Investigation
Part 1
Identify another area where you draw upon and utilise the prior knowledge of your students. What principles, practices, and strategies do you use here? Write down your ideas and reflect on them. How might these principles, practices, and strategies be transferred to a language-learning context?
Part 2
Survey colleagues about their approach to the use of Pasifika (and other) languages in their classrooms, perhaps as a follow-up to the investigation in Is bilingualism a problem?.
What do the results tell you about the level of knowledge about bilingualism in your department or school, and the general approach taken to the teaching of Pasifika bilingual students?
Questions you might ask include:
- In general, do you encourage or discourage the use of Pasifika (or other) languages in your class?
- If you don’t encourage the use of Pasifika (or other) languages in your class, what are your reasons for this?
- If you do encourage the use of Pasifika (or other) languages in your class, what are your reasons for this and what are the benefits?
- If you do encourage Pasifika (or other) language use in your class, in which teaching and learning contexts would this be most likely to occur?
