Developing Instructional Materials to Enhance Learning

1. Developing Instructional Materials to Enhance Learning A Case Study from Mango Tree, Innovators in Education and Communication James Odongo Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

2. Introduction to Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program (NULP) Goal: To improve literacy performance among pupils in early primary classrooms (P1-P3) and strengthen a literacy infrastructure.

3. The Literacy Laboratory Project (LLP) • Supports teachers school administrators, parents and district officials to implement effective literacy instruction; • Assess early grade learning and use results to strengthen primary education system; • Improve access to local language literature and contribute to a body of evidence on relevant, cost effective literacy model. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

4. Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program Strengthening a Literate Society Project (SLSP) Project supports the Lango Language Board (LLB) and Kumam Language Board (KLB) to: • revise and scale up their orthographies; • print and distribute basic reference materials related to their languages; • build capacity of local writers, editors, illustrators and graphic designers from each target community respectively;

5. Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program Cont... • support advocacy for local language and build language board capacities to make meaningful contributions to local language literacy.

6. Developing Instructional Materials to Enhance Learning Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

7. The ability to read and write is based on a stable and well-defined orthography. Without a good orthography, it is difficult to develop uniform instructional materials for students in local languages or ensure that teachers are properly trained in the rules of grammar and usage to teach children to read and write in their mother tongue. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

8. Challenges to instructional material development and distribution • Lack of orthographies/inconsistency in the existing orthographies. • Limited interest in buying local language materials due to negative attitude towards local language. • Imposition of use of instructional materials on other languages because they belong to the same family e.g. Luo (Lëblaŋo, Acoli, Lëb Kumam, Dhopadhola). • Poor reading culture among the community members. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

9. What do you need to be able to develop quality instructional materials? • Stable orthography: a writing system which has adequate symbols and rules to represent components of the language. • Firm policies: very strong policies and policy influencers who will support and advocate for the initiative. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

10. Cont... • Writers: experienced persons with the ability to create literature related to your need. • Technical team: professional people with vast skills and knowledge on the subject matter or any learning material you are developing • End users: the targeted individuals who will make good use of the instructional materials. • Authorizing bodies: Language Boards, NCDC, Cultural institutions and other recognized bodies to approve the materials.

11. Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program Mango Tree’s Instructional materials and Development Processes Mango Tree uses a unique instructional design process in developing instructional materials. The materials go through several revision stages with suggestive idea from: • Teachers • Centre Coordinating Tutors (CCTs) and • Community members • To make sure that the content is of quality and culturally relevant.

12. Instructional materials developed under NULP Include: • Orthography Guides, • Transition Primers • Junior Dictionary • Alphabet Charts • Lango Anthologies • Pupil Primers (level 1-3), • Readers (level 1-3), • Teachers Guides, • Instructional videos. Writeshop oriented Skilled and experienced personnel Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

13. General processes in material development • 1.Project brief- entails what the writers, design and production department will follow. This contains: • project brief • content brief • design brief • delivery • 2.Planning for the writeshop- this involves the following: • setting dates • budgeting • venue and • organizing required materials • 3.Identifying eligible participants-people with skills you need to develop a particular instructional material. • writers • Illustrators • language experts Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

14. Cont... • 4.Compile all the text systematically-text is compiled and major revisions are done before they are sent to design department. • word document • publisher • excel • 5.Layout and design-a team with vast skills in layout and design takes on the task of turning the material into what specifications you need. • 6.Back and forth revision process-constant revisions are made at this stage until the material is ready for final approvals for production. • 7.Production of trial versions-samples of these materials are produced as trial copies for pretest by target groups. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

15. Cont... 8.Pretest materials-materials go to end users and feedback is gathered regarding all the necessary changes to be made. 9.Final version and final approval by authoritative organs-final approved copies are produced for distribution. In Lango for example, all Leblango materials developed under Mango Tree are approved by Lango Language Board. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

16. The uniqueness of each material Orthography Guide and Transition Primer Since Mango Tree started its literacy works in Lango Sub-region in 2009, Lëblaŋo orthography has undergone four different transformation processes in order to build a strong foundation for the development of literacy materials. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

17. Center for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS) Lango Language Board, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Mango Tree LLB, RTI (SHRP) Godman Okonye Missionaries ? Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project Transition Primer

18. Example: • omer (to befriend) vs omër (to get drunk) • Luke 23:12 • Yecu inyim Kerode (Jesus before Herod) •  Old Lelango orthography • Omio Kerode gin kede Pilato omer i ceŋŋono, pien nwaŋ otye kede amone i akinagi kengi. • Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other. • Now Herod and Pilate got drunk that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other. • Revised Lëblaŋo orthography • Omïö Kerode gïn kede Pilato omer i ceŋŋono, piën nwaŋ otye kede amone iyi akina gï këngï. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project

19. Primers, Readers and Teachers Guides • Primer: Text that is specially written to teach children to read. The text is written by: • writers with proven skills in writing for children. • composed of simple words • short sentences that interest children and • text follows the themes and sub-themes of the ministry’s curriculum. Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

20. Reader: It’s storybook that children use to practice the reading skills they’ve learned. They include: • picture story books, • visual games, • repetitive text stories, • traditional (familiar) text, • chapter books Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

21. Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program Teacher Guide: It’s a comprehensive material used by the teacher/instructor to deliver weekly lessons. The content in the Teacher Guide is developed by a technical person who has a solid experience on the education system of a country.

22. Junior Dictionary and Lango Anthologies • Junior Dictionary consists of 250-300 thematic words. • It involves: • translation of lexemes • classification of lexemes • defining lexemes • entering the defined words using toolbox, wesay or other programmes • . Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

23. Lango anthologies are relevant cultural stories written by the writers indentified from within the community. They consist of three titles • short cultural stories • puzzles • poems.

24. Leblango Alphabet Letter Sounds Letter Names Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project Mango Tree’s Northern Uganda Literacy Program

25. Ole Okwir, inënö kit ame Kwan kede Cöc odökö a mït kede! Apwöyö! Mango Tree Primary Literacy Project