In this paper we wish to examine some of the issues raised by the situation in a Bilingual program when the children transfer from literacy in the vernacular to literacy in English, and to outline what we consider to be some of the reasons for the success of the Lajamanu program in this area.

Theoretically, the virtue of education for children in their first language first is that they develop a surer grasp of new concepts and skills taught and greater confidence in using them. It follows that, if children can read and write confidently in their first language and they have a sufficient knowledge of a second language, they will learn to read and write in the second language quickly and without undue effort on their part.

The Aboriginal and Islander Teacher Education Program (AITEP) is an affirmative action program offering entry to teacher education courses at James Cook University to Aboriginal and Islander students who do not meet direct entry requirements. The program operates with a ‘stretched’ first year. First year subjects in the regular teacher education courses are spread over three semesters instead of two, and students are required to undertake additional subjects - Study Skills and Oral Communications, Written Communications, and Introductory Mathematics during that 18 months. This paper began as a personal exploration into the way in which the teaching of writing within these additional subjects had developed and to provide a greater understanding of the process of teaching writing.

Bamaga stands on the tip of Cape York and adjacent to a number of Torres Strait Islands. Both Bamaga and the Islands are included in the one administrative region.

Parents of students on the Torres Strait Island communities are still confused as to what schools or education are providing for their children. Parents have been desperately hoping that education would improve their ways of living as they were led to believe. As it now stands, more and more parents are becoming disillusioned after receiving evidence of the inadequacy of the Western education system for their culture and beliefs.

Twenty high contact Queensland Aboriginal children of mean age six years were tested on two measures of capaciy to process information (cf. Case, et al., 1982 and Halford, 1984) and on two newly devised tasks to measure levels of thinking based on cultural knowledge. The results indicated that these children possess capacity to process information that is the same as Caucasian children of the same age. Because these children have underlying capacity to learn tasks to the same level as any other child the results have implications for schooling. It is intended that this initial trial testing will be followed up in a larger study.

Aboriginal Studies is becoming increasingly popular in schools. Here are some South Australian findings and thoughts on how to teach it.