Writing in L2 is (or aspires to be) part of the literate multilingual
experience, so this may be of interest. (Fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 12-Aug-2005
From: Sarah Oates <S.Oates@...>
Subject: Journal of Second Language Writing Vol. 14, No. 2 (2005)

Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.
http://www.elsevier.com/linguistics

Journal Title: Journal of Second Language Writing
Volume Number: 14
Issue Number: 2
Issue Date: Jun 2005


Main Text:

Editorial Board
pp ii
Full text via ScienceDirect :
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=CONTENTS&_method=cit\
ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000251&_version=1&md5=7acf39a8b2cc2f5e230385364de\
cbd3f

From The Editors
pp v
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000299&_version=1&md5=1f991c857380c5c685c3a3943dd\
8928f

Understanding changes in elementary Mandarin students' L1 and L2 writing
S.J. McCarthey, Y.H. Guo, S. Cummins
pp 71-104
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000184&_version=1&md5=f89181d725111907a5a4b7f067f\
2bcd6

Student, interrupted: A tale of two would-be writers
L.L. Blanton
pp 105-121
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000159&_version=1&md5=8af465c3ab8ecdae0171aeaa427\
62c2a

Manuscript editing as a way of teaching academic writing: Experience
from a small scientific journal
A. Misak, M. Marusic, A. Marusic
pp 122-131
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000160&_version=1&md5=23178cddd14003f4b7cef276b47\
51cc7

Comment by Ulla Connor
U. Connor

pp 132-136
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000196&_version=1&md5=288f6705afb0d4f97d95093328a\
c0d06

Response to Ulla Connor's comments
R. Kubota, A. Lehner
pp 137-143
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000202&_version=1&md5=1d353b0ffe7ae6bb49d110ddff3\
f04d2

Selected bibliography of recent scholarship in second language writing
pp 144-151
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000305&_version=1&md5=0533f0cb2081c3a8519f76177f3\
aafd3

About the Authors
pp 152
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ationSearch&_piikey=S1060374305000317&_version=1&md5=706c18bcfb6e246d45a62a2e573\
fe438

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 31-Aug-2005
From: Elizabeth Gangeri <Elizabeth.Gangeri@...>
Subject: Dimensions of Literacy: Kucer

Title: Dimensions of Literacy
Subtitle: A Conceptual Base for Teaching Reading and Writing in School
Settings, Second Edition
Published: 2005
Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
                 http://www.erlbaum.com/

Author: Stephen B Kucer, Fordham University
Hardback: ISBN: 0805849408 Pages: 368 Price: U.S. $ 99.95
Paperback: ISBN: 0805849416 Pages: 368 Price: U.S. $ 39.95
Abstract:

This popular text examines literacy from a multidimensional and
interdisciplinary perspective. It "unpackages" the various dimensions
of literacy--linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural, and
developmental--and at the same time accounts for the
interrelationships among them. The goal is to provide a conceptual
foundation upon which literacy curriculum and instruction in school
settings can be grounded.

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                             Cognitive Science
                             Language Acquisition

Written In: English (eng )

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=16335

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 03-Oct-2005
From: Jennifer Olson <jennifeo@...>
Subject: Languages and Education in Africa

Languages and Education in Africa
Short Title: LEA 2006

Date: 19-Jun-2006 - 22-Jun-2006
Location: Oslo, Norway
Contact: Jennifer Olson
Contact Email: jennifeo@...
Meeting URL: http://www.pfi.uio.no/konferanse/LEA2006/

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Meeting Description:

This conference offers international and multidisciplinary perspectives on
issues concerning languages and education in Africa.

Languages and Education in Africa (LEA)

We, the LEA group of researchers from the Faculty of Education and the Faculty
of the Humanities from the University of Oslo, welcome you to an international
conference linking researchers from the South and North who are addressing the
wide range of themes found within languages and education in Africa. The
conference was initiated in the spring of 2004 when five Norwegian NUFU project
leaders from the University of Oslo - two from the Faculty of Education and
three from the Faculty of Humanities - came together and discussed common
interests related to languages and education. NUFU (the Norwegian Council of
Universities Committee for Development Research and Education) sponsors
projects aimed at cooperation between universities in Norway and in developing
countries. The NUFU projects at the Faculty of Education cooperate with
partners based in Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Uganda; while the NUFU
projects at the Faculty of Humanities cooperate with partners based in
Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Mali.

The purpose of such a conference is to underline the significance of language
for learning in various educational settings from global and local
perspectives. It will also provide an opportunity to present and learn from
linguistic and educationally directed research in various countries and
regions. Ongoing networks and projects will contribute substantially to the
conference and utilize it both as an aim for their work and as a meeting place
to exchange current research. In addition to active participation at the
conference, the organizing committee's work is directed towards research
projects, research publications, and other relevant outcomes.

Conference themes include:

Language policy
Multilingualism
Literacy in African languages
Language as medium of instruction and as a subject
Teacher training
Educational materials
Lexicography and lexicology
Grammatical descriptions
Standardization
Sign language in an African context
Language mastery, learning and mediat [message truncated]

FYI, this item deals with both bilingual literacy and language revitalization.
(Fwd from the Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 11-Oct-2005
From: Mary Jo Holbrock <maryholbrock@...>
Subject: Que no olviden su cultura, y tambien el idioma: a case study of Mayan
literacy revival in Guatemala

Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Program: Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004

Author: Mary Jo Holbrock

Dissertation Title: Que no olviden su cultura, y tambien el idioma: a case study
of Mayan literacy revival in Guatemala

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                             Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): Spanish (spa)
Language Family(ies): Mayan

Dissertation Director:
Robert T. Jimenez

Dissertation Abstract:

This study examines Mayan literacy revival in a Mayan language and culture
revitalization movement occurring in Guatemala. The research takes the form of
a case study of two communities, Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, and San Pedro la
Laguna, Solola. The Mayan languages spoken in these villages, Q'anjob'al and
Tz'utujil, respectively, are not endangered. They are in a situation of
language contact with Spanish which could lead to either stable bilingualism or
instead to language shift. While most previous sociolinguistic research on
Mayan language in Guatemala has evaluated reported oral language use in the
home domain in order to draw conclusions about language shift, the present
study focuses on reported and observed uses of written Mayan language and other
activities which can be considered as literacy in this context for the purpose
of examining revitalization. Data for this study are qualitative and were
gathered mainly during 2001. Results are organized according to three domains:
personal use, media, and education. Findings include: a very slight increase of
use of Mayan literacy in the domain of personal use (with Mayan literacy
joining formerly Spanish-only domains), coupled with an increase of use of oral
Spanish language such that Spanish is invading formerly Mayan-only domains; an
increase of Mayan literacy in published media including books, magazines and
newspapers, thus joining formerly Spanish-only domains; and an introduction of
Mayan literacy in education, joining a formerly Spanish-only domain. However,
these gains in domain increase are challenged by ideological factors.
Traditional Mayan cultural values are being lost as traditional Mayan clothing
is replaced with used clothing from the U.S., as a result of the introduction
of Evangelical Christian religion by outsiders, and with Maya youth adopting
outsider habits introduced partly through foreign media such as television and
radio programming. One very positive factor that could be tapped into in order
to encourage Mayan literacy revitalization in the two focal villages is a
tremendous enthusiasm on the part of local Maya primary school teachers for the
use of Mayan language and literacy in schools.

FYI from http://dpel.unilat.org/DPEL/indexFr.asp?id=296&archive=false
(quick English translation followed by original in French)... DZO


Seminar "Teaching Approaches & Didactic Tools for Plurilingualism"

French Institute (Bucharest, Romania)

The Direction of Promotion and Teaching of Languages of the Latin
Union and the French Institute of Bucharest, with the support of the
General Delegation for the French language and the languages of France
(DGLFLF) jointly organized the seminar "Teaching Approaches and
Didactic Tools for Plurilingualism" on April 15 and 16 [2005] in
Bucharest. This activity constituted a major in the series of actions
which this Direction has undertaken for the promotion of the
multilingual methods of language teaching.

The work programme of the seminar included, on the one hand, sessions
of presentation of the various methods of teaching intended mainly for
the professors of languages and in on the other, included a debate and
space for reflection with specialists invited on the problems related
to integration of these approaches in the linguistic trainings.

Thus the presentation of six currently developed methods was the
subject of the first part of the program: Ariadna/Minerva, EuroComRom,
Eurom4, Galanet aiming at the simultaneous training of more than one
language by exploiting the relationship among the Romance languages;
Evlang/Portal of the Romance Languages and Itineraries seeking to
develop multilingual competencies through early awareness of
linguistic diversity.

Under the coordination of the representatives of the Latin Union and
French Institute of Bucharest, a roundtable entitled "the integration
of the approaches and tools in planning for training" supplemented
this work, allowing the various specialists, researchers and
educational project managers to exchange viewa on this topic.

More than 200 professors of languages came from various regions of
Romania and teaching within very diverse frameworks from pre-school to
university took an active part in the sessions of work. A space for
exchanges between professors, researchers and institutional directors
was created at this meeting, which will open certainly new prospects
for training in plurilingualism.



