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Second Progress Report on the Bilingual E Programin DOCONEI? RESUME BD 126 683 FL 007 71 TITLE Second Progress Report on the Bilingual E tion Programin Schools in,the Northern Territ INSTITUTION Northern Territory Dept. of Education,Dar (Australia). PUB DATE . Dec 74 NOTE 67p. A EDES PRICE MF-50.83 BC-33.50 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Australian Aboriginal Languages; *Bilingual Education; Creoles; Educational Programs;*English (Seccnd Language); Instructional Materials; *Language of Instruction; Language Planning; Linguistics; Pidgins; Program Descriptions ABSTRACT This is the second progress reporton the BilingUal Education Program implemented in 1973 in theNorthern Territory of Australia, As of December 1974 theprogram includes 11 schools and 10 aboriginal languages usedas medium of instruction.'Tbe'topics discussed include the following: the fourtypes of bilingual programs seen as evolving, and the appropriate approaches to eachone; criteria important to the success of bilingualeducation; the administration of the program; the O'Grady/BaleReport, which reviewed the program feworably,and madesome recommendations; the importance of linguistics in thesuccess of the program, as well as 0 the establishment in 1974 of the School of AustralianLinguistics as part-of Darwin Community College; experiments inthe use of Creole as medium of instruction; and the teaching of Englishas a Second Language. In addition, the report providesa list of school materials published by the Education Department in eightAboriginal langiages. 4n appendix contains reports from individualschools on programs incorporating Aboriginal languages. (AM) ,q1 vittlitt**********************4444*********************mmt********** :r... * . Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * * materials not available from othersources. ERIC makes every * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, Items of margins * * * reproducibility are often encountered amd,this affects the guailtr,* , * of tiG microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makesavailable -d,* * via he ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS isnot * * .responsible for the quality of the original document.ReproduCtions * * supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made fro the original.- * *************4444**0********************************************Avv*** r ) Q octdruNLP rtitAititbb REPORT on the likktgual EducationProgram in Schools in the 115 Northern Territory ..,..... uc-, ..0 O 6 Preficice / . %WO:es') : , '' t This second Progress Reporton the Bilingual Education Program in the Northern Territory was compiled by officers of the Bilingual Education- Section, of the Northern Terfitor* Education DiVision. It has been, prepared mainly for the information" of education personnel in the Northern Territory but may be of interest to educationists and the wider public throughout Australia and elsewhere interested in Aboriginal education in general, and bilingual education in particular. (W. J. McGRATH) , Principal` Education Adviser, Bilingual Education ob Contents 2 Types of Bilingual Programs 3 Criteria for the Establishment of Bilingual Education Programs 4 Administration of the Program 5 0 Grady4HaleReportRecommendations concm Bilingual Education in the Northern Territory 6 Involvement oy Linguists 7 The School of Australianinguistics 8 Inservice Courses Plaedfor 1975 9 Publications on Aspec s of Bilingual Education Supplied to Schools 10 Nino al Education Consultative Committee :11, Visit to the United States aA Canadaby the Prina.l rducation Adviser, Bilingual Education 12 South Pacific Commission Bilingual Eduattononference 5-13 ber, 1974 13 Film on Bilingbal Education 14 Reports from Schools on Programs incorporating Abongirlal lariguages .15 Creole Programs 16 Rdsearch and Evaluation 17 Materials in Aboriginal Languages ,18 Teaching English,as a Second Language )19.Outstation Schools 20 Some Problems Encountered 21 Some Highlights of the Program 22 Conclusion APPENDIX Reports from Schools on Programs . Incorporating Aboriginal Languages 1.. IntrOdUction Whereas. 