D.El.Ed. (06)

KRISHNA KANTA HANDIQUI STATE OPEN UNIVERSITY Housefed Complex, Dispur, Guwahati- 781006

DIPLOMA IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

COURSE - 6

PEDAGOGY OF REGIONAL LANGUAGE AND MOTHER TONGUE

BLOCK - 1

CONTENTS

UNIT 1 : Definitions: Regional Languages and Mother Tongue UNIT 2 : Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting UNIT 3 : Resource Development for Mother Tongue Teaching REFERENCES: (For All Units) Subject Experts

Prof. Jyotiprakash Tamuli, Dept. of Linguistic, Gauhati University, Prof. Dipti Phukan Patgiri, Dept. of Assamese, Gauhati University, Assam Dr. Seuji Sharma, Dept. of Linguistic, Gauhati University, Assam

Course Coordinator : Devajani Duarah & Tarali Pathak , KKHSOU

SLM Preparation Team UNITS CONTRIBUTORS

1, 2 and 3 Dr. Palash Nath, Anundoram Borooah Institute of Languae, Art and Culture (ABILAC), North Guwahati

Editorial Team Content & Language : Prof. Jyotiprakash Tamuli, Dept. of Linguistic, Gauhati University Format : Devajani Duarah and Dopati Choudhury, KKHSOU

January, 2016

© Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University. This Self Learning Material (SLM) of the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike4.0 License (international): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ For the avoidance of doubt, by applying this license KKHSOU does not waive any privileges or immunities from claims that it may be entitled to assert, nor does KKHSOU submit to the jurisdiction, courts, legal processes or laws of any jurisdiction.

Headquarters : Patgaon, Rani Gate, Guwahati - 781017 City Office : Housefed Complex, Dispur, Guwahati-781006; Web: www.kkhsou.in COURSE INTRODUCTION

This course on “Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue” is the sixth course of the D.El.Ed. programme. The course aims to provide the teacher trainees with a basic understanding of various relevant aspects relating to the teaching of mother tongue and regional languages in the schools. This course has been designed keeping in mind the multilingual and multicultural characteristics of most of the classrooms in our state. Learning becomes effective for the learners if the classroom transaction is done through their mother tongue. The various units in the course are aimed at providing both an understanding of the basic premises of mother tongue and regional languages and also practical strategies for handling the multilingual classrooms in schools.

The course comprises of two blocks and a total of six units. There are three units in each block.

BLOCK INTRODUCTION

This is the first block of the course on “Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue”. There are three units in this block. The first unit will familiarize you with the concept of mother tongue, first language and regional languages in the local context. The unit also dicusses the constitutional provisions that exist for promoting regional languages and mother tongue along with the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in schools. This unit will empower you to provide better teaching of the mother tongue for your students. The second unit deals with the challenges that one might come across while planning and teaching mother tongues in schools of Assam. This unit sheds light on various important aspects of mother tongue teaching in multilingual classes.The unit also focuses on various issues like the attitude of the speakers of a community towards their mother tongue, the lack of resource materials and persons, lack of government support etc. The third unit tries to give you an idea about how to develop simple resources which can encourage the learners to use their languages in the classrooms. The unit also provides you with some ideas which will encourage you to devise your own strategies to use the mother tongue of your learners in the classroom.

While going through a unit, you will notice some boxes along-side, which have been included to help you know some of the difficult, unseen terms. Some “ACTIVITY’ (s) have been included to help you apply your own thoughts. Again, we have included some relevant concepts in “LET US KNOW” along with the text. And, at the end of each section, you will get “CHECK YOUR PROGRESS” questions. These have been designed to self-check your progress of study. It will be better if you solve the given problems in these boxes immediately, after you finish reading the section in which these questions occur and then match your answers with “ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS” given at the end of each unit. CONTENTS BLOCK - 1

UNIT 1: Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue (Marks 18) Page : 5-28 What is a Regional Language : Constitutional Provisions, Constitutionally Recognised Languages in , Regional Languages in the Context of Assam, Regional Languages Vs. Minority Languages; What is a Mother Tongue : Mother Tongue and the First Language; The Need and Relevance of Mother Tongue Teaching : Double Disadvantage, Disruption of the Development of the Learning Skills, BICS and CALP, Intergenerational Transmission of Heritage Language and Culture.

UNIT 2: Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting (Marks 12 ) Page : 29-45 Using Students' Mother Tongue in Multilingual Classroom : Pedagogic Materials in Students' Mother Tongue, Teachers' Proficiency in Students' Mother Tongue, Community's Attitude Towards Their Mother Tongue, Implementation of Language Policy for Promotion of Minority Languages, Training and Orientation for Teachers.

UNIT 3: Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching (Marks 20 ) Page : 46-67 What is Resource Development ? Need and Relevance of Developing Pedagogic Materials : Need for Language and Literacy Skills across the Curriculum, Incorporating Learners' Existing Knowledge, Facilitating Collaborative Learning, Maintaining Traditional Knowledge and Culture; Kinds of Teaching-Learning Materials : Pre-readers, Primers, Story Books, Big Books, Listening Stories, Picture Posters; Steps for Developing Resource Material. UNIT 1: DEFINITIONS: REGIONAL LANGUAGES AND MOTHER TONGUE

UNIT STRUCTURE

1.1 Learning Objectives 1.2 Introduction 1.3 What is a Regional Language 1.3.1 Constitutional Provisions 1.3.2 Constitutionally Recognised Languages in India 1.3.3 Regional Languages in the Context of Assam 1.3.4 Regional Languages Vs. Minority Languages 1.4 What is a Mother Tongue 1.4.1 Mother Tongue and the First Language 1.5 The Need and Relevance of Mother Tongue Teaching 1.5.1 Double Disadvantage 1.5.2 Disruption of the Development of the Learning Skills 1.5.3 BICS and CALP 1.5.4 Intergenerational Transmission of Heritage Language and Culture 1.6 Let us Sum up 1.7 Further Reading 1.8 Answer to Check Your Progress 1.9 Model Questions

1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will able to- ò describe the concept of regional language and mother tongue ò discuss the constitutional provisions for regional languages and mother tongue ò explain the need and relevance of teaching mother tongue in your school and ò familiarize yourself with various theoretical underpinnings of the teaching of mother tongue and its positive effect on the learners. Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 5 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue 1.2 INTRODUCTION

Language plays a pivotal role in the overall development of a person and the society. It helps people to exchange ideas and information, and to communicate with the outside world. Even right now when you are going through these lines, think for a moment, how the language has helped you to understand what is written here. A transmission of information and idea from the book to you has been taking place through a specific language (English, in this case). Think about your own classroom. While teaching a lesson, you always use a language both in the spoken and written form to put across the ideas to the students. And the students also communicate with you through a specific language to express their views and answer any questions. Now think about the time that you spend with your family. Don't you use your language to talk with each of your family members? Imagine a situation where none of your family members knows a language. Or just imagine the next morning you find yourself in the planet Mars with some aliens around you. You do not understand their language at all, neither can they understand yours. In such a situation will you be able to communicate even a simple message across to them? The above situations and examples probably help you to understand the importance of language in our lives. It is one of the most indispensable elements in human lives which enables us to communicate, exchange opinions, information and express our emotions in an effective way. Language also plays a very crucial role in the teaching-learning process. As has already been mentioned, in the classroom you always need to use a particular language in order to teach the lessons in various subjects like English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science etc. But India being a multilingual and multi ethnic country, in almost all the classrooms around the country, there are students from different language backgrounds. Have you ever wondered whether all the students in your class understand the language you are using to teach the lessons? Have you ever come across confused looks mostly among the back benchers who do not seem to

6 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1 understand what is being taught? You must have talked to this set of students and have tried to understand the root cause of their difficulty in understanding the lessons. In that process you might have found out that one of the reasons behind this problem is their difficulty in understanding the language used in the class. They face this difficulty because that language is different from the language they use in their homes, with their family members. Just think about a situation where these students could have been taught the Science, Mathematics or Social science lessons through their home language or the language they are most comfortable with. It would have made life a lot easier for these students to learn these lessons. But at the same time all your students also need to learn the regional language, state language and other languages of wider communication. There is a need to develop their skills to use these languages in various situations for all types of practical reasons such as doing well in the school examinations and other academic performances to getting a job or to run a business. So the question remains - how do you help these learners to acquire required skills to use these languages in its various forms and functions. So in the following sections in this chapter, we will familiarize you with the concept of mother tongue, first language and regional languages in the local context. We will also discuss the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in our schools. These sections will help you to understand some of the important issues in the teaching learning process. This in turn will further empower you to provide better teaching of the mother tongue for your students. It will be extremely useful for you to keep in mind your own classroom situation and your students while reading through these sections. That will help you get the maximum benefit from this course.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

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Q 1: What is the basic function of language in our lives?

...... Q 2: What is the reason cited here for some of your students not being able to understand the classroom teaching? ......

1.3 WHAT IS A REGIONAL LANGUAGE

India is a country with many languages spoken by its vast population right from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Rann of Kutch to the far east in . Each of these languages is perceived/ considered by its speakers and also by others in the neighbourhood either as a distinct language or as a dialect of a related language depending on various factors. These factors include the number of speakers, the status of the language in terms of its use in the official matters, availability of written materials in the language, the store of literary publications, whether that particular language is used as medium of instruction in the schools or as a language subject etc. Depending on such criteria, some of these languages are considered as regional languages, while others are known as minority or small languages. In most cases the regional languages enjoy a lot of government patronage for its development in terms of its literature, production of materials and also in introducing that language both as a subject and also as a medium of instruction in the school, colleges and even at the University level.

1.3.1 Constitutional Provisions

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The Indian Constitution, in the Chapter-II of the Part XVII, deals with the regional . In Article 345, it states, Subject to the provisions of articles 346 and 347, the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State: Provided that, until the Legislature of the State otherwise provides by law, the shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this Constitution. So the Indian constitution has actually provided the respective states with the power to decide what the official language for the state should be. Therefore, in the context of , we find different languages being adopted as the official languages of the respective states. For example Assamese has been considered as the official language in the state of Assam, while the state of has Meitei as the official language. Similarly, there are other languages which are being used as official languages in different states of India.

1.3.2 Constitutionally Recognised Languages in India

The Indian Constitution has, in its Chapter I and II of the part XVII, clearly mentioned about the official languages of the country. In Article 343: Official language of the Union , it has stated Hindi with Devanagari script as the official language of the nation and has made the provision for continuous use of English as a subsidiary official language. In Chapter II of the same part, the Constitution has empowered the state legislature of each of the states under the Union government to decide upon the official languages for their state. The Union government has specified the exact extent to which and the exact areas where the use of Hindi and English will be used. It has been determined by provisions in the constitution under the Official Languages Act , 1963 , The official Languages rules , 1976

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and statutory instruments made by the Department of Official languages under these laws. The Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution has enlisted 22 scheduled languages. Inclusion of a language in this list means that the particular language is entitled for representation in the Official Language Commission. This Commission was constituted by the President of India in pursuance to the provisions stated in Article 344 of Indian constitution for dealing with issues of promoting Hindi as the official language along with other language related issues. Inclusion of any particular language in this list means that the government of India will remain responsible for promotion and development of these languages through all different government provisions and apparatus. Table 1.1 below provides the names of the 22 languages listed under this schedule along with its language families, number of speakers and the states where they are spoken. Table 1.1: Languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

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Himachal

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Initially only 14 languages were included in the Constitution. But due to the growing demand from other language communities, the government decided to include more number of languages in this list. Accordingly, Sindhi was included in 1967, whereas Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were included in 1992. The more recent inclusions into this list were Dogri, Maithili, Santhali and Bodo languages in the year 2004. However, there are demands for including more languages in this list. At present there are demands for including 38 more languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 3: Which types of language enjoy government patronage?

...... Q 4: Who has the power to select the official language of an Indian State as stated in the Indian Constitution? ...... Q 5: How many languages have been listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution till now? ......

1.3.3 Regional Languages in The Context of Assam

The previous section /sub-sections (1.3, 1.3.1 and 1.3.2) might have given you an idea about the regional language in general and also in the context of Indian Constitution. Keeping that discussion in mind, let us now consider the issue of regional languages in the 12 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

specific context of our state Assam. If you go back to the Table 1 in the 1.3.2 you will notice that the word Assam in the column under the heading of 'States' is shown in bold. This is to draw your attention to the number of languages in the Eight Schedule which are spoken in Assam. So how many of these languages do you find in the list? We are sure that you will find three such languages namely Assamese, Bodo and Bengali. Assamese is the state language in the state of Assam. It is spoken by around 13 million people in the state. It has a rich body of literature and reading materials. It belongs to the Indo Aryan language group and has a rich heritage of written literature in various genres such as stories, novels, dramas, songs, poems, histories, ballads, folk songs etc. It is used both as a medium of instruction and also as a subject of study at schools, colleges and at the university level. As a result, there is a large number of study materials published in this language. Hence Assamese has been aptly included as one of the major languages in to the Eighth Schedule and also is considered as one of major regional languages in India. Bodo, on the other hand belongs to the Tibeto-Burman . At present there are around 1.4 million speakers of Bodo language who are spread across the lower Assam on the North bank of River Brahmaputra. It is one of the oldest ethnic languages spoken in the state of Assam. It has been included into the Eighth Schedule of Indian constitution comparatively recently, i.e. in the year 2004. As a result, now this language is also used both as a subject and as a medium of instruction in the schools under the Bodoland Territorial Council formed in the year 2003. This language also has a rich heritage of published written materials and it expresses the cultural and traditional characteristics of the Bodo community in the North east India. The enjoys official status in some districts of the Barak Valley. Apart from these two languages, there are many other languages also which are spoken by a sizable number of people in

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Assam. These are Rabha, Mishing, Khasi, Garo, Tiwa etc. But these languages are yet to get recognition by the Constitution of India.

1.3.4 Regional Languages Vs. Minority Languages

Reading through the previous sections, you must have got a fair idea about the nature and function of the regional languages both in the larger context of India and also in the specific context of Assam. We mentioned at the end of the previous section that there is a large group of languages in Assam used by speakers in varied numbers (from as small as a few thousands to comparatively larger numbers in lakhs) as their mother tongues. Most of these languages are spoken by people belonging to the various ethnic groups in the state. Some of these languages are Mishing, Singpho, Tangsa, Nocte, Tai Phake, Tai Khamyang, Tai Turung, Tai Khamti, Tai Aiton, Garo, and many more. These languages are used by their speakers mostly in their homes with their family members and also within the community. But beyond that, there is no scope for using these languages as the number of speakers of these languages is comparatively smaller than those of the regional languages. Hence this set of languages are referred to as minority languages and the speaker communities are known as minority language communities. If we compare these minority languages to the regional or the official languages in India, we can identify three basic areas of difference viz. number of speakers, domains language use, availability of written literature. Number of speakers As has already been discussed, comparatively small number of speakers use most of these minority languages. For example, the speakers of languages like Singpho, Tai Aiton, Turung, Khamti, Phake, Khamyang etc., who use the respective languages as mother tongues, are limited to numbers that range within 50 and10,000 at the most. In most cases, unfortunately, the number of these language speakers is gradually decreasing for a host of factors such as

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influence of major languages, shifting of ethnic population for economic and social security, educational needs etc. In contrast, the regional languages are much healthier in terms of the number of speakers. For example, the number of speakers of the has been recorded at around 13 million. Domains of language use If we consider the use of the minority languages that we have been discussing, we will see that the speakers use most of these languages in the home domain and at best within the community. There is hardly any scope for using these languages beyond these two domains. In some areas, such ethnic languages are partially used in markets. There are very few minority languages which are used in the schools even as a subject. None of these languages are used for official purposes in Assam or elsewhere in India. The regional languages, on the other hand, are used in a varied number of domains. For example, just think about the Assamese language. Apart from being used as the mother tongue or the first language by the native speakers, it is also used as a lingua franca by various sections of people in the state. It is used both as a subject and also as a medium of instruction in the schools, colleges and universities. It is also used for official work and is extensively used at different levels in the daily life by almost all people in the state. Availability of written literature Most of the minority languages are oral. In other words, many of these languages are still in spoken form only; but there is no system to write it down. In some cases like the Singphos, and the Tais, they have their own ways of writing their languages. But still there are a lot of other small ethnic languages which are yet to develop a written system. As a result, there is very little written literature in these languages which can be used by the future generation to learn these languages. Availability of written literature plays one of the crucial roles in sustaining a language among its native speakers and also among other language speakers. In case of regional languages like

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Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Manipuri etc, there is a comparatively large body of written literature relating to various fields of knowledge. Since these languages are also used for educational purposes, it becomes imperative to produce appropriate written literature available for learners.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 6: How many languages spoken in Assam are listed in the Eight Schedule of the Indian constitution and what are these?

...... Q 7: What are the main areas of difference between a regional/ official language and a minority language as cited here? ......

1.4 WHAT IS A MOTHER TONGUE

India being a multilingual country, we often come across terms such as 'mother tongue' 'first language', 'second language' etc. In order to understand the significance of these different labels, we need to know what they refer to. There are several explanations for these labels. For example, a mother tongue can be referred to as the language that a child grows up speaking. Think about your own childhood. In which language did you start meaningful communication with your parents and other close relatives? Hence, the language that you first spoke is normally referred to as your mother tongue. Mother tongue is also generally related to the ethnic identity of an individual. For example, for an Assamese person, his/ her mother tongue is Assamese. Similarly, for a person belonging to the Bodo community, his/ her mother tongue will be Bodo as long as he/she communicates in this language. These are some of the simple ways of defining or understanding a 16 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1 mother tongue of an individual. At the same time, there are complicated issues relating to the definition of mother tongue. Quite often, defining the mother tongue of a particular individual is not so simple. For example, just imagine the following situation. A child belonging to a minority language community like the Singpho grows up in a completely Assamese language environment right from day one. This is because before the child is born, his/ her parents shifted from the village with a Singpho speaking environment to a town area where they have assimilated into the dominant Assamese language and culture for many years. So after birth their child naturally picked up the Assamese language and has started speaking it fluently with no trace of Singpho language. Now in this situation, what will be the mother tongue of the child -.Singpho or Assamese? Just think about it for a moment. Even though ethnically that particular child belongs to the Singpho community, he has started all kinds of communication in Assamese. Therefore, from that point of view, the mother tongue of the child would be Assamese rather than Singpho.

