Читать книгу The Multicultural Classroom: Learning from Australian First Nations Perspectives - Jasmin Peskoller - Страница 5

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to Barbara Hinger, professor of foreign language education at the University of Graz, for her continuous support and for her encouragement to conduct further research in this intriguing field. Moreover, I am thankful for the valuable feedback from Eva Maria Hirzinger-Unterrainer, professor of foreign language education at the University of Innsbruck, in connection with this book.

I am also particularly grateful for the fruitful collaboration with Australian author and linguist Margaret James, who introduced me to her ambitious projects with remote Australian communities and let me use her inspiring language learning materials for my book. Moreover, the research study would not have been possible without the generous support from Prof. Juanita Sherwood, pro-vice-chancellor of Indigenous Engagement at Charles Sturt University. In addition, I would like to thank Larry Hancock, a Gumbaynggirr language teacher in New South Wales, for allowing me to include one of the songs and lyrics he composed in the traditional Indigenous language of Gumbaynggirr in this book.

Naturally, I would like to thank all the dedicated teachers, teaching assistants, principals, and university professors who were willing to share their valuable perspectives, experiences, and time with me and thereby vitally supported the research project.

Finally, a special cheers goes to all my mates in Austria, Australia, and other parts of the world for their continuous encouragement and support. I am particularly grateful for the critical eye from my friends and colleagues Alice, Elena, James, Sandra, Magdalena, Theresa, Benny, Theresa, Veronika, Nicola, Kathrin, Grit, Sofie, Alexandria, Fabian, and Lukas in connection with this book.

Without all of these special human beings, this book would have never evolved the way it did.

You are deadly!1

1 Deadly is an expression in Aboriginal English denoting fantastic (Arthur 1996).