Séminaire « Approches pédagogiques et outils didactiques pour le
plurilinguisme »

15/04/2005 — 16/04/2005

Institut français (Bucureşti , România)



La Direction de la promotion et de l'enseignement de langues de
l'Union latine et l'Institut français de Bucarest, avec le soutien de
la Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France
(DGLFLF) ont organisé conjointement le Séminaire « Approches
pédagogiques et outils didactiques pour le plurilinguisme » ayant eu
lieu les 15 et 16 avril à Bucarest. Cette activité a constitué un
temps fort dans la série d'actions que met en place cette Direction
quant à la promotion des méthodes multilingues d'enseignement des langues.

Le programme d'activités du séminaire a proposé, d'une part, des
sessions de présentation des différentes méthodes d'enseignement
destinées principalement aux professeurs de langues et, par ailleurs,
a inclus un espace de réflexion et de débat avec les spécialistes
invités sur les problèmes liés à l'intégration de ces approches dans
les formations linguistiques.

Ainsi la présentation de six méthodes actuellement développées a fait
l'objet de la première partie du programme : Ariadna/Minerva,
EuroComRom, Eurom4, Galanet visant l'apprentissage simultané de plus
d'une langue en exploitant la parenté entre les langues romanes ;
Evlang/Portail des langues et Itinéraires Romans cherchant à
développer les compétences multilingues à travers la sensibilisation
précoce à la diversité linguistique.

Sous la coordination des représentants de l'Union latine et de
l'Institut français de Bucarest, une table-ronde intitulée «
L'intégration des approches et des outils dans les dispositifs de
formation » a complété les travaux, permettant aux différents
spécialistes, chercheurs et responsables de projets éducatifs
d'échanger sur ce thème.

Plus de 200 professeurs de langues venus de différentes régions de la
Roumanie et enseignant dans des cadres très divers allant du
préscolaire à l'universitaire ont participé activement aux sessions de
travail. Un espace d'échanges entre professeurs, chercheurs et
responsables institutionnels s'est créé à l'occasion de cette
rencontre qui ouvrira certainement de nouvelles perspectives pour la
formation au plurilinguisme.

Hi All,
I am a new member; my name is Mark Langenfeld. I am a senior in high
school and I am doing a paper on literacy in America. Your feedback and
opinions will be greatly appreciated and will assist in the writing of
my paper. Thank you very much.
sincerely
Mark

Hi Don,
My questions are-
1 is literacy declining or increasing in our country?
2. what is contributing to/causing the
decline/increase?
3. What other social or economic factors is the
decline linked to?
4. what can we do to change or improve the situation?
Thanks
Bye
sincerely
Mark L.

--- Don Osborn <dzo@...> wrote:

> Hi Mark, and welcome. Do you have more specific
> questions on the topic
> of literacy in the US? It might get more responses
> from readers to
> list a few key questions that you have begun to
> think about on this
> topic.  Just a suggestion.
>
> Also, if you had an attachment to your letter it was
> removed, since
> the group setting is not to allow attachments. If
> this is the case,
> there are two ways around this:
> 1) You can upload a file to the "Files" section of
> the group homepage
> at
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Multilingual_Literacy/
> (look on the
> left hand sidebar), and then let the group know it's
> there; or
> 2) Ask folks to write you if they're interested in
> reviewing your
> draft paper and then send it to those who reply.
> ... or both.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Don Osborn
>
>
> --- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com,
> "Andalite200"
> <andalite200@y...> wrote:
> >
> > Hi All,
> > I am a new member; my name is Mark Langenfeld. I
> am a senior in high
> > school and I am doing a paper on literacy in
> America. Your feedback and
> > opinions will be greatly appreciated and will
> assist in the writing of
> > my paper. Thank you very much.
> > sincerely
> > Mark
> >
>
>
>
>
>


Every moment is a new chance.
Swami Vivekananda




__________________________________
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005
http://mail.yahoo.com

Dear All,
When I read Mark's initial posting I was very impressed that a young scholar is
so focused on turning in a good piece of assignment and intelligent enough to
think of exploring the intellectual resource pool that this forum places at
their disposal.
As a teacher and having thought more about things, I think we need to be
cautious and ensure that in rendering assistance to Mark and others like him who
may approach us in future we do not collaborate in producing work that does not
exactly reflect the students' aptitude. In other words, there's an ethical issue
here to bear in mind.
Regards,
'tope





> Message Received: Oct 18 2005, 06:09 PM
> From: "Mark Langenfeld"
> To: "Don Osborn"
> Cc:
> Subject: [M_L] Re: LITERACY PAPER
>
> Hi Don,
> My questions are-
> 1 is literacy declining or increasing in our country?
> 2. what is contributing to/causing the
> decline/increase?
> 3. What other social or economic factors is the
> decline linked to?
> 4. what can we do to change or improve the situation?
> Thanks
> Bye
> sincerely
> Mark L.
>
> --- Don Osborn wrote:
>
> > Hi Mark, and welcome. Do you have more specific
> > questions on the topic
> > of literacy in the US? It might get more responses
> > from readers to
> > list a few key questions that you have begun to
> > think about on this
> > topic. Just a suggestion.
> >
> > Also, if you had an attachment to your letter it was
> > removed, since
> > the group setting is not to allow attachments. If
> > this is the case,
> > there are two ways around this:
> > 1) You can upload a file to the "Files" section of
> > the group homepage
> > at
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Multilingual_Literacy/
> > (look on the
> > left hand sidebar), and then let the group know it's
> > there; or
> > 2) Ask folks to write you if they're interested in
> > reviewing your
> > draft paper and then send it to those who reply.
> > ... or both.
> >
> > Hope this helps.
> >
> > Don Osborn
> >
> >
> > --- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com,
> > "Andalite200"
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi All,
> > > I am a new member; my name is Mark Langenfeld. I
> > am a senior in high
> > > school and I am doing a paper on literacy in
> > America. Your feedback and
> > > opinions will be greatly appreciated and will
> > assist in the writing of
> > > my paper. Thank you very much.
> > > sincerely
> > > Mark
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> Every moment is a new chance.
> Swami Vivekananda
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mark, Sorry for the slow reply. I guess I'll take a shot at your
questions (and if there are any ethical issues in what I offer, I hope
Tope will clarify)...

--- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, Mark Langenfeld
<dzo@b...> wrote:
>
> Hi Don,
> My questions are-
> 1 is literacy declining or increasing in our country?

It seems there are divergent opinions. Although I have not personally
kept up with the debates, some apparently think that people are
reading less, and others that this is not the case. If you do some web
searches, you may find articles either way, I think.

It may be useful before you go too far with your paper to settle on a
definition for literacy. Even if you limit yourself to some
traditional definition of skills in reading and writing, there are
different measures.

Also, there is increasing talk of other kinds of literacy, such as
computer and media literacy.

THis may sound like a cop-out, but maybe literacy and literacy levels
are changing, with some different trends coexisting.

> 2. what is contributing to/causing the
> decline/increase?

Years ago, a lot of people said that TV was the source of a decline in
reading and literacy (and all sorts of problems). Not sure if anything
ever was proven, but these days you'll hear similar things said about
computers.

There are also some debates about approaches to teaching literacy in
elementary schools. In the US discussion about "whole language" and
"intensive phonics" etc. has become politicized.

> 3. What other social or economic factors is the
> decline linked to?

Poor families can't afford to spend much on books. Libraries are often
seeing their budgets cut.

> 4. what can we do to change or improve the situation?

Here you will see a lot of opinions and prescriptions. You may find
that there are alternatives that each seem to make sense in different
ways, and perhaps your conclusion might be a little open-ended. Just
my thought.

> Thanks
> Bye
> sincerely
> Mark L.

Hope this helps. Perhaps others can offer some more or better guidelines.

Don

> --- Don Osborn <dzo@b...> wrote:
>
> > Hi Mark, and welcome. Do you have more specific
> > questions on the topic
> > of literacy in the US? It might get more responses
> > from readers to
> > list a few key questions that you have begun to
> > think about on this
> > topic.  Just a suggestion.
> >
> > Also, if you had an attachment to your letter it was
> > removed, since
> > the group setting is not to allow attachments. If
> > this is the case,
> > there are two ways around this:
> > 1) You can upload a file to the "Files" section of
> > the group homepage
> > at
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Multilingual_Literacy/
> > (look on the
> > left hand sidebar), and then let the group know it's
> > there; or
> > 2) Ask folks to write you if they're interested in
> > reviewing your
> > draft paper and then send it to those who reply.
> > ... or both.
> >
> > Hope this helps.
> >
> > Don Osborn
> >
> >
> > --- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com,
> > "Andalite200"
> > <andalite200@y...> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi All,
> > > I am a new member; my name is Mark Langenfeld. I
> > am a senior in high
> > > school and I am doing a paper on literacy in
> > America. Your feedback and
> > > opinions will be greatly appreciated and will
> > assist in the writing of
> > > my paper. Thank you very much.
> > > sincerely
> > > Mark
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> Every moment is a new chance.
> Swami Vivekananda
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...   DZO


Date: 20-Sep-2005
From: Kathryn King <marketing@...>
Subject: Language and Aging in Multilingual Contexts: De Bot, Makoni

Title: Language and Aging in Multilingual Contexts
Series Title: Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
Published: 2005
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
                 http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Author: Kees De Bot, University of Groningen
Author: Sinfree Makoni, Pennsylvania State University
Hardback: ISBN: 1853598410 Pages: 168 Price: U.S. $ 99.95
Hardback: ISBN: 1853598410 Pages: 168 Price: U.K. £ 49.95
Paperback: ISBN: 1853598402 Pages: 168 Price: U.S. $ 39.95
Paperback: ISBN: 1853598402 Pages: 168 Price: U.K. £ 19.95
Abstract:

In this book different aspects of language and aging are discussed.
While language spoken by and language spoken with elderly people have
been treated as different areas of research, it is argued here that
from a dynamical system perspective the two are closely interrelated.
In addition to overviews of research on language and aging, a number
of projects on this topic in multilingual settings are presented.