1.4.1 Mother Tongue and the First Language

'First Language' is another term which is often used as a synonym of the 'Mother Tongue' of a particular person. It is also defined as the language that a child uses for the first time in life. It also refers to a particular language that the child can use fluently. From this perspective, this term is almost the same as the term Mother Tongue. But at the same time, there are exceptions. There are situations where a person belonging to a minority language community can hardly communicate in the language of his/ her parents. This is because the language has already lost its speakers substantially. As a result, he/she has grown up speaking the state language or the dominant language. In this case the first language of that person can be the state language in which he/ she can fluently express himself/ herself, whereas the mother tongue can be his/her parents' language as it signifies the ethnic identity.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 8: Fill in the blanks a) Mother tongue is also generally related to the ...... of an individual. b) ‘First Language’ is another term which is often used as a ...... to the ...... of a particular person.

1.5 THE NEED AND RELEVANCE OF MOTHER TONGUE TEACHING

After having discussed briefly the concepts of regional language and mother tongue in the previous sections, we shall now discuss the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching for the children of minority language communities. Since 1990s, there has been a growing concern among educationists, psychologists, linguists and experts from other fields of knowledge regarding the lack of mother tongue teaching for the children all over the world and its consequences. This concern has led to a concerted effort at the international level for creating awareness about the benefit of mother tongue teaching especially for the children of minority language communities all over the world. Researchers have investigated into the aspects of mother tongue teaching and its impact on the learning capability of children belonging to minority language communities. Such scientific research has established the fact that the best medium of learning for the child is his/her mother tongue or the language that he/she is most familiar and comfortable with. Scientific evidence has shown that children starting their education through their mother tongue first and then transitioning or moving on to the other languages are much more academically proficient than those who begin education through their second or third language . Based on such research findings, we will discuss the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in our schools in the following sections. There are a number of factors in the teaching-learning process which 18 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1 are directly influenced by the choice of language (home language/first language/ mother tongue versus other languages) as the medium of instruction used in the schools.

1.5.1 Double Disadvantage

In order to understand the phrase 'Double disadvantage', think about your classroom situation. In most of the schools we have multilingual classes. In other words, there are students from different language backgrounds, whose mother tongue is different from the medium of instruction used in the schools. Have you not come across students who are very quiet in the class or who often give a blank stare irrespective of whatever you teach? You must have come across students who, in spite of your sincere efforts, find it hard to understand even a simple concept while studying science, mathematics, social studies etc. While there may be different possible reasons behind it, one very common reason is that those students actually find it difficult to follow what you are saying in the classroom as classroom instruction. Because the language used as the medium of instruction is different from their mother tongue or from the language that they are most familiar with. As a result, these students face two challenges in the classroom. First, they struggle to understand the language in which the teacher is teaching. Second, it is challenging for them to understand the contents, i.e. the educational concepts and lessons, because the language is unfamiliar to them. These two challenges are known as double disadvantage. These challenges really hinder the understanding of the learners and discourage them from enjoying the class. As a result, these groups of students gradually stop coming to the class as they often perform poorly in the class test and other assessments they are put through.

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1.5.2

A challenging environment as discussed in the previous section discourages the learners from developing their learning skills. When we talk about learning skills, we refer to the six stages of learning skills a learner needs to develop so that she/he can learn new concepts and knowledge. The following table presents these six stages, which are also known as Bloom's Taxonomy. Table 2: Bloom's taxonomy

Abstract Skills Description Synthesize This is the highest and most abstract skills and it enables the learner to bring in his knowledge and skills and form new knowledge out of it. It involves critical thinking and the ability to analyse. This skill enables the learner to think critically. Evaluate The learner should be able to make judgement on the given concept. This is a more abstract skill which requires the Analyse learners to see patterns and compare and contrast. The learner should be able to break a whole into pieces and understand the structure. In other words this skill enables the learners to analyse any given context and then look at the essential components embedded into the whole. This skill requires the learners to use what is Apply taught. This is possible only if the learner understands well what is taught. With a better and correct understanding he/ she will be able to apply the same in a different context or situation. This skill requires the learner to understand what Understand is taught and then to construct meaning out of it. He/she should be able to exemplify, classify or explain what is taught. Concrete This is the simplest skill which enables the Remember learners to recall what is taught. In other words this is what is called rote memorization

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These six skills, which start off with a fairly simple skill like remembering and advances towards more complex and abstract skills like analysing, evaluating and finally synthesizing, needs to be systematically developed among the learners. But if the learners find it difficult even to understand the classroom instruction, then it is never going to be easy for these learners to develop the higher learning and cognitive skills like evaluating or synthesizing. The use of a language other than the mother tongue of the learners thus seriously disrupts this development of learning and cognitive skills. This results in the academic failures of the learners from the minority language communities and subsequent school dropouts at a higher rate. Such a progressive development of learning and cognitive skills as shown above is possible only if the teaching-learning in the classroom is done through the mother tongue of the learners. The use of the mother tongue will help the learners to follow the classroom instruction with understanding. It will also encourage them to participate in the classroom interaction more actively and that will further develop their analysing, evaluating and other complex skills. Therefore, it is very important that the learners are provided with the opportunity to learn through their mother tongue.

1.5.3 BICS and CALP

In Section 1.5.1 we discussed the 'double disadvantage' that the learners suffer from, when taught through a language different from their mother tongue. While going through that section the following question might have come to your mind. In my school, I have seen that learners from different language backgrounds are comfortable communicating with their fellow students in the language of classroom transaction, even though the language of classroom transaction is different from their mother tongues. They do not seem to face any problem at that point. So how is it that the same language hinders the learning ability of the Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 21 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

learners in the classroom? In order to understand your observation and the subsequent question on this issue, let us discuss two important concepts proposed by the renowned educationist Jim Cummins. The first one is known as Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). BICS refers to the ability of a child to communicate with his/her friends, peers in the second language provided he/ she is sufficiently exposed to the second language environment. According to Cummins, it takes 1-3 years for a language learner to develop BICS. This means such a child will be able to express his/ her basic feelings, needs etc through the second language. It is comparatively a cognitively less demanding skill. But this skill should not be mistaken for a higher grade of proficiency in the second language learning for the same child. This is where Cummins has talked about Cognitive and Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). CALP is a cognitively more demanding language skill which needs to be developed for attaining academic proficiency. It refers to the manipulation of language skills at a more abstract level. It enables the learner to think, analyse critically and then infer or produce new knowledge which eventually helps him/her to perform better in the academic pursuit. According to research by Cummins, it takes 5 to 7 years for a young learner with a strong mother tongue foundation to acquire CALP in second language. But for a learner without a strong mother tongue foundation, it takes 7 to 10 years to acquire the same in the second language. Therefore in order to help the learners acquire CALP for a better performance in the second language or the language of the school, mother tongue teaching should be promoted in the schools. Research all over the world has come up with some effective strategies and tools for teaching of literacy skills and other educational concepts through the mother tongue of the learners. We will discuss some of these strategies in the subsequent units.

22 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

1.5.4 Intergenerational Transmission of Heritage Language and Culture

One of the serious challenges that the human race is facing of late is the extinction of languages at a fast pace. This extinction has been so rapid that it has been estimated that by the end of this century, the human kind will lose almost half of the total number of around 7000 spoken languages today in the globe. Apart from the loss of language, it has other serious implications. One of them is the extinction of a vast storehouse of traditional knowledge related to the history of mankind, culture, indigenous life, society, agriculture, indigenous way of co-existence with nature etc. One main reason for this extinction is the gradual decline in the number of speakers of minority languages. With the passing of time, more and more speakers of such ethnic languages are embracing the modernity by way of assimilating into the dominant language and culture. As a result, the trend of passing on the language and other related knowledge from one generation to the other in a community has been affected considerably. The blocking of this intergenerational transmission of the heritage language and culture in the community has resulted in the eventual loss of the language and culture in many instances around the world. In this kind of a worrying situation, the teaching of mother tongue in the schools can be an effective way of preventing such language loss. The use of the learners' language in the school will encourage the learners to learn their own language. In this process, the elders in the community can also be engaged in the teaching- learning process in various ways so that they can transfer their linguistic and cultural knowledge to their children. This can be done through various strategies which can be included in the curriculum. Such strategies will help the learners not only to acquire educational concepts and basic literacy skills, but also to maintain their mother tongue and culture.

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 23 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 9: Fill in the blanks a) Scientific research has established the fact that the best medium of ...... for child is through his/her ...... or the language that he/she is most familiar and comfortable with. Q 10: How many stages are there in Bloom’s Taxonomy? ......

1.6 LET US SUM UP

ò Language plays one of the most pivotal roles in the overall development of a person and the society. It helps people to exchange ideas and information, and to communicate with the outside world. ò In many cases learners from a different language background do not perform well in the school just because they find it difficult to follow the classroom transaction done through a language different from their mother tongues. ò The regional languages enjoy a lot of government patronage for its development in terms of its literature, production of materials and also in introducing that language both as a subject and as a medium of instruction in the schools, colleges and university level. ò The Indian Constitution, in the Chapter-II of the Part XVII, deals with the regional languages of India. ò The Indian Constitution has, in its Chapter I and II of the part XVII, clearly mentioned about the official languages of the country. ò In Article 343: Official language of the Union, the Constitution has stated Hindi with Devanagari script as the official language of the nation and has made provision for continuous use of English as a subsidiary official language. 24 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

ò In Chapter II of the same part, the constitution has empowered the state legislature of each of the states under the Union government to decide upon the official languages for their state. ò The Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution has listed 22 scheduled languages. Inclusion of a language into this list means that the particular language is entitled to representation in the Official Language Commission. ò Assamese, Bodo and Bengali are the three languages spoken in Assam that are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution. ò If we compare the minority languages to the regional or the official languages in India, we can identify three basic areas of difference viz. number of speakers, domains language use, availability of written literature. ò Mother tongue is also generally related to the ethnic identity of an individual. ò Learners from a language background different from the language of instruction often suffer from the double disadvantage in the classroom. ò There are six cognitive skills or learning stages according to Bloom's taxonomy which need to be acquired by the learners. In order to help learners acquire these skills, the learners should be provided with a favourable learning condition where the teaching-learning process takes place through the mother tongue of the learners. ò Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). BICS refers to the ability of a child to communicate with his/her friends, peers in the second language provided he/ she is sufficiently exposed to the second language environment ò CALP refers to the manipulation of language skills at a more abstract level enabling the learner to think, analyse critically and then infer or produce new knowledge which eventually helps him/her to perform better in the academic pursuit. ò One of the serious challenges that the human kind is facing of late is the extinction of languages at a fast pace. This extinction has been so

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 25 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

rapid that it has estimated that by the end of this century the human kind will lose almost half of the total number of around 7000 spoken languages today in the globe. ò One of the main reasons behind this extinction is the gradual decline in the number of speakers of minority languages. ò Teaching of mother tongue in the schools can be an effective way of preventing language loss.

1.7 FURTHER READING

1) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies . Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. 2) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education . New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation. 3) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings . Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

1.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: Language plays one of the most pivotal roles in the overall development of a person and his society. The basic function of language is to help people to exchange ideas and information, and to communicate with the outside world. Ans to Q No 2: This is because the students do not understand the language through which the classroom transaction takes place. In other words, the medium of instruction in the school is different from their mother tongue. 26 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

Ans to Q No 3: Regional languages enjoy government patronage for the development and promotion of the language development in terms of its literature, production of materials and also in introducing that language both as a subject and also as a medium of instruction in the school, colleges and even at the University level. Ans to Q No 4: The Indian constitution has provided the respective states with the power to decide upon the official language for the state. Ans to Q No 5: 22 Ans to Q No 6: 3. These are Assamese, Bodo and Bengali Ans to Q No 7: The main areas of difference between the regional/ official language and the minority languages are 1) Number of speakers, 2) Domains of language use, 3) Availability of written literature Ans to Q No 8: a) ethnic identity b) synonym, Mother tongue Ans to Q No 9: a) learning, mother tongue Ans to Q No 10: Six

1.9 MODEL QUESTIONS

A. Very Short Questions Q 1: In which year was the Bodo language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution? Q 2: What are the stages mentioned in Bloom's Taxonomy? Q 3: What are the full forms of BICS and CALP? B. Short Questions (Answer in about 100-150 words) Q 1: What is the importance of language in the life of a human being? Q 2: What kind of role does language play in the teaching learning process? Q 3: How would you describe a regional language in the context of India? Q 4: State briefly about the constitutional provisions for regional languages in India. Q 5: What do you understand by the term 'Mother tongue'? Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 27 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

Q 6: What are six stages of Bloom's taxonomy? Elaborate the significance of this taxonomy. Q 7: Why is it important to sustain the intergenerational transmission of language and culture? C. Long Questions (Answer in about 300-500 words) Q 1: Discuss the concept of regional language and minority languages in the context of India. Q 2: Discuss the constitutional provisions for regional languages and the Eighth schedule of in the Indian constitution. Q 3: State your concept of Mother tongue and first language. Q 4: Discuss and elaborate on the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in schools.

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28 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue UNIT 2: CHALLENGES FOR TEACHING MOTHER TONGUE IN A MULTILINGUAL SETTING

UNIT STRUCTURE

2.1 Learning Objectives 2.2 Introduction 2.3 Using Students' Mother Tongue in Multilingual Classroom 2.3.1 Pedagogic Materials in Students' Mother Tongue 2.3.2 Teachers' Proficiency in Students' Mother Tongue 2.3.3 Community's Attitude Towards Their Mother Tongue 2.3.4 Implementation of Language Policy for Promotion of Minority Languages 2.3.5 Training and Orientation for Teachers 2.4 Let us Sum up 2.5 Further Reading 2.6 Answers to Check Your Progress 2.7 Model Questions

2.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will able to- ò discuss the factors that pose a challenge for teaching the mother tongue in a multilingual setting ò analyse the pedagogic issues (relating to materials and teachers) which pose challenges in teaching a mother tongue ò explain how the language attitude of members of a speaker community can also affect the teaching of a mother tongue ò discuss the challenges implied by the policy status in India with regard to mother tongue teaching.

2.2 INTRODUCTION

In Unit 1 we discussed the characteristics that define a regional language and a mother tongue. We examined the constitutional provisions

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 29 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

that exist for promoting regional languages and the mother tongue. Finally we also discussed the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching for the students in schools. Unit 2 will deal with the challenges that one might come across while planning and teaching mother tongues in schools of Assam. This unit will shed light on various important aspects of mother tongue teaching in multilingual classes. Such classes are a characteristic of the multilingual Indian society. The unit will then focus on issues like the attitude of the speakers of a community towards their mother tongue, the lack of resource materials and persons, lack of government support etc. Discussion on these topics will give you a fair idea of the challenges relating to this campaign and will also provide you with an opportunity to think of possible ways to face these challenges successfully.

2.3 USING STUDENTS' MOTHER TONGUE IN THE MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOM

The importance and benefit of using the student's mother tongue in the classroom has been already discussed to some extent in the previous unit. Research findings from all over the world have confirmed the view that the learner's mother tongue is the best medium of instruction for young learners. The mother tongue of a student can be an important means for establishing an effective communication between the student and the teacher. This, in turn, can considerably help such learners to acquire both basic literacy skills and also complex educational concepts with a comparative ease than the ones who are taught through a second or the dominant language. Such deliberations and findings all over the world have resulted in a concerted effort at the international level to make arrangement for providing at least the primary education through the mother tongue of the young learners. Towards this end, a number of agreements have been signed and working framework has been formulated at the global level. Such initiatives have been led especially by the UNESCO. In this regard, different nations have taken up this task of providing education through the mother tongue of the young learners in their respective countries. But implementing this kind of education is not an easy task for multilingual

30 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2 countries like India. India is characterised by an abundance of different languages and cultures used by its citizens who belong to a wide variety of social and ethnic classes. Almost all the classrooms in schools in India reflect this linguistic and cultural diversity. Let's think about the students in your classroom. Have you ever thought about the language background that your students have come from? What is the home language of each student in your classroom? How many of your students speak a language in their homes which is different from the language used as the medium of instruction in the school? Answers to this set of questions will help you get a good idea of the multilingual nature of your classroom.

ACTIVITY 2.1 Think about your classroom and your students. ò make a list of students and their mother tongues which are different from the medium of instruction in the schools. ò based on your practical experience, make a brief note on the kind of difficulty, if any, that they face during classroom transaction in the school language.

Now in such a situation, imparting education through the home language of your students surely presents a grave challenge to you and other teachers. It is important to have a clear idea of the nature of this challenge in order to promote the use of the students' mother tongue in the schools. In the following sections, we will discuss some of these pertinent issues which are part of this challenge. Let us take you to a real situation in Assam. In a particular school in Udalguri district, there is a school in which a large majority of the students are from the Bihari community. They speak Bhojpuri as their mother tongue, while the teachers are speakers of the Assamese language or Bodo language. Once the students are at school, they have to learn everything in Assamese, because Assamese is the medium of instruction in their school. The teachers have a hard time making the students understand ideas in Assamese, because neither the teachers nor the students are comfortable

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 31 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

with each other's mother tongue. Can you imagine the difficult situation faced by the students here? In your view, what measures can we take to help these students? In the present classroom situation, one way is to use the mother tongue wherever it is necessary to explain a concept. Otherwise, there is probably no provision within the classroom to help those students. If we think about an ideal situation, the problem probably arises right at the beginning. Ideally, no other language should be imposed upon the students before they are literate in their own mother tongue. Unit 1 gave you enough reasons in support of this view. However, in the real world, there are many practical problems in starting education through the mother tongue. As teachers, even if you are willing to teach literacy skills to your students in their mother tongues - be it Singpho, Tangsa, Tai Phake, Boro, you are likely to face certain challenges. Some of these are discussed below.

