In this presentation, we are joined by Early Childhood Teacher, Katie Grace, and Aboriginal Teaching Assistant, Samina Manado who share their experiences using Translanguaging Pedagogy to teach Bardi language through a model of play called Conceptual Playworlds (Fleer, 2018, 2021, 2024). Within the Conceptual Playworld model, children enter imaginary worlds and are active agents in exploring and solving problems through play. The teachers and support staff are co-participants, or play-partners, who may play a range of roles to nurture children’s language, imagination and ultimately their ability to understand complex concepts. The educators describe how they developed a series of Conceptual Playworlds based around culturally responsive children’s literature. This involved identifying the important themes in the texts and applying them to Bardi culture, using contextually relevant cultural examples, numerical concepts and language features. Modelled on the children’s literature, Samina then created her own Bardi literary texts, including the identified customs, concepts and language, in a unique story for the children to learn from. The children engaged with these stories in imaginative ways in the Playworlds the educators had designed, creating their own additional stories and enacting them. Throughout the play, the educators encouraged children’s use of Bardi language, developing it further in additional classroom-based activities. The value of these culturally and linguistically responsive learning experiences extended far beyond the Playworld as Katie and Samina will reflect on, in addition to the challenges encountered along the way.
Event details
9:30am: Welcome to Country
9:45am: Introduction to the research project & the research collective (Dr Carly Steele)
9:50am: Conceptual Playworlds (A/P Christine Robinson, Professor Grace Oakley)
9:55am: Translanguaging Pedagogy (Professors Toni Dobinson & Sender Dovchin)
10:00am: Using translanguaging pedagogy to teach Bardi language through Conceptual Playworlds (Katie Grace, Samina Manado, and Tyra Adams, Dr Carly Steele)
10:30am: Questions
10:45am: Morning tea & networking
