First Language (Dinka) Literacy as a Foundation for English ...

Section 2: Teaching Ideas
Section 2: Food for thought: Practical teaching ideas
and learner responses
Background
The project
In 2008 and 2009, the Dinka Literacy Association (DLA) and ACL (an Adult Migrant
English Program provider) ran a bilingual literacy course for Dinka-speakers from
Southern Sudan. In the first half of the course, the learners studied literacy and numeracy
in Dinka. In the second half, the learners studied literacy and numeracy in English.
The learners
Most of the learners in the class were female, aged 25 – 50, with no formal schooling
outside Australia and no literacy in languages other than English. A few of the learners
were able to communicate easily using spoken English, while others had almost zero
English oracy. Most had been in Australia for at least 4 years. All had completed their
AMEP entitlement and some had also accessed Language, Literacy and Numeracy
Program (LLNP) tuition.
All the learners were able to name and copy the English alphabet, but most were unable
to read anything. Most of the learners were familiar with numerals, but had very limited
experience in using numbers for practical purposes such as telling the time or reading the
date.
This document
The following pages provide detailed information on what did (and did not) work with this
particular class. The intention is not to suggest that the approaches described would be
effective and appropriate for all classes. Rather, it is hoped that the information can
provide some fresh food for thought – some ideas that practitioners might like to test as
different ways of teaching preliterate learners (even though the project was confined to
Dinka-speaking learners, the activities could apply to other beginning literacy learners).
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009 Dinka-English Literacy Project Page 19