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Written In: English (eng )

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=16497

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 20-Sep-2005
From: Elizabeth Gangeri <Elizabeth.Gangeri@...>
Subject: Teaching the Dimensions of Literacy: Kucer, Silva

Title: Teaching the Dimensions of Literacy
Published: 2006
Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
                 http://www.erlbaum.com/

Author: Stephen B. Kucer, Washington State University
Author: Cecilia Silva, Texas Christian University
Paperback: ISBN: 0805850201 Pages: 424 Price: U.S. $ 49.95
Abstract:

"Teaching the Dimensions of Literacy" provides the conceptual
knowledge to support teachers' instructional decisions in the
reading/literacy classroom and features a multitude of instructional
strategy lessons for classroom use with both monolingual and bilingual
students. Its premise is that literacy comprises four
dimensions--linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural, and developmental.
In the debate over literacy instruction, and in many reading/literacy
methods texts, one dimension tends to be privileged and the others
ignored. In this text, the teaching and learning of all four
dimensions of literacy are acknowledged and addressed. The four
dimensions provide a coherent conceptual framework within which
instructional strategy lessons are identified, synthesized, organized,
and presented--demonstrating how the complex nature of literacy can be
addressed within a classroom setting.

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics

Written In: English (eng )

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=16516

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 20-Sep-2005
From: Elizabeth Gangeri <Elizabeth.Gangeri@...>
Subject: Language, Literacy, and Power in Schooling: McCarty (Ed)

Title: Language, Literacy, and Power in Schooling
Published: 2005
Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
                 http://www.erlbaum.com/

Editor: Teresa L. McCarty, Arizona State University
Hardback: ISBN: 0805846468 Pages: 344 Price: U.S. $ 89.95
Paperback: ISBN: 0805846476 Pages: 344 Price: U.S. $ 34.50
Abstract:

"Language, Literacy, and Power in Schooling" brings critical
ethnographic perspectives to bear on language, literacy, and power in
culturally and linguistically diverse contexts, showing how literacy
and schooling are negotiated by children and adults and how schooling
becomes a key site of struggle over whose knowledge, discourses, and
literacy practices "count."

Above all, this is a book oriented toward social action. Unpacking the
complexity of literacy practices and experiences in diverse settings,
the authors seek not only to build new knowledge, but to inform and
transform the pedagogies and policies that limit human potentials. The
chapters in this volume have much to teach us about the roots of
inequality and the possibilities for positive change. Together, they
highlight the urgent need for critical literacy researchers to engage
politically, confronting education policies that deny the rich
multiplicity of human literacies, thereby carving ever-deeper
cleavages between those with and without access to literacies of power.

The dual focus on language and literacy with critical-ethnographic
accounts of identity and schooling speaks to a growing constituency of
scholars and practitioners concerned with the role of literacy and
discourse in alternatively affirming or negating knowledge, power, and
identity, both within and outside of schools.

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                             Discourse Analysis
                             Sociolinguistics

Written In: English (eng )

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=16536

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 20-Sep-2005
From: Elizabeth Gangeri <Elizabeth.Gangeri@...>
Subject: Understanding Literacy Development: McKeough et al (Eds)

Title: Understanding Literacy Development
Subtitle: A Global View
Published: 2006
Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
                 http://www.erlbaum.com/

Editor: Anne McKeough, University of Calgary, Canada
Editor: Linda M. Phillips, University of Alberta
Editor: Vianne Timmons, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada
Editor: Judy Lee Lupart, University of Alberta
Hardback: ISBN: 0805851151 Pages: 248 Price: U.S. $ 79.95
Paperback: ISBN: 080585116X Pages: 248 Price: U.S. $ 27.50
Abstract:

"Understanding Literacy Development: A Global View" brings together
leading experts from around the world to explore ways to best provide
teaching and learning opportunities, tailored to specific educational
needs, to help all children become better readers.

The premise is that current generic "one-size-fits-all" approaches are
inappropriate for many children and can lead to underachievement and
failure. The contributors write from a stance that reflects not only
their own particular expertise and experience, but also sheds light on
literacy development across cultures, countries, and circumstances.
Taken together, the chapters target a wide and comprehensive set of
literacy issues, and offer an extensive exploration of the
complexities of literacy development, including issues related to
early literacy, school instruction, family literacy, adolescent and
adult literacy, and teacher development.

This volume is an invaluable tool for scholars, teacher educators,
professionals and graduate students in the fields of literacy
education, early childhood education, educational psychology,
educational policy, and related areas.

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics

Written In: English (eng )

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=16518

FYI. Note, among other things, mention of maternal language literacy
and "transition" to languages of wider communication (LWCs - note, the
release does not use this term, which I add for search purposes),
which implies some sort of multilingual literacy. (This UNESCO release
copied from the OneWorld site at
http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/121934/1/ )... DZO


Literacy: a right still denied to nearly one fifth of the world's
adult population
UNESCO Press Release
09 November 2005

`Government and donor countries are curtailing progress towards
Education for ALL ( EFA) – and broader poverty reduction - by
according only marginal attention to the 771 million adults living
without basis literacy skills,' says the fourth edition of the EFA
Global Monitoring report, Literacy for Life'.

`The powerful links that exist between adult literacy and better
health, higher income, more active citizenship and children's
education should act as strong incentives for governments and donors
to be much more proactive in addressing the literacy deficit,' says
UNESCO's Director-General Koichiro Matsuura at the launch of the
report in New Delhi on November 9, 2005.

According to the report, three quarters of the worlds adult
illiterates live in 12 countries.

South and West Asia has the lowest adult literacy rate in this region
(58.6%), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (59.7%), and the Arab states
(62.7%). Countries with the lowest adult literacy rates in the world
are Burkina Faso (12.8%), Niger (14.4) and Mali (19%).

Reflecting deep seated gender inequalities in many societies, women
account for 64% of the adults worldwide who cannot read or write with
understanding. This figure is virtually unchanged from 63% in 1990.

Among the 163 countries for which data was available in 2002, 47 have
achieved Universal Primary Education (UPE). Projections show that only
twenty additional countries are likely to achieve UPE by 2015.

The relative neglect of adult literacy programmes stems from the
global drive to expand universal primary education. There is a
widespread belief that investing in primary-level education is more
cost effective. Recent studies, however, find that the cost of
educating an adult is on par with that of a primary school child
(US$50), and that such spending has a positive effect on individual
earnings and economic growth.

The report calls for dramatic scaling of youth and adult literacy
programmes, requiring more domestic resources and improved status of
literacy educators. It also points out that programmes that provide
initial learning in the mother tongue are pedagogically sound but must
allow for a transition to more widely used regional or national languages.

According to a survey conducted by the report, while there is
increased backing for the UPE, literacy is not high on the agenda of
bilateral donors. However, accelerating progress towards Education for
All needs the commitment and backing of national and international
players.

Bilateral aid to basic education almost trebled between 1998 and 2003,
but still accounts for less than 2% of the total Official Development
Assistance (ODA). Overall, nearly 60% of bilateral commitments for
education are still for the post-secondary levels, and this doubles
the allocations for basic education.

Assuming that the share of funding that goes to basic education
remains constant, the increased overall aid flows pledged at the G8
Summit in Gleneagles in July 2005 could by 2010 result in an annual
total of only US$ 3.3 billion for basic education, still far short of
the $7 billion estimated necessary to achieve the UPE and the gender
goals alone.

--

An interesting article on diverse aspects of planning and implementing
multilingual education in "tribal" parts of India can be read at
http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/120472/1/ . The
beginning of the article (which is a little long to send out on the
list) is copied below.  DZO


Development of multilingual education to empower tribal minorities
Mark Penny and Pamela MacKenzie
14 October 2005

"Development of educational material in the local languages must also
take off at the local level. The communities themselves need to be
involved in the process. If the community is not involved, the success
of the programme is at stake, and sustainability is questionable."

Why does India need multilingual education programmes?

