This report discusses the provision of culturally appropriate early childhood programs in Australian Aboriginal language in Australia, and the education of teachers for these programs. The first section of the report examines the education of indigenous peoples in the context of the current Australian education system. Evidence in support of the…

In 1992, the Australian government decided that all children in Australian schools should have access to an Aboriginal Studies program. New courses were designed to bring about greater community understanding of Aboriginal heritage and history, culture and values, but before the courses could be implemented, schools had to be given access to books…

A preservice teacher describes her practicum at a rural Aboriginal school in Queensland (Australia). Part of an English-as-second-language research project, the school used local Aboriginal English, which draws on three traditional languages, to build self esteem and acknowledge the indigenous culture. Standard Australian English was then further…

States that the difficult Asian languages such as modern standard Chinese, Japanese and Korean, should not be taught in primary or lower secondary schools to non-background speakers of those languages, that is, those whose mother tongue is related to the language being learned. Maintains that time should be spent in primary and secondary schools…

In this article the author shares his experience visiting two schools that serve Aboriginal children in the state of Queensland, Australia: (1) Cherbourg State School in central Queensland; and (2) Kuranda State School in the Far North. Prior to his visit he had learned somewhat of Australia's troubled history regarding Aboriginal education, a…

Traces the development of Australia's educational policies toward Aboriginal children since important legal changes in 1967. Focuses on developing bilingual education, maintenance of culture and native language, and the movement toward Aboriginal self-determination. Suggests that the apparently inactive 1970s was a time of reflecting on…

Describes cultural, political, and linguistic factors that have affected the literacy development of Aboriginal children in Australia. Discusses how oral and literate cultures manage knowledge differently, the social context of language development, literacy and power, cultural differences, and story reading. Suggests ways schools and teachers of…

Contact zones are social spaces where different cultures meet, often in highly asymmetrical relations of domination and subordination. The field of early childhood education is one such contact zone. This paper discusses how one Aboriginal principal of an Aboriginal preschool and primary school in Australia, has to deal with various constructions…

This review of Australia's National Aboriginal Languages Program, undertaken in September-November 1989, involved consultation with individuals in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organizations and communities in several areas. It was found that 56% of 1988-89 funding went to Aboriginal communities and regional language centers, 20% to state schools,…

Six papers on the relationship of language and culture in the Australian Aboriginal context are presented. "Some Thoughts on Yanyuwa Language and Culture" by Jean Kirton gives an overview of some language-culture relationships and examines seven kinds of possession in one language. "Nyangumarta Kinship: A Woman's Viewpoint" by…

The factors affecting the outcomes of indigenous Australians' participation in vocational education and training (VET) were examined in a study in which 7 Aboriginal researchers in 5 Australian states and territories interviewed 70 indigenous Australians enrolled in VET and 48 coordinators and teachers in technical and further education (TAFE)…

In all parts of the world indigenous cultures are under threat by the persistent spread of western culture with its emphasis on individualism, competitiveness, consumerism, and technological change. Indigenous cultures have as much, if not more, to offer the West, than the West can offer them. For the cultures to survive, they must own all aspects…

This paper focuses on contextual issues arising during an ethnographic study of mathematics instruction for Aboriginal children in New South Wales, Australia. Conversational interviews with Aboriginal children in grades 5-6, Aboriginal parents, and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers and staff identified context as 1 of 17 core categories of…

The effect of cultural background knowledge on comprehension and on the language of recall was investigated using an oral presentation. Fifteen Aboriginal women in northern Australia and 15 American women in an adult education class in Illinois were matched in age and educational level. Two stories were read aloud to the subjects, each based on…

This report describes the participation of St. Paul's School, in Australia's Northern Territory, in a collaborative action research project with Northern Territory University. The project had three goals: (1) increase staff awareness of multicultural issues, particularly as they pertain to Aboriginal people; (2) determine how school practices…