Abstract
Although the Yo Sí Puedo! method for adult literacy education has been in use in many countries and received a Unesco Literacy Prize, this article highlights the need to question one of its crucial elements. Yo Sí Puedo! was developed in Cuba and later on implemented in mass literacy campaigns in many other, mainly developing, countries. One of them is Timor-Leste (East Timor), a multilingual country in South-East Asia that became independent in 2002. Here, Yo Sí Puedo! was in use in adult literacy education in 2007–2012, next to other literacy programmes.
After an introduction to the historical changes in language policy in multilingual Timor-Leste and how they affected literacy education, we will present a study on adult literacy acquisition that was conducted in Timor-Leste between 2009 and 2014 (Boon, 2014). In a broad study the results of several adult literacy programmes and the factors that impacted the adults’ literacy skills were investigated and evaluated. An in-depth study with classroom observations and interviews with students and teachers shed further light on the literacy teaching practices, the uses and values of literacy and the ideas that guided teachers’ practices.
The paper will focus on the adult literacy programme that was introduced by Cuban educators, first in Portuguese and subsequently in Tetum. We will compare the method of this programme, that associates numbers and letters, with other programmes and present some results of the broad study on literacy abilities. Classroom observations show how the Yo Sí Puedo! method was applied in some adult literacy classes, and whether it helped adults to acquire the alphabetic principle, which is crucial to build further reading and writing ability. Although this method was awarded for being innovative and successful, our data demonstrate less reason for optimism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, Science for Global Development (file number W 01.65.315.00).
- 3.
D. Boon, one of the authors of this paper, was involved in the development, piloting, and implementation of the Hakat ba Oin and Iha Dalan programmes when she was working as an advisor on adult literacy for UNDP Timor-Leste at Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Education from 11/2003 until 12/2008.
- 4.
This section is partly based on Boon 2014, chapter 5, p. 71–75.
- 5.
Presentation by Minister of Education J. Câncio Freitas on 06-07-2009 at the ‘Transforming Timor-Leste Conference’ in Dili.
- 6.
Information dd. 18-04-2013 from the Director of Recurrent Education, at the Ministry of Education.
- 7.
Information dd. 18-04-2013 from the Director of Recurrent Education, at the Ministry of Education.
- 8.
This section contains data as presented in Boon 2014, chapter 6, p. 154–159.
- 9.
The teacher later changed the 1 (that can be seen in the picture before the letters ma) into a 5, when he realized that he had made a mistake.
References
Anis, K. (2007). Assessment of the effectiveness of literacy and numeracy programs in Timor-Leste; Timor-Leste Small Grants program. USAID. Retrieved: http://www.literacyhub.org/documents/assessment_timor-leste.pdf
Bancroft, P. E. (2008). Yo, sí puedo: A Cuban quest to eradicate global illiteracy. Master thesis, University of California.
Blommaert, J. (2013). Ethnography, superdiversity and linguistic landscapes. Chronicles of complexity. Multilingual Matters.
Boon, D. (2011). Adult literacy teaching and learning in multilingual Timor-Leste. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41(2), 261–276.
Boon, D. (2014). Adult literacy education in a multilingual context; teaching, learning and using written language in Timor-Leste. PhD-thesis, Tilburg University.
Boon, D., & Kurvers, J. (2012). Ways of teaching reading and writing: Instructional practices in adult literacy classes in East Timor. In P. Vinogradov & M. Bigelow (Eds.), Low educated second language and literacy acquisition, 7th symposium, September 2011 (pp. 67–91). University of Minnesota.
Boughton, B. (2010). Back to the future? Timor-Leste, Cuba and the return of the mass literacy campaign. Literacy & Numeracy Studies, 18(2), 58–74.
Boughton, B. (2012). Adult and popular education in Timor-Leste. In M. Leach, N. Canas Mendes, A. B. da Silva, B. Boughton, & A. da Costa Ximenes (Eds.), New research on Timor-Leste (pp. 315–319). Timor-Leste Studies Association.
Boughton, B. (2013). Timor-Leste: Education, decolonization and development. In L. Pe Symaco (Ed.), Education in South-East Asia (pp. 299–321). Bloomsbury Academic.
Byrne, B. (1998). The foundation of literacy: The child’s acquisition of the alphabetic principle. Psychology Press.
Cabral, E. (2013). The development of language policy in a global age: The case of East-Timor. In J. Arthur Shoba & F. Chimbutane (Eds.), Bilingual education and language policy in the global south (pp. 83–103). Routledge.
Cabral, E., & Martin-Jones, M. (2012). Discourses about adult literacy and about liberation interwoven: Recollections of the adult literacy campaign initiated in 1974/5. In M. Leach, N. Canas Medes, A. B. da Silva, B. Boughton, & A. da Costa Ximenes (Eds.), New research on Timor-Leste (pp. 342–348). Timor-Leste Studies Association.
