Below, Professors Michel DeGraff and Haynes Miller discuss how education in one’s mother tongue empowers learners to be more actively engaged in their own education.
Learning is “constructive” when learners actively participate in building their own knowledge. Research shows that, when learners use their mother tongue, the class becomes more lively, the learning deeper, and the students understand better.
We note that Haiti’s 1987 Constitution recognizes Kreyòl as “the only language that links all Haitians together.” Teaching in the language that the community knows best makes all participants—both learners and teachers—more comfortable brainstorming, sharing knowledge, explaining more easily what they understand or do not understand.
Using their mother tongue as well as modern pedagogy provides children the foundation they need to learn all other subjects: science, math, and other languages—such as French, English and Spanish. With this solid academic foundation, learners are able to build a strong level of knowledge in order to become creative professionals who can help the country grow economically.
