Books by Penny Lee
Indigenous Kids and Schooling in the Northern Territory has been written for teachers, principals... more Indigenous Kids and Schooling in the Northern Territory has been written for teachers, principals, teacher educators, government administrators and nongovernment organisations who work with Indigenous people in remote Indigenous communities, whether new to the Northern Territory or more experienced. The general reader will also gain insights into some of the reasons for the current state of remote Indigenous education today. The book offers a historical overview of Indigenous education and provides current demographic information for better understanding this unique context of schooling. The issue of attendance is examined as is the complex and fascinating nature of community and individual multilingualism, in an introductory way, and its relevance to school-based education.
Many Indigenous children start school in the Northern Territory unable to speak or understand the kind of English used at school. In fact, at four or five years of age many do not speak or understand any kind of English at all, and many continue throughout their school years, and into adult training situations, unable to use the national language confidently and competently. These children, the authors argue, deserve specialist English language teaching to get them started, as is routinely provided to migrant or refugee children. While both the Australian and the Northern Territory governments have policies that suggest this basic reality is known and accepted, English language teaching by qualified English language specialists is rarely provided to remote Indigenous children in the NT.
This book is written with deep respect for Indigenous languages and cultures and their enormous value, not only for their speakers, but also for Australia as a nation. The authors argue that educational practice and policies often acknowledge and assert the value of Indigenous languages and cultures but fail to give children and their families the respect they deserve for maintaining their precious linguistic and cultural traditions. That respect is demonstrated when local languages are honoured and used in schools where communities want this to happen. Respect can also be shown when principled English language teaching is provided across the curriculum by qualified specialist teachers. Such teaching acknowledges that Indigenous children and young people are already fluent in other languages or dialects and that they come to school, as do their migrant or refugee counterparts, with rich resources of knowledge and experience acquired through home languages or dialects. This knowledge deserves as much respect as knowledge and experience gained in mainstream English-speaking homes.
If Closing the Gap aspirations are to become reality, the English language learning needs of so many of the Indigenous learners in the Northern Territory (and to some degree throughout Australia) must be brought into the light and the challenges squarely faced. The authors make the case that educational progress will be made when Indigenous children’s English language proficiency levels are systematically determined and then addressed with specialist teaching, including how they change over time and how this may, or may not, be impacting on their learning.
The book recommends eight practical, on-the-ground research areas for immediate attention if government policies and goals are to have impact at the classroom level. Front and centre is the urgent question of the degree to which principled English as an Additional Language or Dialect classroom instruction delivered by fully qualified EAL/D specialists can make the same difference to Indigenous students as is so often demonstrated for immigrant and refugee students. We simply do not know the answer to this question at this time. Indigenous children in the NT, currently labeled as the most vulnerable in Australia, deserve the very best evidence based teaching support that can be provided.
This book is written for non specialist readers interested in the educational outcomes of Indigen... more This book is written for non specialist readers interested in the educational outcomes of Indigenous children and young people in the Northern Territory (NT). National tests reveal that NT results are the worst in Australia.
The book begins with the historical background to the current situation. Population statistics show how the NT is different from other states and territories. School attendance issues are explored.
The fact of community and individual multilingualism in the NT is a central focus throughout. The authors argue that understanding and respecting it is fundamental to in any serious attempt to improve teaching and learning success. Many Indigenous children start school speaking their own languages or dialects, often unfamiliar with the kind of English used at school. In fact, at age four or five, many do not speak or understand any English at all. The tragedy ignored by most Closing the Gap rhetoric is that many Indigenous Australians continue throughout their school years and into adult training situations unable to use the national language with sufficient confidence or competence to make genuine choices about participating in mainstream Australian life.
These learners have the same right to specialist English language teaching as is provided routinely to migrant and refugee children in the form of English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) instruction. By contrast, focused English language teaching by qualified English language specialists across the curriculum is rarely provided in any routine way to those Indigenous learners who need it to cope confidently with the demands of mainstream education.
Indigenous languages and cultures have enormous value, not only for their speakers and practitioners, but for the nation as a whole. Schools often fail to give children and their families the respect they deserve for preserving their precious linguistic and cultural traditions for future generations. Respect is demonstrated when local languages and dialects are honored and used in schools where communities want this to happen.
Respect also requires that qualified EAL/D classroom and support teachers be appointed routinely in the early years at least. Modern approaches to English language teaching acknowledge that multilingual learners are already fluent in their own home languages or dialects and bring to school rich resources of knowledge and experience acquired through those languages and dialects. This knowledge deserves as much respect as that gained in mainstream English-speaking homes. In fact, international research confirms that best practice in education uses multilingual children’s existing knowledge and languages to develop school-oriented understandings and skills.