Multilingualism is a way of life in India but its complexity generates
an enormous challenge for education, particularly in India's remote
tribal regions where the languages spoken are different from the
languages used in schools. The education provided is often
inappropriate for, and even hostile to indigenous minority groups,
"creating a barrier to learning achievement" (Shaeffer, 2003). In
order to provide quality education, which takes into consideration the
needs of tribal children as learners, it is generally now agreed that
the linguistic and cultural heritage must be acknowledged and used
(UNESCO 2002). Even though the Constitution of India makes provision
for this (1) and the recently published National Curriculum Framework
for School Education (NCERT, 2005) strongly upholds the need for
teaching in the mother tongue and the use of local knowledge in the
curriculum, education is generally conducted in the major state
languages. Teachers rarely speak the community language, or appreciate
the children's traditional culture and as they are not trained in
second language learning methods, children are taught in the state
medium of instruction as if they are first language speakers (Seel,
2004). Tribal children, who are not familiar with the language of
instruction, or with the dominant culture, are at a disadvantage from
the start and the drop out rate in some areas is high (up to 75 per
cent). Where members of the tribal community are trained as teachers,
the ability to understand both languages can assist in comprehension,
but the curriculum is often too "dense" (interview with teachers,
Adilibad District, AP, November 2003). Few tribal languages have been
scripted, and therefore written literature and curricula have never
been developed. Where tribal languages are being used in the
curriculum, the content is generally a translation of the state
curriculum rather than being based in local culture and knowledge
(Jhingran 2004).

While it is essential to know the state and national languages, to do
so at the exclusion of the mother tongue is not only causal in the
demise of tribal languages and cultures, but also creates a crisis in
tribal children's sense of identity and self-worth (UNESCO, 2002;
Malone, 2003). There is, however, a growing interest in developing
multilingual education programmes (MLE) using tribal languages and
local culture, particularly in the initial stages of education,
gradually moving to regional and national languages. The
recommendation to develop MLE is based on a large body of research,
which clearly demonstrates the importance of building a strong
educational foundation in a child's first language if they are to be
successful in education in the second and additional languages
(UNESCO, 2002; Cummins; Jhingran, 2004; Malone, 2003). It is also well
understood that a child learns to read and write more easily and
develops a stronger conceptual framework in a familiar language. The
skills and knowledge learned in the mother tongue can be transferred
as the medium of instruction changes, strengthening the child's
ability and achievement.

...
[for rest of article, go to the page indicated above]

This inquiry may be of interest and perhaps some could respond. It was  posted
to the Linguist list (and I've been slow to catch up with that mail, hence the
2 month delay).

Don Osborn


Date: 19-Sep-2005
From: Christopher Lapinig <christopher.lapinig@...>
Subject: Language Policy and Education in the Philippines

I am very interested in the effects of language policy in multilingual societies
on the efficacy of education. Most specifically, I am curious to find out how
the Filipino-English bilingual policy employed in the Philippines affects the
learning of those schoolchildren for whom neither English nor Filipino/Tagalog
is their first language or at least language spoken at home. I am also
interested in possible comparative studies paralleling the education experience
found in the Philippines as opposed to that found in bilingual settings in the
United States and other multilingual countries like India.

I have found some literature on the effects of bi-/multilingual language policy
in the Philippines by Smolicz, both in the International Review of Education
and the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, but his
studies surveyed only high school age children on their attitudes towards the
use of the vernacular, Filipino, and English. I am more interested in numerical
data investigating the success rate of schoolchildren based on linguistic
background -- are Tagalog students, for example, more successful at learning
mathematics and social sciences because it is taught in their native tongue?
The answer should be intuitive, I suppose, but I was curious to find out if any
studies have been done with this methodology and purpose.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Much thanks in advance,

Christopher Lapinig

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                             Sociolinguistics

Hi Christopher,
You may find this useful:
Kaplan, R. B. and Baldauf, R. B., Jr. (1999) Language Planning in Malawi,
Mozambique and the Philippines. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.  171 pp. ISBN
1-85359-444-X
This volume covers the language situation in Malawi, Mozambique and the
Philippines explaining the linguistic diversity, the historical and political
contexts and the current situation, including language-in-education planning,
the role of the media, the role of religion, and the roles of non-indigenous
languages.
Sincerely,
'tope





> Message Received: Nov 13 2005, 06:41 PM
> From: "Donald Z. Osborn"
> To: Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, multied-l@...
> Cc: "Christopher Lapinig"
> Subject: [M_L] Fwd: Language Policy & Education in the Philippines
>
> This inquiry may be of interest and perhaps some could respond. It was posted
> to the Linguist list (and I've been slow to catch up with that mail, hence the
> 2 month delay).
>
> Don Osborn
>
>
> Date: 19-Sep-2005
> From: Christopher Lapinig
> Subject: Language Policy and Education in the Philippines
>
> I am very interested in the effects of language policy in multilingual
societies
> on the efficacy of education. Most specifically, I am curious to find out how
> the Filipino-English bilingual policy employed in the Philippines affects the
> learning of those schoolchildren for whom neither English nor Filipino/Tagalog
> is their first language or at least language spoken at home. I am also
> interested in possible comparative studies paralleling the education
experience
> found in the Philippines as opposed to that found in bilingual settings in the
> United States and other multilingual countries like India.
>
> I have found some literature on the effects of bi-/multilingual language
policy
> in the Philippines by Smolicz, both in the International Review of Education
> and the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, but his
> studies surveyed only high school age children on their attitudes towards the
> use of the vernacular, Filipino, and English. I am more interested in
numerical
> data investigating the success rate of schoolchildren based on linguistic
> background -- are Tagalog students, for example, more successful at learning
> mathematics and social sciences because it is taught in their native tongue?
> The answer should be intuitive, I suppose, but I was curious to find out if
any
> studies have been done with this methodology and purpose.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Much thanks in advance,
>
> Christopher Lapinig
>
> Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
> Sociolinguistics
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

FYI. No idea if literacy and education are considered in this edited
volume from France. However it may be of interest to some who read
French. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 19-Oct-2005
From: Sylvie Dupaux <presses-ufc@...>
Subject: Multiculturalisme, multilinguisme et milieu urbain: Paulin

Title: Multiculturalisme, multilinguisme et milieu urbain
Publication Year: 2005
Publisher: Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté
http://presses-ufc@univ-fcomte.fr

Book URL: http://presses-ufc.univ-fcomte.fr

Author: Catherine Paulin, Université de Franche-Comté

Paperback: ISBN: 2848670940 Pages: 286 Price: Europe EURO 32.00

Abstract:

The fifteen papers collected in this book provide the reader with a
linguistic and social analysis of the phenomena that take place when
different languages are in contact. The changes that occur in
multicultural and multilingual societies are tackled in macro and
micro perspectives.


Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Written In: French (fra)

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=16980

FYI, another mainly sociolinguistic work, but one that may have some
interesting perspectives on the contexts of multilingual education and
literacy in Morocco. (Fwd from the Linguist list).... DZO


Date: 19-Oct-2005
From: Jasper de Vaal <jasper.devaal@...>
Subject: Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco:
Ennaji

Title: Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco
Published: 2005
Publisher: Springer
                 http://www.springeronline.com

Author: Moha Ennaji, University of Fés, Morocco
Hardback: ISBN: 0387239790 Pages: 263 Price: Europe EURO 86.95
Hardback: ISBN: 0387239790 Pages: 263 Price: U.S. $ 109.00
Hardback: ISBN: 0387239790 Pages: 263 Price: U.K. £ 67.00
Abstract:

This book shows how colonial and postcolonial forces have worked to
reconstruct the national identity of Morocco, and North Africa in
general, on the basis of cultural representations and ideological
constructions closely related to nationalist and ethno linguistic trends.

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Written In: English (eng )

See this book announcement on our website:
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=17007

FYI (fwd from Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 20-Oct-2005
From: Kathryn King <marketingmultilingual-matters.com>
Subject: Current Issues in Language Planning Vol 5, No 3 (2004)


Publisher: Multilingual Matters
http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Journal Title: Current Issues in Language Planning
Volume Number: 5
Issue Number: 3
Issue Date: 2004


Main Text:

Vol 5: 3, 2004

Efurosibina Adegbija: Language Policy and Planning in Nigeria

Arturo Tosi: The Language Situation in Italy

Book Review

Multilingualism: A Nigerian Case Study


Linguistic Field(s): English
                             Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): None ()

FYI. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...  DZO


Date: 20-Oct-2005
From: Kathryn King <marketing@...>
Subject: Language Culture & Curriculum Vol 18, No 2 (2005)

Publisher: Multilingual Matters
http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Journal Title: Language Culture & Curriculum
Volume Number: 18
Issue Number: 2
Issue Date: 2005

Main Text:

STEVE PICKFORD: Emerging Pedagogies of Linguistic and Cultural
Continuity in Papua New Guinea

SHIREEN PAVRI: "Me Amo Leer" Reading Experiences in a Central Illinois
Summer Migrant Education Program

GAIL McEACHRON: Language Support for Immigrant Children: A Study of
State Schools in the UK and US

GEORGIA ANDREOU: Greek as a Foreign Language for Speakers of Arabic: A
Study of Medical Students at the University of Thessaly

RIA MCDONALD: The Monitor Hypothesis and English Teachers in Botswana:
Problems, Varieties and Implication for Language Teachers Education

KASSIM SHAABAN: A Proposed Framework for Incorporating Moral Education
into the ESL/EFL Classroom

Book Reviews

REMI SONAIYA
Learner Autonomy Across Cultures: Languages Education Perspectives by
David
Palfreyman and Richard C Smith

EVA NÚNEZ MÉNDEZ
Spain 1812-2004: Modern History for Modern Languages by Christopher Ross

EOGHAN MAC AOGÁIN
Corpus Linguistics by Geoffrey Sampson and Diana McCarthy Lexicology
and Corpus
Linguistics by M A K Halliday, Wolfgang Teubert, Colin Yappop and Anna
Cermakova


Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
"subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than the old
monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...
   DZO


Date: 25-Oct-2005
From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@...>
Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two approaches

Institution: University of Reading
Program: Institute of Education
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2003

Author: Maggie Canvin

Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of
two approaches

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                             Sociolinguistics

Dissertation Director:
Naz Rassool
Keith Watson

Dissertation Abstract:

Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in formal
education are of great importance to education policy makers in
developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in studies
of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
linguistic diversity and its implications for education, together with
political concerns about language and resultant government language
policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These countries
are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in their
school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative pedagogy.
This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the Pédagogie
Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional French
approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic research
methods, including classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires
and various recording techniques.

