BC Education - Punjabi 5 to 12

This Integrated Resource Package sets out the provincially prescribed curriculum for Punjabi language education, grades 5 to 12. The development of this Integrated Resource Package has been guided by the principles of learning:

learning requires the active participation of the student
people learn in a variety of ways and at different rates
learning is both an individual and a group process

Options for Punjabi Language Education

To ensure that they receive a broad education program, all students must take studies in a second language as part of the required curriculum in grades 5 to 8 (see the Special Needs section in this Introduction for information on the sole exception to this requirement). Core French will be the second language, unless a school district elects to offer an alternative language program such as Punjabi in one or more of its schools. School districts will base their selection of alternative second-language offerings on community demand, student enrolment, and availability of instructional resources.

In grades 9 to 12, students may choose to pursue second-language studies offered in their district. In grades 11 and 12, Punjabi language studies that enable students to successfully pass the Punjabi grade 12 provincial exam will typically be offered as two four-credit selected studies courses. Consistent with district placement policy, students would be required to have completed some previous Punjabi language studies in order to participate in these courses. In cases where students have been unable to complete prerequisite studies in Punjabi in grades 5 to 10, districts may choose to offer an Introductory Punjabi 11 course to prepare students for Punjabi 11. The provincially prescribed curriculum for Introductory Punjabi 11 has accordingly been set out in this Integrated Resource Package.

The Nature of the Subject

Punjabi language education is the experience and study of language and culture. The curriculum set out in this Integrated Resource Package is designed to serve the learning needs of all students, whether or not they have exposure to the language in the home. The Punjabi language that is the subject of this curriculum is understood to be standard Punjabi (see the Glossary in Appendix F). While this language can be represented in a variety of written forms, for the purposes of this document, Punjabi alphabet is understood to refer to Gurmukhi script. The aim of Punjabi language education is to develop communication skills and promote lifelong learning and positive attitudes that encourage awareness and understanding of cultural diversity. More specifically, the curriculum focusses on the development of communicative competence (see the Glossary in Appendix F). This involves:

a recognition that the main function of language is to communicate meaning for real-life purposes
an emphasis on communicative language practice as a context for skill development (that is, the use of communicative instructional methods wherein language learning becomes performance with language, rather than mere acquisition of knowledge about language)
the establishment of a strong connection between school learning and the practical skills needed in society beyond the classroom

To support this communicative approach, curriculum-related instructional activities suggested in this Integrated Resource Package are all designed to be conducted in Punjabi, with only minimal use of English.

The study of Punjabi through to the end of Grade 12 will provide students with a solid foundation of communicative competence. Such a foundation will give them the ability to pursue further study in Punjabi or engage in meaningful communication within a Punjabi-speaking environment with increasing confidence and fluency.

Rationale

Punjabi is a regional language of India and is widely understood throughout the country. It is also the official language of Punjab. In addition, it is spoken in several other countries around the world (such as Singapore and Canada) where immigrant communities have become part of the cultural mosaic. In British Columbia, the Punjabi community has been established since early in the century and now numbers over 150 000. In some BC school districts, students of Punjabi background constitute the third-largest group of students.

This Punjabi-speaking community provides British Columbia with an important window on the world. Today, as never before, the economic and social demands of a global marketplace require citizens in all walks of life to interact with a wide variety of cultures and to adapt to new situations. By providing support for students who wish to develop their understanding of Punjabi language and culture, schools maintain and enhance the cultural vitality of the province and contribute to potential future prosperity born of increased economic and social ties with communities around the world. The understanding that students gain through a study of Punjabi language and culture affords them lifelong benefits, including:

an increased range of career opportunities
a broadened global perspective
expanded insight into their own cultures
increased respect for other cultures

Exposure to the expression of Punjabi language and culture in its many forms also furthers students' intellectual, emotional, and social development during their school years. Applying specific communication strategies helps students:

practise taking risks and develop self-confidence
acquire verbal and non-verbal interpersonal skills
develop sensitivity to culture and an augmented aesthetic awareness
develop critical thinking and learning skills such as active listening, predicting, generalizing, imagining, categorizing, and utilizing resources (human, print, and technology)

In communities that already include a Punjabi-speaking population, the availability of Punjabi language education programs can have community-wide benefits. Trust and co-operation within a community and between school and community can be increased (this Integrated Resource Package specifically promotes school and community partnerships to enhance learning). Punjabi language education enhances cross-cultural communication and positive self-concept by encouraging students of various backgrounds to learn together and interact with each other.

Organization of the Curriculum

Punjabi language education includes four interrelated curriculum organizers: Interpersonal Communication, Informational Communication, Creative Works, and Cultural Contexts. These curriculum organizers offer a coherent means of grouping the learning outcomes at each grade level, and they describe general aspects of Punjabi language education that must be considered in any program of instruction. Classroom teachers may, however, address the learning outcomes for a particular grade in any order or combination. It is understood that effective instruction will integrate instruction related to the four organizers.

Interpersonal Communication

Effective language learning involves both the awareness and understanding of the characteristic linguistic elements (e.g., pronunciation, written system, sentence structure, vocabulary) and the ability to apply this knowledge in meaningful communicative contexts.

The four language skill elements integral to the effective learning of Punjabi (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are interdependent and interrelated, and apply to learning Punjabi at all grade levels. The relative emphasis given to each skill element will vary according to students' current levels of linguistic experience, individual needs and interests, and the activities in which they are involved.

Informational Communication

Punjabi is used to acquire information from Punjabi language resources for a variety of authentic purposes. An authentic purpose engages students in thoughtful learning and is meaningful and relevant to their lives. Sources from which information is to be extracted should be age- and level-appropriate and chosen to include a balance of non-fiction, fiction, and media forms (level-appropriate refers to the students' levels of maturity and to their levels of fluency and knowledge of the language).

Various technologies and media are increasingly influencing the way in which people throughout the world communicate. Technologies and media relevant for language learning include Multicultural TV, the Knowledge Network, language-learning software, Internet, CD-ROM, microfiche, audiotape, videotape, and laserdisc.

Creative Works

Students listen to, read, produce, and view creative works in various forms of expression in Punjabi (e.g., literature, film, dance, art). They develop a personal response to creative works in Punjabi (e.g., poetry, journal entries, dramas, songs, painting).

Cultural Contexts

Language and culture are inseparable. Language is most meaningful when experienced within cultural contexts. Basic cultural understanding enhances the language-learning process. An attention to intonation, facial expression, body language, and emotions as appropriate to the specific situation is important to effective communication.

Punjabi culture involves traditions arising from a long history that has been influenced by religious, social, economic, and political changes. The culture and language component of the curriculum does not intend to include Punjabi culture as a whole, but rather to provide students with experiences to help them build a basic cultural understanding and appreciation, and to stimulate further interest. Learning about another culture promotes an awareness of the global community and allows students to better understand and appreciate their own cultural heritage.

Revised: January 26, 1999

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