Bilingual Competencies in a Grade Five Classroom
Susan Tigullaraq ᓱᓴᓐ ᑎᒍᓪᓚᒐᖅ
Iqaluit, NU
Abstract
A bilingual education system is a requirement under the current Education Act (Government of Nunavut, 2008) and is supported by many Nunavummiut. Finding effective ways to teach both Inuktitut and English languages needs to be explored and documented. This small research study was conducted with twelve grade five students in an elementary school in Iqaluit, Nunavut. The research combined three methods: observation of students while they were being taught in Inuktitut and English; the completion, by students, of a questionnaire with multiple-choice questions; and a talking circle (focus group) method of asking questions of the participating students. The research revealed that the English language dominates over Inuktitut in classes and homes. It also shows that students have difficulty understanding English at the time they change from primarily Inuktitut instruction to primarily English instruction. Most students prefer to be taught in both languages, because they do not have comprehensive knowledge of either. The current implementation of bilingual education may not be meeting the diverse language-related needs of students in the study.
Key Words: Inuktitut, English, bilingualism, Nunavut, Inuit, Grade Five.
ᒪᕐᕉᓕᖓᔫᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᖓᐅᑎᖃᕐᓗᓂ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᖅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᖏᑦ
ᖁᑦᑎᓐᓂᓕᒃ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᓪᓗᓂ
ᓲᓴᓐ ᑎᒍᓪᓚᒐᖅ
ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ
ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖓ
ᒪᕐᕉᓕᖓᔫᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᖓᐅᑎᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᐅᑉ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᐅᒋᐊᓖᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑦᑕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᖕᒪᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᐅᑉ ᐱᖁᔭᖓᒍᑦ (ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᙳᖅᑎᑕᐅᓚᖅᑐᖅ, 2008ᒥ) ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᓄᑦ. ᐃᒃᐱᓇᓪᓚᕆᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᒍᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᓪᓗ ᕿᓂᕆᐊᖃᕋᑦᑕ ᐊᑲᐅᓂᖅᐹᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᓗᒋᓪᓗ. ᖃᐅᔨᓴᑲᐃᓐᓈᕐᔪᓚᐅᖅᑕᕋ ᖁᑦᑎᓐᓂᓖᑦ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᖁᓕᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᓪᓗ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓱᕈᓯᓛᒃᑯᕕᖕᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ. ᑐᑭᓯᓇᓱᐊᖅᑐᖓ ᐱᖓᓱᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕈᓯᖃᖅᑐᖓ: ᑕᑯᓐᓇᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᖅᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᓪᓗ; ᐱᔭᕇᕐᓂᖓ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ, ᐊᐱᖅᑯᑎᓂᒃ ᑭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᖕᓂᒃ ᓇᓕᕌᕐᕕᖃᖅᑎᑦᑐᒋᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᑕᖓᓂᒃ; ᐊᒻᒪᓗᖅᑕᒦᑦᑐᑎᓪᓗ ᐊᐱᖅᓱᑲᑕᑦᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ (ᐊᑕᐅᑦᑎᒦᑦᑐᑦ ᑐᑭᑖᖅᑎᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ) ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᔪᓂᒃ. ᖃᐅᔨᓴᓚᐅᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐅᔾᔨᕐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑑᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓂᖏᑕ ᓲᖑᓂᖅᓴᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑑᒥᑦ ᐃᓪᓗᕈᓯᕐᒥ ᐃᓕᓴᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᒥᓂᓗ ᐅᖃᓕᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᒐᒥᒃ. ᓴᖅᑮᓚᐅᕆᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑐᔪᒃᑰᖃᑦᑕᕆᐊᖏᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑑᕆᐊᖃᓕᕋᒥ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᑐᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᖅᑕᐅᓂᖓ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑳᕐᓂᑰᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᖅᑳᖅ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕆᐊᖃᓕᕋᐃᒐᒥᒃ. ᐅᓄᕐᓂᖅᓴᐃᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓰᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓴᖅᑕᐅᔪᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ, ᐅᐱᓐᓇᕋᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᓐᓃᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᑐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᖏᔪᐊᓗᖕᒥᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᐅᒪᔾᔪᑎᓂᒃ ᐃᓗᓕᖃᐅᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᒫᓐᓇ ᐊᑐᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓ ᒪᕐᕉᓕᖓᔫᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᒻᒪᖃ ᐊᖑᒻᒪᑎᔪᓐᓃᕐᒪᑕ ᐃᓕᓯᒪᒋᐊᓕᖏᖕᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᐊᖑᒻᒪᑎᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᓚᐅᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑐᑕ.
ᐅᖃᐅᓰᑦ ᓇᓂᓯᔾᔪᑏᑦ: ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ, ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ, ᒪᕐᕉᓕᖓᔫᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᖓᐅᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ, ᖁᑦᑎᓐᓂᓖᑦ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᓂᒃ.
Student biographies are also available.