Educational Materials for Bilingual Early Literacy: An Interview with Pedro Cardona

Abstract

The interview aims to capture Professor Cardona Fuentes’ perspective on the design and implementation of educational materials intended to support early bilingual literacy in Spanish and various Indigenous languages of Mexico, namely: mephaa (varieties of Acatepec y Tlacoapa), ódami, ralámuli (de la baja y alta tarahumara), náhuatl (variantes montaña alta y baja), amuzgo, mixteco (variantes costa y montaña), and tseltal, in order to document and problematize the pedagogical, linguistic, and didactic criteria that guide their development. These materials have been developed as part of the Indigenous Children’s Literacy and Bilingualism program, promoted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Querétaro. From the project’s inception in 2019 to the preparation of this document, 13 monolingual books (Spanish–Indigenous language) have been produced for first- and second-grade primary students in two Mexican states: Chihuahua and Guerrero. Additionally, digital educational resources have been created for use in Chiapas, along with a teacher’s guide containing strategies for working with written language in the classroom. The materials are grounded in the literacy and bilingualism model, which draws on the constructivist perspective and connects it with immersive language learning experiences.