Scroll down to read a Kreyòl translation of this article. 

The MIT-Haiti Initiative promotes technology-enhanced active learning and the use of students’ native language, Kreyòl, in the classroom. Co-directed by Michel DeGraff, professor of linguistics, and Haynes Miller, MIT professor emeritus of mathematics, the initiative has made a profound difference in the life and education of Haitian students and instructors. Supporters of the initiative include Jeffrey Toney, MIT visiting professor in linguistics and philosophy, whose support includes a bequest intention. 

Michel DeGraff remembers the first time he saw students in his native Haiti speaking Kreyòl in their classroom, while visiting in 1994. “It was the first time I saw Haitian kids who were all happy learning in school,” he says. Although nearly all Haitians speak Kreyòl, French remains the dominant written language in most Haitian schools, despite official policy, in force since 1982, requiring the use of Kreyòl as a language of instruction.

“When your teachers are teaching in a language you don't understand, it’s difficult or impossible to ask questions and engage meaningfully with the material,” DeGraff says. “But the kids I saw learning in Kreyòl were so receptive, enthusiastic, and inquisitive. To me, it was like a light bulb turning on.”

The scene was starkly different from his own school as a child in the 1970s, when students who spoke Kreyòl in class were subject to harsh discipline. DeGraff ’s epiphany in the Kreyòl-speaking classroom has since guided his research and led him, together with M. S. Vijay Kumar, senior advisor to the vice president for MIT Open Learning, to create the MIT-Haiti Initiative in 2010.

Embracing students’ home language and their identity.

Teaching children in a language they do not speak at home typically occurs in previously colonized countries where a variety of local languages are spoken. In contrast, Kreyòl is the sole fluent language of approximately 95% of the Haitian population. Using Kreyòl as the language of instruction in schools presents a clear opportunity to increase educational attainment for all Haitians, and thereby enhance their capacity to contribute to national economic development and nation-building in the future.

One key goal of the MIT-Haiti Initiative is to equip instructors in Haiti with the means to teach in Kreyòl. Haynes Miller points out how the biases shaped by colonial suppression of the language have extended to education. “We began by conducting workshops in Haiti with teachers at university level,” Miller says. “It was quite an eye-opener for that group of faculty because many of them had been subject to the false belief that you couldn’t conduct a scientific discussion in Kreyòl.”

Instructors who have worked with the MIT-Haiti Initiative have reported record engagement when they use Kreyòl in their classrooms. “When their mother tongue is valorized, it has a tremendous impact on students’ self-image and learning gains,” Miller says.

Supporting education, championing culture. 

“I want to be sure that whatever I have to give back will make a lasting impact.”

 

Jeffrey Toney, MIT visiting professor in linguistics and philosophy, who conducted postdoctoral chemistry research at MIT in the late 1980s and recently retired as provost of Kean University in Union, New Jersey, counts the MIT-Haiti Initiative as a huge influence on his research. He became involved in 2016 after hearing DeGraff speak at an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference. “I was blown away by the model of the MIT-Haiti Initiative, which centers students’ cultural experience,” says Toney. “The idea that education is a human right connects perfectly with everything that I want to support.”

As provost, Toney was able to sponsor Haitian and Haitian-American students at Kean University to undertake internships with the initiative—a rare opportunity for them to conduct research in Kreyòl involving both Haiti and the United States. His estate will also provide support with a bequest to the MIT-Haiti Initiative through the MIT Office of Gift Planning. “Once I reconnected with MIT, I thought, now here’s a chance to carve out a meaningful donation,” says Toney, who was a first-generation college student. “I want to be sure that whatever I have to give back will make a lasting impact.”

Seeds of hope. 

When discussing their goals and methodology, DeGraff and Miller often refer to a quote from linguist H. Ekkehard Wolff: “Language is not everything in education, but without language, everything is nothing in education.” Though it is important to develop and share innovative content and new pedagogies, language is the key that opens access to those resources.

