Students in Mali face many challenges, but maybe the largest is that classes are taught in a language – French – which is not their mother tongue. If a student doesn’t quickly learn French, they fall behind in all of their classes, from history to math. That’s why Mali Rising runs the French Language Intervention Project, aka FLIP. FLIP helps 7th graders improve their French skills in speaking and writing, as well as their vocabulary and comprehension. This helps students understand their teachers in the classroom, as well as making it possible for them to read their texbooks or ask questions during class.
Something as Simple as a Flashcard
Students in Mali often struggle with something most US students don’t need to worry about: language. School is taught in French, but most children speak local languages at home. If they fall behind in learning French, every other subject suffers. That’s where Mali Rising’s FLIP campaign comes in — it aims to help incoming 7th graders jumpstart their French skills for middle school.
A Teacher Reviews FLIP
One of the biggest challenges facing students in Mali is the fact that school is not taught in their mother tongue language. Instead, schools use French for instruction and often leave students behind if they aren’t able to pick up French quickly in primary school. This year, we piloted the French Language Intervention Project (FLIP), designed to help 7th graders brush up their French skills as they enter middle school.
Last month, I shared the story of one of our students who participated in the FLIP pilot. I also shared a student story from Sata T. Today I would like to share the feedback from a teacher, Mr. Saibou Coulibaly