The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to deliver a
better education for Mali because students pass through the system
more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better educational
experience. But it argues that there are factors other than language
and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.

Don,

That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie convergente" as
practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-exit, but not
the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender (World Bank
researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.

Barbara Trudell
Nairobi, Kenya





              "Don Osborn"
              <dzo@...
              >                                                          To
              Sent by:                  Multilingual_Literacy@...
              Multilingual_Lite         om
              racy@yahoogroups.                                          cc
              com
                                                                    Subject
                                        [M_L] "Language & Education in
              11/24/2005 08:18          Mali" (dissertation)
              PM


              Please respond to
              Multilingual_Lite
              racy@yahoogroups.
                     com






FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
"subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than the old
monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...
   DZO


Date: 25-Oct-2005
From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@...>
Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two approaches

Institution: University of Reading
Program: Institute of Education
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2003

Author: Maggie Canvin

Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of
two approaches

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                             Sociolinguistics

Dissertation Director:
Naz Rassool
Keith Watson

Dissertation Abstract:

Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in formal
education are of great importance to education policy makers in
developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in studies
of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
linguistic diversity and its implications for education, together with
political concerns about language and resultant government language
policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These countries
are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in their
school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative pedagogy.
This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the Pédagogie
Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional French
approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic research
methods, including classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires
and various recording techniques.

The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to deliver a
better education for Mali because students pass through the system
more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better educational
experience. But it argues that there are factors other than language
and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.









Yahoo! Groups Links

Thanks, Barbara. My understanding may be simplistic, or simply erroneous, but I
thought that "transitional" was pretty much the same as "subtractive" in that
education in L1 is used primarily as a way to get students into an L2 system.
Which as you know is not to say that L2 (a "language of wider communication" or
LWC, in this case, French) is not important, but that the de-emphasis on L1s
after a certain point relegates them to a temporary role in learning.

Is it more accurate to say that "transitional" is somewhere between "subtactive"
and "additive" bilingual, and if so what are the defining differences between
transitional and subtractive bilingual approaches?

Thanks again and for cc'ing other experts on this.

Don Osborn



Quoting barbara_trudell@...:

> Don,
>
> That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie convergente" as
> practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-exit, but not
> the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender (World Bank
> researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.
>
> Barbara Trudell
> Nairobi, Kenya
>
>
>
>
>
>              "Don Osborn"
>              <dzo@...
>              >                                                          To
>              Sent by:                  Multilingual_Literacy@...
>              Multilingual_Lite         om
>              racy@yahoogroups.                                          cc
>              com
>                                                                    Subject
>                                        [M_L] "Language & Education in
>              11/24/2005 08:18          Mali" (dissertation)
>              PM
>
>
>              Please respond to
>              Multilingual_Lite
>              racy@yahoogroups.
>                     com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
> "subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than the old
> monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...
>   DZO
>
>
> Date: 25-Oct-2005
> From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@...>
> Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two approaches
>
> Institution: University of Reading
> Program: Institute of Education
> Dissertation Status: Completed
> Degree Date: 2003
>
> Author: Maggie Canvin
>
> Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of
> two approaches
>
> Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
>                             Sociolinguistics
>
> Dissertation Director:
> Naz Rassool
> Keith Watson
>
> Dissertation Abstract:
>
> Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in formal
> education are of great importance to education policy makers in
> developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in studies
> of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
> linguistic diversity and its implications for education, together with
> political concerns about language and resultant government language
> policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
> linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These countries
> are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in their
> school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
> introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
> education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
> combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative pedagogy.
> This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
> language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the Pédagogie
> Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional French
> approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
> focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
> complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic research
> methods, including classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires
> and various recording techniques.
>
> The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to deliver a
> better education for Mali because students pass through the system
> more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better educational
> experience. But it argues that there are factors other than language
> and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
> evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Dear all,
Is it possible that our problem arises out of a mixing of paradigms?
Subtractive/additive distinctions in my opinion belong to the bilingualism
processes of acquisition while 'transition' in relation to school has to do with
the administration of bilingual education policies. One is not saying that
bilingualism and bilingual education are totally independent and exclusive
concepts but that for the purposes of analysis, it may help to separate them.
For instance, from the point of view of language policy and planning, the
confinement of indigenous languages to early childhood education and the
transition to LWCs in later education ideologically advantages the latter in
terms of their status within the nation-state. In contrast, subtractive/additive
bilingualism seems to me localised and describes the individual's language
skill/experience and does not explicitly seek to convey any grand ideological
statement about policy at least not directly. Having said that, I must quickly
add that a micro-language planning perspective that addresses
subtractive/additive patterns among a group of bilinguals may be no less
ideological in focus. What this boils down to in essence is that it is necessary
to state clearly what framework one is operating within.    Sorry if I've
created more confusion.
'tope





> Message Received: Nov 25 2005, 09:06 AM
> From: "Donald Z. Osborn"
> To: Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, barbara_trudell@...
> Cc: maggie_canvin@..., penelopebender@...
> Subject: Re: [M_L] "Language & Education in Mali" (dissertation)
>
> Thanks, Barbara. My understanding may be simplistic, or simply erroneous, but
I
> thought that "transitional" was pretty much the same as "subtractive" in that
> education in L1 is used primarily as a way to get students into an L2 system.
> Which as you know is not to say that L2 (a "language of wider communication"
or
> LWC, in this case, French) is not important, but that the de-emphasis on L1s
> after a certain point relegates them to a temporary role in learning.
>
> Is it more accurate to say that "transitional" is somewhere between
"subtactive"
> and "additive" bilingual, and if so what are the defining differences between
> transitional and subtractive bilingual approaches?
>
> Thanks again and for cc'ing other experts on this.
>
> Don Osborn
>
>
>
> Quoting barbara_trudell@...:
>
> > Don,
> >
> > That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie convergente" as
> > practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-exit, but not
> > the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender (World Bank
> > researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.
> >
> > Barbara Trudell
> > Nairobi, Kenya
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Don Osborn"
> > > > > To
> > Sent by: Multilingual_Literacy@...
> > Multilingual_Lite om
> > racy@yahoogroups. cc
> > com
> > Subject
> > [M_L] "Language & Education in
> > 11/24/2005 08:18 Mali" (dissertation)
> > PM
> >
> >
> > Please respond to
> > Multilingual_Lite
> > racy@yahoogroups.
> > com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
> > "subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than the old
> > monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...
> > DZO
> >
> >
> > Date: 25-Oct-2005
> > From: Maggie Canvin
> > Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two approaches
> >
> > Institution: University of Reading
> > Program: Institute of Education
> > Dissertation Status: Completed
> > Degree Date: 2003
> >
> > Author: Maggie Canvin
> >
> > Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of
> > two approaches
> >
> > Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
> > Sociolinguistics
> >
> > Dissertation Director:
> > Naz Rassool
> > Keith Watson
> >
> > Dissertation Abstract:
> >
> > Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in formal
> > education are of great importance to education policy makers in
> > developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in studies
> > of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
> > linguistic diversity and its implications for education, together with
> > political concerns about language and resultant government language
> > policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
> > linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These countries
> > are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in their
> > school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
> > introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
> > education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
> > combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative pedagogy.
> > This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
> > language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the Pédagogie
> > Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional French
> > approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
> > focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
> > complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic research
> > methods, including classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires
> > and various recording techniques.
> >
> > The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to deliver a
> > better education for Mali because students pass through the system
> > more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better educational
> > experience. But it argues that there are factors other than language
> > and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
> > evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Don - according to a stock-taking document on research in MT education and
B.E. in Africa currently being put together by the UN, subtractive and
transitional models are not the same.  I quote:
       "The language policy of teaching through the medium of French from

       the beginning of primary school (the subtractive model) implemented

       in the schools in Francophone Africa, is bound to produce negative

       results.  In fact, this policy ignores the basic findings of second

       language and foreign language acquisition and bilingual education in

       multilingual settings, as shown by Cummins (1984), Alidou and Jung

       (2002).  From a pedagogical standpoint, it is far better to teach

       children in their mother tongue or in a language they already know

       upon entering school."



