Indigenous learners, language and identity: implications for educators

Abstract

[Extract] I would like to begin this paper by explaining that I am not an English as a Second Language (ESL) educator. Rather, I am an Aboriginal educator who after 20 years as a classroom teacher from pre-school through to university, moved on to become a P-12 guidance officer, a consultant in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island education and training, head of an Indigenous unit in a school, and finally Chair of Indigenous Australian Studies within the university sector. During the past 40 years I have also worked across a number of Australian states as well as in Papua New Guinea and Saudi Arabia. The diversity of my experiences has enabled me to acquire deep insights into some of the issues that face those who enter our learning environments without the capacity speak Standard Australian English (SAE). I assume I was invited to participate in this project to provide an Indigenous perspective. I am honoured to have been invited to contribute here to represent Indigenous Australian viewpoints, let me state at the beginning I am extremely aware of the difficulty of such a task. Appreciating the diversity of histories, cultures and life experiences among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples, I would point out that no one person can speak for all.