Part I.pdf - MTB-MLE Network

to local pronunciation. During testing, the relevance of the illustrations to real-life situations wasassessed. The content of the materials was also evaluated as to the functionality and relevance ofthe materials to the day-to-day life of the tribe. Then the materials were finalized, reproduced anddisseminated.ChinaA needs assessment was conducted by theresearch team. One specific problemidentified was the challenge related to transferfrom the mother-tongue writing system to theChinese writing system. Materials developerswere organized who wrote in Chinese andtranslated the materials into Lahu. Trainingwas given for material developers thatincluded an overview of methodologyconcerning materials development. Thedevelopers worked out an outline of thematerials required, including specific topics, and then workshops were held at the local level. Basedon field visits and data collection, they came up with a list of topics and allocated tasks associatedwith the development of materials. The draft materials were tested in the community. All the bookshave been produced in Chinese/Lahu diglot.The website http://www.accu.or.jp./litdbase/contains useful information and outlines for literacymaterial development.42