Helpful Hints for Beginning Teachers of Aborigines

Extract

The first problem that beginning teachers will face on ‘day one’ in the classroom is a communication barrier. Teachers fresh from universities and colleges of advanced education will find that the language they are using is too sophisticated for their students. Therefore they must be conscious of the need to simplify their own language while simultaneously improving the vocabulary of their students. The beginning teacher will also find that the majority of students use non-standard English. It should be noted, however, that the use of non-standard English is not a sign of backwardness. Peer pressure not to appear ‘flash’ is a strong factor in Aborigines maintaining their speech patterns.

Once the young teacher ‘gets his ear in’ he or she will find communication becomes easier. To speed this process I suggest that for the first few weeks the teacher spends a considerable amount of time listening to his or her students. Drama games such as ‘biographies’ and class debates on various topics are useful. It is also important that during this period the beginning teacher be honest and forthright about his or her own background. I found my Year 8 class extremely interested in my family and their background. A family photograph album is a good resource to stimulate class discussion. The students should be encouraged to bring in their family’s photographs. (Children from particularly impoverished backgrounds can be offered the use of a camera if they don’t have any family photographs.) These photographs can lead to the development of environmental readers for remedial readers.