Chall, J. S. (1999). Models of reading. In D. Wagner, R. Venezky, & B. Street (Eds.), Literacy: An international handbook (pp. 163–166). Westview Press.
CIA, The World Factbook. (2019). https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/tt.html. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
Condelli, L., & Wrigley, H. (2006). Instruction, language and literacy: What works study for adult ESL literacy students. In I. van de Craats, J. Kurvers, & M. Young-Scholten (Eds.), Low-educated adult second language and literacy acquisition. Proceedings of the inaugural symposium, Tilburg 2005 (pp. 111–133). LOT, Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics.
Da Conceição Savio, E., Kurvers, J., Van Engelenhoven, A., & Kroon, S. (2012). Fataluku language and literacy uses and attitudes in Timor-Leste. In M. Leach, N. Canas Mendes, A. B. da Silva, B. Boughton, & A. da Costa Ximenes (Eds.), New research on Timor-Leste (pp. 355–361). Timor-Leste Studies Association.
De Araujo e Corte-Real, B., & Kroon, S. (2012). Becoming a nation of readers in Timor-Leste. In M. Leach, N. Canas Mendes, A. B. da Silva, B. Boughton, & A. da Costa Ximenes (Eds.), New research on Timor-Leste (pp. 336–341). Timor-Leste Studies Association.
Ethnologue. https://www.ethnologue.com/country/TL. Retrieved July, 9, 2019.
Filho, A. Q. M. (2011). O uso do método de alfabetização “Sim, eu posso” pelo MST no Ceará: o papel do monitor da turma. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Herder and Herder.
Goodman, K. S. (1986). What’s whole in whole language? A parent-teacher guide to children’s learning. Heinemann.
Gray, W.S. (1969). The teaching of reading and writing: An international survey, 2. Scott, Foresman and Co. / UNESCO.
Kurvers, J. (2002). Met ongeletterde ogen: Kennis van taal en schrift van analfabeten. Aksant.
Kurvers, J. (2007). Development of word recognition skills of adult L2 beginning readers. In N. Faux (Ed.), Low educated second language and literacy acquisition: Research, policy and practice. Proceedings of the second annual forum (pp. 23–43). The Literacy Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Kurvers, J., & Stockmann, W. (2009). Wat werkt in alfabetisering NT2? Een vooronderzoek naar succesfactoren alfabetisering NT2. Tilburg University.
Liberman, I., & Liberman, A. (1990). Whole language vs. code emphasis: Underlying assumptions and their implications for reading instruction. Annals of Dyslexia, 40, 51–76.
Lind, A. (2008). Literacy for all: Making a difference. Fundamentals of educational planning, 89. UNESCO.
Ministry of Education. (2011a). National education strategic plan 2011–2030, August 2011. . Retrieved: http://www.globalpartnership.org
Ministry of Education. (2011b). Mother tongue-based multilingual education for Timor-Leste: National policy. Komisaun Nasional Edukasaun.
Morais, J., & Kolinsky, R. (1995). The consequences of phonemic awareness. In B. De Gelder & J. Morais (Eds.), Speech and reading. A comparative approach (pp. 317–338). Erlbaum (UK) Taylor & Francis.
Purcell-Gates, V. (1999). Family literacy. In M. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. III, pp. 853–870). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Quinn, M. (2013). Talking to learn in Timorese classrooms. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 26(2), 179–196.
RDTL (República Democrática de Timor-Leste). (2002). Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. RDTL.
Relys Díaz, L. I. (2013). De America soy hijo…: Crónica de una década de alfabetización audiovisual. La Guerilla Comunicacional.
UNDP. 2018. Human Development Index 2018. Statistical annex, Table 9.
Van de Craats, I., Kurvers, J., & Young-Scholten, M. (2006). Research on low-educated second language and literacy acquisition. In I. Van de Craats & J. Kurvers (Eds.), Low-educated second language and literacy acquisition: Proceedings of the inaugural symposium, Tilburg 2005 (pp. 7–23). LOT, Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics.
Wagner, D. A. (2004). Literacy in time and space: Issues, concepts and definitions. In T. Nunes & P. Bryant (Eds.), Handbook of children’s literacy (pp. 499–510). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Boon, D., Kurvers, J. (2021). The Cuban Literacy Programme in Timor-Leste; ‘Magic’ on the Blackboard. In: Spotti, M., Swanenberg, J., Blommaert, J. (eds) Language Policies and the Politics of Language Practices. Language Policy, vol 28. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88723-0_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88723-0_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-88722-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-88723-0
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)