Tracks to 2 way learning workshop

Last week HARs author Margaret attended the ‘Tracks to 2 way learning’ workshop held by DET WA and led by Patricia Konigsberg. It was an extremely informative session, with hours of animated 2-way discussion. The latest research findings and government policies on AE in schools makes us at HAR feel very much ‘on track’ and supported with our 2-way resources.

The positive and heartening speeches by imminent educators in WA included a welcome to country by Mr Phillip Collard and speeches by The Hon Peter Collier, Minister for Education; Mr Dennis Eggington, Chief Exec Officer Aboriginal Legal Service; Ms Sharyn O’Neill, Director General Dept Education , Dr Ruth Shean, Director General Dept of Training; and Liz Healy, Manager of Professional learning and Teacher Development.

Prof Ian Malcolm, leading Australian expert in AE, and author of numerous papers, presented a fascinating overview of AE, including the history of research into the language. He finds that although there are differences in AE across the country there is much more in common. We agree! Prof Malcolm advocates learning to read in home dialect as the best way to impart literacy.

As Glenys Collard says: “AE is and has been for many years, the holder of our cultural knowledge. AE has been the holder of our culture because other languages were banned. The power of AE has held our knowledge for us and our stories. “

Coral Brockman expresses an opinion that our 2 way team at HAR have found to be true: “Around Australia we can converse with any black fella.”

The ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning aims to make the curriculum more linguistically and culturally inclusive for all students.
It is based on:
• A for acceptance of Aboriginal English;
• B for bridging to Standard Australian English; and
• C for cultivating Aboriginal ways of approaching experience and knowledge.

Considerable focus is placed on changing attitudes by broadening education practitioners understanding of language variation, dialect development, cross-cultural communication and the historical development of Aboriginal English.