If Closing the Gap aspirations are to become reality, the English language learning needs of Indigenous learners must be thoroughly researched and the challenges squarely faced. English language proficiency levels need to be professionally assessed and systematically monitored from the time children start school to determine how their ability to use school English relates to success in each subject area and, importantly, to NAPLAN success. We simply do not know at this time what levels of English language proficiency are required to achieve National Minimum Standards (NMS) on NAPLAN tests.
Practical, on-the-ground strategies and research initiatives to improve participation and outcomes are also suggested. Indigenous children in the NT, often labeled the most vulnerable in Australia, deserve the very best evidence based teaching and support that can be provided.
This book is written for non specialist readers interested in the educational outcomes of Indigen... more This book is written for non specialist readers interested in the educational outcomes of Indigenous children and young people in the Northern Territory (NT). National tests reveal that NT results are the worst in Australia.
The book begins with the historical background to the current situation. Population statistics show how the NT is different from other states and territories. School attendance issues are explored.
The fact of community and individual multilingualism in the NT is a central focus throughout. The authors argue that understanding and respecting it is fundamental to in any serious attempt to improve teaching and learning success. Many Indigenous children start school speaking their own languages or dialects, often unfamiliar with the kind of English used at school. In fact, at age four or five, many do not speak or understand any English at all. The tragedy ignored by most Closing the Gap rhetoric is that many Indigenous Australians continue throughout their school years and into adult training situations unable to use the national language with sufficient confidence or competence to make genuine choices about participating in mainstream Australian life.
These learners have the same right to specialist English language teaching as is provided routinely to migrant and refugee children in the form of English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) instruction. By contrast, focused English language teaching by qualified English language specialists across the curriculum is rarely provided in any routine way to those Indigenous learners who need it to cope confidently with the demands of mainstream education.
Indigenous languages and cultures have enormous value, not only for their speakers and practitioners, but for the nation as a whole. Schools often fail to give children and their families the respect they deserve for preserving their precious linguistic and cultural traditions for future generations. Respect is demonstrated when local languages and dialects are honored and used in schools where communities want this to happen.
Respect also requires that qualified EAL/D classroom and support teachers be appointed routinely in the early years at least. Modern approaches to English language teaching acknowledge that multilingual learners are already fluent in their own home languages or dialects and bring to school rich resources of knowledge and experience acquired through those languages and dialects. This knowledge deserves as much respect as that gained in mainstream English-speaking homes. In fact, international research confirms that best practice in education uses multilingual children’s existing knowledge and languages to develop school-oriented understandings and skills.
If Closing the Gap aspirations are to become reality, the English language learning needs of Indigenous learners must be thoroughly researched and the challenges squarely faced. English language proficiency levels need to be professionally assessed and systematically monitored from the time children start school to determine how their ability to use school English relates to success in each subject area and, importantly, to NAPLAN success. We simply do not know at this time what levels of English language proficiency are required to achieve National Minimum Standards (NMS) on NAPLAN tests.
Practical, on-the-ground strategies and research initiatives to improve participation and outcomes are also suggested. Indigenous children in the NT, often labeled the most vulnerable in Australia, deserve the very best evidence based teaching and support that can be provided.
The Whorf Theory Complex: A critical reconstruction (1996)
This book is a detailed account of the ideas of American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941).... more This book is a detailed account of the ideas of American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941). It explains the nature and logic of his famous “linguistic relativity principle” by contextualising it within a larger 'theory complex'. Whorf's extensive but little known unpublished writings are drawn on, together with his well known papers published in Language, Thought and Reality (MIT Press 2012/1956), to show how twelve elements of theme and theory can be abstracted from the whole and shown to interweave in a more comprehensive and sophisticated account of relations between language, mind, and experience than is usually appreciated. The role of language in thinking is revealed as Whorf’s central concern, some of his insights having interesting affinity with modern connectionism. Whorf's gestaltic 'isolates' of experience and meaning, crucial to understanding his reasoning about linguistic relativity, are explained. A little known report written for the Yale anthropology department is used extensively and published for the first time as an appendix (now also included as an appendix in the second edition of Language, Thought and Reality). This book challenges those who enjoy debunking Whorf’s ideas without bothering to explore their subtlety or even reading them in their original form.
Bilingual Education in Remote Aboriginal Schools (1993)
This handbook for teachers in remote Indigenous schools was based on research conducted for the W... more This handbook for teachers in remote Indigenous schools was based on research conducted for the Western Australian Catholic Education Office. It provides information and suggests strategies for improving learning outcomes in remote schools.
