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The Discussion of the role of the mother tongue yielded lots of very interesting responses from around the world. I opened up the discussion by arguing that the formerly strict dogma that there is no room for the mother tongue in the EFL classroom (a product of acquisition-based teaching methods), has been replaced by a more differentiated approach. Indeed the responses in our short discussion showed that there is no definitive approach to the use of L1 in the classroom. Instead it seems to be an issue of measure which also may depend heavily on the cultural and educational situation where each individual teacher is working.
One area where there was a high degree of unanimity was classroom management. The need to establish clear ground for cooperation often requires at least the preliminary use of L1 in the classroom. Most respondents felt that L1 was necessary to “connect” to the students, especially the very young. This discussion led to the question of “affect” and learning. Even if use of the mother tongue may take away from the pure acquisition process, it is made up for in an increased feeling of belonging and comfort on the part of the pupils. Many responders pointed to the need to understand the child and see the child’s mother tongue is an integral part of the child’s make up which cannot simply be ignored. To entirely leave out the mother tongue of young children in the teaching encounter would mean missing out on 90% of the child’s life. Especially with the very young, if we can’t resort to L1 at certain times, we will not learn enough about the children to design our courses in a truly learner-centred fashion.
This discussion then took a very interesting turn as the issue of non-native versus native speaking teachers came up. In more than one comment the opinion was expressed that non-native speakers probably have a better feel for the children being taught. They understand the culture and as a result the needs and difficulties the young learners face in learning a foreign language. On the other hand, non-native speakers with a less than firm grasp of the target language could potentially introduce mistakes in the children’s language or, as one comment remarked, work with fossilized forms. The discussion seems to suggest that the best situation would involve a teacher from the home country with a high level of English- someone at home in both worlds, who has a window into the cultural background of the children and knows how to tie this into the learning of a foreign language.
Finally, the discussion moved from IF we should use the mother tongue in the classroom, to HOW. Many commentators agreed that the targeted use of key MT words in classroom management is very beneficial at getting the children’s attention and refocusing them. Others felt that we can get the same results through other means, such as a bell, whistle or rhythmic clapping of hands.
Using the MT to actually “teach” language yielded a wide variety of opinion which basically fell into two camps:
1) those who felt that introducing core language in L1 can lead to mixed codes.
2) Those who see targeted L1 use as a legitimate technique to support (scaffold) the child’s learning.
Some of the ideas advanced to integrate L1 in the teaching process were:
1) Using Key Words: when telling a story, saying one or two key words in L1 to keep the children attentive and give clues to understanding the story.
2) Remodelling: allowing the children to respond in L1 initially with teacher remodeling the utterances in the target language.
3) Word Waiter: offering the children words in English if they ask for help, such as: “How do you say “ojos” in English.
In conclusion, MT use in the classroom is overwhelmingly accepted, albeit for different reasons in different situations (classroom management and organisational language versus as a teaching tool). When used the maxim appears to be ”as much target language as possible, as little MT as is necessary”.
Very
Young Learners (<7 yrs old)
Primary
(7-12) 
Secondary
(13-17)
From Mother Tongue to Other Tongue: this article reviews different attitudes towards L1 in the EFL classroom, considers some of the problems of using L1 and presents some practical activities. See also a response to this article.
ESL
with Children's Literature. The way whole language worked in one kindergarten
class : this article gives an example and a rationale for the use of
"reflective listening" with storytelling to reformulate children's L1
contributions.
L1 in the Classroom: It's a Sin?: transcript of an online chat with Mario Rinvolucri.
My students'
self-correction strategies in writing tasks : interesting article about
students' writing strategies, some of which involve L1.
The 'Bridging Strategy': Active Use of Learners' First Language in Second Language Teaching
The power of the mother tongue: (scroll down to activity 1.10) Bilingual storytelling for beginners, seeking to enhance confidence.
The
Role of Translation in Japanese Young Learner Classrooms
