Yearly on March 31, Canada celebrates Nationwide Indigenous Languages Day. At the present time acknowledges and honours the greater than 70 Indigenous languages from 12 distinct language households spoken in Canada.
Within the final census, 189,000 individuals reported talking an Indigenous language as their first language at residence, and 237,420 Indigenous individuals reported talking an Indigenous language nicely sufficient to conduct a dialog. These statistics point out that many individuals are studying Indigenous languages as a second language. Studying a second language, nonetheless, is a lifelong endeavor that takes devoted apply and a spotlight.
Supporting Indigenous language studying is integral to Canada’s fact and reconciliation course of and is the main target of Calls to Motion 13–17 launched by the Reality and Reconciliation Fee. This weblog submit highlights among the methods Indigenous communities are encouraging college students to be taught their language and offers some strategies for supporting second-language studying in your classroom!
How does language studying occur in Indigenous communities?
Indigenous-run faculties in lots of communities make use of language audio system to show college students their language as a part of the curriculum. In lots of instances, these language lessons are the one means Indigenous youth can be taught and entry their language. Due to the ubiquity of English and the disruption of pure language transmission, many households don’t converse their language at residence.
Contemplate making an attempt these methods to create supportive language-learning environments in your college:
1. Give attention to Content material-Primarily based Instruction.
Studying grammar guidelines might help college students perceive how a language works. Nonetheless, an excessive amount of deal with grammar usually leaves college students disinterested of their studying. This strategy additionally positions language as one thing you be taught about as an alternative of one thing helpful to your on a regular basis life. Instructing language by way of a matter extra intently mimics pure language acquisition, which at all times happens in context and isn’t divorced from which means. Language expertise enhance when college students study a subject, as a result of it emphasizes related, significant, and complicated content material, reasonably than specializing in the language itself.
2. Train Survival Phrases.
Survival phrases are fundamental phrases and vocabulary that folks use of their day-to-day lives. Some classroom survival phrases embrace greetings and farewells, asking to make use of the restroom, getting a drink, and asking for gadgets like pencils, pens, and paper. Survival phrases give college students extra sensible alternatives to make use of their language expertise.
3. Create Immersion-like Environments.
One of the vital vital obstacles for second-language learners is having locations to apply their oral language expertise. You may enhance college students’ alternatives to apply language expertise by working with a language instructor to combine language use throughout different topics. For instance, having different academics be taught related survival phrases can enhance their use throughout numerous lessons, whereas having math academics immediate college students to say numbers of their language might help college students apply utilizing totally different vocabulary.
How can I assist Indigenous languages as a non-Indigenous particular person?
Even for those who don’t converse an Indigenous language, there are issues you are able to do to focus on, assist, and promote Indigenous languages in your classroom.
- Use Native Land Digital to determine whose ancestral territory you occupy. Then, seek for on-line assets that may enable you be taught a easy greeting or fundamental conversational phrases within the language(s) native to your space.
- Invite a language speaker to show easy greetings or phrases in your classroom. Should you’re uncertain who to ask or if nobody in your community is aware of an Indigenous language, take into account contacting a Friendship Centre in your space and asking if somebody can be involved in coming to your classroom. Bear in mind to comply with correct Protocols to compensate them for his or her time in your classroom. Make sure you ask what these Protocols are.
- Make your classroom bilingual, even for those who’re not! Language academics usually rework their lecture rooms into language nests. Comply with their lead, and do the identical! You probably have numbers on a bulletin board, add their translations in a single (or extra!) of the languages native to your space. Every week, spotlight a unique Indigenous language out of your native space or farther afield.
The place can I be taught extra?
Discover the next assets to be taught extra about Indigenous languages in Canada.
- FirstVoices is a platform run by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council in British Columbia. It’s an interactive platform the place Indigenous communities handle, curate, and share their languages. Discover this web site along with your college students, and encourage them to be taught extra about an Indigenous language in Canada.
- Learncree.ca is a Cree language-learning web site run by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Saskatchewan. Attempt studying some Cree phrases along with your college students!
- The Indigenous Languages Revitalization web site is run by the Indigenous Management Growth Institute Inc. This web site highlights totally different communities, teams, organizations and people working with Indigenous language revitalization. The linked web page incorporates some pattern actions and lesson plans you possibly can attempt.
What methods do you use to assist language learners? Share your concepts for integrating Indigenous languages in your classroom! We’d love to listen to from you!
Picture: Nonetheless from the Native Land Digital interactive territories, languages, and treaties map.