“Haiti cannot escape its impoverishment and political instability unless all children have access to quality education. If the home language isn’t systematically factored into students’ initial development, it’s impossible to sustain that,” says DeGraff. “The landscape is now changing in favor of multilingual education based on the mother tongue. This change gives us hope.”
 

Top image: DeGraff and a student at the Lekòl Kominotè Matènwa in Lagonav, Haiti.

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Lang pou aprantisaj aktif

Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti ap kore aprantisaj aktif ki makonnen ak teknoloji pandan l ap itilize lang manman aprenan yo, ki se kreyòl, nan sal klas. Se yon inisyativ ki an ba lidèchip kolektif Michel DeGraff, ki se pwofesè lengwistik, epi Haynes Miller, ki se pwofesè matematik nan MIT. Inisyativ sila a gen tan fè bon jan diferans nan lavi ak edikasyon aprenan ak anseyan ann Ayiti. Pami sipòtè inisyativ la, gen Jeffrey Toney, yon pwofesè ki an vizit nan depatman lengwistik ak filozofi nan MIT.  Li se yon gran sipòtè MIT-Ayiti ; li menm mete MIT-Ayiti nan testaman l pou yon pati nan eritaj li ka finanse MIT-Ayiti.

Michel DeGraff sonje premye fwa li te wè elèv ann Ayiti k ap aprann an kreyòl sou ban lekòl, pandan li te an vizit nan lane 1994. Li di : « Se te premye fwa mwen te wè ti moun ann Ayiti kontan kon sa lè y ap aprann nan sal klas. » Menm si se prèske tout Ayisyen ki pale kreyòl, se toujou lang franse ki rete kòm sèl kòk chante nan sa moun ap ekri nan majorite lekòl ann Ayiti yo, malgre sa lalwa mande depi 1982 — pou kreyòl sèvi tou patou kòm lang ansèyman.

DeGraff di : « Lè pwofesè yo anseye nan yon lang ou pa konprann, sa difisil oswa menm enposib pou w poze kesyon epi antre fon nan materyèl w ap eseye konprann yo. » Li kontinye pou l di : « Men, ti moun mwen te wè ki t ap aprann an kreyòl yo te angaje nèt al kole nan pwosesis aprantisaj la : yo te gen bon jan angouman epi yo t ap poze anpil kesyon. Obsèvasyon sa a te limen yon limyè nan lespri m ; limyè sa a toujou ap klere byen fò. »

Sèn sa a te konplètman diferan de jan sa te ye nan pwòp lekòl pa li lè li te ti moun nan lane 1970 yo, lè elèv ki t ap pale kreyòl nan sal klas yo te pran pinisyon malouk. Limyè  sa a DeGraff te wè nan sal klas sa a kote ti moun yo t ap aprann an kreyòl te vin, depi lè sa a, gide rechèch li epi kondui li, ansanm avèk M. S. Vijay Kumar, pou yo kreye Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti nan lane 2010.  Dòk Kumar se konseye prensipal pou vis prezidan nan depatman aprantisaj san baryè nan MIT (MIT Open Learning).

Nou valorize lang aprenan yo pale lakay yo epi idantite a yo.

Anseye ti moun nan yon lang ki pa rele yo chè mèt chè mètrès se sitiyasyon nan anpil peyi ki te kolonize e kote popilasyon an pale plizyè lang. Kontrèman ak jan sa ye pou peyi sa yo, Ayiti gen yon sèl lang (kreyòl) tout moun pale fen e byen epi se apeprè 95% popilasyon an ki metrize kreyòl kòm sèl lang natif natal a yo. Itilizasyon lang kreyòl la kòm lang ansèyman ap kreye yon opòtinite byen klè pou tout Ayisyen reyisi lekòl epi se kon sa y ap ka amelyore kapasite a yo pou yo kontribye nan devlopman ekonomik nasyonal la.  Se sa ki va ede nan bati yon nasyon ki djanm.