Edited books by Penny Lee
Language, Thought and Reality (2012) 2nd edition
This second edition of Benjamin Lee Whorf's famous writings includes a new foreword by Stephen C.... more This second edition of Benjamin Lee Whorf's famous writings includes a new foreword by Stephen C. Levinson, an updated reading list and indices by Penny Lee and a new item by Whorf: ‘The Yale Report’ (1938) edited by Lee and first published as an appendix in Lee (1996). Whorf's writings were originally collected, edited, and published with a biographical introduction by John B. Carroll in 1956.
Global English and Primary Schools (2004)
This book is a edited collection of articles about the teaching of English in primary schools in ... more This book is a edited collection of articles about the teaching of English in primary schools in countries in Malaysia, South Africa, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan, Swaziland and Indonesia. The chapters, by teachers, teacher educators and linguists, have been written as a response to the rapid expansion of English language teaching in primary schools throughout the world. The realities of English language teaching on the ground in diverse situations are reported and discussed, along with some alternative ways of thinking about issues in English language teaching.
Papers by Penny Lee
Language in Thinking and Learning: Pedagogy and the New Whorfian Framework
Harvard Educational Review, 1997
In the field of linguistics, the ideas of Benjamin Whorf continue to generate as much controversy... more In the field of linguistics, the ideas of Benjamin Whorf continue to generate as much controversy as they did when they first became known more than half a century ago. This continued interest in Whorf's theories about relationship between language, mind, and ...
Global English and primary schools : challenges for elementary education
Benjamin Lee Whorf
1998 Installment, 2000
Benjamin Lee Whorf (2009)
In Culture and Language Use ed. Gunther Senft, Jan-Ola Ostman and Jef Verschueren. Vol 2. Hanbook... more In Culture and Language Use ed. Gunther Senft, Jan-Ola Ostman and Jef Verschueren. Vol 2. Hanbook of Pragmatics Highlights. John Benjamins. pp. 256-272.
This chapter draws together themes and topics in Skandera's Praseology and Culture in English.
the semantic terrain delineated by mental predicates in English relates primarily to what Whorf c... more the semantic terrain delineated by mental predicates in English relates primarily to what Whorf called the internal or ‘egoic’ domain of experience, contrasting it with the external. The ongoing social and idiolectal process required for speakers of a language to adjust their own referential parameters for specific words against the usage patterns of other speakers, a process Whorf described as ‘calibration’ of ‘agreement’ and Hockett more recently referred to as ‘intercalibration of agreement’, is particularly interesting with regard to the egoic domain.
While words such as differentiate, muse, doubt, pity, generalize, wonder and calculate may be used to refer in part to behaviors visible to other people, the core activities they denote are internal, essentially mental, and observable (reflexively and introspectively) only by the experiencer. Each of us builds up over time, and largely unconsciously, feelings for the referential values of such terms without knowing the exact quality or range of experience that other people draw on when they use them. We may think of the way we use intentional predicates to refer to parts of our experience, and the experiences we attribute to others, as being somewhat similar to the way we use the names of places to refer to villages, towns or localities we know. We can share maps efficiently without knowing how subjectively similar to our own our fellow travelers’ experiences of these places may be. In the case of the words we share, the degree to which we remain unclear about how precise the calibration of our own referential practices is in relation to the practices of other people is the degree to which the linguistic relativity principle operates within our own lives, and within a single language.
Grasping at an Uncertain future: English in elementary education around the world (2004)
Introductory chapter in Global English and Primary Schools
Some Alternative Ways of Thinking about Issues in Language Teaching and Learning (2004)
Global English and Primary Schools: Challenges for Elementary Education, 2004
Final Chapter in Global English and Primary Schools
This article explores the degree to which implicit models of mental activity based on the lexical... more This article explores the degree to which implicit models of mental activity based on the lexical resources of English are (a) metacognitively accessible to language users and (b) congruent with the core structure of the lexical " model of the mind " described by D'Andrade (1987, 1995) for speakers of English. A word sorting task with " think aloud " protocol was used to stimulate talk about mental predicates. The salience of a fundamental thought/feeling bifurcation within the semantic field relating to mental activity was confirmed. A consistent division of thinking activities into two well-delineated subcategories was also found. Broader than expected referential values of the terms emotion and feeling, together with penetration of negative and positive affect into contemplative, intentional, and desiderative categories was also consistently observed.
