A Global Perspective on the use of local languages in the classroom: ELNI Webinar by the Tata Trust
The Early Learning Network of India (ELNI) invited education specialists to provide a global perspective in integrating local languages into early education for a webinar. The ELNI, supported by Tata Trusts, regularly hosts webinars focused on early literacy and the use of local languages in classrooms. These sessions bring together educators, researchers, and policymakers to share international and national insights on multilingual education. The ELNI is led by Dr. Shailaja Menon, and promotes early literacy through teacher development and multilingual, research-informed practices in collaboration with institutions and NGOs. During this presentation the topics that were covered included the ‘Value of using Local Languages’ by Annie Vinod (literacy specialist and Education Consultant), ‘Sustaining Strong Multilingual Education Programs’ by Herald Rajan(Education Consultant), and ‘Resources and Tools on MLE(Multilingual Education)’ by Karsten van Riezen (Education and MLE consultant). Each topic was followed by a short question and answer session. We can look out for the video on the Tata Trust Education web page.
On the topic ‘Value of using Local Languages,’ Annie began with a working definition of MLE and the various benefits of using the mother tongue in the early years (pedagogical, cognitive, socio-emotional, cultural and right based). She shared practical accounts and testimonials from teachers on how the use of a familiar language and mother tongue accelerated the learning process from areas in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. There were testimonials from the community (parents, village leaders, family) on how children are more confident about engaging in learning in the classroom because of the use of the local language.
The second topic covered by Herold Rajan was about ‘Sustaining Strong Multilingual Education Programs.’ Herold explored the essential components of a successful Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programme. He shared a comparison of language and education policies, ranging from the most supportive of MTB-MLE to the most restrictive. He outlined what kind of information was required for a preliminary research on MTB-MLE. He cited the example of the Gutob - Gadaba Language Development in Odisha for preliminary research and final ownership of the orthography of the language by the community. Herold also shed light on topics such as the MLE progression plan, teacher training, evaluation, and the innovative concept of translanguaging, supported by examples from SIL’s initiatives in Thailand.
The final topic was ‘Resources and Tools on MLE’ by Karsten, where he spoke about the various tools online which are available to us which can be used for MLE. Some tools which are widely used from SIL Global such as the Bloom Library, Alpha Tiles and Primer Prep were given some focus. Other tools that help to document one’s language were also spoken about such as Webonary, ScriptSource and Keyman. The SIL literacy and education site was also included as it supports the implementation of MLE by providing information on policies, preliminary research, program planning, alphabets (orthographies), curriculum and instructional materials, teacher training and assessments and evaluations. Other helpful resources that were shared were the translanguaging website and widely read the MLE India blog .
In conclusion, this webinar provided a well-rounded understanding of the foundational and ongoing efforts needed to build and sustain effective MLE programs, making it a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and practitioners committed to equitable and inclusive education and those who were able to participate in this webinar.
Regards,
Karsten, in collaboration with Upasana
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