For all young Australians, development and learning revolve around studying English. It promotes effective communication, creative thinking, and informed citizenship. People learn to analyze, comprehend, interact, and establish friendships with others and the world surrounding them via the study of English (Willoughby & Manns, 2019). English study is crucial when it comes to helping young people obtain the reading and comprehension skills necessary for schooling, employment, and job. In light of this, it is evident that the Australian Curriculum: English contributes significantly to the understanding, dispositions, and skills of people who will assume leadership roles in Australia’s future.
Being able to participate in many parts of Australian culture and linguistic diversity depends on communicating clearly in Standard Australian English. The various ways that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples depict and spread the information have added to the Australian literary legacy (Cox & Fletcher, 2017). This is why the physical organization of the learning environment will contribute to understanding the cultural differences related to Australian English. In order for the goal to be achieved, resources such as texts, a laptop, a projector, and whiteboards will be utilized to allow students to advance in vocabulary, phonics, comprehension, and fluency. The resources will allow for an extensive examination of differences in Australian English in comparison with the British one.
Australian English generally borrows characteristics from both British and American English. Nonetheless, it is crucial to realize that there are also a lot of distinctive elements, such as a restricted vocabulary (Collins & Yao, 2018). Anyone who intends to visit the nation or hopes to work there in the future might benefit from being familiar with its distinctive qualities (Grama et al., 2021). When individuals examine Australian English’s grammatical characteristics, it becomes clearer why it has the distinction of being a hybrid of British and American English (Korhonen, 2017). For instance, Australian English closest matches British English regarding spelling (Korhonen, 2019). However, it has much more in connection with American English when it comes to compound words. Thus, it is essential to consider inclusive pedagogy, which is why the lessons include discussions on the origins of Australian English and differences in slang and phonics depending on dialogues (Bentley & Savage, 2017). The theory that restrictive vocabulary and pronunciation contrasts are to be considered when discussing language are at the basis of the four lessons due to the students’ social need to have a versatile understanding of communication patterns with different people. The theory has been developed through practical and theoretical observations, including relevant sources mentioned prior, as well as an assessment of language patterns in students. In order for the topic to be addressed from the perspective of students who have a different primary language, the planning rationale aims to generate the inclusion of phonology, vocabulary, comprehension, and slang.
The English vocabulary is diverse, yet the language itself is universal. People’s perspectives on psychological, social, intellectual, and career prospects are linked to learning a new language (Kruger & Smith, 2018). People in all walks of life must navigate emotions and interpretations across languages and dialects due to the interconnectedness of communities and nations (Murray & Christison, 2019). However, effective communication both nationally and internationally requires an understanding of cultural and practical communication differences. Thus, improving communication while considering the specific circumstances of the formation and implementation of Australian English is at the core of the aim. The plan is to use reading, brainstorming, writing, and participating in other activities to touch upon the various linguistic aspects, including vocabulary, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. In regards to phonology, the goal is to spot distinctions between multiple uses of English and detect the Australian one. This can be achieved through audio listening, which is what the lesson will be based on.
The capacity of the community for social, economic, and international growth is also strengthened through language learning, particularly slang. Language proficiency measures the community’s access to linguistic and cultural materials for social, cultural, and economic engagement in fields including commerce, business, research, law, entertainment, hospitality, politics, international affairs, health, and communications (Malyuga et al., 2017). Slang, in particular, is a way for individuals to be a part of a community that uses specific words to express themselves. Researchers mention the need to enhance students’ ability to communicate in all linguistic forms and think critically, creatively, and analytically (Williams, 2019). Addressing comprehension through slang implies that Australian words are at the core of learning, which can be achieved through practical lessons.
Moreover, students will likely be more comfortable learning slang words as they have encountered them previously. As a result, one of the outcomes can be the minimization of performance disparities since the lessons are inclusive and based on diversity (Sullivan et al., 2013). Moreover, the classes are based on the Australian curriculum in regards to past knowledge as well as expected outcomes. Thus, the strategies are effective and appropriate for third-year students. Moreover, the plan is to respond to feedback by examining the topic of Australian English in depth and preparing for an in-depth conversation on the subject. Furthermore, the students will be assessed through an examination on participation, quiz results, reading skills, and additional measures.
Students gain the capacity to comprehend and analyze the aim, stylistic elements, and traditions of literary and non-literary materials via critical study and extensive reading, seeing, and listening. They also enjoy coming up with their own creative, interpretative, and analytical replies. English is intended to help students become comfortable with various texts and linguistic forms (Jones et al., 2022). This is why addressing the vocabulary is another aim of one of the lessons. The Australian-based vocabulary will allow the children to be more comfortable interacting with other members of their communities and encourage them to have more possibilities for expressing themselves. Thus, the rationale for addressing the vocabulary through reading and word identification will be included in the lesson.
Last but not least, a particular lesson will be based on fluency. Namely, students will participate in activities aimed at fluent reading and accurate expressions. Researchers mention the impact of applying English literature to learning in regards to the effectiveness of the method (Mulder & Penry Williams, 2018). In order to become competent cross-cultural linguistic and dialect learners, both spoken and written registers of the language are to be addressed. Thus, focusing on fluency will encourage the students to be confident in how they verbally express themselves and support them in accurately pronouncing and sharing their ideas.
References
Bentley, T., & Savage, G. C. (2017). Educating Australia: Challenges for the decade ahead. Melbourne University Publishing.
Cox, F., & Fletcher, J. (2017). Australian English pronunciation and transcription. Cambridge University Press.
Collins, P., & Yao, X. (2018). Colloquialisation and the evolution of Australian English: A cross-varietal and cross-generic study of Australian, British, and American English from 1931 to 2006. English World-Wide, 39(3), 253-277.
Grama, J., Travis, C. E., & Gonzalez, S. (2021). Ethnic variation in real-time: Change in Australian English diphthongs. In Language Variation–European Perspectives VIII. John Benjamins. 292-314.
Jones, C., Kalashnikova, M., Khamchuang, C., Best, C. T., Bowcock, E., Dwyer, A., Short, K. (2022). A short-form version of the Australian English communicative development inventory. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-11.
Kruger, H., & Smith, A. (2018). Colloquialization versus densification in Australian English: A multidimensional analysis of the Australian Diachronic Hansard Corpus (ADHC). Australian Journal of Linguistics, 38(3), 293-328.
Korhonen, M. (2017). Perspectives on the Americanisation of Australian English: A sociolinguistic study of variation. Helda.
Korhonen, M. (2019). American influences on Australian English. In Australian English Reimagined. Routledge. 193-209.
Malyuga, E., Ivanova, M., & Orlova, S. (2017). Influence of social factors on intonation peculiarities of Australian English. In 4th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Sciences and Arts SGEM 2017. 79-84.
Murray, D. E., & Christison, M. (2019). What English language teachers need to know volume I: Understanding learning. Routledge.
Mulder, J., & Penry Williams, C. (2018). Understanding the place of Australian English: Exploring folk linguistic accounts through contemporary Australian authors. Asian Englishes, 20(1), 54-64.
Sullivan, K., Perry, L. B., & McConney, A. (2013). How do school resources and academic performance differ across Australia’s rural, regional and Metropolitan Communities?The Australian Educational Researcher, 40(3), 353–372. Web.
Williams, C. P. (2019). Folk linguistics and social meaning in Australian English. Routledge.
Willoughby, L., & Manns, H. (2019). Introducing Australian English. In Australian English Reimagined. Routledge. 1-12.