2.3.1 Pedagogic Materials in the Students' Mother Tongue

You all have probably experienced how difficult it is to teach in the class without the academic resources. Can you imagine teaching students without any textbook or any plan on what to teach throughout the year? One of the most important components in the classroom transaction is the availability and extensive use of written materials. Use of age-appropriate graded learning materials or books are crucial for imparting education to the young children in the classroom. For developing mother tongue literacy, these written materials can be of different types such as Pre-readers, Primers, Story books, books on Mathematics, Science, Environmental studies, Social Studies etc. Think about your own classroom. There are a number of books that you use to teach necessary skills and to communicate various contents to the students. Each of these books has been produced bearing in mind certain learning objectives that the learners need to achieve. In other words, each of these books helps in advancing the objectives of the curriculum. Similarly, for teaching 32 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

a mother tongue, the different types of books are produced and used in the classroom keeping some definite objectives in mind. For example, a pre reader is used in order to give the young learners an idea about the shapes and corresponding sounds that are represented by those shapes in the language. It increases their cognitive skills of identifying and relating symbols and sounds in their language. Once this set of skills is developed, the primer is used to help the learners learn all the symbols in the alphabet of their language in a more efficient way. In the same way, story books or picture books are used to develop their skills of comprehension, analysis and other abstract and complex skills. Hopefully, you can now realize that the materials mentioned above are not available for you for use in the classroom. The lack of teaching-learning materials in the concerned mother tongues proves to be one of the serious challenges in using students' mother tongue in the classroom. It is very important to have appropriate reading materials for an effective classroom teaching. If we think of the different languages which are used as mother tongue by the young learners at their respective homes and society, there are no books or other types of reading materials to be used in the classroom. Barring the recognised and official languages, most of the other minority languages are underdeveloped in terms of the availability of written materials. In rare cases, some of these languages possess some written materials mostly in the form of religious texts, historical narratives etc which are not always suitable for the use of young children in the teaching-learning process. Another obstacle in this context is that most of these languages do not even have a written form. Generation after generation, these languages have been used orally. As a result, it becomes more challenging to bring out any written materials in those languages. In such cases it needs a concerted effort by different stakeholders to devise a for that language. Later, that writing system can be used to produce appropriate

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 33 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

materials for use in the classroom. So these challenges relating to the scarcity of pedagogic materials in the mother tongue of the learners make it difficult to help the children use and develop their mother tongue in the classroom. However, in Unit 3, we will discuss some possible ways through which this challenge can be handled.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Fill in the blanks Q 1: i) Use of age appropriate ...... materials or books are crucial for imparting education to the young children in the classroom. ii) It is very important to have appropriate reading materials for an ...... teaching. Q 2: What are the different types of written materials that can be used for classroom teaching? ......

34 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

2.3.2 Teachers' Proficiency in Students' Mother Tongue

To understand the challenges posed by the shortage of teachers with proficiency in students' mother tongue, you can go back to the example of the situation explained in Section 2.3. Such a situation occurs in many schools of our country. This is especially true for the North eastern region, because the classrooms here represent the true multilingual characteristic of the nation. Most of these classrooms represent a mix of students from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In this context, the issue of using the students' mother tongue in the classroom is faced with the serious challenge due to the shortage of teachers with proficiency in those various under-represented languages. For example, imagine a classroom where 20 of a total number of 30 students use a mother tongue language which is different from the language of instruction which is generally the dominant or the state language. In this classroom those 20 students will not get any opportunity to use their mother tongue during classroom transactions. The teachers also cannot make learning easier for this section of students through their mother tongue, because the appointed teachers in these schools, in most cases, do not speak or understand the languages of these students. As a result, explaining or teaching those students through their mother tongue becomes a daunting task.

2.3.3 Community Attitude Towards the Mother Tongue

If you want to teach the mother tongue of students, it is very important to involve the community members who are speakers of the language. This is because the resources (raw materials) of the language lie with the community. Involving the parents and other members of the minority language community in the classroom transaction can encourage and help the students to learn their mother tongue in the classroom. (We will discuss strategies to involve parents and other members of the language community in this

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 35 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

context in the subsequent units.) However, the community's attitude towards their own language plays a crucial role. Involving the community will be possible only if the members of the community understand the value of their mother tongue. In many cases, it is seen that the community members are unable to understand the value of their mother tongue. The common belief among the community people is that educating their children through the dominant language, and above all, through the English medium, actually benefits their children in terms of getting a job or economic security and attaining high social status. Therefore, for most of them, their own mother tongue is seen as not at all helpful for the benefit of their children. This attitude raises questions about the level of awareness regarding the benefit of educating children through their mother tongue among the parents belonging to the minority language community. In such circumstances it is difficult to persuade community members to assist with the use of their respective mother tongue in the local schools. As the parents understanding is that the learning of their mother tongue will bring no substantial benefit to their children's education, they do not see any point in wasting time in teaching it to their children. In this context, it is very important to bring up idea of the mother tongue as a bridge, as shown in Fig.1 below. Fig: 1 Mother tongue bridge

36 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

@Dennis Malone, SIL International This picture shows two bridges with some children. What do you understand from this picture?

ACTIVITY 2.2 On the basis of your understanding from reading the current and previous sections, closely observe the picture and think about what it is trying to convey. Write down a brief paragraph of your understanding of this picture. Next, compare it with what is written in the section below.

The first bridge where 'Foreign Language' is written on the left, is very weak and narrow. This represents the most common situation regarding education in our country. Here the students from different language communities start their education through a language which is not their mother tongue. This results in the 'double disadvantage' mentioned in 1.5.1 which subsequently leaves the learners with a very weak bridge for overcoming the educational and academic challenges for life-long learning. As a result, as depicted in the picture, many students fails to cross the river and fall

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 37 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

down. This actually symbolically refers to those students who fail to perform satisfactorily in the classroom and subsequently most of them drop out of school. The other bridge in the picture is strong and you can see students/ children happily crossing the river. This bridge symbolises the situation where the students are provided with the opportunity to start their education through their mother tongue first. This helps them acquire the basic literacy skills comfortably and also to understand different educational concepts better. As a result, these students feel happy, and they are able to participate in the teaching- learning activities of the classroom. More importantly, this method of teaching through their mother tongue results in an effective development of their cognitive skills. This development is much needed for them to understand complex educational concepts in various subjects like Science, Mathematics, Environmental Science and then to analyse such concepts and produce new knowledge from their existing knowledge. The parents of these children need to understand the significance of this picture. There should be conscious effort made to drive home the significance of the mother tongue teaching for their children at least in the initial years of their education.

2.3.4 Implementation of Language Policy for Promotion of Minority Languages

You might feel that policy issues are not relevant for you as teachers because you have to deal with the practical issues of classroom transaction only. However, it is important for you to be well-informed about some policy issues regarding mother tongue teaching, because it does have an influence on classroom transaction in an indirect manner. Therefore let us take a quick look at a few excerpts from policy documents to understand the viewpoints of the policy makers. India being a multilingual country, there are provisions in 38 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

the constitution that explicitly provide for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage to the children of linguistic minority groups. Article 350 A of the Indian constitution states that 'it shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups' . Other policies have been formulated and revised from time to time with guidelines reiterating this constitutional stand on this matter. For example, the Programme of Action, 1992 based on the National Policy on Education, 1986 also highlights the need of mother tongue education for the linguistic minority groups. It reiterates '...the need to provide education through the mother tongue, which may be different from a modern Indian language included in the VIII Schedule, is recognised on academic grounds. The Constitution of India recognises, in respect of linguistic minorities, the desirability of providing instruction through the mother tongue for first five years of education (Article 350-A).’ But at the same time, it also expresses concern over some of the practical challenges that may come in this context: '...Every effort is, therefore, required to implement this obligation, although a number of difficulties are likely to be encountered: administrative and financial feasibility of providing instructional facilities through a variety of mother tongues, difficulty to use some tribal languages as media of education etc...' The National Curriculum Framework, 2005 also argues for '…an emphasis on the recognition of children's mother tongues, including tribal languages, as the best medium of instruction.' It goes on to say that '…multilingual proficiency… is possible only if learning builds on a sound language pedagogy in the mother tongue.' (ibid.:vii) The above excerpts make it obvious for us that in India, there is strong policy support for the teaching of the mother tongues of

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 39 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

children. But in spite of such support, the issue of education in the mother tongue in the primary stage has remained only a desired thing but not a reality. As a result, challenges in terms of infrastructural inadequacies, shortage of manpower and lack of a cohesive method for producing teaching-learning materials in the respective languages of the children have remained largely unattended till now. There have been sporadic efforts under some of the government schemes to bring out teaching-learning materials for some of the concerned languages. But such schemes have included mostly the languages which are included into the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. There are far larger numbers of languages with fewer numbers of speakers outside the purview of the Eighth Schedule, which have failed to receive any benefits of these government schemes.

40 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

Frameworks published by National Council for Educational Research and Training in the year 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005. The NCF provides guidelines for preparing syllabi, textbooks and teaching practises within the school education system India.

LET US KNOW ò The Census of India 2001 recorded 1652 mother tongues across India. ò In 2001 census, these mother tongues were grouped into 122 languages. As a result there are mother tongues which are totally different from each other but are grouped together under the label of one language. ò 27 languages have been listed under Hindi. ò Out of these 122 languages only 26 are used as the medium of instruction at the primary stage. Among these, there are only 6 non scheduled languages out of the 100 non scheduled languages which were recorded in the census of 2001 with more than 10000 speakers. ò The 2001 Census also recorded 57 languages in India with more than one million speakers. ò Under this census, 234 mother tongues were reported having more than 10,000 speakers.

2.3.5 Training and Orientation for Teachers

Let us suppose that unlike the situation presented at the beginning of Section 2.3, the teachers and students have a common mother tongue. Even then the teachers need special training and orientation for using the mother tongue of the learners in the classroom alongside the school language. Such training and orientation programme should be aimed at equipping the teachers with the skills to use effective strategies in order to make learning enjoyable for the learners from different language backgrounds. However, you have probably noticed from your experience that the Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 41 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

teachers are rarely exposed to such training with specific aims. Lack of this kind of training and orientation programme adds to the difficulty of the teachers who teach in those classrooms. Don't you think that this happens because of the failure to use a rich resource (i.e. mother tongues of students) that is there at the disposal of both you teachers and student?

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 3: When was the National Policy on Education first promulgated? ...... Q 4: The Programme of Action is related to which national policy on education? ...... Q 5: How many mother tongues have been recorded in the Census 2001? ......

2.4 LET US SUM UP

ò One of the most important components in the classroom transaction is the availability and extensive use of written materials. ò Use of age appropriate graded learning materials or books is crucial for imparting education to the young children in the classroom. ò Lack of teaching learning materials in the respective mother tongues proves to be one of the serious challenges in using students' mother tongue in the classroom. ò One of the obstacles in teaching in mother tongue in the case of minority languages is that most of these languages still need a writing system. ò Shortage of teachers for using the mother tongue of the non-scheduled 42 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

languages is one of the major impediments in this regard. ò Community attitude to the mother tongue plays an important role in the use of the mother tongue in the classroom. ò The common belief among the parents is that educating their children through the regional language and above all, through the English medium, actually benefits their children in terms of getting a job or economic security and getting a high social status. ò The lack of appropriate policy implementation regarding mother tongue teaching is a serious challenge in this context. ò The use of the learner's mother tongue in the teaching-learning process has been strongly advocated in the Article 350 A of Indian constitution and also in other policy documents such as Programme of Action 1992 under National Policy on Education 1986 and National Curriculum Framework, 2005 etc.

2.5 FURTHER READING

1) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies . Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. 2) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education . New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation. 3) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings . Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

2.6 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: i) graded learning ii) effective classroom

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 43 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

Ans to Q No 2: Pre-readers, Primers, Story books etc. Ans to Q No 3: 1968. Ans to Q No 4: National Policy on Education 1986. Ans to Q No 5: The total number of mother tongues recorded in the Census of 2001 is 1652.

2.7 MODEL QUESTIONS

A. Very Short Questions Q 1: In which article of Indian Constitution has a provision for linguistic minority group? Q 2: How many languages have been listed under Hindi? Q 3: How many languages have been recorded in India in the census 2001 with more than one million speakers? B. Short questions (Answer in about 100-150 words) Q 1: 'Almost all the classrooms in schools in India reflect this linguistic and cultural diversity.' Elaborate this sentence with examples from your own classroom context. Q 2: Briefly discuss how the lack of pedagogic material affects the use of children's mother tongue in a multilingual classroom. Q 3: List the main challenges in using learners' mother tongue in classroom transaction in a multilingual classroom as discussed in this unit. Q 4: Briefly state your views based on your personal experience about the attitude of the language communities toward their own mother tongue. Q 5: Write a short paragraph in your own words on the picture of the Mother tongue bridge shown in Figure 1. C. Long questions (Answer in about 300-500 words) Q 1: List and elaborate on the various challenges in using mother tongue of the learners in a multilingual classroom. Q 2: How is the gap between the constitutional provisions and policy

44 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

implementation affecting the use of learners' mother tongue in the multilingual classrooms? Q 3: Discuss briefly what National Policy on Education 1986, Programme of Action, 1992 and National Curriculum Framework, 2005 state about mother tongue pedagogy.

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Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 45 UNIT: 3 RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR MOTHER TONGUE TEACHING

UNIT STRUCTURE

3.1 Learning Objectives 3.2 Introduction 3.3 What is Resource Development? 3.4 Need and Relevance of Developing Pedagogic Materials 3.4.1 Need for Language and Literacy Skills across the Curriculum 3.4.2 Incorporating Learners' Existing Knowledge 3.4.3 Facilitating Collaborative Learning 3.4.4 Maintaining Traditional Knowledge and Culture 3.5 Kinds of Teaching-Learning Materials 3.5.1 Pre-readers 3.5.2 Primers 3.5.3 Story Books 3.5.4 Big Books 3.5.5 Listening Stories 3.5.6 Picture Posters 3.6 Steps for Developing Resource Material 3.7 Let us Sum up 3.8 Further Reading 3.9 Answer to Check Your Progress 3.10 Model Questions

3.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will able to- ò explain the nature of pedagogic materials in mother tongue ò elaborate the need for and relevance of developing teaching- learning materials in the mother tongue of young learners ò discuss various kinds of reading materials that can be produced in

46 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

the learners' mother tongue ò devise strategies for involving parents of the students and other community members in the production of reading materials in their language.

3.2 INTRODUCTION

In the previous two units, we discussed some relevant issues regarding the regional language and mother tongue and also the challenges in using the learner's mother tongue in multilingual classrooms. In Unit 2 we looked at some challenges in conducting classroom transaction through the learner's mother tongue. While going through the various sections in Unit 2, a few questions might have come to your mind. And you might be thinking about the possible ways, if any, through which we can overcome these challenges. Let us go back to the previous unit again just for a while. What are the challenges that were discussed in that unit? If you remember, we highlighted the following issues as challenges in using the learner's mother tongue in the classroom: ò Pedagogic materials in students' mother tongue ò Teachers with knowledge of students' mother tongue ò Community's attitude towards their mother tongue ò Implementation of language policy for the promotion of minority languages ò Training and orientation for teachers Each of these challenges needs to be addressed properly in order to create a conducive environment where using of learners' mother tongue becomes comparatively easier and enjoyable for you and your learners. Therefore, in this unit we are going to deal with the first challenge which is related to the lack of pedagogic materials in students' mother tongue. Here, we will try to give you an idea about how to develop simple resources which can encourage the learners to use their languages in the classrooms. Besides, it will also provide you with some ideas which will hopefully encourage you to devise your own strategies to use the mother tongue of your learners in the classroom. We will discuss in this unit the

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various kinds of resource materials that can be produced and used in the classrooms, ways to use students' existing knowledge to produce such materials and many other relevant aspects relating to the development of resources or pedagogic materials in the students' mother tongue.

3.3 WHAT IS RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT?

While looking at the title of this unit, the first thing that might have come to your mind is: 'what does 'resource development' mean?'. Well, let us think about it. To understand it properly the first thing you would perhaps want to do is to get hold of your English dictionary (such as the Advanced Learners' Dictionary) and look for the word 'resource'. Read through how the word 'resource' is defined there. We find that one way in which the dictionary defines this word is as 'a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed.' For our purpose, we will use the word 'resource (s)' in the specific terms of any kind of pedagogic materials produced in the mother tongues of the learners for use in a particular classroom. Such materials need to be kept ready for use in the classroom environment as and when required. So by 'resource development ', we refer to the production of various kinds of these teaching learning materials which can help in the use of the learners' mother tongue in the classroom. There can be various types of teaching learning materials such as Pre-readers, Primers, Story Books, Song Books, Activities of various kinds, Books on environmental science, Identity texts, Books on basic mathematics, Picture charts, materials created by the students themselves etc. Each of these materials is produced with some specific learning objectives in mind. In other words, these materials actually help the students to pick up different academic and literacy skills and knowledge required for life-long learning. We will discuss these various materials at some length in 3.5.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 1: What does the word ‘resource’ mean? ...... Q 2: What are the various kinds of teaching learning materials? ......

3.4 NEED AND RELEVANCE OF DEVELOPING PEDAGOGIC MATERIALS

How important are these various teaching learning materials in classroom transaction? Think about your own classroom. What are the books that you use in the classroom while teaching your students? There are some books for each of the subjects that are available for classroom teaching. Each of these books actually provides a scope for you to design various teaching strategies and execute them to train the students on different skills and also to transfer knowledge and educational concepts to them. So you will probably agree that these different teaching learning materials are important for successful classroom teaching. In the following lines, we will discuss specific needs and relevance of teaching learning materials or pedagogic materials in the classroom transaction. Before you move on, pause for a while and do the following activity.

ACTIVITY 3.1 1) Make a list of the books that you use in the language classroom. 2) Against each of these books write down the learning objectives that you would like your students to achieve by reading that book. 3) Make a list of the other books that you use for teaching Mathematics, Environmental Science etc.

