Author Description

Noting the need to support Western teachers in Australia in their quest to work with indigenous children in more culturally appropriate ways to close the literacy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous children, the Building Bridges project aimed to identify and record the key features of growing up as an indigenous child in Australia today. Participating in the project were six extended families and their associated community link people. The preschool-aged child in each family was filmed by their family over the course of 1 week, at home, in the community, and in preschool. The 6 edited tapes were then shared at a 1-week workshop during which time families discussed the videotapes with indigenous and non-indigenous early childhood experts. This book includes the narratives recorded on the videotapes, includes families explanations for their video selection, and illustrates an authentic and culturally sensitive approach in cross-cultural research. Following two introductory chapters, Part 1 of the book deconstructs the schooling culture and discusses the need to make explicit the codes for participating effectively in schooling and literacy learning. Part 2 examines the multiple literacies evident in the family stories and gives examples of pedagogical practices that will make Western literacy explicit in the schooling context. The insights expressed by families are also presented to help teachers gradually push aside Western lenses and sharpen their focus on indigenous childrens experiences prior to beginning preschool, child care, or school. The book's seven appendices list videotape content and present a profile of print literacy awareness and understanding. (Contains 21 references.) (KB).