[MLE] SC Publication: Steps Towards Learning: A guide to overcoming language barriers in children's education
Dear MLE friends,
Safe the Children has become a strong advocate for MultiLingual Education (MLE). SC UK just produced a good publication called “Steps Towards Learning: A guide to overcoming language barriers in children's education” The intro says:
This guide summarises and explains what is known worldwide about the difficulties that children experience with unfamiliar school language. It offers evidence, arguments and practical steps to help stop language preventing children from learning. The guide focuses on developing countries, as this is where the majority of children who do not speak the language of school live. It offers strategies to help improve children’s chances of doing better in school, even when it appears very difficult to change the way language is currently used in education.
I copy the table of content below. You can download the 37 page document here: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_7939.htm
Regards,
Karsten
Karsten van Riezen
Education Consultant, SIL Int.
Education Consultant, SIL Int.
SIL, South Asia Group.
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Introduction 1
The language used in school can destroy children’s education 1
What is this guide about? 1
Who is this guide for? 1
What does the guide contain? 2
1 What’s the problem with language in education? 3
Why do educators use languages in school that children don’t know? 3
Why do these decisions cause problems for children? 4
2 What’s the role of language in children’s learning and development? 7
Children become thinkers and learners through their first language 7
Learning other languages 7
What happens if children can’t use their first language in education? 8
How much second language does a child need to know to start learning in that language? 8
What strategies for language and education have been tried in the past? 8
What’s the evidence for or against these approaches? 8
Implications of the research evidence for education 9
3 Working towards better school language use in multilingual countries 11
What are mother-tongue-based multilingual education programmes? 11
What should managers and leaders do to make learning easier? 13
What changes should happen? 14
4 Child-friendly teaching 15
Key ideas about children, language and school 15
Easy and effective changes teachers can make 15
Encouraging teachers to do more 16
Combining first- and second-language teaching 17
5 Some challenges to multilingual education and how you can overcome them 20
Further reading and resources
From: Dave Pearson
Sent: 19 May 2009 19:56
To:
To:
Subject: New Save the Children publication: Steps Towards Learning: A guide to overcoming language barriers in children's education
Dave Pearson