The languages we speak : Aboriginal learners and English as an additional language: a literature review of promising approaches and practices: full report

Her interests, research, and publications include the following: n the development and delivery of distance-delivered courses and programs for Aboriginal people and for EAL teachers n instructional development n selection and adaptation of EAL teaching/learning materials n language curriculum and program development and evaluation n English instruction for Aboriginal and additional language learne [...] The text of this action follows: 3. The Department work collaboratively with schools, Aboriginal organizations, and communities to address the linguistic diversity of Aboriginal learners by n establishing a provincial group to undertake research and study the linguistic diversity of Manitoba’s Aboriginal student population and English as a Second Dialect (ESD) issues, to develop a school and teach [...] F u l l. r e p o r t 17 Post-colonial discourse contends that the entire educational system has been and continues to be western-based and Eurocentric, perpetuating the notion of learner deficiency, and the marginalization of Aboriginal people, including the validity and status of their knowledge, languages, and cultures (Battiste, et al.). [...] The emergence of Aboriginal language “immersion” programs in various parts of Canada in the 1980s and 1990s (Fredeen 1988) and Aboriginal bilingual programs in Manitoba, together with renewed interest in immersion Aboriginal language programming in First Nations communities as part of their language revitalization strategies, the teaching of Aboriginal languages in schools can now and in the futur [...] Educators are much more able to address learner goals and needs if they are sensitized to post-colonial discourse, aware of the implications of language loss and the power of English to marginalize other languages, and supportive of L1 and dialect maintenance and growth for linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as for expression and use in teaching across the curriculum.