With partners:
How to use this website
Three groups of voices are included on this website: students from Arabic-speaking backgrounds; parents of students from Arabic-speaking backgrounds; and the teachers of students from Arabic-speaking backgrounds. These extracts come from extended interviews conducted between 2003 and 2005. The groups are, within themselves, culturally diverse – the backgrounds of students and parents interviewed are rich and sometimes complex. Students and parents come from a variety of national, ethnic and religious groups, many are Iraqi Muslim and many Christian of Assyrian ethnicity, while some families are of Chaldean descent and others are Australian-born Lebanese. Consequently, the excerpts reflect a range of perspectives. They represent an attempt to gain insight into the challenges and advantages of culturally diverse environments. While the term 'Arabic-speaking background' is adopted throughout, it should be noted that some students from Middle-Eastern backgrounds have home languages other than, or alongside Arabic; for example, Assyrian or Kurdish language. While this website draws primarily from interviews with Victorian students and teachers at levels 9 and 10, the questions, issues and challenges that arise are relevant to all teachers working in culturally diverse settings. Teachers can explore a range of resources, including lesson plans and ideas, information about relevant curriculum, policy and theoretical perspectives. We hope that you find this website thought-provoking and useful.Click on a heading in the right-hand menu to learn more about the features of this website.
Download and print out a brief guide to this website: TSM_Brief_Guide_180506.pdf (pdf file, 95kb).
Click here to learn more about this research project.Click here to start exploring this resource.