Extending Hawaiian Children's Literature

Overview of the research conducted at the Kamehameha Early Educational Program (KEEP) with children speaking predominantly Hawaiian English on the relationship between language and reading from 1972-1981. Familiarity and mastery of standard English was found to be related to reading achievement; children who are further along in their mastery of standard English tend to be the better readers. This suggests that attention should be given and accommodations should be made for children who are not very familiar with the language of instruction. The KEEP comprehension reading program has achieved its success, among other reasons, because it appears to have made the required accommodations, successfully bridging the gap between the dialect of the child and the standard English reading text. When the children begin to learn to read, their own words and sentences are used for instruction rather than English texts; only gradually are regular standard texts introduced. Familiarity and mastery of standard English are developed in a meaningful, natural manner by instructional conversations the teacher has with the children about the stories they dictate and read.

Following Hawaiian language revitalisation movements, students and scholars are now digging into Hawaiian language newspapers produced in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, thirsting for information from the past about the past. This paper seeks to propose a way in which scholars can approach an analysis of this rich literature to not only look at the past but also to understand its present and future value. Specifically, this paper will examine an account entitled, "No ka hiki mua ana mai o na Haole ma Hawaii nei," or "The First Arrival of Foreigners in Hawaii" by noted Hawaiian scholar, Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau, and will present ideas regarding culturally appropriate methodologies in Hawaiian literature. As the title indicates, it will begin "mai ka mole mai." It will look first at oral traditions that became the root of much of what was written in the 19 th century. From there, it will examine how authors of the time period built upon this literature, adding new, complex layers of meaning. Lastly, it will discuss how we can begin to interact with this literature today and use it to further understand ourselves.

2014

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Reversing Language Shift: How to Re-awaken a Language Tradition, 2010

When use of a language decreases in a certain domain, communities can begin to view their language as irrelevant, stop transmitting their language to the younger generation and have a negative attitude in general about their language. Successful language maintenance and revitalization projects, then, must include efforts to: 1) stabilize and expand the domains in which an endangered language is used, 2) promote intergenerational transmission of the endangered language and 3) foster positive language attitudes among members of an endangered language community. These are precisely the goals that the Fua Le'o (Proto-Polynesian for 'language seed') project aims to achieve through implementing storybook kits for language communities throughout Polynesia. These do-it-yourself kits are designed for distribution to existing language revitalization programs throughout Polynesia. The project has just completed its pilot phase, which tested its impact on Hawaiian immersion school students in grades 3-6 on the island of O'ahu. The pilot study aimed to (1) assess children's enthusiasm for a storybook creation project in their heritage language, and (2) experiment with the feasibility and components of the kits. Results from the pilot study were overwhelmingly positive. Fua Le'o is therefore ready for expansion into Hawai'i and Polynesia at large.

Online Submission, 2007

In the early 1980s, the Hawaiian language had reached its low point with fewer than 50 native speakers of Hawaiian under the age of 18. Outside of the Niÿihau community, a small group of families in Honolulu and Hilo were raising their children through Hawaiian. This article shares the perspectives of three pioneering families of the Hawaiian language revitalization movement over one generation of growth, change, and transformation. Our living case study stands as a testament for other Hawaiian language families who have endured the challenges of revitalizing the Hawaiian language as the living language of the home, school, and community. The article also celebrates the legacy of the Hawaiian language movement upon the 20th-year anniversary of Hawaiian-medium education within the public sector.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD at the University of Waikato, 2012

