Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Mar 12/99) - Six aboriginal language specialists from around the Deh Cho region now know how to make language class more interesting and easier to follow.

Through a course entitled Teaching Materials Production, held Feb. 22-March 6, the language specialists made a variety of visual teaching aids such as books, puppets and objects cut out from felt and construction paper, each labelled in Slavey.

Wanda Norwegian, of Jean Marie River, said she now has a better sense of how to incorporate different projects into her classes, including more "hands on" arts and crafts types of activities.

"Before this I never really did that," she said. "It was fun."

The course, offered through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, was instructed by Mitsu Oishi, a private consultant from Vancouver.

She helped each of the six participants find ways to spice up their programs to give them greater appeal to students.

Violet Sanguez, of Trout Lake, said keeping the students' attention is half the battle.

"We're trying to make the activities more interesting," said Sanguez, who, four days a week, spends an hour teaching the Dene language. Trout Lake students also venture out onto the land with an elder each Monday and Friday afternoon as part of the cultural inclusion program.

Angie Matto, from Fort Providence, added that the goal is to help students get beyond simply learning words, but to form sentences.

Sanguez said of the course, "There were different people with a lot of good ideas."

Gloria Kotchea, a Slavey consultant for the Open Doors Society in Fort Simpson, said she learned plenty about planning in addition to teaching aids. She also expanded her Slavey vocabulary, as she is still in the process of grasping the language.

"These girls were very supportive. They helped me," Kotchea said.

The other students in the course were Nahanni Butte's Laura Vital and Florence Brown of Fort Simpson.