       Transitional models have as their goal the eventual move of medium of

       instruction from L1 to L2 - early exit being in grades 1-3, late-exit

       being at the end of primary or even later.



       Thanks,

       Barbara








              "Donald Z.
              Osborn"
              <dzo@...                                          To
              >                         Multilingual_Literacy@...
                                        om, barbara_trudell@...
              11/25/2005 12:05                                           cc
              PM                        maggie_canvin@...,
                                        penelopebender@...
                                                                    Subject
                                        Re: [M_L] "Language & Education in
                                        Mali" (dissertation)










Thanks, Barbara. My understanding may be simplistic, or simply erroneous,
but I
thought that "transitional" was pretty much the same as "subtractive" in
that
education in L1 is used primarily as a way to get students into an L2
system.
Which as you know is not to say that L2 (a "language of wider
communication" or
LWC, in this case, French) is not important, but that the de-emphasis on
L1s
after a certain point relegates them to a temporary role in learning.

Is it more accurate to say that "transitional" is somewhere between
"subtactive"
and "additive" bilingual, and if so what are the defining differences
between
transitional and subtractive bilingual approaches?

Thanks again and for cc'ing other experts on this.

Don Osborn



Quoting barbara_trudell@...:

> Don,
>
> That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie convergente"
as
> practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-exit, but not
> the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender (World Bank
> researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.
>
> Barbara Trudell
> Nairobi, Kenya
>
>
>
>
>

>              "Don Osborn"

>              <dzo@...

>              >
To
>              Sent by:
Multilingual_Literacy@...
>              Multilingual_Lite         om

>              racy@yahoogroups.
cc
>              com

>
Subject
>                                        [M_L] "Language & Education in

>              11/24/2005 08:18          Mali" (dissertation)

>              PM

>

>

>              Please respond to

>              Multilingual_Lite

>              racy@yahoogroups.

>                     com

>

>

>
>
>
>
> FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
> "subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than the old
> monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...
>   DZO
>
>
> Date: 25-Oct-2005
> From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@...>
> Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two
approaches
>
> Institution: University of Reading
> Program: Institute of Education
> Dissertation Status: Completed
> Degree Date: 2003
>
> Author: Maggie Canvin
>
> Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of
> two approaches
>
> Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
>                             Sociolinguistics
>
> Dissertation Director:
> Naz Rassool
> Keith Watson
>
> Dissertation Abstract:
>
> Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in formal
> education are of great importance to education policy makers in
> developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in studies
> of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
> linguistic diversity and its implications for education, together with
> political concerns about language and resultant government language
> policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
> linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These countries
> are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in their
> school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
> introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
> education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
> combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative pedagogy.
> This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
> language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the Pédagogie
> Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional French
> approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
> focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
> complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic research
> methods, including classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires
> and various recording techniques.
>
> The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to deliver a
> better education for Mali because students pass through the system
> more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better educational
> experience. But it argues that there are factors other than language
> and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
> evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Hello to all,
I don't believe pedagogie convergente to be a subtractive model but
a form of transition which continues until the end of the 6th year,
therefore qualifying as 'late-exit'. The aim is functional
bilingualism in both the known language (I hesitate to say mother
tongue as this is not always true) and French. It is true that there
is little language maintenance after year 6 at present. The pattern
of language use is - year 1 teaching in MT, year 2 teaching in MT
with introduction of oral French, year 3 a greater emphasis on
French including written French, but still using the MT 50% of time,
year 4 25-50% MT teaching 50-75% French, year 5 50% MT teaching 50%
French, year 6 50% MT 50% French. All subjects are taught in both
languages (where materials are available). The languages are not
used in class at the same time (apart from giving clarification in
MT on French days) but on a day by day basis - one day French, one
day MT.

There have been various mutterings about continuing the use of
Malian languages into the second cycle but so far nothing has been
done. There has been a lot of work in the last few years on
curriculum change, particularly on year achievement goals and the
teaching of French. In recent classroom visits I noted Year 1 French
materials (posters) appearing although not used, so I believe they
are going to introduce oral French earlier than year 2.

The achievement rates (in French) at the end of year 6 exams remains
about 20% higher than the traditional French-only system throughout
Mali, with a few exceptions. There continue to be problems with Bozo
and Dogon (language variations) and with linguistic diversity issues
in the Mopti region, with the distribution of materials, with scarce
teacher resources, and with a lack of teachers for some languages.
The training issue appears to be resolving with the expansion of
the 'new curriculum' and I have heard many reports of increased
teacher training this year, some of which continued into the start
of the new school year. The new textbooks have finally begun to
arrive from France, some of them after an inexplicable wait of over
5 years. I have now seen years 1-4 in Bamanankan, and I have heard
that materials are now more available in some of the other
languages. There are also some new teacher resource materials
appearing, such as the pedagogical grammar of Songhay by Youssouf
Haidara.
Regards,
Maggie

--- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, barbara_trudell@s...
wrote:
>
> Don - according to a stock-taking document on research in MT
education and
> B.E. in Africa currently being put together by the UN, subtractive
and
> transitional models are not the same.  I quote:
>       "The language policy of teaching through the medium of
French from
>
>       the beginning of primary school (the subtractive model)
implemented
>
>       in the schools in Francophone Africa, is bound to produce
negative
>
>       results.  In fact, this policy ignores the basic findings of
second
>
>       language and foreign language acquisition and bilingual
education in
>
>       multilingual settings, as shown by Cummins (1984), Alidou
and Jung
>
>       (2002).  From a pedagogical standpoint, it is far better to
teach
>
>       children in their mother tongue or in a language they
already know
>
>       upon entering school."
>
>
>
>       Transitional models have as their goal the eventual move of
medium of
>
>       instruction from L1 to L2 - early exit being in grades 1-3,
late-exit
>
>       being at the end of primary or even later.
>
>
>
>       Thanks,
>
>       Barbara
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

>              "Donald
Z.
>
Osborn"
>              <dzo@b...                                          To
>              >                         Multilingual_Literacy@y...
>                                        om,
barbara_trudell@s...
>              11/25/2005
12:05                                           cc
>              PM
maggie_canvin@s...,
>
penelopebender@h...
>
Subject
>                                        Re: [M_L] "Language &
Education in
>                                        Mali"
(dissertation)
>

>

>

>

>

>

>
>
>
>
> Thanks, Barbara. My understanding may be simplistic, or simply
erroneous,
> but I
> thought that "transitional" was pretty much the same
as "subtractive" in
> that
> education in L1 is used primarily as a way to get students into an
L2
> system.
> Which as you know is not to say that L2 (a "language of wider
> communication" or
> LWC, in this case, French) is not important, but that the de-
emphasis on
> L1s
> after a certain point relegates them to a temporary role in
learning.
>
> Is it more accurate to say that "transitional" is somewhere between
> "subtactive"
> and "additive" bilingual, and if so what are the defining
differences
> between
> transitional and subtractive bilingual approaches?
>
> Thanks again and for cc'ing other experts on this.
>
> Don Osborn
>
>
>
> Quoting barbara_trudell@s...:
>
> > Don,
> >
> > That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie
convergente"
> as
> > practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-
exit, but not
> > the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender
(World Bank
> > researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.
> >
> > Barbara Trudell
> > Nairobi, Kenya
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> >              "Don Osborn"
>
> >              <dzo@b...
>
> >              >
> To
> >              Sent by:
> Multilingual_Literacy@y...
> >              Multilingual_Lite         om
>
> >              racy@yahoogroups.
> cc
> >              com
>
> >
> Subject
> >                                        [M_L] "Language &
Education in
>
> >              11/24/2005 08:18          Mali" (dissertation)
>
> >              PM
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >              Please respond to
>
> >              Multilingual_Lite
>
> >              racy@yahoogroups.
>
> >                     com
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
> > "subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than
the old
> > monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist
list)...
> >   DZO
> >
> >
> > Date: 25-Oct-2005
> > From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@s...>
> > Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two
> approaches
> >
> > Institution: University of Reading
> > Program: Institute of Education
> > Dissertation Status: Completed
> > Degree Date: 2003
> >
> > Author: Maggie Canvin
> >
> > Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A
consideration of
> > two approaches
> >
> > Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
> >                             Sociolinguistics
> >
> > Dissertation Director:
> > Naz Rassool
> > Keith Watson
> >
> > Dissertation Abstract:
> >
> > Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in
formal
> > education are of great importance to education policy makers in
> > developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in
studies
> > of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
> > linguistic diversity and its implications for education,
together with
> > political concerns about language and resultant government
language
> > policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
> > linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These
countries
> > are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in
their
> > school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
> > introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
> > education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
> > combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative
pedagogy.
> > This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
> > language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the
Pédagogie
> > Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional
French
> > approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
> > focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
> > complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic
research
> > methods, including classroom observations, interviews,
questionnaires
> > and various recording techniques.
> >
> > The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to
deliver a
> > better education for Mali because students pass through the
system
> > more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better
educational
> > experience. But it argues that there are factors other than
language
> > and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
> > evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

Thank you Barbara and 'Tope for your comments. It seems we have a terminology
issue or two here. 'Tope brings up some more complicated considerations of
context that we should take up, but I wanted to address the quote Barbara
kindly supplied.