When is ‘Linguistic Relativity’ Whorf’s Linguistic Relativity? (2000)
In Explorations in Linguistic Relativity ed Martin Putz and Marjolijn H. Veerspoor. John Benjamin... more In Explorations in Linguistic Relativity ed Martin Putz and Marjolijn H. Veerspoor. John Benjamins. 45-68
New Work on the Linguistic Relativity Question (1994)
Historiographia Linguistica, 1994
Whorf's use of the term "tensor" to describe certain adverbial particle s and constructions in Ho... more Whorf's use of the term "tensor" to describe certain adverbial particle s and constructions in Hopi has been called "impractical and alienating" by Malotki. However, when Whorf s rationale for the use of the term is reconsidered in the context of field data and descriptions provided by Malotki, it is found to be justified. Whorf's analysis of these peculiarly dynamic "expressions ... of Operation" draws attention to the way they can be thought ofas expressing (or operationalizing), at sentence anddiscourse level, conceptual activity which contributes significantly to the abstraction and construction ofmeaningful human experience from the ongoingflow of experiential data. The term "tensor" has potential for use in descriptions oflanguages other than Hopi, and Whorf s analysis ofHopi tensors suggests another starting pointfor thinking about communicable conceptual activity.
Reviews by Penny Lee
Review of John Leavitt: Linguistic Relativities: Language Diversity and Modern Thought
Australian Journal of Linguistics, 2014
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Books by Penny Lee
Many Indigenous children start school in the Northern Territory unable to speak or understand the kind of English used at school. In fact, at four or five years of age many do not speak or understand any kind of English at all, and many continue throughout their school years, and into adult training situations, unable to use the national language confidently and competently. These children, the authors argue, deserve specialist English language teaching to get them started, as is routinely provided to migrant or refugee children. While both the Australian and the Northern Territory governments have policies that suggest this basic reality is known and accepted, English language teaching by qualified English language specialists is rarely provided to remote Indigenous children in the NT.
This book is written with deep respect for Indigenous languages and cultures and their enormous value, not only for their speakers, but also for Australia as a nation. The authors argue that educational practice and policies often acknowledge and assert the value of Indigenous languages and cultures but fail to give children and their families the respect they deserve for maintaining their precious linguistic and cultural traditions. That respect is demonstrated when local languages are honoured and used in schools where communities want this to happen. Respect can also be shown when principled English language teaching is provided across the curriculum by qualified specialist teachers. Such teaching acknowledges that Indigenous children and young people are already fluent in other languages or dialects and that they come to school, as do their migrant or refugee counterparts, with rich resources of knowledge and experience acquired through home languages or dialects. This knowledge deserves as much respect as knowledge and experience gained in mainstream English-speaking homes.
If Closing the Gap aspirations are to become reality, the English language learning needs of so many of the Indigenous learners in the Northern Territory (and to some degree throughout Australia) must be brought into the light and the challenges squarely faced. The authors make the case that educational progress will be made when Indigenous children’s English language proficiency levels are systematically determined and then addressed with specialist teaching, including how they change over time and how this may, or may not, be impacting on their learning.
The book recommends eight practical, on-the-ground research areas for immediate attention if government policies and goals are to have impact at the classroom level. Front and centre is the urgent question of the degree to which principled English as an Additional Language or Dialect classroom instruction delivered by fully qualified EAL/D specialists can make the same difference to Indigenous students as is so often demonstrated for immigrant and refugee students. We simply do not know the answer to this question at this time. Indigenous children in the NT, currently labeled as the most vulnerable in Australia, deserve the very best evidence based teaching support that can be provided.
The book begins with the historical background to the current situation. Population statistics show how the NT is different from other states and territories. School attendance issues are explored.
The fact of community and individual multilingualism in the NT is a central focus throughout. The authors argue that understanding and respecting it is fundamental to in any serious attempt to improve teaching and learning success. Many Indigenous children start school speaking their own languages or dialects, often unfamiliar with the kind of English used at school. In fact, at age four or five, many do not speak or understand any English at all. The tragedy ignored by most Closing the Gap rhetoric is that many Indigenous Australians continue throughout their school years and into adult training situations unable to use the national language with sufficient confidence or competence to make genuine choices about participating in mainstream Australian life.
These learners have the same right to specialist English language teaching as is provided routinely to migrant and refugee children in the form of English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) instruction. By contrast, focused English language teaching by qualified English language specialists across the curriculum is rarely provided in any routine way to those Indigenous learners who need it to cope confidently with the demands of mainstream education.