1973was basically an instruction in bilingual programs. More experimental year in the implementation schools will commence bilingual programs and development of 'programs of bilingual in 1975Preparation for this has been education, 1974 can be regarded as one of underway during this year, however the consolidation and further development of precise number whichdo begin will depend such programs in schools in Aboriginal on. a number of factors including the communities Of necessity availability of school staff. Because of this, experimentation has -continued, and will and because some schools are continue for a number of years yet experimenting withthe wider use of cen be stated with some Aboriginal languages in their programs, the justification that the basic g nclix contains retorts from scAools the implementation of bilingual programs which have n 'tin ual has now been laid One area requiring educaticin programs as welLas_those-which rather urgent attention, and one which will have. be closely examined in 1975,isthe The various tections of pis report are not adaptation and development of curricula arranged -in any particular order and, in __ _more relevant to the- use of Aboriginal languages at-the-rnedturn-of general, the information in each is brief to. _keep the report to a manageable size. Six additional schools, to the initial five in As with the first,progresto 1973, commenced bilingual programsin been to present -up-to -date information on 1974 Five more language groups became bilingual'educationin the orthern involved taking to ten the pumber of" Territory and, in this case, to desc the languages which are uted as 'mediums of situation as it is inrDecember, 1 2. Types'of Bilingual Programs With the expansion of bilingual prograrris (c)revival programs (where a community during 1974, it became possible to defirie has asked for an Aboriginal language more closely the types of Wing ualp rogram, no longer spoken by the children to be which are evolving There appear to befoul revived and taught in the school); and tYPes- (a) programs based on initial literacy in the Aboriginallanguage,followedby (d) "elective" programs (where, generally literacy in English (where there is a in multi-lingual communities, children , pracfical orthograr5hy in the Abonginal are given the opportunity to do work in language, and where materials are their own language--usually the older groups). , available for teaching initial literacy in' thei.language). (b) programs based on early instruction in A differentapproach is- necessarily the Aboriginal languagebutwith initial followed in each type of program, thus literacy m English (where a practical .more detail is given to describe precisely orthographyintheAboriginal how each operates. Pre-school programs language may --ITOTFiviibeen which are basically oral in nature and thus established and/or where materials are - similarinallschools withbilingual not available for teaching initial literacy .education will be described separately first m that language); . of at 5 Pre-School Type (b) Pre-schools cater for children of the 3+ and During the first year after Pre-school (age 4- age groups During the first year nearly 5+)themajorityoftheprogramis all activities areconducted in the conducted in the Aboriginal language with Aboriginal uage The non-Aboriginal from 45 minutes to one hour pertlay being teacher es En sh in an informal way devoted toEnglishHere the principle with t children to enable them to become followed is that the children can best learn famar,to some extent, withitsuse, in their own language until they acquire a 1 ruing to follow simple instructions and sufficient command of English Some time ecognizing that there is another language inthe second year, depending. on the !asides their own During the second year a development of the pupils, a start is made more formal type of English program is on literacy in English while a number of introducedwherethenon-Aboriginal subjects continue to be taught in the teacher conducts short activities withamall Aboriginal language By the end of the next groups in the English language with the aim year (age 7+) about half the work is done in of teaching some basic vocabulary and English. and in subsequent- -years the structures Again the major proportion of majority of the work will be in English with the activities is conducted in the Aboriginal about an hour per day being devoted to language by Aboriginal teachers Work is work in the Aboriginal language usually prepared and planned in a team approach with the non-Aboriginal teacher frequently assuming a teacher-trainer role where necessary Type (c) Revival programs have not commenced as ye 1.bitjtisenvisaged that these will Type (a) necessarily involve teaching the language, After following a readinessprogram, which probably commencing withthe older may have commenced in the Pre-school, children in the school children begin.to learn the skills of reading and writing in their own language The time of starting this varies with the maturity of the pUpils but usually commences some Type (d) time during second term During this year the majority of other work is carried out in One "elective" program is operating in an the Aboriginal language. A structured Oral Aboriginal community. (It is interesting to English program is also commenced with note that one High School has commenced froni thirty to forty-five minutes per day a course in an Aboriginal language using being devoted to this During the second Aboriginalstudentsinthe schoot
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