Language learning in Senegal - the answers to my research question!
5th graders work on responding to postcards from American students
Mansour sent us a pretty great schedule for our week in Louga, but Michelle and I wanted to see as many language classes as possible. He made it happen! English, Spanish, and even French literature classes made up the majority of our observation time in Louga's public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where French is the language of instruction.
The biggest take away was that language learning seemed to be part of not only school culture but Senegalese culture. Students come to school, many of them knowing only Wolof, or another national language such as Pulaar, so they learn French as a foreign language from an early age. The value of learning and knowing other languages was abundantly clear among the many students we spoke and interacted with. All of the students, no matter how difficult they found the language, were working hard to master it at every level.
In Senegal, English is compulsory beginning 6th grade, but most students add an additional language in 9th or 10th grade, such as Spanish, Russian, or Portuguese.
Classes of 50 fifth graders were at the edge of their seats when we taught them "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." At a rural public school in nearby Koki, Michelle and I taught a lesson and students in other classes peered through the windows for the entire hour to soak up the opportunity to hear native speakers.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes!
It's hard to say whether Senegalese students have a knack for languages because they are surrounded by them from a young age (many speak 2 or 3 national languages) or whether it is because they work hard to excel in them, or a combination of the two. But, it was clear that their mastery of foreign languages will certainly give them an advantage in the exceedingly global job marketplace.
My research question at the beginning of my stay was to find out if and how often teachers were using a native language to teach a second language. And the answer was at least 5 to 10 times per class. I observed French teachers using Wolof, Spanish teachers using French, and English teachers using both French and Wolof. This demonstrated that American foreign language teaching and pedagogy are similar to Senegalese values in providing comprehensible instruction. In addition, students used Wolof to communicate with each other and gain a better understanding of material in the language of instruction, just as American students use English when working in pairs or groups in language classrooms in the US.
On the other hand, the language teachers, both Spanish and English, maintained their instruction in the target language much more than foreign language teachers I have observed (including me!) in the US. It was clear that the students didn't understand every word, but the amount of quality and frequency of input in the target language allowed them to have a much higher level of proficiency compared to American peers with the same number of years of instruction.
My take-away from the level of language achieved by Senegalese teenagers is that they are immersed in both a culture that values multilingualism as well as quality instruction in the target language. These two practices allow for a very high-level of proficiency by the time students graduate high school. I will continue to be interested in how students use their language skills after graduation!
Let me know what questions you have about foreign language classrooms in Senegal in the comments below.