There are estimated to be fewer than 1,000 native speakers of Hawaiian language (ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i) in Hawai‘i. The majority of those who now learn Hawaiian do so in mainstream educational contexts and the majority of teachers of Hawaiian have learned the language as a second language in mainstream educational contexts. It is therefore important to determine what is being taught in these contexts and how it is being taught. At the core of this research project is an exploration of the attitudes and practices of a sample of teachers of Hawaiian in mainstream educational contexts. Following an introduction to the research (Chapter 1) and to the historical background against which the teaching and learning of Hawaiian takes place (Chapter 2), selected literature on language teacher cognition is critically reviewed (Chapter 3). This is followed by a report on a survey of the backgrounds, attitudes and practices of a sample of teachers of Hawaiian (Chapter 4) and a sample of students of Hawaiian (Chapter 5). Also included are analyses of a sample of widely used textbooks (Chapter 6) and a sample of Hawaiian language lessons (Chapter 7). Overall, the research suggests that major changes and developments that have taken place in the teaching and learning of additional languages since the beginning of the 20th century have had little impact on the teaching and learning of Hawaiian in mainstream educational contexts in Hawai‘i. The vast majority of the teachers surveyed had little or no training in language teaching, appeared to have little awareness of literature on language teaching and learning, and had little contact with native speakers. The textbooks analyzed, which were generally unaccompanied by teacher guides or supplementary resources, were found to be largely behaviorist in orientation, their design and methodology reflecting a curious mixture of aspects of both grammar translation and audiolingual approaches. Although most of the teachers surveyed appeared to be committed to including Hawaiian culture in their teaching, the textbooks examined were found to have very little cultural content. The lessons observed, which mainly adhered closely to the content of textbooks, relied heavily on translation and were generally absent of any clearly detectable lesson staging or any effective concept introduction or concept checking strategies. Activities were largely grammatically-focused, repetitive and non-communicative and the students were frequently observed to be confused and/ or off-task. It is concluded that the teaching and learning of Hawaiian in mainstream educational institutions in Hawai‘i is fraught with problems, problems that are evident at every stage in the process, from the lack of effective teacher education, through materials design and development to lesson planning and delivery. It would appear to be time for change. However, the survival of the Hawaiian language is by no means assured and there may be little time left in which to bring about change. For this reason, the thesis ends not only with recommendations for addressing the problems identified in the long-term and medium-term, but also with recommendations for change that could be effected the short-term (Chapter 8).

Palapala, he puke pai no ka 'ōlelo me ka mo'olelo Hawai'i Palapala, a journal for Hawaiian language and literature Welina / Greetings 'Auhea 'oukou e nā makamaka heluhelu o Palapala mai 'ō a 'ō o ka hulipoepoe nei, nā haumāna, nā kumu, nā mea noi'i, nā polopeka, nā mea hoihoi wale a pau i ka lu'u 'ana iho a loa'a mai ka i'a hohonu o ka 'ike o nā kai 'ewalu, nā kupa o ka 'āina, nā hoa aloha i malele a'e mai ka lā hiki a ka lā kau, aloha 'oukou! Greetings to our Palapala readers-wherever you may be-students, teachers, researchers, and all who seek deeper knowledge of the language and literature of Hawai'i. We salute you, the citizens of Hawai'i, and all our friends from the rising to the setting of the sun. Here is our aloha to you.

Educational Perspectives, 2013

1989

In its first year, the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program combined kindergarten and first-grade students in two classes. About half of the students had no speaking knowledge of Hawaiian; the remainder had attended Hawaiian-language preschools and/or spoke Hawaiian at home. Both teachers, ,luent speakers of Hawaiian, were new to teaching. The teachers spoke only Hawaiian after the first 2 days of school, and students were reminded to speak in Hawaiian. By spring, lapses into English or pidgin became infrequent. Visiting parents were impressed with the warm relationships evident between children and teachers. Classroom organization combined adaptation to Hawaiian values and cultural practices with practices common to other elementary classrooms. While occasionally correcting students' Hawaiian, teachers more commonly modelled correct form or set up repeating routines to support student learning. Teachers treated students as true conversational partners, focusing primarily on content comprehension, with brief but significant instructional sequences inserted. Language learning in peer-peer interactions was encouraged. The students were found to take their work seriously, and were on task a high proportion of the time. (MSE) *

Alice in a World of Wonderlands: The Translations of Lewis Carroll’s Masterpiece, 2015

Some of the many classic foreign tales translated into Hawaiian in the nineteenth century include Ivanhoe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and even a version of Snow White translated from German. At the time, the most efficient way to distribute such stories to the public was by publishing them serially in the more than fifty Hawaiian-language newspapers in regular circulation in the nineteenth century. However, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one classic that had not previously been translated into Hawaiian; the 2012 edition is the first. I used the Hawaiian translations of the previously mentioned foreign classics as reference texts to help stay in keeping with the general style of translation of the nineteenth century.