As a non-expert in this field,* I been given to understand that there is a
different definition of "subtractive" than the one below. What they call
"subtractive model" I've heard called "immersion." What they call "transitional
model(s)" I've understood to be "subtractive bilingual approach(es)" (i.e., L1
instruction is primarily a way of getting to L2 instruction, and L1 is
abandoned as a language of instruction or discourse in favor of L2). Another
approach in the latter schema is "additive bilingual," in which L1 is not
abandoned but continues to be used along with L2.

Of course there are probably a lot of variations within each "model" or
"approach." Even the French-only (or English-only) approach is sometimes
tempered, so I learned in Niger, by a teacher using the L1 to clarify concepts
to students. Not official practice, but a practical adaptation.

In any event, the "additive" model seems little discussed. This would have L1
used even in higher education. This happens in some cases, or at least has had
serious consideration. For instance, there is talk of using Swahili as a
language of instruction in Tanzania, as I recall. Also, at Obafemi Awolowo
University in southwestern Nigeria, there are dissertations written in Yoruba.

I'll double check on my read of all this and report back (as time permits - I'm
under multiple deadlines). It is certainly important to get terminology and
conceptual frameworks consistent at the outset.

Anyway, thanks again.

Don Osborn


* I come to this interest in language and (multilingual) literacy from a rural
development background, and am also active in issues of localization of
information technology in African languages.


Quoting barbara_trudell@...:

> Don - according to a stock-taking document on research in MT education and
> B.E. in Africa currently being put together by the UN, subtractive and
> transitional models are not the same.  I quote:
>       "The language policy of teaching through the medium of French from
>
>       the beginning of primary school (the subtractive model) implemented
>
>       in the schools in Francophone Africa, is bound to produce negative
>
>       results.  In fact, this policy ignores the basic findings of second
>
>       language and foreign language acquisition and bilingual education in
>
>       multilingual settings, as shown by Cummins (1984), Alidou and Jung
>
>       (2002).  From a pedagogical standpoint, it is far better to teach
>
>       children in their mother tongue or in a language they already know
>
>       upon entering school."
>
>
>
>       Transitional models have as their goal the eventual move of medium of
>
>       instruction from L1 to L2 - early exit being in grades 1-3, late-exit
>
>       being at the end of primary or even later.
>
>
>
>       Thanks,
>
>       Barbara
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>              "Donald Z.
>              Osborn"
>              <dzo@...                                          To
>              >                         Multilingual_Literacy@...
>                                        om, barbara_trudell@...
>              11/25/2005 12:05                                           cc
>              PM                        maggie_canvin@...,
>                                        penelopebender@...
>                                                                    Subject
>                                        Re: [M_L] "Language & Education in
>                                        Mali" (dissertation)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Thanks, Barbara. My understanding may be simplistic, or simply erroneous,
> but I
> thought that "transitional" was pretty much the same as "subtractive" in
> that
> education in L1 is used primarily as a way to get students into an L2
> system.
> Which as you know is not to say that L2 (a "language of wider
> communication" or
> LWC, in this case, French) is not important, but that the de-emphasis on
> L1s
> after a certain point relegates them to a temporary role in learning.
>
> Is it more accurate to say that "transitional" is somewhere between
> "subtactive"
> and "additive" bilingual, and if so what are the defining differences
> between
> transitional and subtractive bilingual approaches?
>
> Thanks again and for cc'ing other experts on this.
>
> Don Osborn
>
>
>
> Quoting barbara_trudell@...:
>
> > Don,
> >
> > That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie convergente"
> as
> > practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-exit, but not
> > the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender (World Bank
> > researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.
> >
> > Barbara Trudell
> > Nairobi, Kenya
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> >              "Don Osborn"
>
> >              <dzo@...
>
> >              >
> To
> >              Sent by:
> Multilingual_Literacy@...
> >              Multilingual_Lite         om
>
> >              racy@yahoogroups.
> cc
> >              com
>
> >
> Subject
> >                                        [M_L] "Language & Education in
>
> >              11/24/2005 08:18          Mali" (dissertation)
>
> >              PM
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >              Please respond to
>
> >              Multilingual_Lite
>
> >              racy@yahoogroups.
>
> >                     com
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
> > "subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than the old
> > monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist list)...
> >   DZO
> >
> >
> > Date: 25-Oct-2005
> > From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@...>
> > Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two
> approaches
> >
> > Institution: University of Reading
> > Program: Institute of Education
> > Dissertation Status: Completed
> > Degree Date: 2003
> >
> > Author: Maggie Canvin
> >
> > Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of
> > two approaches
> >
> > Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
> >                             Sociolinguistics
> >
> > Dissertation Director:
> > Naz Rassool
> > Keith Watson
> >
> > Dissertation Abstract:
> >
> > Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in formal
> > education are of great importance to education policy makers in
> > developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in studies
> > of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
> > linguistic diversity and its implications for education, together with
> > political concerns about language and resultant government language
> > policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
> > linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These countries
> > are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in their
> > school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
> > introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
> > education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
> > combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative pedagogy.
> > This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
> > language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the Pédagogie
> > Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional French
> > approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
> > focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
> > complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic research
> > methods, including classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires
> > and various recording techniques.
> >
> > The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to deliver a
> > better education for Mali because students pass through the system
> > more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better educational
> > experience. But it argues that there are factors other than language
> > and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
> > evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Hi Maggie, and thanks for this information and clarification. I'm glad
you have researched this area, and hope that your dissertation will be
published.

Before your posting, Penelope Bender wrote offline with the following
table, with info similar to what you offer (I post it as it may be of
interest also to others on the list):

"... pédagogie convergente calls for the introduction of oral L2 in
grade 2, and then a gradual increase in the amount of L2 over the
course of the primary curriculum.  L1 remains a language of
instruction through sixth grade.

Year of schooling        L1        L2
First grade        100%
Second grade        75%        25%
Third grade        25%        75%
Fourth grade        25%        75%
Fifth grade        100% combination L1 and L2 (both are used in all
subject areas)
Sixth grade        100% combination L1 and L2 (both are used in all
subject areas; L2 is primary LOI)
(Wambach, 2001)

Of course, this is not always how it happens in practice."
[end of quote]

