1. Work in pairs (one Aboriginal person and one non-Aboriginal person).
2. The handout provides a transcription of the speech of an Aboriginal child in a news telling session.
3. A teacher has brought this to you asking for help in improving the way one student speaks.
4. Discuss how you would respond to the teacher.
5. You may want to refer to the books Solid English and Two-Way English to help you prepare your advice for the teacher.
6. Write down your responses and take them to the group for comparison and discussion.

• Give advice to teachers who do not understand the importance of Aboriginal English or other dialects of English,
• Give advice to teachers about oral language, and
• Develop skills to address problems at the classroom level.

Ways that participants responded to this task