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3.4.1 Need of Language and Literacy Skills Across the Curriculum

Successful classroom transaction requires development of language and literacy skills in the learners. When we talk about language and literacy skills, we basically consider the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is very important for the learners to develop these skills for academic success and also for life-long learning. While developing and using various teaching learning materials, the aim should be to help the learners develop these skills through classroom interaction. We all understand the importance of language in all walks of our lives. You can notice it in your interaction with the learners across the curriculum. When we speak of language in terms of classroom transaction, we refer not only to the language class but also to the teaching-learning activities other subjects such as mathematics, social sciences, environmental studies, geography and others. Have you ever thought of the role of language in the classroom transaction for all these subjects? You must have noticed that in order to both teach and learn these different subjects apart from the language subject, language plays an important role. For example, when you teach mathematics, you need to explain to the students about the numerals, and different mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc. When you teach these topics to the students, you use a set of words and expressions which are to some extent different from the ones which you use while teaching geography or environmental science. Again there are some common word-sets which are used for explaining various concepts related to all the subjects that you teach. This suggests that for a successful classroom transaction in any subject, language skills are of utmost importance for both the teachers and the students. In order to develop these language skills, it is very important to provide the following contexts to the students

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at an early age: a) as much exposure to language as possible. This exposure eventually results in a successful academic and life-long learning for the students. b) opportunity to increase their vocabulary so that they are able to express themselves comfortably. Especially, they need to develop specific sets of vocabulary related to other subjects like mathematics, social sciences, environmental sciences etc. c) scope to perform functions and interactions like social and academic situations - including asking and answering a question, explaining a concept, analysing a situation etc. They should also be able to represent their thoughts through both oral and written form of language. In order to develop these language skills, various kinds of teaching learning materials need to be used in the classroom transactions. Written materials such as story books, primers, pre- primers etc need to be kept at the disposal of the teachers for use in the classroom. Therefore, it is very necessary to produce, develop and adapt these different materials in the mother tongue of the students.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 3: What are the three main important steps that need to be taken in order to enable the students to develop these basic skills? ......

3.4.2 Incorporation of Learners' Existing Knowledge

Development of teaching - learning materials in the students' mother tongue also provides the opportunity to bring in the students' world into the classroom. It is very important to make these students feel at home in the classroom. Written materials can be produced by incorporating the students' existing knowledge about their family, community, environment and other aspects of their lives. It creates a sense of familiarity and security in the minds of the students, which in turn enables and encourages them to enjoy the classroom environment. This non-threatening environment is a crucial element on the part of the students for learning various educational concepts and knowledge.

LET US KNOW Non-threatening environment: Refers to a classroom environment which is comfortable and enjoyable for a student. Such an environment does not build any pressure on the student. Every effort is made to make the students feel at home and comfortable while taking part in the classroom interaction.

For example, let us just imagine a situation. In this imaginary situation you are student in the primary school and your mother tongue is Assamese. Now in your school the language of the classroom is Greek. In your home within your family, you use

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Assamese to interact with others and carry out your daily routine. Outside the family or your village, you hear a little bit of Greek; but you cannot understand Greek completely. In your language class, the teacher is speaking to you in Greek as that is the language of instruction in the school. And in the Greek language, he is explaining to you about a festival that the Greek people celebrate every year. In the Science class, your teacher teaches you about the concept of 'Photosynthesis' in Greek. Just imagine how difficult it will be for you to understand what the teacher is talking about. You have hardly understood anything about it. But at the same time, your other classmates whose mother tongue is Greek, can understand everything in the class and they can answer whenever the teacher throws a question at the class. Your inability to answer a question gradually lowers your confidence. The classroom becomes a scary place for you. Since you have not understood what was being taught in the classroom because you could not understand the language, there is every possibility that your performance in the examination will be much lower than your Greek-speaking friends. And your parents, teachers or others will think that you are not at all good at school. But they do not know that the problem lies in the communication, i.e. the unfamiliar language of instruction in classroom and not in your capacity of understanding the lesson. But if you are placed in an opposite situation where you are being taught about 'photosynthesis' in the Assamese language, just imagine how relaxing and easier it will be for you to follow what is being said in it. This is unfortunately the most common situation faced by many of your students in classroom where they are taught through a different language. But the situation will be different if you have some story books, picture charts, posters etc with stories they generally hear from their parents or grandparents, picture books showcasing cultural items such as their dress, traditional musical

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instruments etc with explanations written in their mother tongue. This will encourage them to be attentive to the class. Moreover, with the help of these familiar contexts, you will be able to train them on various language and literacy skills much more easily. So, it is really very necessary to develop these materials in their mother tongue.

3.4.3 Facilitation of Collaborative Learning

Developing materials in the students' mother tongue also provides you with an opportunity to create a sense of collaborative learning in your students. There are strategies and ways in which students can be encouraged to take an active role in producing materials in their mother tongue. Language Experience Activity (we will discuss about this activity in detail in Unit 4), for example, is one such strategy where the students describe what they see outside their classroom. They are encouraged to point out and describe various objects in nature. As they describe their experience, you help some of them to write down these descriptions on the board in short, simple sentences. In that way, a series of four or five lines in their mother tongue will result in a simple and small book which can be used to develop their listening and reading skills. This kind of learning exposes them to the skills of working in groups and also learning together. This is what we mean by the 'collaborative learning.' In this context you, as a teacher, have the crucial role of a facilitator of such group learning activity. Such an activity also helps them to develop their skills of listening to others attentively and at the same time they also understand the value of learning from their fellow students. The fact that the sentences that they have made are used for making a nice book will infuse a sense of pride and confidence in them which plays a crucial role later in their lives.

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3.4.4 Maintenance of The Traditional Knowledge and Culture

This is something that develops automatically in the background of a class where such materials in the mother tongue of the students are used. Most of these pedagogic materials are based on the existing knowledge of the students' language, culture, tradition and also the environment. This is made possible through the involvement of some of the knowledgeable persons from their respective communities in the production of such materials. Thus, in this process, this valuable knowledge is gradually transferred to the next generation.

3.5 KINDS OF TEACHING LEARNING MATERIALS

Having discussed the need and relevance of development of teaching-learning materials, in this section we will discuss the various kinds of materials based on the mother tongue of the learners that can be produced and used in a classroom situation. There are different kinds of reading materials which can be used for teaching language and literacy skills to the students in their mother tongue. But before going into the details of these materials, let us briefly note the intended objectives of such reading materials. These materials have the following goals: 1) developing in the learners the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 2) providing an opportunity to the learners to acquire new knowledge on the basis of their existing knowledge of the world. 3) making it possible to incorporate into the reading materials themes relating to the indigenous culture, tradition and daily life of the learners. As a result, the learners find it easier to relate the textbook content to the concrete reality of their lives. 4) enabling the learners to develop various aspects of their cognitive faculty: remembering, understanding, analysing, assessing and

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creating new knowledge. 5) providing an opportunity for the parents and other members of the community to get involved in the education of their children. These materials can be broadly divided into two groups in terms of their specific objectives. 1) Materials which can be used to teach letters/aksharas, syllables and the sound symbol correspondence in the respective mother tongue of the learner. 2) Materials which can be used to enhance the understanding, fluency, critical thinking of the learners and creation of new knowledge in them through their mother tongue. Let us now discuss these various materials.

3.5.1 Pre Readers

The Pre-reader is a book which introduces the four basic literacy skills- listening, speaking, reading and writing to the students. It is actually an initial guide which the teachers use to help the children to a) identify different shapes and letters in their language. b) develop their cognitive abilities to understand and relate the correspondence between different sounds and its corresponding shapes in the letters in their mother tongue. c) gain control over the movement of their hands and fingers while using pencils, pen and also to develop a coordination among these actions. It is important for the children at this stage to learn and practice the handling of pen/pencils, books etc.

3.5.2 Primers

After the students complete the pre-reading period, the primer is introduced to help them learn more about parts of words, syllables and meaningful sentences in their language. Just like the pre-reader,

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the primer is also a guide for the teachers. The teachers can use a primer to help the children to a) identify parts of words and to understand the formation of words by breaking down and building up a word. b) improve their cognitive understanding of sound-symbol correspondences in their mother tongue. c) read meaningful and grammatically correct sentences. d) learn about the spelling of words

3.5.3 Story Books

Story books are one of the most effective means of transferring basic language and literacy skills to the young learners. If you have ever noticed, you must have realized that it is the stories with beautiful pictures that draw a lot of attention from the young learners. Therefore, stories written in the mother tongue of the learners are a strong medium for their basic education. A good story book has the following main characteristics: ò Length: The length of a story/ song/ rhyme should not be too long as the children at the early stage do not usually have the patience to read through a long story. Such a story can be written within eight to ten short and simple sentences. ò Interesting content: The content of such reading materials is expected to be able to attract the young children. It should be familiar to them. A proper beginning, climax and ending of a story make the story more interesting for the young children as they look for these highlights once they start reading a story. ò Illustrative pictures: Pictures are one of the most important components of a Stage 1 reading material. Each page in the book comprises one or at the most two sentences of the story along with a corresponding picture to depict the meaning of that sentence. The pictures are expected to be culturally appropriate for the learners. Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 57 Unit 3 Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching

There are a number of various kinds of story books and other reading materials which can give you more opportunity to use the students' mother tongue in order to teach them language and literacy skills. Some of these are discussed below.

3.5.4 Big Books

Big books help the learners to develop the skill of reading naturally and with understanding and enjoyment. This is also an interesting way of having the experience of shared reading, because all the learners can read it together. Any kind of interesting story which can attract the children can be converted a Big book. Each page of the book can comprise of one or two sentences of the story with (if possible) beautiful coloured illustrations. The size of the pages should be of A3 size or bigger. The following illustration shows another alternative way of designing a big book (where the picture is on one page and the sentence is on another; but children can look at them together since they are presented side by side). The letters should be large enough for everyone in the class to be visible and to be able to read it. Fig 2: Examples of Big book in the Tai

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3.5.5 Listening Stories

Listening stories are used to provide the learners with the opportunity to think and talk about an interesting and culturally appropriate story. These stories are read out and not told. It enhances their capacity to listen to understand and make assumptions about a story. Listening stories should be readable in 5 minutes, at the most. Fig 3: Example of a listening story in the Tai Khamyang language

3.5.6 Picture Posters

Picture posters can be used to make reading more interesting for the young learners. Picture of anything relating to the indigenous culture of the learners can be drawn on a big chart paper and the students can be encouraged to talk, think and even write about it. For example, one can draw the picture of a traditional house of a particular community and write the names of the different parts of the house in their own language. This can encourage the learners to talk about their own houses and even write little stories about their home. In the same way, one can draw the picture of a human body with pointers labelling the different body parts in their own language. This helps in enriching the mother tongue vocabulary of the young learners.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 4: What is the effect of incorporating students’ existing knowledge in to the classroom materials? ...... Q 5: What are main areas that need to be taken care of while writing a good story for young learners? ......

3.6 STEPS IN DEVELOPING RESOURCE MATERIAL

In the previous section we discussed and gave examples of the kinds of reading materials that can be used in the classroom for facilitating learners' mother tongue. But after reading about these various kinds of materials the question which probably comes to your mind is 'Where do I find these materials written in the various mother tongues?' Well, this is a very pertinent question and also a very important issue that needs to be adequately addressed. These reading materials can be produced in two ways. Some of these materials can be produced by involving the parents and other learned members of the community in the production process. In addition, some of these materials can also produced by the active involvement of the students themselves. Now you might be wondering and in fact, might be in doubt as to how to involve the parents in producing reading materials for their children. There are ways to achieve this with a little effort from you. In the following lines you will get a step-by-step work plan for producing reading materials by involving parents and other community members of students whose mother tongue is different from the one used in the school for classroom transaction. However, in order to carry out these steps, you will need to

60 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3 discuss with your school authorities to find out suitable dates and time for the activities mentioned below. Step 1: Invite some parents and community members of some of the students with a different mother tongue in your class. Step 2: After they have arrived, welcome them and ask them what are their expectations from their children. (You most likely will get responses like 'we want our children to excel in the examination', 'they should be fluent in speaking English', 'they should be able to get a good job' etc) Step 3: After you have listened to them express your appreciation of their expectations and tell them these expectations can be achieved with a little help from them. Step 4: Now you should share with them the problem that their children are facing in terms of understanding the lessons, as their mother tongue is different from the language used at school. (At this point you might get responses from the parents which show that they do not think that is the problem. 'But our students can speak the school language to some extent. In response, you need to share with them the difference between the BICS and CALP in as simple words as you can. You have already learnt about these concepts in UNIT 1). Step 4: Now you will ask them if they would be willing to help you and other teachers to make learning more enjoyable and fruitful for their children. (In most cases the parents will obviously respond positively). Step 5: Now you need to explain to them that you would like them to help you in producing some simple reading materials in their own language for their children to read. Step 6: Once they are ready, make small groups of four or five according to the community they belong to. Step 7: Now explain to them that you are going to make a calendar for the respective communities. For this purpose, you should ask them to first divide a year into 12 months. Now each of them should take at least two months and think about anything that happens during those

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months which really attracts their children's attention. For example if someone takes up the month of June/July, he will think about the rainy season. With the rainy season there come a lot of frogs which really attract the children. Again in the month of February, a particular community may celebrate one of their traditional festivals. So, in those days the children become very much involved in the activities associated with that festival. There are some other months in which the changes in nature catch children's attention like the appearance of butterflies, new leaves in the trees etc. So the parents will list as many such topics or themes as possible under each month in a year. Step 8: Once this list is ready, you can provide them with a piece of art paper, pencil and markers so that they can draw a table of the calendar with columns and rows and then write the different themes that they have found under each month with beautiful handwriting. (This will be a fun activity for them.) Step 9: Now you explain to them that this calendar is called 'Cultural Calendar' and it can be used as an instrument for writing small stories, songs, or for making picture books in their mother tongue. You will further explain to them that they should think and try to write down small stories on the themes that have been included in cultural calendar. For example if someone takes up the theme 'rainy season', he/ she will write a small story of 8-10 sentences describing the conditions in the village in the rainy season. The story may include how the children play in rain. It may also include how the children play with the frogs etc. The sentences should be short and simple so that the children can easily understand them. You can help them by providing the guidelines cited in 3.5.3 and 3.5.4 for writing such stories. The steps described above are very preliminary steps through which you can engage the parents and other community members in producing reading materials in their mother tongue. Please note that you can aim to complete Step 1 to Step 8 in one day. But the writing of the stories and

62 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3 other textbooks can take a while as they will need to cover the following activities: ò think about the theme and the story ò at first write a draft version which can be longer than the prescribed 8- 10 sentences ò check for correctness and consistencies in spelling and grammar in their language. ò also keep in mind the flow of the story which should be attractive for their children to read ò draw a picture for each of the sentences in the story. In many cases, this poses a challenge. Because not everybody can draw pictures. In that case, they need to look for someone who can assist them with the drawing. Therefore you can actually request them to complete their stories at home and then bring them back to the school. Ideally, it needs at least three days of active guidance to help them understand and be fluent in the writing of the stories and other materials. It will be much effective if your school authority permits you to work with these groups of parents and community members for at least three days. Now let us briefly look at benefits of a cultural calendar. The cultural calendar offers the following advantages: ò an opportunity to you to engage the parents and other community members in writing something in their own language. ò a practical guide to create a list of possible topics and themes for writing stories and other teaching learning materials in their language. ò an opportunity for you to explain to the parents and community members about the language barrier confronted by the children in the classroom which needs to addressed properly. ò enables the incorporation of students' existing knowledge in the reading materials which eventually encourages them to learn with understanding.

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3.7 LET US SUM UP

ò Developing pedagogic material in the students' mother tongue is an important step towards facilitating mother tongue teaching. ò Resource Development in the specific context of mother tongue teaching refers to the production of various kinds of teaching learning materials which facilitate the use of the learners' mother tongue in the classroom. ò When we talk about language and literacy skills we basically think about the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is very important for the learners to develop these skills for academic success and also for life-long learning. ò Developing teaching - learning materials in the students' mother tongue also provides the opportunity to bring in students' world into the classroom. It is very important to make these students feel at home in the classroom. ò Developing materials in the students' mother tongue also provides the teacher with an opportunity to create a sense of collaborative learning among the students. There are strategies and ways in which students can be encouraged to take an active role in producing materials in their mother tongue. ò Developing reading materials in the mother tongue will also help in the use and maintenance of the language and traditional knowledge of the speaker communities which are otherwise gradually abandoned by their younger generations. ò There are different kinds of reading materials which can be used for teaching language and literacy skills to the students in their mother tongue. ò A Pre-reader is a book which introduces the four basic literacy skills- listening, speaking, reading and writing to the students. ò A Primer helps the students to learn more about parts of words, 64 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

syllables and meaningful sentences in their language. ò Story books are an effective means of transferring basic language and literacy skills to the young learners. ò Big books are used to show to the learners the skill of reading naturally and with understanding and enjoyment. ò Listening stories are used to provide the learners with the opportunity to think and talk about an interesting and culturally appropriate story. ò Picture posters can be used to make reading more interesting for the young learners. Pictures of anything related to the indigenous culture of the learners can be drawn on a big chart paper and the students can be encouraged to talk, think and even write about them. ò It is important to involve the parents and other members of the community in the production of these various reading materials in their mother tongue for the children to read. ò Cultural calendar is an effective tool to encourage such participation of parents and a guide to writing stories and other reading materials in their language.

3.8 FURTHER READING

1) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. 2) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education . New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation. 3) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings . Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

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3.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: Resource means ‘a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed’. Ans to Q No 2: There can be various types of teaching learning materials such as Pre-readers, Primers, Story books, Song books, Different activities, Books on environmental science, Identity texts, Books on basic mathematics, Picture charts, materials created by the students themselves etc. Ans to Q No 3: The three main important steps are: a) as much exposure to language as possible. b) opportunity to increase their vocabulary so that they are able to express themselves comfortably. c) scope for development of various kinds of social and academic interactions. Ans to Q No 4: It creates a sense of familiarity and security in the minds of the students, which in turn enables and encourages them to enjoy the classroom environment. Ans to Q No 5: The main areas that need to be taken care of while writing a story for young learners are 1) Length, 2) Content, 3) Illustrative pictures.

3.10 MODEL QUESTIONS

A. Very Short questions Q 1: What do you mean by resource development? Q 2: What are the four basic language and literacy skills?

