Course and Subject Handbook

This subject reviews the theory and practice of teaching English to Indigenous children as a second language from birth to 18 years. It explores the implications for Indigenous students of widespread language shift away from traditional languages over to creoles and other new language varieties. It deals with the specific educational needs of Indigenous students with language backgrounds other than Standard Australian English (including contact languages), processes of second language acquisition and strategies for developing oral language and the explicit teaching of English in early learning settings and school contexts. The subject focuses on how education policy frameworks and curriculum relating to EAL/D learners has developed to respond to Indigenous language situations. It also introduces pre-service teachers to how educators in varying education contexts might identify and support Indigenous EAL/D learners through engagement with Indigenous families and their communities, and through the use of various planning and teaching models and specific assessment tools such as the EAL/D Bandscales.