National Indigenous TV for Literacy by jennifer

For the kids, it’s fun, but children’s program Waabiny Time (or “playing time”) has a serious intent: Saving one of Australia’s endangered indigenous languages. The series, airing on National Indigenous TV, is built around the Noongar language, a group of about 13 dialects once widely spoken in the southwest corner of Western Australia, between Moora in the wheatbelt and Esperance on the coast. Today, only about five of the dialects are still considered strong. Every show has segments including Sand Yarning (story time) and Our Mob (about Noongar culture), and features original songs, animation, craft and excursions into Noongar country, classrooms and family gatherings (Jakcson, 2010).

The use of television in this context manifests its positive effect on children’s literacy. A literacy that  goes beyond school-based literacy and is a proof that visual literacy or literacy can be represented in a variety of forms. Marsh and Millard (2004) indicate that the use of video, television and film texts both as part of intertextual frame in which the advancement of conventional reading is supported and as  a vital way of making meaning in their own right.

Moreover, Wiseman (2003, p. 808) argues that recognizing the social nature of literacy is important, even from the beginning of a child schooling experience. Considering the effect of social interaction in a language arts classroom illuminates the complexity of literacy and learning. When students experience stories, they are both receivers and transmitters of literacy. Illuminating the social nature of life merges their own knowledge, the expectations of schooling, and the influence of society.

The experiences of the children in terms of literacies begin in earliest childhood and carried on throughout life. As their lives progress, the range of literacies that are entrenched in their everyday lives are becoming more diverse because of the ever-widening social contexts they encountered. As teachers, we have to recognize this diversity of literacy experiences among young children because early childhood educational practices have a considerable impact on the direction of children’s literacy pathways. (Makin, Diaz, & McLachlan, 2007, p. 90).

REFERENCES:

Jackson, S. (2010). Indigenous language finds life through children’s TV. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/indigenous-language-finds-life-through-childrens-tv/story-e6frg996-1225864247897

Makin, L., Diaz, C.J., & McLachlan, C. (2007). Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice 2^nd Edition. NSW, Australia: ELSEVIER.

Marsh, J. & Millard, E. (2004). Chapter 13: Television and film. [Electronic format] In T.Grainger (Ed.), The Routledge-Falmer reader in language and literacy (pp. 217-235). London: Routledge-Falmer. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

Wiseman, A.M. (2003). Collaboration, initiation, and rejection: The social construction of stories. The Reading Teacher, 56 (8), 802-810). Retrieved October 15, 2010 from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.