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Support students' mother tongue, a valuable resource
A strong mother tongue supports the learning of an additional language.
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A student writes down an observation result for group discussion. (JP/Stefanus Ajie)
M
ore schools in Indonesia, particularly those implementing the International Baccalaureate programs, support the mother tongue of students despite using English as the language of instruction.
Based on research, a strong mother tongue supports the learning of an additional language. The mother tongue is referred to largely as the first language, heritage language, bestknown language, native language or primary language.
There are multiple benefits of supporting mother tongue development. Studies reveal that concepts and skills acquired in the first language can be transferred to the second language, and students use their first language to learn concepts and skills as well as to express happiness, fear and other emotions.
Research also shows that children connect to their parents, family, relatives, culture, history, identity and religion through their primary language. Former South African president Nelson Mandela once said that “if you talk to a man in a language that he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk in his language, that goes to his heart.”
Students studying in IB schools in Indonesia come from various nationalities and a diverse range of linguistic backgrounds. Their mother tongues include Indonesian, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin.
Indonesia now hosts 52 IB schools in Jakarta, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Papua, Riau, Surabaya in East Java and other parts of the country. All over the world, schools implementing IB programs are mandated to support students’ heritage language. This way, different languages and cultures are valued. In appreciating different languages and cultures, multilingualism and multiculturalism are promoted.
To support mother tongue development of students, various strategies are being implemented by IB schools. One strategy is to allow students to use their home languages during lessons, school events and outside the classrooms. Students are allowed to speak in their mother tongue during class and group discussions. They also use their mother tongue for school events, such as student-led conferences, parent-teacher conferences, assemblies and exhibitions. Students are allowed to speak their mother tongue in the playground, library and other areas of the school.