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Q 3: What is collaborative learning? B. Short questions (Answer in about 100-150 words) Q 1: Why do we need to develop language and literacy skills of the students' across the curriculum? Q 2: What are the objectives of teaching-learning materials as described in the unit? Q 3: What are the main aims of a Pre-reader? Q 4: What are the main aims of a Primer? Q 5: What are the characteristics of a good Story book as shown in the unit? Q 6: Write a brief note on Big Book. Q 7: Write a brief note on Listening story. Q 8: What are the benefits of a Cultural Calendar as described in the unit? C. Long questions (Answer in about 300-500 words) Q 1: Discuss the necessity and relevance of developing pedagogic materials in learner's mother tongue. Q 2: List and discuss about the nature and benefit of the various kinds of reading materials as discussed and illustrated in the unit. Q 3: Discuss the various steps described in the unit for developing reading materials in the learner's mother tongue.

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Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 67 REFERENCES

1) Cummins, J. (2008). BICS and CALP: Empirical and Theoretical Status of the Distinction . Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 2, 2. (N. H. B. Street, Ed.) New York: Springer Science + Business Media LLC.

2) Cummins, J. (n.d.). Bilingual Childrens' Mother tongue: Why is it important for Education. Retrieved from http://www.fiplv.org/Issues/ CumminsENG.pdf.

3) Davis, P. (1991). Cognition and Learning . Dallas: SIL. LinguaLinksTM Version2.5.

4) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies . Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

5) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education . New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation.

6) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings . Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

7) Malone, S. (2003). Education for Multilingualism and multi-literacy: Linking basic education to life-long learning in minority language communities. Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalisation and Multilingual Education. Bangkok.

8) Malone, S. E. (2006). Resource Manual for Mother Tongue speakers of minority languages engaged in planning and implementing education programs in their own communities.

9) Stringer, M. D., & Faraclas, N. G. (2001). Working Together for Literacy- A Guidebook for Local Language Literacy Programmes . Papua New Guinea: Christian Books Melansia.

68 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 10) UNESCO. (1953). The Use of Vernacular Languages in Education . Paris.

11) UNESCO. (1990). World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs.

12) UNESCO. (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action Education for All: Meeting our collective Commitments.

13) UNESCO. (2003). Education in a Multilingual World. Paris.

14) World Bank. (2005). Education Notes. Retrieved from http:// siteresources.worldbank.org /EDUCATION/Resources/Education- notes/EdNotes_Lang_of_Instruct.pdf

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 69 UNIT 1: DEFINITIONS: REGIONAL LANGUAGES AND MOTHER TONGUE

UNIT STRUCTURE

1.1 Learning Objectives 1.2 Introduction 1.3 What is a Regional Language 1.3.1 Constitutional Provisions 1.3.2 Constitutionally Recognised Languages in India 1.3.3 Regional Languages in the Context of Assam 1.3.4 Regional Languages Vs. Minority Languages 1.4 What is a Mother Tongue 1.4.1 Mother Tongue and the First Language 1.5 The Need and Relevance of Mother Tongue Teaching 1.5.1 Double Disadvantage 1.5.2 Disruption of the Development of the Learning Skills 1.5.3 BICS and CALP 1.5.4 Intergenerational Transmission of Heritage Language and Culture 1.6 Let us Sum up 1.7 Further Reading 1.8 Answer to Check Your Progress 1.9 Model Questions

1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will able to- � describe the concept of regional language and mother tongue � discuss the constitutional provisions for regional languages and mother tongue � explain the need and relevance of teaching mother tongue in your school and � familiarize yourself with various theoretical underpinnings of the teaching of mother tongue and its positive effect on the learners. Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 5 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue 1.2 INTRODUCTION

Language plays a pivotal role in the overall development of a person and the society. It helps people to exchange ideas and information, and to communicate with the outside world. Even right now when you are going through these lines, think for a moment, how the language has helped you to understand what is written here. A transmission of information and idea from the book to you has been taking place through a specific language (English, in this case). Think about your own classroom. While teaching a lesson, you always use a language both in the spoken and written form to put across the ideas to the students. And the students also communicate with you through a specific language to express their views and answer any questions. Now think about the time that you spend with your family. Don't you use your language to talk with each of your family members? Imagine a situation where none of your family members knows a language. Or just imagine the next morning you find yourself in the planet Mars with some aliens around you. You do not understand their language at all, neither can they understand yours. In such a situation will you be able to communicate even a simple message across to them? The above situations and examples probably help you to understand the importance of language in our lives. It is one of the most indispensable elements in human lives which enables us to communicate, exchange opinions, information and express our emotions in an effective way. Language also plays a very crucial role in the teaching-learning process. As has already been mentioned, in the classroom you always need to use a particular language in order to teach the lessons in various subjects like English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science etc. But India being a multilingual and multi ethnic country, in almost all the classrooms around the country, there are students from different language backgrounds. Have you ever wondered whether all the students in your class understand the language you are using to teach the lessons? Have you ever come across confused looks mostly among the back benchers who do not seem to

6 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1 understand what is being taught? You must have talked to this set of students and have tried to understand the root cause of their difficulty in understanding the lessons. In that process you might have found out that one of the reasons behind this problem is their difficulty in understanding the language used in the class. They face this difficulty because that language is different from the language they use in their homes, with their family members. Just think about a situation where these students could have been taught the Science, Mathematics or Social science lessons through their home language or the language they are most comfortable with. It would have made life a lot easier for these students to learn these lessons. But at the same time all your students also need to learn the regional language, state language and other languages of wider communication. There is a need to develop their skills to use these languages in various situations for all types of practical reasons such as doing well in the school examinations and other academic performances to getting a job or to run a business. So the question remains - how do you help these learners to acquire required skills to use these languages in its various forms and functions. So in the following sections in this chapter, we will familiarize you with the concept of mother tongue, first language and regional languages in the local context. We will also discuss the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in our schools. These sections will help you to understand some of the important issues in the teaching learning process. This in turn will further empower you to provide better teaching of the mother tongue for your students. It will be extremely useful for you to keep in mind your own classroom situation and your students while reading through these sections. That will help you get the maximum benefit from this course.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 7 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

Q 1: What is the basic function of language in our lives?

...... Q 2: What is the reason cited here for some of your students not being able to understand the classroom teaching? ......

1.3 WHAT IS A REGIONAL LANGUAGE

India is a country with many languages spoken by its vast population right from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Rann of Kutch to the far east in Arunachal Pradesh. Each of these languages is perceived/ considered by its speakers and also by others in the neighbourhood either as a distinct language or as a dialect of a related language depending on various factors. These factors include the number of speakers, the status of the language in terms of its use in the official matters, availability of written materials in the language, the store of literary publications, whether that particular language is used as medium of instruction in the schools or as a language subject etc. Depending on such criteria, some of these languages are considered as regional languages, while others are known as minority or small languages. In most cases the regional languages enjoy a lot of government patronage for its development in terms of its literature, production of materials and also in introducing that language both as a subject and also as a medium of instruction in the school, colleges and even at the University level.

1.3.1 Constitutional Provisions

8 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

The Indian Constitution, in the Chapter-II of the Part XVII, deals with the regional languages of India. In Article 345, it states, Subject to the provisions of articles 346 and 347, the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State: Provided that, until the Legislature of the State otherwise provides by law, the English language shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this Constitution. So the Indian constitution has actually provided the respective states with the power to decide what the official language for the state should be. Therefore, in the context of Northeast India, we find different languages being adopted as the official languages of the respective states. For example Assamese has been considered as the official language in the state of Assam, while the state of Manipur has Meitei as the official language. Similarly, there are other languages which are being used as official languages in different states of India.

1.3.2 Constitutionally Recognised Languages in India

The Indian Constitution has, in its Chapter I and II of the part XVII, clearly mentioned about the official languages of the country. In Article 343: Official language of the Union, it has stated Hindi with Devanagari script as the official language of the nation and has made the provision for continuous use of English as a subsidiary official language. In Chapter II of the same part, the Constitution has empowered the state legislature of each of the states under the Union government to decide upon the official languages for their state. The Union government has specified the exact extent to which and the exact areas where the use of Hindi and English will be used. It has been determined by provisions in the constitution under the Official Languages Act, 1963, The official Languages rules, 1976

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and statutory instruments made by the Department of Official languages under these laws. The Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution has enlisted 22 scheduled languages. Inclusion of a language in this list means that the particular language is entitled for representation in the Official Language Commission. This Commission was constituted by the President of India in pursuance to the provisions stated in Article 344 of Indian constitution for dealing with issues of promoting Hindi as the official language along with other language related issues. Inclusion of any particular language in this list means that the government of India will remain responsible for promotion and development of these languages through all different government provisions and apparatus. Table 1.1 below provides the names of the 22 languages listed under this schedule along with its language families, number of speakers and the states where they are spoken. Table 1.1: Languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

10 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

Himachal

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Initially only 14 languages were included in the Constitution. But due to the growing demand from other language communities, the government decided to include more number of languages in this list. Accordingly, Sindhi was included in 1967, whereas Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were included in 1992. The more recent inclusions into this list were Dogri, Maithili, Santhali and Bodo languages in the year 2004. However, there are demands for including more languages in this list. At present there are demands for including 38 more languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 3: Which types of language enjoy government patronage?

...... Q 4: Who has the power to select the official language of an Indian State as stated in the Indian Constitution? ...... Q 5: How many languages have been listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution till now? ......

1.3.3 Regional Languages in The Context of Assam

The previous section /sub-sections (1.3, 1.3.1 and 1.3.2) might have given you an idea about the regional language in general and also in the context of Indian Constitution. Keeping that discussion in mind, let us now consider the issue of regional languages in the 12 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

specific context of our state Assam. If you go back to the Table 1 in the 1.3.2 you will notice that the word Assam in the column under the heading of 'States' is shown in bold. This is to draw your attention to the number of languages in the Eight Schedule which are spoken in Assam. So how many of these languages do you find in the list? We are sure that you will find three such languages namely Assamese, Bodo and Bengali. Assamese is the state language in the state of Assam. It is spoken by around 13 million people in the state. It has a rich body of literature and reading materials. It belongs to the Indo Aryan language group and has a rich heritage of written literature in various genres such as stories, novels, dramas, songs, poems, histories, ballads, folk songs etc. It is used both as a medium of instruction and also as a subject of study at schools, colleges and at the university level. As a result, there is a large number of study materials published in this language. Hence Assamese has been aptly included as one of the major languages in to the Eighth Schedule and also is considered as one of major regional languages in India. Bodo, on the other hand belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family. At present there are around 1.4 million speakers of Bodo language who are spread across the lower Assam on the North bank of River Brahmaputra. It is one of the oldest ethnic languages spoken in the state of Assam. It has been included into the Eighth Schedule of Indian constitution comparatively recently, i.e. in the year 2004. As a result, now this language is also used both as a subject and as a medium of instruction in the schools under the Bodoland Territorial Council formed in the year 2003. This language also has a rich heritage of published written materials and it expresses the cultural and traditional characteristics of the Bodo community in the North east India. The Bengali language enjoys official status in some districts of the Barak Valley. Apart from these two languages, there are many other languages also which are spoken by a sizable number of people in

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Assam. These are Rabha, Mishing, Khasi, Garo, Tiwa etc. But these languages are yet to get recognition by the Constitution of India.

1.3.4 Regional Languages Vs. Minority Languages

Reading through the previous sections, you must have got a fair idea about the nature and function of the regional languages both in the larger context of India and also in the specific context of Assam. We mentioned at the end of the previous section that there is a large group of languages in Assam used by speakers in varied numbers (from as small as a few thousands to comparatively larger numbers in lakhs) as their mother tongues. Most of these languages are spoken by people belonging to the various ethnic groups in the state. Some of these languages are Mishing, Singpho, Tangsa, Nocte, Tai Phake, Tai Khamyang, Tai Turung, Tai Khamti, Tai Aiton, Garo, and many more. These languages are used by their speakers mostly in their homes with their family members and also within the community. But beyond that, there is no scope for using these languages as the number of speakers of these languages is comparatively smaller than those of the regional languages. Hence this set of languages are referred to as minority languages and the speaker communities are known as minority language communities. If we compare these minority languages to the regional or the official languages in India, we can identify three basic areas of difference viz. number of speakers, domains language use, availability of written literature. Number of speakers As has already been discussed, comparatively small number of speakers use most of these minority languages. For example, the speakers of languages like Singpho, Tai Aiton, Turung, Khamti, Phake, Khamyang etc., who use the respective languages as mother tongues, are limited to numbers that range within 50 and10,000 at the most. In most cases, unfortunately, the number of these language speakers is gradually decreasing for a host of factors such as

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influence of major languages, shifting of ethnic population for economic and social security, educational needs etc. In contrast, the regional languages are much healthier in terms of the number of speakers. For example, the number of speakers of the Assamese language has been recorded at around 13 million. Domains of language use If we consider the use of the minority languages that we have been discussing, we will see that the speakers use most of these languages in the home domain and at best within the community. There is hardly any scope for using these languages beyond these two domains. In some areas, such ethnic languages are partially used in markets. There are very few minority languages which are used in the schools even as a subject. None of these languages are used for official purposes in Assam or elsewhere in India. The regional languages, on the other hand, are used in a varied number of domains. For example, just think about the Assamese language. Apart from being used as the mother tongue or the first language by the native speakers, it is also used as a lingua franca by various sections of people in the state. It is used both as a subject and also as a medium of instruction in the schools, colleges and universities. It is also used for official work and is extensively used at different levels in the daily life by almost all people in the state. Availability of written literature Most of the minority languages are oral. In other words, many of these languages are still in spoken form only; but there is no system to write it down. In some cases like the Singphos, and the Tais, they have their own ways of writing their languages. But still there are a lot of other small ethnic languages which are yet to develop a written system. As a result, there is very little written literature in these languages which can be used by the future generation to learn these languages. Availability of written literature plays one of the crucial roles in sustaining a language among its native speakers and also among other language speakers. In case of regional languages like

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Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Manipuri etc, there is a comparatively large body of written literature relating to various fields of knowledge. Since these languages are also used for educational purposes, it becomes imperative to produce appropriate written literature available for learners.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 6: How many languages spoken in Assam are listed in the Eight Schedule of the Indian constitution and what are these?

...... Q 7: What are the main areas of difference between a regional/ official language and a minority language as cited here? ......

1.4 WHAT IS A MOTHER TONGUE

India being a multilingual country, we often come across terms such as 'mother tongue' 'first language', 'second language' etc. In order to understand the significance of these different labels, we need to know what they refer to. There are several explanations for these labels. For example, a mother tongue can be referred to as the language that a child grows up speaking. Think about your own childhood. In which language did you start meaningful communication with your parents and other close relatives? Hence, the language that you first spoke is normally referred to as your mother tongue. Mother tongue is also generally related to the ethnic identity of an individual. For example, for an Assamese person, his/ her mother tongue is Assamese. Similarly, for a person belonging to the Bodo community, his/ her mother tongue will be Bodo as long as he/she communicates in this language. These are some of the simple ways of defining or understanding a 16 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1 mother tongue of an individual. At the same time, there are complicated issues relating to the definition of mother tongue. Quite often, defining the mother tongue of a particular individual is not so simple. For example, just imagine the following situation. A child belonging to a minority language community like the Singpho grows up in a completely Assamese language environment right from day one. This is because before the child is born, his/ her parents shifted from the village with a Singpho speaking environment to a town area where they have assimilated into the dominant Assamese language and culture for many years. So after birth their child naturally picked up the Assamese language and has started speaking it fluently with no trace of Singpho language. Now in this situation, what will be the mother tongue of the child -.Singpho or Assamese? Just think about it for a moment. Even though ethnically that particular child belongs to the Singpho community, he has started all kinds of communication in Assamese. Therefore, from that point of view, the mother tongue of the child would be Assamese rather than Singpho.

1.4.1 Mother Tongue and the First Language

'First Language' is another term which is often used as a synonym of the 'Mother Tongue' of a particular person. It is also defined as the language that a child uses for the first time in life. It also refers to a particular language that the child can use fluently. From this perspective, this term is almost the same as the term Mother Tongue. But at the same time, there are exceptions. There are situations where a person belonging to a minority language community can hardly communicate in the language of his/ her parents. This is because the language has already lost its speakers substantially. As a result, he/she has grown up speaking the state language or the dominant language. In this case the first language of that person can be the state language in which he/ she can fluently express himself/ herself, whereas the mother tongue can be his/her parents' language as it signifies the ethnic identity.

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 17 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 8: Fill in the blanks a) Mother tongue is also generally related to the ...... of an individual. b) ‘First Language’ is another term which is often used as a ...... to the ...... of a particular person.

1.5 THE NEED AND RELEVANCE OF MOTHER TONGUE TEACHING

After having discussed briefly the concepts of regional language and mother tongue in the previous sections, we shall now discuss the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching for the children of minority language communities. Since 1990s, there has been a growing concern among educationists, psychologists, linguists and experts from other fields of knowledge regarding the lack of mother tongue teaching for the children all over the world and its consequences. This concern has led to a concerted effort at the international level for creating awareness about the benefit of mother tongue teaching especially for the children of minority language communities all over the world. Researchers have investigated into the aspects of mother tongue teaching and its impact on the learning capability of children belonging to minority language communities. Such scientific research has established the fact that the best medium of learning for the child is his/her mother tongue or the language that he/she is most familiar and comfortable with. Scientific evidence has shown that children starting their education through their mother tongue first and then transitioning or moving on to the other languages are much more academically proficient than those who begin education through their second or third language. Based on such research findings, we will discuss the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in our schools in the following sections. There are a number of factors in the teaching-learning process which 18 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1 are directly influenced by the choice of language (home language/first language/ mother tongue versus other languages) as the medium of instruction used in the schools.