Youn nan objektif majè Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti se bay anseyan ann Ayiti aksè ak mwayen pou yo anseye an kreyòl kòm sa dwa. Haynes Miller lonje dwèt byen long sou prejije lengwistik ki soti nan yon sistèm kolonyal  k ap mete baboukèt sou lang nasyonal la ; prejije sa yo vin depafini sistèm edikasyon an tou. Miller di kon sa : « Nan kòmansman inisyativ la, nou te òganize atelye ann Ayiti nan kole zepòl ak pwofesè ki nan nivo inivèsite. Se te yon esperyans louvri je pou pwofesè sa yo paske anpil ladan yo te deja ap naje nan fo kwayans ki te fè yo panse yo pa ka sèvi ak lang kreyòl la pou yo brase lide sou lasyans. » Anseyan sa yo ki patisipe nan Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti dokimante bèl rekò nan angajman aprenan yo lè yo itilize kreyòl nan sal klas.

Miller kontinye pou l di : « Lè nou valorize lang manman aprenan yo, sa gen yon enpak pozitif sou jan etidyan yo wè tèt yo epi sou rannman aprantisaj la. »

Patrimwàn se fondasyon lekòl tèt an wo.

Jeffrey Toney se yon pwofesè an vizit nan MIT nan depatman lengwistik ak filozofi ; apre doktora li, li te fè rechèch nan chimi nan MIT nan fen ane 1980 yo.  Kounye a,  li fenk sot pran retrèt li kòm rektè nan Inivèsite Kean (Kean University) ki nan vil Inyon nan eta Noujèze ; li wè Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti kòm yon inisyativ ki gen gwo enfliyans sou rechèch li. Li te kòmanse angaje tèt li nan aktivite MIT-Ayiti yo an 2016 apre l te fin tande DeGraff ki t ap pale nan yon konferans Asosyasyon Ameriken pou Avansman Syantifik (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Toney di kon sa : « Mwen te o zanj nèt lè m te wè modèl Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti a, fason li santre sou esperyans kiltirèl etidyan yo. Lide a se byen sa : edikasyon se nannan dwa moun. Lide sa a konekte dirèk dirèk ak tout kalite apui mwen vle bay. »

Kòm rektè, Toney te gen mwayen nan men l pou l te sponnsorize etidyan ayisyen ak etidyan ayisyen-ameriken nan Kean University pou yo antre nan yon pwogram entèna avèk inisyativ la — yon opòtinite ki ra anpil — pou yo ka sèvi ak kreyòl la nan fè rechèch ki gen pou wè avèk Ayiti ansanm ak Etazini. Li planifye ak Biwo MIT pou Planifikasyon Donasyon (MIT Office of Gift Planning) pou testman l kontinye bay apui pou Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti. Toney, ki se premye moun nan fanmi l ki ale nan inivèsite di kon sa : « Apre mwen te rekonekte avèk MIT, mwen te tou panse sa se yon chans pou m bay yon donasyon ki enpòtan. Mwen vle rasire m ke tout sa m genyen pou m remèt sosyete a ava gen yon enpak ki dirab. »

Semans lespwa.

Lè y ap diskite objektif ak metodoloji MIT-Ayiti, DeGraff ak Miller souvan  site yon pawòl lengwis H. Ekkehard Wolff ki te di kon sa : « Lang se pa solisyon tout pwoblèm nan edikasyon ; men, san lang, pa gen okenn pwoblèm nan edikasyon k ap ka jwenn solisyon. »  Malgre sa enpòtan pou n devlope epi pataje nouvo materyèl  ak nouvo pedagoji, lang lan se kle k ap louvri aksè pou resous sila yo.

Kon sa, DeGraff di : « Ayiti pa ka chape giyon mizè ak enstabilite politik toutotan ti moun yo pa ka jwenn edikasyon bon kalite. Si nou pa mete lang natif natal elèv yo depi nan ti klas yo, li enposib pou sistèm lan kenbe. Kounye a, farin lan sanble l ap chanje sak kote gen chanjman k ap fèt an favè yon edikasyon nan plizyè lang kote lang manman se poto mitan. Chanjman sa a ba nou lespwa. »

Pi wo la a : DeGraff ak yon elèv nan Lekòl Kominotè Matènwa nan Lagonav, Ayiti.