The bilingual curricular approach in Mali: which type of L1/L2 transition in teaching literacy skills?; [APPROCHE CURRICULAIRE BILINGUE DU MALI: QUELLE TRANSITION ENTRE L1-L2 DANS LA PRATIQUE D’ENSEIGNEMENT DE LA LECTURE-ÉCRITURE?]

The educational system in Mali is characterized by some limited experiences of bilingual education and basic teacher training, mainly grounded on the teaching of the French language. Teacher training is irregular and of short duration, which explains teachers’ pedagogical weaknesses, which, in turn, have negative repercussions on the pupils’ learning of literacy skills. The present study focuses on some metalinguistic activities implemented in a bilingual education experience, essentially based on systematic comparisons between L1 and L2, aimed at fostering linguistic and learning transfers in pupils. The study took place in two pilot schools of the bilingual curriculum in Bamako and Gao, at the first level of the bilingual curriculum. After describing the procedures and strategies to teach literacy skills, solutions are proposed to improve classroom practices. © 2023 Fabrizio Serra Editore Srl. All rights reserved.