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Orality for all: an imaginative place-based approach to oral language development

This paper reports on an innovative approach to oral language development in one British Columbia elementary school, in the context of a larger-scale research project aimed at building cultural inclusive classrooms through the development of imaginative teaching practices. A number of approximately three-week units were designed to lead students through a series of increasingly challenging oral language activities; each unit was developed on the basis of a traditional oral narrative of the Stó:lō, the aboriginal people of the region. In the tradition of design-based research, key features of the units are discussed in connection with pedagogical challenges encountered by the teachers using them. This approach to integrating oral language in the language arts curriculum was effective at promoting engagement by at least some marginalised students, but limited by cultural and political factors that were not addressed in the original research design. Conclusions are drawn for future research on imaginative oral language development.