1.5.1 Double Disadvantage

In order to understand the phrase 'Double disadvantage', think about your classroom situation. In most of the schools we have multilingual classes. In other words, there are students from different language backgrounds, whose mother tongue is different from the medium of instruction used in the schools. Have you not come across students who are very quiet in the class or who often give a blank stare irrespective of whatever you teach? You must have come across students who, in spite of your sincere efforts, find it hard to understand even a simple concept while studying science, mathematics, social studies etc. While there may be different possible reasons behind it, one very common reason is that those students actually find it difficult to follow what you are saying in the classroom as classroom instruction. Because the language used as the medium of instruction is different from their mother tongue or from the language that they are most familiar with. As a result, these students face two challenges in the classroom. First, they struggle to understand the language in which the teacher is teaching. Second, it is challenging for them to understand the contents, i.e. the educational concepts and lessons, because the language is unfamiliar to them. These two challenges are known as double disadvantage. These challenges really hinder the understanding of the learners and discourage them from enjoying the class. As a result, these groups of students gradually stop coming to the class as they often perform poorly in the class test and other assessments they are put through.

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1.5.2

A challenging environment as discussed in the previous section discourages the learners from developing their learning skills. When we talk about learning skills, we refer to the six stages of learning skills a learner needs to develop so that she/he can learn new concepts and knowledge. The following table presents these six stages, which are also known as Bloom's Taxonomy. Table 2: Bloom's taxonomy

Abstract Skills Description Synthesize This is the highest and most abstract skills and it enables the learner to bring in his knowledge and skills and form new knowledge out of it. It involves critical thinking and the ability to analyse. This skill enables the learner to think critically. Evaluate The learner should be able to make judgement on the given concept. This is a more abstract skill which requires the Analyse learners to see patterns and compare and contrast. The learner should be able to break a whole into pieces and understand the structure. In other words this skill enables the learners to analyse any given context and then look at the essential components embedded into the whole. This skill requires the learners to use what is Apply taught. This is possible only if the learner understands well what is taught. With a better and correct understanding he/ she will be able to apply the same in a different context or situation. This skill requires the learner to understand what Understand is taught and then to construct meaning out of it. He/she should be able to exemplify, classify or explain what is taught. Concrete This is the simplest skill which enables the Remember learners to recall what is taught. In other words this is what is called rote memorization

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These six skills, which start off with a fairly simple skill like remembering and advances towards more complex and abstract skills like analysing, evaluating and finally synthesizing, needs to be systematically developed among the learners. But if the learners find it difficult even to understand the classroom instruction, then it is never going to be easy for these learners to develop the higher learning and cognitive skills like evaluating or synthesizing. The use of a language other than the mother tongue of the learners thus seriously disrupts this development of learning and cognitive skills. This results in the academic failures of the learners from the minority language communities and subsequent school dropouts at a higher rate. Such a progressive development of learning and cognitive skills as shown above is possible only if the teaching-learning in the classroom is done through the mother tongue of the learners. The use of the mother tongue will help the learners to follow the classroom instruction with understanding. It will also encourage them to participate in the classroom interaction more actively and that will further develop their analysing, evaluating and other complex skills. Therefore, it is very important that the learners are provided with the opportunity to learn through their mother tongue.

1.5.3 BICS and CALP

In Section 1.5.1 we discussed the 'double disadvantage' that the learners suffer from, when taught through a language different from their mother tongue. While going through that section the following question might have come to your mind. In my school, I have seen that learners from different language backgrounds are comfortable communicating with their fellow students in the language of classroom transaction, even though the language of classroom transaction is different from their mother tongues. They do not seem to face any problem at that point. So how is it that the same language hinders the learning ability of the Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 21 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

learners in the classroom? In order to understand your observation and the subsequent question on this issue, let us discuss two important concepts proposed by the renowned educationist Jim Cummins. The first one is known as Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). BICS refers to the ability of a child to communicate with his/her friends, peers in the second language provided he/ she is sufficiently exposed to the second language environment. According to Cummins, it takes 1-3 years for a language learner to develop BICS. This means such a child will be able to express his/ her basic feelings, needs etc through the second language. It is comparatively a cognitively less demanding skill. But this skill should not be mistaken for a higher grade of proficiency in the second language learning for the same child. This is where Cummins has talked about Cognitive and Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). CALP is a cognitively more demanding language skill which needs to be developed for attaining academic proficiency. It refers to the manipulation of language skills at a more abstract level. It enables the learner to think, analyse critically and then infer or produce new knowledge which eventually helps him/her to perform better in the academic pursuit. According to research by Cummins, it takes 5 to 7 years for a young learner with a strong mother tongue foundation to acquire CALP in second language. But for a learner without a strong mother tongue foundation, it takes 7 to 10 years to acquire the same in the second language. Therefore in order to help the learners acquire CALP for a better performance in the second language or the language of the school, mother tongue teaching should be promoted in the schools. Research all over the world has come up with some effective strategies and tools for teaching of literacy skills and other educational concepts through the mother tongue of the learners. We will discuss some of these strategies in the subsequent units.

22 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

1.5.4 Intergenerational Transmission of Heritage Language and Culture

One of the serious challenges that the human race is facing of late is the extinction of languages at a fast pace. This extinction has been so rapid that it has been estimated that by the end of this century, the human kind will lose almost half of the total number of around 7000 spoken languages today in the globe. Apart from the loss of language, it has other serious implications. One of them is the extinction of a vast storehouse of traditional knowledge related to the history of mankind, culture, indigenous life, society, agriculture, indigenous way of co-existence with nature etc. One main reason for this extinction is the gradual decline in the number of speakers of minority languages. With the passing of time, more and more speakers of such ethnic languages are embracing the modernity by way of assimilating into the dominant language and culture. As a result, the trend of passing on the language and other related knowledge from one generation to the other in a community has been affected considerably. The blocking of this intergenerational transmission of the heritage language and culture in the community has resulted in the eventual loss of the language and culture in many instances around the world. In this kind of a worrying situation, the teaching of mother tongue in the schools can be an effective way of preventing such language loss. The use of the learners' language in the school will encourage the learners to learn their own language. In this process, the elders in the community can also be engaged in the teaching- learning process in various ways so that they can transfer their linguistic and cultural knowledge to their children. This can be done through various strategies which can be included in the curriculum. Such strategies will help the learners not only to acquire educational concepts and basic literacy skills, but also to maintain their mother tongue and culture.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 9: Fill in the blanks a) Scientific research has established the fact that the best medium of ...... for child is through his/her ...... or the language that he/she is most familiar and comfortable with. Q 10: How many stages are there in Bloom’s Taxonomy? ......

1.6 LET US SUM UP

� Language plays one of the most pivotal roles in the overall development of a person and the society. It helps people to exchange ideas and information, and to communicate with the outside world. � In many cases learners from a different language background do not perform well in the school just because they find it difficult to follow the classroom transaction done through a language different from their mother tongues. � The regional languages enjoy a lot of government patronage for its development in terms of its literature, production of materials and also in introducing that language both as a subject and as a medium of instruction in the schools, colleges and university level. � The Indian Constitution, in the Chapter-II of the Part XVII, deals with the regional languages of India. � The Indian Constitution has, in its Chapter I and II of the part XVII, clearly mentioned about the official languages of the country. � In Article 343: Official language of the Union, the Constitution has stated Hindi with Devanagari script as the official language of the nation and has made provision for continuous use of English as a subsidiary official language. 24 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

� In Chapter II of the same part, the constitution has empowered the state legislature of each of the states under the Union government to decide upon the official languages for their state. � The Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution has listed 22 scheduled languages. Inclusion of a language into this list means that the particular language is entitled to representation in the Official Language Commission. � Assamese, Bodo and Bengali are the three languages spoken in Assam that are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution. � If we compare the minority languages to the regional or the official languages in India, we can identify three basic areas of difference viz. number of speakers, domains language use, availability of written literature. � Mother tongue is also generally related to the ethnic identity of an individual. � Learners from a language background different from the language of instruction often suffer from the double disadvantage in the classroom. � There are six cognitive skills or learning stages according to Bloom's taxonomy which need to be acquired by the learners. In order to help learners acquire these skills, the learners should be provided with a favourable learning condition where the teaching-learning process takes place through the mother tongue of the learners. � Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). BICS refers to the ability of a child to communicate with his/her friends, peers in the second language provided he/ she is sufficiently exposed to the second language environment � CALP refers to the manipulation of language skills at a more abstract level enabling the learner to think, analyse critically and then infer or produce new knowledge which eventually helps him/her to perform better in the academic pursuit. � One of the serious challenges that the human kind is facing of late is the extinction of languages at a fast pace. This extinction has been so

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rapid that it has estimated that by the end of this century the human kind will lose almost half of the total number of around 7000 spoken languages today in the globe. � One of the main reasons behind this extinction is the gradual decline in the number of speakers of minority languages. � Teaching of mother tongue in the schools can be an effective way of preventing language loss.

1.7 FURTHER READING

1) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. 2) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation. 3) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings . Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

1.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: Language plays one of the most pivotal roles in the overall development of a person and his society. The basic function of language is to help people to exchange ideas and information, and to communicate with the outside world. Ans to Q No 2: This is because the students do not understand the language through which the classroom transaction takes place. In other words, the medium of instruction in the school is different from their mother tongue. 26 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue Unit 1

Ans to Q No 3: Regional languages enjoy government patronage for the development and promotion of the language development in terms of its literature, production of materials and also in introducing that language both as a subject and also as a medium of instruction in the school, colleges and even at the University level. Ans to Q No 4: The Indian constitution has provided the respective states with the power to decide upon the official language for the state. Ans to Q No 5: 22 Ans to Q No 6: 3. These are Assamese, Bodo and Bengali Ans to Q No 7: The main areas of difference between the regional/ official language and the minority languages are 1) Number of speakers, 2) Domains of language use, 3) Availability of written literature Ans to Q No 8: a) ethnic identity b) synonym, Mother tongue Ans to Q No 9: a) learning, mother tongue Ans to Q No 10: Six

1.9 MODEL QUESTIONS

A. Very Short Questions Q 1: In which year was the Bodo language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution? Q 2: What are the stages mentioned in Bloom's Taxonomy? Q 3: What are the full forms of BICS and CALP? B. Short Questions (Answer in about 100-150 words) Q 1: What is the importance of language in the life of a human being? Q 2: What kind of role does language play in the teaching learning process? Q 3: How would you describe a regional language in the context of India? Q 4: State briefly about the constitutional provisions for regional languages in India. Q 5: What do you understand by the term 'Mother tongue'? Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 27 Unit 1 Definitions : Regional Languages and Mother Tongue

Q 6: What are six stages of Bloom's taxonomy? Elaborate the significance of this taxonomy. Q 7: Why is it important to sustain the intergenerational transmission of language and culture? C. Long Questions (Answer in about 300-500 words) Q 1: Discuss the concept of regional language and minority languages in the context of India. Q 2: Discuss the constitutional provisions for regional languages and the Eighth schedule of in the Indian constitution. Q 3: State your concept of Mother tongue and first language. Q 4: Discuss and elaborate on the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching in schools.

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28 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue UNIT 2: CHALLENGES FOR TEACHING MOTHER TONGUE IN A MULTILINGUAL SETTING

UNIT STRUCTURE

2.1 Learning Objectives 2.2 Introduction 2.3 Using Students' Mother Tongue in Multilingual Classroom 2.3.1 Pedagogic Materials in Students' Mother Tongue 2.3.2 Teachers' Proficiency in Students' Mother Tongue 2.3.3 Community's Attitude Towards Their Mother Tongue 2.3.4 Implementation of Language Policy for Promotion of Minority Languages 2.3.5 Training and Orientation for Teachers 2.4 Let us Sum up 2.5 Further Reading 2.6 Answers to Check Your Progress 2.7 Model Questions

2.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will able to- � discuss the factors that pose a challenge for teaching the mother tongue in a multilingual setting � analyse the pedagogic issues (relating to materials and teachers) which pose challenges in teaching a mother tongue � explain how the language attitude of members of a speaker community can also affect the teaching of a mother tongue � discuss the challenges implied by the policy status in India with regard to mother tongue teaching.

2.2 INTRODUCTION

In Unit 1 we discussed the characteristics that define a regional language and a mother tongue. We examined the constitutional provisions

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 29 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

that exist for promoting regional languages and the mother tongue. Finally we also discussed the need and relevance of mother tongue teaching for the students in schools. Unit 2 will deal with the challenges that one might come across while planning and teaching mother tongues in schools of Assam. This unit will shed light on various important aspects of mother tongue teaching in multilingual classes. Such classes are a characteristic of the multilingual Indian society. The unit will then focus on issues like the attitude of the speakers of a community towards their mother tongue, the lack of resource materials and persons, lack of government support etc. Discussion on these topics will give you a fair idea of the challenges relating to this campaign and will also provide you with an opportunity to think of possible ways to face these challenges successfully.

2.3 USING STUDENTS' MOTHER TONGUE IN THE MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOM

The importance and benefit of using the student's mother tongue in the classroom has been already discussed to some extent in the previous unit. Research findings from all over the world have confirmed the view that the learner's mother tongue is the best medium of instruction for young learners. The mother tongue of a student can be an important means for establishing an effective communication between the student and the teacher. This, in turn, can considerably help such learners to acquire both basic literacy skills and also complex educational concepts with a comparative ease than the ones who are taught through a second or the dominant language. Such deliberations and findings all over the world have resulted in a concerted effort at the international level to make arrangement for providing at least the primary education through the mother tongue of the young learners. Towards this end, a number of agreements have been signed and working framework has been formulated at the global level. Such initiatives have been led especially by the UNESCO. In this regard, different nations have taken up this task of providing education through the mother tongue of the young learners in their respective countries. But implementing this kind of education is not an easy task for multilingual

30 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2 countries like India. India is characterised by an abundance of different languages and cultures used by its citizens who belong to a wide variety of social and ethnic classes. Almost all the classrooms in schools in India reflect this linguistic and cultural diversity. Let's think about the students in your classroom. Have you ever thought about the language background that your students have come from? What is the home language of each student in your classroom? How many of your students speak a language in their homes which is different from the language used as the medium of instruction in the school? Answers to this set of questions will help you get a good idea of the multilingual nature of your classroom.

ACTIVITY 2.1 Think about your classroom and your students. ��make a list of students and their mother tongues which are different from the medium of instruction in the schools. � based on your practical experience, make a brief note on the kind of difficulty, if any, that they face during classroom transaction in the school language.

Now in such a situation, imparting education through the home language of your students surely presents a grave challenge to you and other teachers. It is important to have a clear idea of the nature of this challenge in order to promote the use of the students' mother tongue in the schools. In the following sections, we will discuss some of these pertinent issues which are part of this challenge. Let us take you to a real situation in Assam. In a particular school in Udalguri district, there is a school in which a large majority of the students are from the Bihari community. They speak Bhojpuri as their mother tongue, while the teachers are speakers of the Assamese language or Bodo language. Once the students are at school, they have to learn everything in Assamese, because Assamese is the medium of instruction in their school. The teachers have a hard time making the students understand ideas in Assamese, because neither the teachers nor the students are comfortable

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 31 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

with each other's mother tongue. Can you imagine the difficult situation faced by the students here? In your view, what measures can we take to help these students? In the present classroom situation, one way is to use the mother tongue wherever it is necessary to explain a concept. Otherwise, there is probably no provision within the classroom to help those students. If we think about an ideal situation, the problem probably arises right at the beginning. Ideally, no other language should be imposed upon the students before they are literate in their own mother tongue. Unit 1 gave you enough reasons in support of this view. However, in the real world, there are many practical problems in starting education through the mother tongue. As teachers, even if you are willing to teach literacy skills to your students in their mother tongues - be it Singpho, Tangsa, Tai Phake, Boro, you are likely to face certain challenges. Some of these are discussed below.

2.3.1 Pedagogic Materials in the Students' Mother Tongue

You all have probably experienced how difficult it is to teach in the class without the academic resources. Can you imagine teaching students without any textbook or any plan on what to teach throughout the year? One of the most important components in the classroom transaction is the availability and extensive use of written materials. Use of age-appropriate graded learning materials or books are crucial for imparting education to the young children in the classroom. For developing mother tongue literacy, these written materials can be of different types such as Pre-readers, Primers, Story books, books on Mathematics, Science, Environmental studies, Social Studies etc. Think about your own classroom. There are a number of books that you use to teach necessary skills and to communicate various contents to the students. Each of these books has been produced bearing in mind certain learning objectives that the learners need to achieve. In other words, each of these books helps in advancing the objectives of the curriculum. Similarly, for teaching 32 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

a mother tongue, the different types of books are produced and used in the classroom keeping some definite objectives in mind. For example, a pre reader is used in order to give the young learners an idea about the shapes and corresponding sounds that are represented by those shapes in the language. It increases their cognitive skills of identifying and relating symbols and sounds in their language. Once this set of skills is developed, the primer is used to help the learners learn all the symbols in the alphabet of their language in a more efficient way. In the same way, story books or picture books are used to develop their skills of comprehension, analysis and other abstract and complex skills. Hopefully, you can now realize that the materials mentioned above are not available for you for use in the classroom. The lack of teaching-learning materials in the concerned mother tongues proves to be one of the serious challenges in using students' mother tongue in the classroom. It is very important to have appropriate reading materials for an effective classroom teaching. If we think of the different languages which are used as mother tongue by the young learners at their respective homes and society, there are no books or other types of reading materials to be used in the classroom. Barring the recognised and official languages, most of the other minority languages are underdeveloped in terms of the availability of written materials. In rare cases, some of these languages possess some written materials mostly in the form of religious texts, historical narratives etc which are not always suitable for the use of young children in the teaching-learning process. Another obstacle in this context is that most of these languages do not even have a written form. Generation after generation, these languages have been used orally. As a result, it becomes more challenging to bring out any written materials in those languages. In such cases it needs a concerted effort by different stakeholders to devise a writing system for that language. Later, that writing system can be used to produce appropriate

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 33 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

materials for use in the classroom. So these challenges relating to the scarcity of pedagogic materials in the mother tongue of the learners make it difficult to help the children use and develop their mother tongue in the classroom. However, in Unit 3, we will discuss some possible ways through which this challenge can be handled.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Fill in the blanks Q 1: i) Use of age appropriate ...... materials or books are crucial for imparting education to the young children in the classroom. ii) It is very important to have appropriate reading materials for an ...... teaching. Q 2: What are the different types of written materials that can be used for classroom teaching? ......

