Bilingual Education across the Inuit Homeland - Shelley Tuloch & Yasmine Charara

Inuit across the Arctic have been working for fifty or more years to implement an effective bilingual curriculum. Goals of the bilingual programs include revitalizing Inuktut in regions where it is no longer used in most homes; providing quality first language education in regions where Inuktut is strong; and equipping students as thriving members of their communities. Models of bilingual education are well-established. However, policy makers and curriculum developers have enduring questions about how to best reach their goals. This session provides an opportunity for policy makers, curriculum developers, and others to come together to share what is working in each region, and explore what each can learn from the other’s efforts, successes and challenges. Questions to be explored include:

1. Which programs and models have been tried in each region, and what were the outcomes?

2. What are the most impactful first steps to improving proficiency in Inuktut and national languages?

3. How can multiple languages be taught in ways that support competency in each language?

4. What is the relative place of literacy and orality in Inuktut curricula?

5. How have land programs enhanced language learning?

6. How do different regions work with multiple dialects within a single educational system?

7. How are different regions creating Inuktut literature for use in schools? For example, are translations of classic literature desired, created, and used? What are examples of Inuit-authored literature, and how can it be supported?

8. How is Inuktut language learning being assessed?