Abstract
As part of a recent study of the teaching and learning of te reo Māori (the Māori language) in English-medium secondary schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand, I asked a sample of teachers which textbooks they used. I then analysed some of those textbooks that were referred to most often, using focus points derived from a review of literature on the design of textbooks for the teaching of additional languages. What I found was that the textbooks analysed were inconsistent with the relevant curriculum guidelines document and were also problematic in a number of other ways. This article discusses a number of the problematic concerns and outlines what would be involved in designing more effective textbooks for Indigenous languages, and textbooks that are in line with current research findings.
Highlights
Language revitalisation efforts have played a primary role in many communities, most of all in the educational arena
Te reo Māori has been an official language of Aotearoa/New Zealand since 1987 (Māori Language Act 1987), but over three quarters of Māori students currently attend schools where the main language of instruction is English
The early 1980s saw the beginning of an attempt to achieve consistency in New Zealand language documentation within the context of the emerging New Zealand Curriculum Framework (Johnson 2000)
Summary
Language revitalisation efforts have played a primary role in many communities, most of all in the educational arena. New approaches to the concept of culture (Lévi-Strauss 1955), the emerging development of concepts of communicative competence (Hymes 1971), communicative language teaching (Littlewood 1981) and new approaches to language proficiency (Bachman & Palmer 1996), and testing and assessment (Elder & Wigglesworth 1996) all led to a range of new, more inclusive and more meaning-oriented approaches to syllabus design (Wilkins 1973). These methodologies involved encouraging language learners to engage in genuine interactive communication in the classroom (Willis 1990). The communication in which they are involved during the process of language learning should have personal, social and cultural meaning
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