34 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

2.3.2 Teachers' Proficiency in Students' Mother Tongue

To understand the challenges posed by the shortage of teachers with proficiency in students' mother tongue, you can go back to the example of the situation explained in Section 2.3. Such a situation occurs in many schools of our country. This is especially true for the North eastern region, because the classrooms here represent the true multilingual characteristic of the nation. Most of these classrooms represent a mix of students from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In this context, the issue of using the students' mother tongue in the classroom is faced with the serious challenge due to the shortage of teachers with proficiency in those various under-represented languages. For example, imagine a classroom where 20 of a total number of 30 students use a mother tongue language which is different from the language of instruction which is generally the dominant or the state language. In this classroom those 20 students will not get any opportunity to use their mother tongue during classroom transactions. The teachers also cannot make learning easier for this section of students through their mother tongue, because the appointed teachers in these schools, in most cases, do not speak or understand the languages of these students. As a result, explaining or teaching those students through their mother tongue becomes a daunting task.

2.3.3 Community Attitude Towards the Mother Tongue

If you want to teach the mother tongue of students, it is very important to involve the community members who are speakers of the language. This is because the resources (raw materials) of the language lie with the community. Involving the parents and other members of the minority language community in the classroom transaction can encourage and help the students to learn their mother tongue in the classroom. (We will discuss strategies to involve parents and other members of the language community in this

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 35 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

context in the subsequent units.) However, the community's attitude towards their own language plays a crucial role. Involving the community will be possible only if the members of the community understand the value of their mother tongue. In many cases, it is seen that the community members are unable to understand the value of their mother tongue. The common belief among the community people is that educating their children through the dominant language, and above all, through the English medium, actually benefits their children in terms of getting a job or economic security and attaining high social status. Therefore, for most of them, their own mother tongue is seen as not at all helpful for the benefit of their children. This attitude raises questions about the level of awareness regarding the benefit of educating children through their mother tongue among the parents belonging to the minority language community. In such circumstances it is difficult to persuade community members to assist with the use of their respective mother tongue in the local schools. As the parents understanding is that the learning of their mother tongue will bring no substantial benefit to their children's education, they do not see any point in wasting time in teaching it to their children. In this context, it is very important to bring up idea of the mother tongue as a bridge, as shown in Fig.1 below. Fig: 1 Mother tongue bridge

36 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

@Dennis Malone, SIL International This picture shows two bridges with some children. What do you understand from this picture?

ACTIVITY 2.2 On the basis of your understanding from reading the current and previous sections, closely observe the picture and think about what it is trying to convey. Write down a brief paragraph of your understanding of this picture. Next, compare it with what is written in the section below.

The first bridge where 'Foreign Language' is written on the left, is very weak and narrow. This represents the most common situation regarding education in our country. Here the students from different language communities start their education through a language which is not their mother tongue. This results in the 'double disadvantage' mentioned in 1.5.1 which subsequently leaves the learners with a very weak bridge for overcoming the educational and academic challenges for life-long learning. As a result, as depicted in the picture, many students fails to cross the river and fall

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 37 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

down. This actually symbolically refers to those students who fail to perform satisfactorily in the classroom and subsequently most of them drop out of school. The other bridge in the picture is strong and you can see students/ children happily crossing the river. This bridge symbolises the situation where the students are provided with the opportunity to start their education through their mother tongue first. This helps them acquire the basic literacy skills comfortably and also to understand different educational concepts better. As a result, these students feel happy, and they are able to participate in the teaching- learning activities of the classroom. More importantly, this method of teaching through their mother tongue results in an effective development of their cognitive skills. This development is much needed for them to understand complex educational concepts in various subjects like Science, Mathematics, Environmental Science and then to analyse such concepts and produce new knowledge from their existing knowledge. The parents of these children need to understand the significance of this picture. There should be conscious effort made to drive home the significance of the mother tongue teaching for their children at least in the initial years of their education.

2.3.4 Implementation of Language Policy for Promotion of Minority Languages

You might feel that policy issues are not relevant for you as teachers because you have to deal with the practical issues of classroom transaction only. However, it is important for you to be well-informed about some policy issues regarding mother tongue teaching, because it does have an influence on classroom transaction in an indirect manner. Therefore let us take a quick look at a few excerpts from policy documents to understand the viewpoints of the policy makers. India being a multilingual country, there are provisions in 38 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

the constitution that explicitly provide for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage to the children of linguistic minority groups. Article 350 A of the Indian constitution states that 'it shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups'. Other policies have been formulated and revised from time to time with guidelines reiterating this constitutional stand on this matter. For example, the Programme of Action, 1992 based on the National Policy on Education, 1986 also highlights the need of mother tongue education for the linguistic minority groups. It reiterates '...the need to provide education through the mother tongue, which may be different from a modern Indian language included in the VIII Schedule, is recognised on academic grounds. The Constitution of India recognises, in respect of linguistic minorities, the desirability of providing instruction through the mother tongue for first five years of education (Article 350-A).’ But at the same time, it also expresses concern over some of the practical challenges that may come in this context: '...Every effort is, therefore, required to implement this obligation, although a number of difficulties are likely to be encountered: administrative and financial feasibility of providing instructional facilities through a variety of mother tongues, difficulty to use some tribal languages as media of education etc...' The National Curriculum Framework, 2005 also argues for '…an emphasis on the recognition of children's mother tongues, including tribal languages, as the best medium of instruction.' It goes on to say that '…multilingual proficiency… is possible only if learning builds on a sound language pedagogy in the mother tongue.' (ibid.:vii) The above excerpts make it obvious for us that in India, there is strong policy support for the teaching of the mother tongues of

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 39 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

children. But in spite of such support, the issue of education in the mother tongue in the primary stage has remained only a desired thing but not a reality. As a result, challenges in terms of infrastructural inadequacies, shortage of manpower and lack of a cohesive method for producing teaching-learning materials in the respective languages of the children have remained largely unattended till now. There have been sporadic efforts under some of the government schemes to bring out teaching-learning materials for some of the concerned languages. But such schemes have included mostly the languages which are included into the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. There are far larger numbers of languages with fewer numbers of speakers outside the purview of the Eighth Schedule, which have failed to receive any benefits of these government schemes.

40 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

Frameworks published by National Council for Educational Research and Training in the year 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005. The NCF provides guidelines for preparing syllabi, textbooks and teaching practises within the school education system India.

LET US KNOW � The Census of India 2001 recorded 1652 mother tongues across India. � In 2001 census, these mother tongues were grouped into 122 languages. As a result there are mother tongues which are totally different from each other but are grouped together under the label of one language. � 27 languages have been listed under Hindi. � Out of these 122 languages only 26 are used as the medium of instruction at the primary stage. Among these, there are only 6 non scheduled languages out of the 100 non scheduled languages which were recorded in the census of 2001 with more than 10000 speakers. � The 2001 Census also recorded 57 languages in India with more than one million speakers. � Under this census, 234 mother tongues were reported having more than 10,000 speakers.

2.3.5 Training and Orientation for Teachers

Let us suppose that unlike the situation presented at the beginning of Section 2.3, the teachers and students have a common mother tongue. Even then the teachers need special training and orientation for using the mother tongue of the learners in the classroom alongside the school language. Such training and orientation programme should be aimed at equipping the teachers with the skills to use effective strategies in order to make learning enjoyable for the learners from different language backgrounds. However, you have probably noticed from your experience that the Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 41 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

teachers are rarely exposed to such training with specific aims. Lack of this kind of training and orientation programme adds to the difficulty of the teachers who teach in those classrooms. Don't you think that this happens because of the failure to use a rich resource (i.e. mother tongues of students) that is there at the disposal of both you teachers and student?

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 3: When was the National Policy on Education first promulgated? ...... Q 4: The Programme of Action is related to which national policy on education? ...... Q 5: How many mother tongues have been recorded in the Census 2001? ......

2.4 LET US SUM UP

� One of the most important components in the classroom transaction is the availability and extensive use of written materials. � Use of age appropriate graded learning materials or books is crucial for imparting education to the young children in the classroom. � Lack of teaching learning materials in the respective mother tongues proves to be one of the serious challenges in using students' mother tongue in the classroom. � One of the obstacles in teaching in mother tongue in the case of minority languages is that most of these languages still need a writing system. � Shortage of teachers for using the mother tongue of the non-scheduled 42 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

languages is one of the major impediments in this regard. � Community attitude to the mother tongue plays an important role in the use of the mother tongue in the classroom. � The common belief among the parents is that educating their children through the regional language and above all, through the English medium, actually benefits their children in terms of getting a job or economic security and getting a high social status. � The lack of appropriate policy implementation regarding mother tongue teaching is a serious challenge in this context. � The use of the learner's mother tongue in the teaching-learning process has been strongly advocated in the Article 350 A of Indian constitution and also in other policy documents such as Programme of Action 1992 under National Policy on Education 1986 and National Curriculum Framework, 2005 etc.

2.5 FURTHER READING

1) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. 2) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation. 3) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings. Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

2.6 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: i) graded learning ii) effective classroom

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 43 Unit 2 Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting

Ans to Q No 2: Pre-readers, Primers, Story books etc. Ans to Q No 3: 1968. Ans to Q No 4: National Policy on Education 1986. Ans to Q No 5: The total number of mother tongues recorded in the Census of 2001 is 1652.

2.7 MODEL QUESTIONS

A. Very Short Questions Q 1: In which article of Indian Constitution has a provision for linguistic minority group? Q 2: How many languages have been listed under Hindi? Q 3: How many languages have been recorded in India in the census 2001 with more than one million speakers? B. Short questions (Answer in about 100-150 words) Q 1: 'Almost all the classrooms in schools in India reflect this linguistic and cultural diversity.' Elaborate this sentence with examples from your own classroom context. Q 2: Briefly discuss how the lack of pedagogic material affects the use of children's mother tongue in a multilingual classroom. Q 3: List the main challenges in using learners' mother tongue in classroom transaction in a multilingual classroom as discussed in this unit. Q 4: Briefly state your views based on your personal experience about the attitude of the language communities toward their own mother tongue. Q 5: Write a short paragraph in your own words on the picture of the Mother tongue bridge shown in Figure 1. C. Long questions (Answer in about 300-500 words) Q 1: List and elaborate on the various challenges in using mother tongue of the learners in a multilingual classroom. Q 2: How is the gap between the constitutional provisions and policy

44 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Challenges for Teaching Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Setting Unit 2

implementation affecting the use of learners' mother tongue in the multilingual classrooms? Q 3: Discuss briefly what National Policy on Education 1986, Programme of Action, 1992 and National Curriculum Framework, 2005 state about mother tongue pedagogy.

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Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 45 UNIT: 3 RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR MOTHER TONGUE TEACHING

UNIT STRUCTURE

3.1 Learning Objectives 3.2 Introduction 3.3 What is Resource Development? 3.4 Need and Relevance of Developing Pedagogic Materials 3.4.1 Need for Language and Literacy Skills across the Curriculum 3.4.2 Incorporating Learners' Existing Knowledge 3.4.3 Facilitating Collaborative Learning 3.4.4 Maintaining Traditional Knowledge and Culture 3.5 Kinds of Teaching-Learning Materials 3.5.1 Pre-readers 3.5.2 Primers 3.5.3 Story Books 3.5.4 Big Books 3.5.5 Listening Stories 3.5.6 Picture Posters 3.6 Steps for Developing Resource Material 3.7 Let us Sum up 3.8 Further Reading 3.9 Answer to Check Your Progress 3.10 Model Questions

3.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will able to- � explain the nature of pedagogic materials in mother tongue � elaborate the need for and relevance of developing teaching- learning materials in the mother tongue of young learners � discuss various kinds of reading materials that can be produced in

46 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

the learners' mother tongue � devise strategies for involving parents of the students and other community members in the production of reading materials in their language.

3.2 INTRODUCTION

In the previous two units, we discussed some relevant issues regarding the regional language and mother tongue and also the challenges in using the learner's mother tongue in multilingual classrooms. In Unit 2 we looked at some challenges in conducting classroom transaction through the learner's mother tongue. While going through the various sections in Unit 2, a few questions might have come to your mind. And you might be thinking about the possible ways, if any, through which we can overcome these challenges. Let us go back to the previous unit again just for a while. What are the challenges that were discussed in that unit? If you remember, we highlighted the following issues as challenges in using the learner's mother tongue in the classroom: � Pedagogic materials in students' mother tongue � Teachers with knowledge of students' mother tongue � Community's attitude towards their mother tongue � Implementation of language policy for the promotion of minority languages � Training and orientation for teachers Each of these challenges needs to be addressed properly in order to create a conducive environment where using of learners' mother tongue becomes comparatively easier and enjoyable for you and your learners. Therefore, in this unit we are going to deal with the first challenge which is related to the lack of pedagogic materials in students' mother tongue. Here, we will try to give you an idea about how to develop simple resources which can encourage the learners to use their languages in the classrooms. Besides, it will also provide you with some ideas which will hopefully encourage you to devise your own strategies to use the mother tongue of your learners in the classroom. We will discuss in this unit the

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 47 Unit 3 Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching

various kinds of resource materials that can be produced and used in the classrooms, ways to use students' existing knowledge to produce such materials and many other relevant aspects relating to the development of resources or pedagogic materials in the students' mother tongue.

3.3 WHAT IS RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT?

While looking at the title of this unit, the first thing that might have come to your mind is: 'what does 'resource development' mean?'. Well, let us think about it. To understand it properly the first thing you would perhaps want to do is to get hold of your English dictionary (such as the Advanced Learners' Dictionary) and look for the word 'resource'. Read through how the word 'resource' is defined there. We find that one way in which the dictionary defines this word is as 'a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed.' For our purpose, we will use the word 'resource (s)' in the specific terms of any kind of pedagogic materials produced in the mother tongues of the learners for use in a particular classroom. Such materials need to be kept ready for use in the classroom environment as and when required. So by 'resource development ', we refer to the production of various kinds of these teaching learning materials which can help in the use of the learners' mother tongue in the classroom. There can be various types of teaching learning materials such as Pre-readers, Primers, Story Books, Song Books, Activities of various kinds, Books on environmental science, Identity texts, Books on basic mathematics, Picture charts, materials created by the students themselves etc. Each of these materials is produced with some specific learning objectives in mind. In other words, these materials actually help the students to pick up different academic and literacy skills and knowledge required for life-long learning. We will discuss these various materials at some length in 3.5.

48 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 1: What does the word ‘resource’ mean? ...... Q 2: What are the various kinds of teaching learning materials? ......

3.4 NEED AND RELEVANCE OF DEVELOPING PEDAGOGIC MATERIALS

How important are these various teaching learning materials in classroom transaction? Think about your own classroom. What are the books that you use in the classroom while teaching your students? There are some books for each of the subjects that are available for classroom teaching. Each of these books actually provides a scope for you to design various teaching strategies and execute them to train the students on different skills and also to transfer knowledge and educational concepts to them. So you will probably agree that these different teaching learning materials are important for successful classroom teaching. In the following lines, we will discuss specific needs and relevance of teaching learning materials or pedagogic materials in the classroom transaction. Before you move on, pause for a while and do the following activity.

ACTIVITY 3.1 1) Make a list of the books that you use in the language classroom. 2) Against each of these books write down the learning objectives that you would like your students to achieve by reading that book. 3) Make a list of the other books that you use for teaching Mathematics, Environmental Science etc.

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 49 Unit 3 Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching

3.4.1 Need of Language and Literacy Skills Across the Curriculum

Successful classroom transaction requires development of language and literacy skills in the learners. When we talk about language and literacy skills, we basically consider the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is very important for the learners to develop these skills for academic success and also for life-long learning. While developing and using various teaching learning materials, the aim should be to help the learners develop these skills through classroom interaction. We all understand the importance of language in all walks of our lives. You can notice it in your interaction with the learners across the curriculum. When we speak of language in terms of classroom transaction, we refer not only to the language class but also to the teaching-learning activities other subjects such as mathematics, social sciences, environmental studies, geography and others. Have you ever thought of the role of language in the classroom transaction for all these subjects? You must have noticed that in order to both teach and learn these different subjects apart from the language subject, language plays an important role. For example, when you teach mathematics, you need to explain to the students about the numerals, and different mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc. When you teach these topics to the students, you use a set of words and expressions which are to some extent different from the ones which you use while teaching geography or environmental science. Again there are some common word-sets which are used for explaining various concepts related to all the subjects that you teach. This suggests that for a successful classroom transaction in any subject, language skills are of utmost importance for both the teachers and the students. In order to develop these language skills, it is very important to provide the following contexts to the students

50 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

at an early age: a) as much exposure to language as possible. This exposure eventually results in a successful academic and life-long learning for the students. b) opportunity to increase their vocabulary so that they are able to express themselves comfortably. Especially, they need to develop specific sets of vocabulary related to other subjects like mathematics, social sciences, environmental sciences etc. c) scope to perform functions and interactions like social and academic situations - including asking and answering a question, explaining a concept, analysing a situation etc. They should also be able to represent their thoughts through both oral and written form of language. In order to develop these language skills, various kinds of teaching learning materials need to be used in the classroom transactions. Written materials such as story books, primers, pre- primers etc need to be kept at the disposal of the teachers for use in the classroom. Therefore, it is very necessary to produce, develop and adapt these different materials in the mother tongue of the students.

Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 51 Unit 3 Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 3: What are the three main important steps that need to be taken in order to enable the students to develop these basic skills? ......

3.4.2 Incorporation of Learners' Existing Knowledge

Development of teaching - learning materials in the students' mother tongue also provides the opportunity to bring in the students' world into the classroom. It is very important to make these students feel at home in the classroom. Written materials can be produced by incorporating the students' existing knowledge about their family, community, environment and other aspects of their lives. It creates a sense of familiarity and security in the minds of the students, which in turn enables and encourages them to enjoy the classroom environment. This non-threatening environment is a crucial element on the part of the students for learning various educational concepts and knowledge.

LET US KNOW Non-threatening environment: Refers to a classroom environment which is comfortable and enjoyable for a student. Such an environment does not build any pressure on the student. Every effort is made to make the students feel at home and comfortable while taking part in the classroom interaction.