Don Osborn

--- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, "Maggie"
<maggie_canvin@s...> wrote:
>
> Hello to all,
> I don't believe pedagogie convergente to be a subtractive model but
> a form of transition which continues until the end of the 6th year,
> therefore qualifying as 'late-exit'. The aim is functional
> bilingualism in both the known language (I hesitate to say mother
> tongue as this is not always true) and French. It is true that there
> is little language maintenance after year 6 at present. The pattern
> of language use is - year 1 teaching in MT, year 2 teaching in MT
> with introduction of oral French, year 3 a greater emphasis on
> French including written French, but still using the MT 50% of time,
> year 4 25-50% MT teaching 50-75% French, year 5 50% MT teaching 50%
> French, year 6 50% MT 50% French. All subjects are taught in both
> languages (where materials are available). The languages are not
> used in class at the same time (apart from giving clarification in
> MT on French days) but on a day by day basis - one day French, one
> day MT.
>
> There have been various mutterings about continuing the use of
> Malian languages into the second cycle but so far nothing has been
> done. There has been a lot of work in the last few years on
> curriculum change, particularly on year achievement goals and the
> teaching of French. In recent classroom visits I noted Year 1 French
> materials (posters) appearing although not used, so I believe they
> are going to introduce oral French earlier than year 2.
>
> The achievement rates (in French) at the end of year 6 exams remains
> about 20% higher than the traditional French-only system throughout
> Mali, with a few exceptions. There continue to be problems with Bozo
> and Dogon (language variations) and with linguistic diversity issues
> in the Mopti region, with the distribution of materials, with scarce
> teacher resources, and with a lack of teachers for some languages.
> The training issue appears to be resolving with the expansion of
> the 'new curriculum' and I have heard many reports of increased
> teacher training this year, some of which continued into the start
> of the new school year. The new textbooks have finally begun to
> arrive from France, some of them after an inexplicable wait of over
> 5 years. I have now seen years 1-4 in Bamanankan, and I have heard
> that materials are now more available in some of the other
> languages. There are also some new teacher resource materials
> appearing, such as the pedagogical grammar of Songhay by Youssouf
> Haidara.
> Regards,
> Maggie
>
> --- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, barbara_trudell@s...
> wrote:
> >
> > Don - according to a stock-taking document on research in MT
> education and
> > B.E. in Africa currently being put together by the UN, subtractive
> and
> > transitional models are not the same.  I quote:
> >       "The language policy of teaching through the medium of
> French from
> >
> >       the beginning of primary school (the subtractive model)
> implemented
> >
> >       in the schools in Francophone Africa, is bound to produce
> negative
> >
> >       results.  In fact, this policy ignores the basic findings of
> second
> >
> >       language and foreign language acquisition and bilingual
> education in
> >
> >       multilingual settings, as shown by Cummins (1984), Alidou
> and Jung
> >
> >       (2002).  From a pedagogical standpoint, it is far better to
> teach
> >
> >       children in their mother tongue or in a language they
> already know
> >
> >       upon entering school."
> >
> >
> >
> >       Transitional models have as their goal the eventual move of
> medium of
> >
> >       instruction from L1 to L2 - early exit being in grades 1-3,
> late-exit
> >
> >       being at the end of primary or even later.
> >
> >
> >
> >       Thanks,
> >
> >       Barbara
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> >              "Donald
> Z.
> >
> Osborn"
> >              <dzo@b...                                          To
> >              >                         Multilingual_Literacy@y...
> >                                        om,
> barbara_trudell@s...
> >              11/25/2005
> 12:05                                           cc
> >              PM
> maggie_canvin@s...,
> >
> penelopebender@h...
> >
> Subject
> >                                        Re: [M_L] "Language &
> Education in
> >                                        Mali"
> (dissertation)
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks, Barbara. My understanding may be simplistic, or simply
> erroneous,
> > but I
> > thought that "transitional" was pretty much the same
> as "subtractive" in
> > that
> > education in L1 is used primarily as a way to get students into an
> L2
> > system.
> > Which as you know is not to say that L2 (a "language of wider
> > communication" or
> > LWC, in this case, French) is not important, but that the de-
> emphasis on
> > L1s
> > after a certain point relegates them to a temporary role in
> learning.
> >
> > Is it more accurate to say that "transitional" is somewhere between
> > "subtactive"
> > and "additive" bilingual, and if so what are the defining
> differences
> > between
> > transitional and subtractive bilingual approaches?
> >
> > Thanks again and for cc'ing other experts on this.
> >
> > Don Osborn
> >
> >
> >
> > Quoting barbara_trudell@s...:
> >
> > > Don,
> > >
> > > That is not what I understood from my reading of "pedagogie
> convergente"
> > as
> > > practiced in Mali. It is a transition model, probably early-
> exit, but not
> > > the same as subtractive at all. Dr. Canvin or Penelope Bender
> (World Bank
> > > researcher) would have more knowledge on this than I, however.
> > >
> > > Barbara Trudell
> > > Nairobi, Kenya
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > >              "Don Osborn"
> >
> > >              <dzo@b...
> >
> > >              >
> > To
> > >              Sent by:
> > Multilingual_Literacy@y...
> > >              Multilingual_Lite         om
> >
> > >              racy@yahoogroups.
> > cc
> > >              com
> >
> > >
> > Subject
> > >                                        [M_L] "Language &
> Education in
> >
> > >              11/24/2005 08:18          Mali" (dissertation)
> >
> > >              PM
> >
> > >
> >
> > >
> >
> > >              Please respond to
> >
> > >              Multilingual_Lite
> >
> > >              racy@yahoogroups.
> >
> > >                     com
> >
> > >
> >
> > >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > FYI. My understanding of "Pédagogie Convergente" is that it is a
> > > "subtractive bilingual" approach, but still a lot better than
> the old
> > > monolingual French immersion approach. (Fwd from the Linguist
> list)...
> > >   DZO
> > >
> > >
> > > Date: 25-Oct-2005
> > > From: Maggie Canvin <maggie_canvin@s...>
> > > Subject: Language and Education in Mali: A consideration of two
> > approaches
> > >
> > > Institution: University of Reading
> > > Program: Institute of Education
> > > Dissertation Status: Completed
> > > Degree Date: 2003
> > >
> > > Author: Maggie Canvin
> > >
> > > Dissertation Title: Language and Education in Mali: A
> consideration of
> > > two approaches
> > >
> > > Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
> > >                             Sociolinguistics
> > >
> > > Dissertation Director:
> > > Naz Rassool
> > > Keith Watson
> > >
> > > Dissertation Abstract:
> > >
> > > Issues surrounding the decision of which language/s to use in
> formal
> > > education are of great importance to education policy makers in
> > > developing countries. However, this area is often ignored in
> studies
> > > of education systems. This study explores issues surrounding
> > > linguistic diversity and its implications for education,
> together with
> > > political concerns about language and resultant government
> language
> > > policies. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Mali, are
> > > linguistically complex and have low literacy rates. These
> countries
> > > are concerned about the high levels of drop-outs and retakes in
> their
> > > school systems. In order to alleviate this, many have tried the
> > > introduction of indigenous languages in a variety of bilingual
> > > education programmes. One such programme, Pédagogie Convergente,
> > > combines the use of indigenous languages with an innovative
> pedagogy.
> > > This study contributes to the debate on linguistic diversity and
> > > language and education in Mali in Mali by researching the
> Pédagogie
> > > Convergente approach, and contrasting this with the Traditional
> French
> > > approach still being used in most Malian schools. It does this by
> > > focussing on the realities of everyday school life in one school
> > > complex. Data was collected using a variety of ethnographic
> research
> > > methods, including classroom observations, interviews,
> questionnaires
> > > and various recording techniques.
> > >
> > > The study concludes that Pédagogie Convergente appears to
> deliver a
> > > better education for Mali because students pass through the
> system
> > > more quickly, fewer drop out and students receive a better
> educational
> > > experience. But it argues that there are factors other than
> language
> > > and that the new pedagogy needs to be taken into account when
> > > evaluating the true benefit of the innovative approach.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>

Just a quick follow up. I passed the question on to the MultiEd-L list
and had a very helpful reply from Jill Kerper Mora, which I copy
below. First I would mention that there was a passage in a UNESCO
report that I posted on this list a while back in message #79 that
gives an ambiguous impression of what they mean by "subtractive." I
read it to mean bilingual ed. that is used mainly or only to "move
students on" to literacy in an LWC, with no plan for
bilingual/multilingual proficiency or literacy.

It says:
"In regions where the language of the learner is not the official or
national language of the country, bilingual and multilingual education
can make mother tongue instruction possible while providing at the
same time the acquisition of languages used in larger areas of the
country and the world. This additive approach to bilingualism is
different from the so called subtractive bilingualism which aims to
move children on to a second language as a language of instruction."
(UNESCO, "Education in a multilingual world, "
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001297/129728e.pdf , pp. 17-18)

Another related issue is whether the late-exit strategy of L1 (or
other dominant local language) instruction, as opposed to early exit,
makes it less "subtractive." At this point I'm not arguing either way,
but do want to suggest that the use of "subtractive" - a term with
obvious negative connotations - is contested and and in any event may
be misleading to use to describe the old monolingual French-only (or
English-only) models. I used "immersion" in my earlier comments to
describe the latter, but as Dr. Mora points out, that use is also
contested. (Some have, only half-jokingly, suggested "submersion" for
monolingual L2 instruction models.)

From Jill Kerper Mora on MultiEd-L :
"What determines whether or not a program is considered to be based on
an additive or subtractive approach is determined by its goals and
objectives in regard to bilingualism. Subtractive programs see L2
learning as the major and ultimate goal of instruction. These programs
are not concerned with building and or/preserving L1 abilities and
skills because of their inate value to the learner, but may employ L1
as a tool for learning L2. Therefore, transitional bilingual education
programs are often considered subtractive because L1 is used
temporarily as a tool for learning L2 and eventually phased out.
Bilingualism and/or biliteracy per se are not the objective of such
programs, even though they may be an artifact of bilingual
instruction. The two program models considered to be additive are
maintenance (also called developmental bilingual programs) and dual
immersion (two-way bilingual education). In actuality, the term
"immersion" was used by second-language and foreign language educators
to describe additive programs that serve a homogeneous group of L1
speakers of a particular language or mixed groups with two different
L1s taught by fully proficient bilingual teachers with the goal of
adding proficiency in the L2 while maintaining skills in L1. The term
has been so successfully co-opted by proponents of English-only
instruction that it has limited use now among bilingual educators. So,
yes, this term can and usually does refer to subtractive programs.

"I hope this helps. See my web page on this topic at this URL:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/Pages/SEIvCanadian.htm "

Don Osborn

--- In Multilingual_Literacy@yahoogroups.com, "Donald Z. Osborn"
<dzo@b...> wrote:
>
> Thank you Barbara and 'Tope for your comments. It seems we have a
terminology
> issue or two here. 'Tope brings up some more complicated
considerations of
> context that we should take up, but I wanted to address the quote
Barbara
> kindly supplied.
>
> As a non-expert in this field,* I been given to understand that
there is a
> different definition of "subtractive" than the one below. What they call
> "subtractive model" I've heard called "immersion." What they call
"transitional
> model(s)" I've understood to be "subtractive bilingual approach(es)"
(i.e., L1
> instruction is primarily a way of getting to L2 instruction, and L1 is
> abandoned as a language of instruction or discourse in favor of L2).
Another
> approach in the latter schema is "additive bilingual," in which L1
is not
> abandoned but continues to be used along with L2.
>
... [rest deleted]