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Media Release by Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM: June 2011 In June, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a “second intervention” to follow the Government’s Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). This is the response from Aboriginal leaders in the Northern Territory to this announcement: …
Language Archive
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Effective communication – not intervention, the key to Closing the Gap
Posted on July 20, 2011 | 2 CommentsMedia Release: Tuesday 28/06/11 The Only Intervention Needed “The only intervention needed in the Northern Territory is an intervention in communication” Richard Trudgen, author of Why Warriors Lie Down and Die, responds to the news that the Gillard Government will spend six weeks... -
Learning the Indigenous Languages of NE Arnhem Land, The Northern Territory
Posted on July 4, 2009 | 2 CommentsWe sometimes get the question from people interested in working with people from North East Arnhem Land; 'Do you know of any good external language courses that are available?' There are a couple of options to begin learning Yolŋu Matha, the language of north east Arnhem Land. -
How do Indigenous Languages help Learning outcomes?
Posted on December 8, 2008 | No CommentsTo some we may be beginning to sound like a broken record, always talking about the importance of using Indigneous languages. But the reason I continue to talk about this is because many Australia personnel and agencies have so much trouble really absorbing the importance of starting with local languages. So lets say it as simply as possible. If a hearer does not understand well the language being used then ZERO meaning or information may be being conveyed. How can this be? Let's break it down... -
Four hours in English – An Indigenous bilingual teacher’s experience.
Posted on November 28, 2008 | No CommentsA growing group called ‘Friends of Bilingual Learning’ (FOBL) sprang up a few months ago and its members are actively involved in the debate over Marion Scrymgour’s decision to relegate the use of local Indigenous languages to only 1hour a day at all bilingual schools. ... -
Four hours in English – The NT Government’s Indigenous ed. plan built on misinformation.
Posted on October 17, 2008 | 6 CommentsThe NT Minister for education argues that Indigenous languages have no place in teaching literacy and numeracy in remote indigenous schools and has announced that the first 4 hour of every school day must be in English. Support for the Government's position seems to be based on a few misunderstanding about way learning actually operates on remote indigenous communities. Let's briefly explore the reality in the bilingual community schools this will effect. -
Loss of Indigenous Languages – symptom or underlying cause?
Posted on September 1, 2008 | 1 CommentLanguage is mastery, who ever controls language controls information and those who lack information are marginalised. When we talk of equal rights for indigenous peoples, the right to hear and be heard using their native languages should be at the top of the list, because it give people mastery over their own lives. -
Cross cultural issues confound Australian justice systems.
Posted on June 10, 2008 | 2 CommentsAn interesting report called “An absence of mutual respect” was released at the beginning of June by our friends at ARDS which gives great insight into the difficulties faced by English second language Aboriginal people. It is a report on the problems that arise for... -
English only Education Part 2 – Transfering meaning
Posted on May 16, 2008 | 1 CommentFor an Indigenous person on a community where English a second or even sixth language all their peers will difficulties in understanding and learning certain English words. When a person in such a community does hear a new English word they can not easily learn the meaning. Because their parents and peers do not use it, do not know it or they may use a local assumed meaning, which can be very wrong. -
English only Education, Part 1- Vocabulary & Word deafness
Posted on May 13, 2008 | 1 CommentAn English only classroom can mask the problems of not utilising first language knowledge and concepts to teach English. It is important to understand how education or training can be going wrong, as a result of neglecting language use, without an English only speaker even knowing it. I will discuss these problems over a series of posts, starting with something I call word deafness that prevents individual ESL students easily acquiring new vocabulary. -
Local Languages and Effective education
Posted on April 29, 2008 | 1 CommentAustralia values indigenous languages as shown in our public art, but in practice it is easy to have excuses. There are a number of concerns about learning Aboriginal languages, and using local languages in education, that become blockages that prevent personnel individually or corporately from putting time into learning to use Aboriginal languages. I will briefly respond to these common concerns.