For example, let us just imagine a situation. In this imaginary situation you are student in the primary school and your mother tongue is Assamese. Now in your school the language of the classroom is Greek. In your home within your family, you use

52 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

Assamese to interact with others and carry out your daily routine. Outside the family or your village, you hear a little bit of Greek; but you cannot understand Greek completely. In your language class, the teacher is speaking to you in Greek as that is the language of instruction in the school. And in the Greek language, he is explaining to you about a festival that the Greek people celebrate every year. In the Science class, your teacher teaches you about the concept of 'Photosynthesis' in Greek. Just imagine how difficult it will be for you to understand what the teacher is talking about. You have hardly understood anything about it. But at the same time, your other classmates whose mother tongue is Greek, can understand everything in the class and they can answer whenever the teacher throws a question at the class. Your inability to answer a question gradually lowers your confidence. The classroom becomes a scary place for you. Since you have not understood what was being taught in the classroom because you could not understand the language, there is every possibility that your performance in the examination will be much lower than your Greek-speaking friends. And your parents, teachers or others will think that you are not at all good at school. But they do not know that the problem lies in the communication, i.e. the unfamiliar language of instruction in classroom and not in your capacity of understanding the lesson. But if you are placed in an opposite situation where you are being taught about 'photosynthesis' in the Assamese language, just imagine how relaxing and easier it will be for you to follow what is being said in it. This is unfortunately the most common situation faced by many of your students in classroom where they are taught through a different language. But the situation will be different if you have some story books, picture charts, posters etc with stories they generally hear from their parents or grandparents, picture books showcasing cultural items such as their dress, traditional musical

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instruments etc with explanations written in their mother tongue. This will encourage them to be attentive to the class. Moreover, with the help of these familiar contexts, you will be able to train them on various language and literacy skills much more easily. So, it is really very necessary to develop these materials in their mother tongue.

3.4.3 Facilitation of Collaborative Learning

Developing materials in the students' mother tongue also provides you with an opportunity to create a sense of collaborative learning in your students. There are strategies and ways in which students can be encouraged to take an active role in producing materials in their mother tongue. Language Experience Activity (we will discuss about this activity in detail in Unit 4), for example, is one such strategy where the students describe what they see outside their classroom. They are encouraged to point out and describe various objects in nature. As they describe their experience, you help some of them to write down these descriptions on the board in short, simple sentences. In that way, a series of four or five lines in their mother tongue will result in a simple and small book which can be used to develop their listening and reading skills. This kind of learning exposes them to the skills of working in groups and also learning together. This is what we mean by the 'collaborative learning.' In this context you, as a teacher, have the crucial role of a facilitator of such group learning activity. Such an activity also helps them to develop their skills of listening to others attentively and at the same time they also understand the value of learning from their fellow students. The fact that the sentences that they have made are used for making a nice book will infuse a sense of pride and confidence in them which plays a crucial role later in their lives.

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3.4.4 Maintenance of The Traditional Knowledge and Culture

This is something that develops automatically in the background of a class where such materials in the mother tongue of the students are used. Most of these pedagogic materials are based on the existing knowledge of the students' language, culture, tradition and also the environment. This is made possible through the involvement of some of the knowledgeable persons from their respective communities in the production of such materials. Thus, in this process, this valuable knowledge is gradually transferred to the next generation.

3.5 KINDS OF TEACHING LEARNING MATERIALS

Having discussed the need and relevance of development of teaching-learning materials, in this section we will discuss the various kinds of materials based on the mother tongue of the learners that can be produced and used in a classroom situation. There are different kinds of reading materials which can be used for teaching language and literacy skills to the students in their mother tongue. But before going into the details of these materials, let us briefly note the intended objectives of such reading materials. These materials have the following goals: 1) developing in the learners the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 2) providing an opportunity to the learners to acquire new knowledge on the basis of their existing knowledge of the world. 3) making it possible to incorporate into the reading materials themes relating to the indigenous culture, tradition and daily life of the learners. As a result, the learners find it easier to relate the textbook content to the concrete reality of their lives. 4) enabling the learners to develop various aspects of their cognitive faculty: remembering, understanding, analysing, assessing and

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creating new knowledge. 5) providing an opportunity for the parents and other members of the community to get involved in the education of their children. These materials can be broadly divided into two groups in terms of their specific objectives. 1) Materials which can be used to teach letters/aksharas, syllables and the sound symbol correspondence in the respective mother tongue of the learner. 2) Materials which can be used to enhance the understanding, fluency, critical thinking of the learners and creation of new knowledge in them through their mother tongue. Let us now discuss these various materials.

3.5.1 Pre Readers

The Pre-reader is a book which introduces the four basic literacy skills- listening, speaking, reading and writing to the students. It is actually an initial guide which the teachers use to help the children to a) identify different shapes and letters in their language. b) develop their cognitive abilities to understand and relate the correspondence between different sounds and its corresponding shapes in the letters in their mother tongue. c) gain control over the movement of their hands and fingers while using pencils, pen and also to develop a coordination among these actions. It is important for the children at this stage to learn and practice the handling of pen/pencils, books etc.

3.5.2 Primers

After the students complete the pre-reading period, the primer is introduced to help them learn more about parts of words, syllables and meaningful sentences in their language. Just like the pre-reader,

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the primer is also a guide for the teachers. The teachers can use a primer to help the children to a) identify parts of words and to understand the formation of words by breaking down and building up a word. b) improve their cognitive understanding of sound-symbol correspondences in their mother tongue. c) read meaningful and grammatically correct sentences. d) learn about the spelling of words

3.5.3 Story Books

Story books are one of the most effective means of transferring basic language and literacy skills to the young learners. If you have ever noticed, you must have realized that it is the stories with beautiful pictures that draw a lot of attention from the young learners. Therefore, stories written in the mother tongue of the learners are a strong medium for their basic education. A good story book has the following main characteristics: � Length: The length of a story/ song/ rhyme should not be too long as the children at the early stage do not usually have the patience to read through a long story. Such a story can be written within eight to ten short and simple sentences. � Interesting content: The content of such reading materials is expected to be able to attract the young children. It should be familiar to them. A proper beginning, climax and ending of a story make the story more interesting for the young children as they look for these highlights once they start reading a story. � Illustrative pictures: Pictures are one of the most important components of a Stage 1 reading material. Each page in the book comprises one or at the most two sentences of the story along with a corresponding picture to depict the meaning of that sentence. The pictures are expected to be culturally appropriate for the learners. Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 57 Unit 3 Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching

There are a number of various kinds of story books and other reading materials which can give you more opportunity to use the students' mother tongue in order to teach them language and literacy skills. Some of these are discussed below.

3.5.4 Big Books

Big books help the learners to develop the skill of reading naturally and with understanding and enjoyment. This is also an interesting way of having the experience of shared reading, because all the learners can read it together. Any kind of interesting story which can attract the children can be converted a Big book. Each page of the book can comprise of one or two sentences of the story with (if possible) beautiful coloured illustrations. The size of the pages should be of A3 size or bigger. The following illustration shows another alternative way of designing a big book (where the picture is on one page and the sentence is on another; but children can look at them together since they are presented side by side). The letters should be large enough for everyone in the class to be visible and to be able to read it. Fig 2: Examples of Big book in the Tai Phake language

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3.5.5 Listening Stories

Listening stories are used to provide the learners with the opportunity to think and talk about an interesting and culturally appropriate story. These stories are read out and not told. It enhances their capacity to listen to understand and make assumptions about a story. Listening stories should be readable in 5 minutes, at the most. Fig 3: Example of a listening story in the Tai Khamyang language

3.5.6 Picture Posters

Picture posters can be used to make reading more interesting for the young learners. Picture of anything relating to the indigenous culture of the learners can be drawn on a big chart paper and the students can be encouraged to talk, think and even write about it. For example, one can draw the picture of a traditional house of a particular community and write the names of the different parts of the house in their own language. This can encourage the learners to talk about their own houses and even write little stories about their home. In the same way, one can draw the picture of a human body with pointers labelling the different body parts in their own language. This helps in enriching the mother tongue vocabulary of the young learners.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Q 4: What is the effect of incorporating students’ existing knowledge in to the classroom materials? ...... Q 5: What are main areas that need to be taken care of while writing a good story for young learners? ......

3.6 STEPS IN DEVELOPING RESOURCE MATERIAL

In the previous section we discussed and gave examples of the kinds of reading materials that can be used in the classroom for facilitating learners' mother tongue. But after reading about these various kinds of materials the question which probably comes to your mind is 'Where do I find these materials written in the various mother tongues?' Well, this is a very pertinent question and also a very important issue that needs to be adequately addressed. These reading materials can be produced in two ways. Some of these materials can be produced by involving the parents and other learned members of the community in the production process. In addition, some of these materials can also produced by the active involvement of the students themselves. Now you might be wondering and in fact, might be in doubt as to how to involve the parents in producing reading materials for their children. There are ways to achieve this with a little effort from you. In the following lines you will get a step-by-step work plan for producing reading materials by involving parents and other community members of students whose mother tongue is different from the one used in the school for classroom transaction. However, in order to carry out these steps, you will need to

60 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3 discuss with your school authorities to find out suitable dates and time for the activities mentioned below. Step 1: Invite some parents and community members of some of the students with a different mother tongue in your class. Step 2: After they have arrived, welcome them and ask them what are their expectations from their children. (You most likely will get responses like 'we want our children to excel in the examination', 'they should be fluent in speaking English', 'they should be able to get a good job' etc) Step 3: After you have listened to them express your appreciation of their expectations and tell them these expectations can be achieved with a little help from them. Step 4: Now you should share with them the problem that their children are facing in terms of understanding the lessons, as their mother tongue is different from the language used at school. (At this point you might get responses from the parents which show that they do not think that is the problem. 'But our students can speak the school language to some extent. In response, you need to share with them the difference between the BICS and CALP in as simple words as you can. You have already learnt about these concepts in UNIT 1). Step 4: Now you will ask them if they would be willing to help you and other teachers to make learning more enjoyable and fruitful for their children. (In most cases the parents will obviously respond positively). Step 5: Now you need to explain to them that you would like them to help you in producing some simple reading materials in their own language for their children to read. Step 6: Once they are ready, make small groups of four or five according to the community they belong to. Step 7: Now explain to them that you are going to make a calendar for the respective communities. For this purpose, you should ask them to first divide a year into 12 months. Now each of them should take at least two months and think about anything that happens during those

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months which really attracts their children's attention. For example if someone takes up the month of June/July, he will think about the rainy season. With the rainy season there come a lot of frogs which really attract the children. Again in the month of February, a particular community may celebrate one of their traditional festivals. So, in those days the children become very much involved in the activities associated with that festival. There are some other months in which the changes in nature catch children's attention like the appearance of butterflies, new leaves in the trees etc. So the parents will list as many such topics or themes as possible under each month in a year. Step 8: Once this list is ready, you can provide them with a piece of art paper, pencil and markers so that they can draw a table of the calendar with columns and rows and then write the different themes that they have found under each month with beautiful handwriting. (This will be a fun activity for them.) Step 9: Now you explain to them that this calendar is called 'Cultural Calendar' and it can be used as an instrument for writing small stories, songs, or for making picture books in their mother tongue. You will further explain to them that they should think and try to write down small stories on the themes that have been included in cultural calendar. For example if someone takes up the theme 'rainy season', he/ she will write a small story of 8-10 sentences describing the conditions in the village in the rainy season. The story may include how the children play in rain. It may also include how the children play with the frogs etc. The sentences should be short and simple so that the children can easily understand them. You can help them by providing the guidelines cited in 3.5.3 and 3.5.4 for writing such stories. The steps described above are very preliminary steps through which you can engage the parents and other community members in producing reading materials in their mother tongue. Please note that you can aim to complete Step 1 to Step 8 in one day. But the writing of the stories and

62 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3 other textbooks can take a while as they will need to cover the following activities: � think about the theme and the story � at first write a draft version which can be longer than the prescribed 8- 10 sentences � check for correctness and consistencies in spelling and grammar in their language. � also keep in mind the flow of the story which should be attractive for their children to read � draw a picture for each of the sentences in the story. In many cases, this poses a challenge. Because not everybody can draw pictures. In that case, they need to look for someone who can assist them with the drawing. Therefore you can actually request them to complete their stories at home and then bring them back to the school. Ideally, it needs at least three days of active guidance to help them understand and be fluent in the writing of the stories and other materials. It will be much effective if your school authority permits you to work with these groups of parents and community members for at least three days. Now let us briefly look at benefits of a cultural calendar. The cultural calendar offers the following advantages: � an opportunity to you to engage the parents and other community members in writing something in their own language. � a practical guide to create a list of possible topics and themes for writing stories and other teaching learning materials in their language. � an opportunity for you to explain to the parents and community members about the language barrier confronted by the children in the classroom which needs to addressed properly. � enables the incorporation of students' existing knowledge in the reading materials which eventually encourages them to learn with understanding.

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3.7 LET US SUM UP

� Developing pedagogic material in the students' mother tongue is an important step towards facilitating mother tongue teaching. � Resource Development in the specific context of mother tongue teaching refers to the production of various kinds of teaching learning materials which facilitate the use of the learners' mother tongue in the classroom. � When we talk about language and literacy skills we basically think about the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is very important for the learners to develop these skills for academic success and also for life-long learning. � Developing teaching - learning materials in the students' mother tongue also provides the opportunity to bring in students' world into the classroom. It is very important to make these students feel at home in the classroom. � Developing materials in the students' mother tongue also provides the teacher with an opportunity to create a sense of collaborative learning among the students. There are strategies and ways in which students can be encouraged to take an active role in producing materials in their mother tongue. � Developing reading materials in the mother tongue will also help in the use and maintenance of the language and traditional knowledge of the speaker communities which are otherwise gradually abandoned by their younger generations. � There are different kinds of reading materials which can be used for teaching language and literacy skills to the students in their mother tongue. � A Pre-reader is a book which introduces the four basic literacy skills- listening, speaking, reading and writing to the students. � A Primer helps the students to learn more about parts of words, 64 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue Resource Development for Mother tongue Teaching Unit 3

syllables and meaningful sentences in their language. � Story books are an effective means of transferring basic language and literacy skills to the young learners. � Big books are used to show to the learners the skill of reading naturally and with understanding and enjoyment. � Listening stories are used to provide the learners with the opportunity to think and talk about an interesting and culturally appropriate story. � Picture posters can be used to make reading more interesting for the young learners. Pictures of anything related to the indigenous culture of the learners can be drawn on a big chart paper and the students can be encouraged to talk, think and even write about them. � It is important to involve the parents and other members of the community in the production of these various reading materials in their mother tongue for the children to read. � Cultural calendar is an effective tool to encourage such participation of parents and a guide to writing stories and other reading materials in their language.

3.8 FURTHER READING

1) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. 2) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation. 3) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings. Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

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3.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: Resource means ‘a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed’. Ans to Q No 2: There can be various types of teaching learning materials such as Pre-readers, Primers, Story books, Song books, Different activities, Books on environmental science, Identity texts, Books on basic mathematics, Picture charts, materials created by the students themselves etc. Ans to Q No 3: The three main important steps are: a) as much exposure to language as possible. b) opportunity to increase their vocabulary so that they are able to express themselves comfortably. c) scope for development of various kinds of social and academic interactions. Ans to Q No 4: It creates a sense of familiarity and security in the minds of the students, which in turn enables and encourages them to enjoy the classroom environment. Ans to Q No 5: The main areas that need to be taken care of while writing a story for young learners are 1) Length, 2) Content, 3) Illustrative pictures.

3.10 MODEL QUESTIONS

A. Very Short questions Q 1: What do you mean by resource development? Q 2: What are the four basic language and literacy skills?

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Q 3: What is collaborative learning? B. Short questions (Answer in about 100-150 words) Q 1: Why do we need to develop language and literacy skills of the students' across the curriculum? Q 2: What are the objectives of teaching-learning materials as described in the unit? Q 3: What are the main aims of a Pre-reader? Q 4: What are the main aims of a Primer? Q 5: What are the characteristics of a good Story book as shown in the unit? Q 6: Write a brief note on Big Book. Q 7: Write a brief note on Listening story. Q 8: What are the benefits of a Cultural Calendar as described in the unit? C. Long questions (Answer in about 300-500 words) Q 1: Discuss the necessity and relevance of developing pedagogic materials in learner's mother tongue. Q 2: List and discuss about the nature and benefit of the various kinds of reading materials as discussed and illustrated in the unit. Q 3: Discuss the various steps described in the unit for developing reading materials in the learner's mother tongue.

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Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 67 REFERENCES

1) Cummins, J. (2008). BICS and CALP: Empirical and Theoretical Status of the Distinction . Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 2, 2. (N. H. B. Street, Ed.) New York: Springer Science + Business Media LLC.

2) Cummins, J. (n.d.). Bilingual Childrens' Mother tongue: Why is it important for Education. Retrieved from http://www.fiplv.org/Issues/ CumminsENG.pdf.

3) Davis, P. (1991). Cognition and Learning . Dallas: SIL. LinguaLinksTM Version2.5.

4) Dutcher, N. (2004). Expanding Educational Opportunity in Linguistically Diverse Societies. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

5) Jhingran, D. (2005). Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation.

6) Kosonen, K., Young, C., & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Settings . Bangkok: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.

7) Malone, S. (2003). Education for Multilingualism and multi-literacy: Linking basic education to life-long learning in minority language communities. Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalisation and Multilingual Education. Bangkok.

8) Malone, S. E. (2006). Resource Manual for Mother Tongue speakers of minority languages engaged in planning and implementing education programs in their own communities.

9) Stringer, M. D., & Faraclas, N. G. (2001). Working Together for Literacy- A Guidebook for Local Language Literacy Programmes . Papua New Guinea: Christian Books Melansia.

68 Pedagogy of Regional Language and Mother Tongue 10) UNESCO. (1953). The Use of Vernacular Languages in Education . Paris.

11) UNESCO. (1990). World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs.

12) UNESCO. (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action Education for All: Meeting our collective Commitments.

13) UNESCO. (2003). Education in a Multilingual World. Paris.

14) World Bank. (2005). Education Notes. Retrieved from http:// siteresources.worldbank.org /EDUCATION/Resources/Education- notes/EdNotes_Lang_of_Instruct.pdf

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