Issue 19 Number 1 - August 2009
Gil Pennington considers the ways culture is embedded in stories and the value of stories for young learners in an English language centre. The story-telling sessions she describes reflect the ways in which children develop culturally, cognitively, emotionally, and linguistically over time through their encounter with stories. The writer uses key aspects of second language acquisition theory to develop her argument of engagement and “linguistic action.”

Oliver, Haig, and Grote focus on the needs of refugee students within the Western Australian education system. Exploring the perceptions of African refugee background students, their parents/caregivers, teachers, and others involved in their education and support, the paper examines the challenges faced by these students and their teachers, together with related issues around literacy that affect access to the wider curriculum. Importantly, the authors set out a number of possible solutions to the problems identified, based on suggestions from their participants and literacy professionals.

Finally, Sarah Ahern looks at the roles played by IELTS in Australia at a time when education is our third biggest export and where being a student is a recognised and well-trodden pathway to permanent residency. She provides an interesting historical overview of the test, and then makes the case that IELTS has become both a test of English language abilities and a means of controlling immigration – purposes which, in her view, are incompatible. Ahern offers insights into government policy and analyses an incident in her workplace where a version of the IELTS test is used in ways which impact heavily on both students and teachers.

Special Edition S2
Pedagogies of Connection.
Edited by Kate Cadman, Jenny Barnett & Cally Guerin
Released 2009