write the story on the board or chart paper as the learners dictate it to you. Encourage all students to participate in creating the story.

Write just what they say. Ask them “Is this what you want to say?” and then adjust as they suggest (teaches editing).4. Read the story back to the learners5. Learners give their story a title6. Read the entire story with the reading plan (below):7. Later, copy the story onto manila paper and put it on the wall for display free reading

Reading Plan:

1.Read the entire story to all the learners2. Read the entire story with all the learners3. Read one part of the story (page or sentence) with oneor two of the learners4. Let one or two learners read the story by themselves5. Read the entire story again with all the learners

Asking the right kinds of questions. Closed questions are thoserequiring only one word answers or answers that are directly found in the text. These do not encourage deeper thinking, analyzing, expressing opinion or strong learning. Open questionsrequire complex thinking and articulation of one’s thoughts In response. Open questions

build thinking skills and language skills while giving control of the conversation to the learner.

3.2 Second language acquisition-strengthening learning Filipino and

English through TPR• Languages are best learned when the learner receives lots of Comprehensible (understandable) input in a low anxiety situation.

•The basic idea behind Total Physical Response is that a language learner learns to hear something in the language and then physically respond to it.

3.2.2 TPRB• TPR-B for "TPR with body", includes everything that can be done with general body movement: stand up, sit down, turn around, turn right, turn left, lift up your arm, touch your nose, etc. This is best done in a room with some space to move around.3.2.3 TPR Object• TPR-O stands for "TPR with objects.” This is best done sitting at a table that has some objects on it.

For example, one day the teacher could bring produce from the market. That day the students could not only learn the words for "apple," "banana,“ "orange," and so on, but also, "give me," "take," "put," "smell,“ "bite," "roll," "peel," and "show me." 3.2.4 TPR with Pictures• TPR-P stands for "TPR with pictures." Pictures are extremely effective language learning tools.

TPR-S was developed by Blaine Ray and is being used in classrooms throughout the United States. It involves the teacher (and eventually the students) acting out simple stories as a means of understanding the story and internalizing vocabulary.3.2.5 What about Speaking?• At some point students will feel the urge to start speaking. Don't push it, but at some point they can begin saying for

The teacher or their peers to do, from "stand up" to "turn the volume down" to "show me the man who ate fish yesterday." They can also speak about a table of objects: "This is a ball. This is a key. This is a book. The pen is on the book." And finally, they can describe pictures in any tense: "The man ate fish. The boy read a book."

TPR-S was developed by Blaine Ray and is being used in classrooms throughout the United States. It involves the teacher (and eventually the students) acting out simple stories as a means of understanding the story and internalizing vocabulary.3.2.5 What about Speaking?• At some point students will feel the urge to start speaking. Don't push it, but at some point they can begin saying for

The teacher or their peers to do, from "stand up" to "turn the volume down" to "show me the man who ate fish yesterday." They can also speak about a table of objects: "This is a ball. This is a key. This is a book. The pen is on the book." And finally, they can

describe pictures in any tense: "The man ate fish. The boy read a book."

Things to Remember when Teaching with TPRThe most common mistake that teachers who are new to TPRmake is to introduce new words too quickly or to introduce themtwo or more at a time. Students will feel overwhelmed if theydon’t receive enough repetition. The teacher should learn tocontinually monitor and evaluate the students’ progress andmake minor adjustments as needed. The secret of TPR is to makeit a regular, ongoing part of the language study program, withgreat emphasis at the beginning but continued use throughout the school years.