Inclusion of native language literacy and culture is one of the most effective approaches to bilingual education in the United States today. For newly arrived Haitian immigrants, the Haitian Multi-Service Center offers classes in Kreyol and ESL as well as a variety of other educational and social services. Using bilingual instructors, this approach promotes inter-language skills and aids acquisition of English and at the same time easing the transition from one culture to another.

Described below, the activities at the Center support its philosophy of native linguistic and cultural familiarity as a vehicle for increasing literacy.

LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE IN THE NATIVE LANGUAGE

By linking literacy, history, and community development, the Haitian Center has overcome student resistance to learning in Kreyol. Students first practice the alphabet, then move on to reading Kreyol text and writing in Kreyol. Staff observed that learners express thoughts with greater ease in their native language and that they take a more active role in their education.

Teachers help students to write stories in Kreyol. As learners experience pride and personal power derived from first learning to read and write in the language they could already speak, they find it easier to accept learning in the native language. Kreyol literacy is presented as a resource, even when the instructional focus of the class moves to English. Students begin with Kreyol literacy classes, using self-generated texts and student magazines, and learn through these exercises to value their native language.

BECOMING A KREYOL TEACHER

The Center trains Haitian speakers of Kreyol (many of them former students) as teachers and trainers. Students, program graduates, and community volunteers teach classes and coordinate projects. The Center philosophy is that having bilingual instructors encourages a safe environment and assures them that their language and culture are valued in the United States. Tom, one of the teachers, said, "I think they enjoy that I speak Kreyol and I'm a student of their language and they're a student of my language. There's a good atmosphere for learning in the class."

PRODUCING YOUR OWN TEXTS AND LEARNING MATERIALS

The adult education program is participatory and stresses meaningful context for literacy learning. Students use texts created by learners who preceded them in the program, as well as materials they produce themselves. This includes a magazine which they edit and which also contains an important personal history of their community. In one year, the Center published a collection of stories by refugees about their recent journeys from Haiti to the United States. The stories are told in Kreyol, English, and French so the books can be used in all the classes from Kreyol to ESL.

PROVIDING A TRANSITION TO A NEW CULTURE

Learning to read and write and learning to learn are also about learning a culture, and this kind of learning takes time. One student said: "It took me time to overcome the traps of new surroundings." There is no set schedule for moving students out of native language literacy classes to ESL classes. Students move when they are ready. When a student arrives in the ESL class, the instructional focus moves to English, but Kreyol is still a valuable resource. As Kreyol is a reflection of Haitian culture, so English is a reflection of American culture. Center staff stress that participation is a very important aspect of the governance of the Haitian Center because of the history of dictatorship in Haiti. Everything is negotiated with the students. The program helps students to identify their needs and then works with them to achieve their goals. The curriculum includes activities that pose problems requiring the students to identify, analyze, and take action. The program, by stressing the participatory nature of learning, encourages students to "practice democracy" within this "safe" community.

Quicktime Movie: Moving into ESL Classes

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