Kemow Eta' manik ("Weaving Our Learning"): A Methodological Proposal To Increase Quality of Education in Rural Areas of El Quiche, Guatemala.

Overview & Synopsis

Since 1999, Access to Intercultural Bilingual Education (AIBE) has endeavored to improve the quality of education in the rural department of El Quiche, Guatemala, where most people speak a Mayan language as their first language. AIBE focuses on education at the preschool and primary levels, with emphases on parent participation, bilingual methods, and Mayan cultural content. This paper describes seven educational strategies that have proven effective in the project. It has become evident, through project experience, that the best results are achieved when these strategies are used together to modify the educational environment in the classroom. The strategies are: (1) educating children within the framework of Mayan culture, worldview, and history, including nonformal activities with family and community; (2) involving parents in their children's education in the classroom, at home, as participants in school management, and via political advocacy; (3) using the child's first language, explicit teaching of that language, and related teacher training; (4) teacher training in participatory education techniques, which facilitate development of critical consciousness; (5) producing and using culturally and socially appropriate materials; (6) systematically teaching Spanish as a second language; and (7) teaching and using Mayan mathematics. (SV)