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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 February 2016
I think those of us who are interested in what is written in Aboriginal languages need to be much more open than we have been in the past to shifts of emphasis in the development of written Aboriginal literatures. Looking at the way the Northern Territory bilingual program developed is one way in to thinking about this issue.
* This is apparently true for many functions of Hebrew literacy today, but would not be for all. For example, as the language of the Israeli army, Hebrew would need to be read as an individual activity in some contexts.
1 If Aboriginal people do not develop a “bedtime stories” or “lap method” approach to reading with their young children at home, outside observers should not assume that those children will therefore not learn to read at home. Heath’s study shows otherwise. However, this statement should not be taken to suggest that the “lap method” of teaching Aboriginal children to read in schools is not one of the best possible ways. In the context of the school, I believe the lap method is one of the very best of reading activities with Aboriginal children.
