ERIC Number: EJ1311413
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Nov
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1030-8385
EISSN: EISSN-2209-0916
Unrecognised Language Teaching: Teaching Australian Curriculum Content in Remote Aboriginal Community Schools
TESOL in Context, v29 n1 p37-58 Nov 2020
The case study in this article offers a descriptive account of challenges involved in teaching Australian Curriculum content in the common teaching context in remote communities where an Indigenous language is spoken as the everyday form of communication and students learn English in what is essentially a foreign language setting. An on-the-ground description of the work of a Primary school teaching team serves to illustrate the language teaching aspect of delivering Australian Curriculum content in areas such as History, Geography and Science. This aspect of the teaching team's work is underestimated in the curriculum itself and in the guidance provided to teachers, yet is essential for student learning in this context. While the team draws on students' L1 and early L2 English proficiency abilities to teach curriculum content, this work is not expedited from outside their classroom. An analysis of current curriculum offerings and the teaching team's approaches finds that they receive little direction for the extensive language planning required. The findings suggest an urgent need for tailor-made curriculum and teacher guidance which better recognise this dual language context. This article canvases different curriculum settings that would alleviate this situation considerably, not only for this teaching team but for others in similar remote schools.
Descriptors: Community Schools, Geographic Isolation, Elementary School Teachers, Team Teaching, Teaching Methods, Indigenous Populations, Native Language, Creoles, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Bilingual Education, Language of Instruction, Dialects, National Curriculum, Alignment (Education), Curriculum Guides, Culturally Relevant Education, Foreign Countries
Australian Council of TESOL Associations. P.O. Box 2019, Smithfield, New South Wales 2164, Australia. e-mail: actaexec@yahoo.com.au; Web site: http://www.tesol.org.au/Publications/TESOL-in-Context
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A