Mother tongue entitlement receives some welcome attention

Many, if not all, of us would argue that mother tongue entitlement is one of the essential pillars of any educational system, including the International Baccalaureate.  

At the Diploma Program level mother tongue entitlement manifests itself most prominently through the existence of the Literature A School-Supported Self-Taught course option.  This course, which has been around for decades, enables schools to ensure that every student can comply with the Group 1 requirement in their strongest language (mother tongue, heritage language, first language).  In addition, this course serves to avoid that the IB program remains over-anglicised and therefore a privilege for those who speak English at an academic level.  Yes, IB schools around the world commonly also offer their host country's language(s) in Group 1, eg French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese etc.  

The SSST course is an essential hook for the 16- or 17-year old student who finds him- or herself in a foreign country because of their parents' employment or because they have chosen to attend a boarding school overseas.  Some students end up in a foreign country because of political or social pressure in their home country.  And there may be other reasons.

Over the years close to 100 languages have been offered as an SSST option, and this of course is great. 

What has been a concern though is the SS part of the SSST course.  In many schools that we are familiar with, in many workshops and even in official publications, the course is often referred to as "self-taught".

This is sometimes an accurate reflection of the status of the course in certain schools, but it is not an accurate reflection of what the course is intended to be.

The 'school support' has been an issue for a variety of reasons, none of which we actually have to accept.  

In their Language Policy IB schools will acknowledge the importance of mother tongue provision, without which the Language Policy is unlikely to be adopted by the visiting team and ultimately by the powers that be themselves.  Authorization is highly unlikely to be granted to a school that does not make a commitment to respect every student's mother tongue and find a way to offer every student access to their language.  The reality, as we know, does not always match the printed documentation.

In order to address a potential lack of 'school support', a number of requirements have now been published as part of the new guides for the Group 1 Literature courses (first examinations in 2021).

IBDP schools have always had to appoint an SSST supervisor/coordinator, but this requirement was published only in the Teacher Support Materials.  Hands up if you regularly refer to the TSM … 

This has been the single requirement so far, and in many of the schools that I am familiar with, this role exists and is carried out to the best of the coordinator's ability.  This coordinator is most commonly the Head of Languages or a teacher of Literature A (or both).

The new requirements though are something we fully support, as they aim to firm up the support that the student receives and to ensure that there is a record of such support.

• From August 2019 onwards, schools must officially include regular (weekly) meetings between the SSST coordinator and the SSST students in their timetable.  It is no longer sufficient to give the student their texts and to tell them to be ready 18 months later for the final assessments.  Weekly meetings need to be scheduled and logged, primarily in the student's Learner Portfolio.  
• From August 2019 onwards, SSST students must be provided with a mother tongue tutor.  For obvious reasons, this tutor is a qualified and experienced teacher of literature in the student's mother tongue, and where possible IB experience will be sought.  It is left up to the individual schools to decide whether the school or the parents cover any expenses that may come with tutorial support, but it will no longer be possible to let the student 'get on with it' and figure things out for themselves.

I am already aware of schools that organise their SSST schedule in such a way that allows the SSST student to attend the taught Language A Literature class (most commonly English Literature A).  This exposes the student to the course format, the content, the skills and aptitudes involved, the assessment format and the timeline.  I personally find this a great option for schools that have only one or two or three SSST students and that can not run a dedicated SSST class for these students.  With the support of the above-mentioned mother tongue tutor, who liaises with the SSST coordinator and possibly the English Literature A teacher, this student will receive ample guidance and will be able to carry out all the necessary practice and official assessments.

I also understand that some schools will have an initial reaction of "these requirements seem to make the course more complicated to implement".  Such reaction is uncalled for though.  

I invite any school that feels a need for guidance, support and/or coaching to get in touch and to discuss how their set-up can best implement the SSST course from here onwards.  

In addition, finding highly qualified and experienced IB mother tongue tutors/teachers has also been made super easy for everyone.  

Professional online SSST services can be found here : https://www.mihunlimited.com/ibdp-language-a-ssst.html

Let's start celebrating the significant make-over that the SSST course undergoes this year, and let's all ensure that every student who needs this course can easily gain access to it.  

Please feel free to add your thoughts, questions, queries, reactions and excitement to this blog entry.

Have a great week everyone !