Indigenous languages and cultures have enormous value, not only for their speakers and practitioners, but for the nation as a whole. Schools often fail to give children and their families the respect they deserve for preserving their precious linguistic and cultural traditions for future generations. Respect is demonstrated when local languages and dialects are honored and used in schools where communities want this to happen.
Respect also requires that qualified EAL/D classroom and support teachers be appointed routinely in the early years at least. Modern approaches to English language teaching acknowledge that multilingual learners are already fluent in their own home languages or dialects and bring to school rich resources of knowledge and experience acquired through those languages and dialects. This knowledge deserves as much respect as that gained in mainstream English-speaking homes. In fact, international research confirms that best practice in education uses multilingual children’s existing knowledge and languages to develop school-oriented understandings and skills.
If Closing the Gap aspirations are to become reality, the English language learning needs of Indigenous learners must be thoroughly researched and the challenges squarely faced. English language proficiency levels need to be professionally assessed and systematically monitored from the time children start school to determine how their ability to use school English relates to success in each subject area and, importantly, to NAPLAN success. We simply do not know at this time what levels of English language proficiency are required to achieve National Minimum Standards (NMS) on NAPLAN tests.
Practical, on-the-ground strategies and research initiatives to improve participation and outcomes are also suggested. Indigenous children in the NT, often labeled the most vulnerable in Australia, deserve the very best evidence based teaching and support that can be provided.
The book begins with the historical background to the current situation. Population statistics show how the NT is different from other states and territories. School attendance issues are explored.
The fact of community and individual multilingualism in the NT is a central focus throughout. The authors argue that understanding and respecting it is fundamental to in any serious attempt to improve teaching and learning success. Many Indigenous children start school speaking their own languages or dialects, often unfamiliar with the kind of English used at school. In fact, at age four or five, many do not speak or understand any English at all. The tragedy ignored by most Closing the Gap rhetoric is that many Indigenous Australians continue throughout their school years and into adult training situations unable to use the national language with sufficient confidence or competence to make genuine choices about participating in mainstream Australian life.
These learners have the same right to specialist English language teaching as is provided routinely to migrant and refugee children in the form of English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) instruction. By contrast, focused English language teaching by qualified English language specialists across the curriculum is rarely provided in any routine way to those Indigenous learners who need it to cope confidently with the demands of mainstream education.
Indigenous languages and cultures have enormous value, not only for their speakers and practitioners, but for the nation as a whole. Schools often fail to give children and their families the respect they deserve for preserving their precious linguistic and cultural traditions for future generations. Respect is demonstrated when local languages and dialects are honored and used in schools where communities want this to happen.
Respect also requires that qualified EAL/D classroom and support teachers be appointed routinely in the early years at least. Modern approaches to English language teaching acknowledge that multilingual learners are already fluent in their own home languages or dialects and bring to school rich resources of knowledge and experience acquired through those languages and dialects. This knowledge deserves as much respect as that gained in mainstream English-speaking homes. In fact, international research confirms that best practice in education uses multilingual children’s existing knowledge and languages to develop school-oriented understandings and skills.
If Closing the Gap aspirations are to become reality, the English language learning needs of Indigenous learners must be thoroughly researched and the challenges squarely faced. English language proficiency levels need to be professionally assessed and systematically monitored from the time children start school to determine how their ability to use school English relates to success in each subject area and, importantly, to NAPLAN success. We simply do not know at this time what levels of English language proficiency are required to achieve National Minimum Standards (NMS) on NAPLAN tests.
Practical, on-the-ground strategies and research initiatives to improve participation and outcomes are also suggested. Indigenous children in the NT, often labeled the most vulnerable in Australia, deserve the very best evidence based teaching and support that can be provided.
Edited books by Penny Lee
Papers by Penny Lee
While words such as differentiate, muse, doubt, pity, generalize, wonder and calculate may be used to refer in part to behaviors visible to other people, the core activities they denote are internal, essentially mental, and observable (reflexively and introspectively) only by the experiencer. Each of us builds up over time, and largely unconsciously, feelings for the referential values of such terms without knowing the exact quality or range of experience that other people draw on when they use them. We may think of the way we use intentional predicates to refer to parts of our experience, and the experiences we attribute to others, as being somewhat similar to the way we use the names of places to refer to villages, towns or localities we know. We can share maps efficiently without knowing how subjectively similar to our own our fellow travelers’ experiences of these places may be. In the case of the words we share, the degree to which we remain unclear about how precise the calibration of our own referential practices is in relation to the practices of other people is the degree to which the linguistic relativity principle operates within our own lives, and within a single language.
Reviews by Penny Lee