Supreme Onon

Bilingual educational materials for teaching Mam to preschoolers

My roles

Research, concept development, illustration, and design of the full educational material system

Context

40% of Guatemala’s population is Maya, spanning 23 distinct Maya communities. Mam is the predominant language in the western part of the country, spoken by 59% of residents in San Juan Ostuncalco — yet less than 20% of the youth population can speak and/or write in Mam (SDG 04: Quality Education). There’s a need to integrate the Mam language consistently and meaningfully into the classroom, with teaching resources suited to how preschool-age children learn.

Process

The objective was to create graphic, illustrative, and educational resources that make learning Mam engaging and age-appropriate for children ages 4–6, along with visual tools that support planning and teaching Mam in the classroom. The concept, ‘passionate hands that plant learning,’ led to a full system of final deliverables: Onon (mascot), posters, a children’s dictionary, a user manual, a planner, a storybook, an educational lotería (bingo) game, a teacher’s flashcard set, stickers, a printed flashcard set, and an exercise template.

Impact

Teaching resources for a more consistent integration of Mam.

Learnings

A link between learning, language, and cultural identity.

Problem

40% of Guatemala’s population is Maya, across 23 distinct Maya communities. Mam is the predominant language in the western part of the country: 59% of residents in San Juan Ostuncalco speak Mam, yet less than 20% of the youth population can speak and/or write in it. (SDG 04 — Quality Education)

Need

Integrate the Mam language consistently and meaningfully into the classroom. Have teaching resources suited to how preschool-age children learn.

Objectives

Create graphic, illustrative, and educational resources that make learning Mam engaging and age-appropriate for children ages 4–6. Create visual tools that support planning and teaching Mam in the classroom.

Concept

Passionate hands that plant learning.

Final Deliverables

Onon (mascot), Posters, Children’s Dictionary, User Manual, Planner, Storybook, Educational Game – Lotería (Bingo), Flashcards – Teacher’s Set, Stickers, Flashcards – Printed Set, Exercise Template.