Exploring the challenges of developing literacies in a remote indigenous community context

© 2005 Susan Margaret ThomasThis study describes an evolving process undertaken by a small Aboriginal Independent Community School to develop a unique teaching and learning environment. This environment catered to the specific needs of this remote Kimberley community. It looks at the challenges facing these Indigenous children to develop appropriate literacy skills in such an isolated environment. The narrative that unfolds explains the features that distinguished this community school and accounted for the success of the programs. The projects, the resources, the stories, the journal entries, the approach and the active community engagement form the basis of the study. An eclectic approach drawing on case study, reflective practice, action research and ethnographic techniques, were utilized to paint a complex picture of the evolving pedagogy