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EAL/D Professional Learning Event – Aboriginal Students’ Language Backgrounds

This PL is free for all our members. To join ATESOL go back to the home page and click on the “register now” tab. To register for this PL, please click HERE
ATESOL NT is pleased to announce our first online EAL/D professional learning event for 2023! On May 24th from 3:30-4:30 (NT time), Dr Denise Angelo, a highly experienced and knowledgable teacher, linguist and EAL/D specialist, will deliver her presentation  “Aboriginal students’ language backgrounds”.
This session will support primary and secondary teachers in remote, regional and urban contexts to better understand the rich, diverse language backgrounds of their First Nations EAL/D students and the implications this has for the English language learning of these students.
Dr Denise Angelo
Throughout her career, Denise has taught extensively in north Queensland and worked as an EAL/D adviser, course designer, curriculum writer and facilitator of EAL/D professional learning. In addition, Denise has carried out important research on the “shifting landscapes” of contact languages in the Katherine region and North Queensland. Denise is currently a researcher in linguistics at the Australian National University and last year her thesis won the prestigious Penny Mackay Memorial Award which recognises outstanding work in the field of language and literacy in Australia.
Online PL descriptor- Aboriginal students’ language backgrounds
Aboriginal students in the Northern Territory are linguistically diverse. This professional learning workshop will take a look at some of the main types of language ecologies in the Northern Territory.  Participants will be asked to consider which kinds of languages children are speaking as their L1 and which kinds of languages they are in the process of learning. The repertoire of languages that students bring with them to the classroom have ramifications for their language learning pathways and for teaching choices. The workshop will discuss the importance of recognising and responding in the classroom to Aboriginal students’ L1 and other Aboriginal languages, as well as their English language learning needs. 
Hope to see you there!
ATESOL NT committee

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