Toni Dobinson
Biographic Data
| ID | 763781 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Toni Dobinson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Toni |
| FAMILY NAME | Dobinson |
| SIGNATURE | DOBINSON T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Curtin University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1790-0016 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
‘I know what I want … and then I'll find ways to achieve that’
Research on international graduates’ transition to the Australian workplace tends to gravitate towards the social and cultural constraints they encounter and the challenges they experience. Such research provides only a limited account of international graduates’ transitional experiences as it misses out on their agency in navigating the new setting, adapting to change and contributing to this space. This article focuses on the agency of three Ch…
Exploring land, language and culture through playworld translanguaging
Foregrounded in the work of Elizabeth Povinelli and drawing on semiotic theory, translanguaging and play-based learning pedagogies, this article presents findings from a critical participatory action research project conducted in an early years classroom in a remote Aboriginal community school in Western Australia. It describes how two educators, from both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal backgrounds, collaborated to create spaces for the children i…
To what extent do Australian universities offer dedicated units to prepare pre-service teachers to support EAL/D learners
Framed by social justice perspectives, in this article, we present our findings from an audit of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees offered by Australian universities. The purpose is to establish which degrees (and universities) offered dedicated English as an Additional Language and/or Dialect (EAL/D) units that explicitly and solely focus on EAL/D learning and teaching, as core units or elective units, or as a specialisation for secondary …
From English-only to only English
Children’s languages are often rendered invisible in Australian primary school classrooms where monolingual norms govern interaction. For heritage language learners this can be reinforced by parental and social expectations and their language use subsequently relegated to specific sites. In our critical participatory action research (CPAR) project, using culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT), we investigated how children in a m…
Towards a playworld translanguaging approach in early childhood education
In this conceptual paper, we integrate interdisciplinary perspectives from early childhood education and applied linguistics to propose a new framework: Playworld Translanguaging . This framework refers to the intentional blending of pedagogical translanguaging and conceptual playworlds to create a supportive, inclusive pedagogy in early childhood education settings for children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We argue that peda…
Professional Transition in Australia
Although Australia has a long history of migration, migrants often confront significant impediments to their professional goals. New migrants may be forced into employment which is below their qualifications. This inquiry aims to investigate Ukrainian migrant teachers' experiences of professional pathways in Australia to better comprehend the problem and to facilitate migrant teachers' transition into the Australian professional environment. The …
Translingual Practices
Meeting standards
AI potential to recolonise language practices by reproducing existing marginalisations in novel ways has already instilled fears of a ‘contemporary dystopia’ ( Miras et al., 2022 ) — a space of cultural and linguistic erasure. Accents represent a distinctive aspect of language practice associated with one’s sociocultural, and ethno-racial characteristics. They account for one’s social identity, status, and proficiency ( De Klerk & Bosch, 1995 ). …
Intimacy in online classrooms
In this article I describe the transition of a group of university students in Australia into an online learning environment during COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. I reflect upon my intersubjective experiences as the lecturer in an unexpected situation of urgency and physical distancing. Research has acknowledged synchronous virtual learning contexts as less psychologically distancing than previously thought. I argue that these contexts can foster…
Decolonizing or recolonizing
Translanguaging and “English Only” at Universities
Translanguaging literature has broadly discussed translanguaging as fostering expressive and creative interactions within classroom contexts. Often overlooked, however, are the responses of students who are encouraged to translanguage in spaces they previously deemed to be reserved for the dominant language only. Using Linguistic Ethno‐graphy, we investigate the interactions of eight Chinese university students in two classroom settings at an Aus…
Anthropogenic impacts of mining on indigenous peoples in Western Australia
The Anthropocene epoch is known as the time when the actions of humans began to impact the planet in unprecedented ways. There is consensus that the “golden spike” coincided with the advent of colonialism and especially settler colonialism. Indigenous Peoples have been impacted by what has been called contemporary colonialism or new colonialism. This has had implications, not only for their local environment, but also for their cultures, language…
Locked out, but not disconnected
At the onset of COVID-19, many Local Government Areas (LGAs) indicated they were struggling to communicate effectively with multilingual migrant communities. Communities were isolated from vital LGA support due to factors including the digital divide, barriers to language access, and top-down communication strategies. The pandemic also provided insights into the ways migrant communities mitigate hardship by engaging in placemaking and place-shapi…
Using teacher-researcher collaborations to respond to the demands of ‘real-world’ EAL/D learning contexts across the curriculum
Despite the increasing levels of cultural and linguistic diversity represented in Australian classrooms, many universities do not adequately prepare teachers to teach English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). Moreover, in neoliberal educational regimes, teaching tends to remain steadfastly focused on monolingual conceptions of literacy development, and ‘evidence-based’ practices tend to reflect this stance. In this paper, we argue tha…
Finding the familiar in the strange
© 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Diverse university campuses present an ideal context for fostering transcultural learning. Despite the potential that this diversity presents, universities in Australia have yet to make use of this opportunity. The pilot study described here investigates an informal learning experience created by the hosting of the Department of Foreign Affairs and T…
Seeing things as they are, not just as we are
Globalisation in higher education has brought linguistically diverse students and staff to Australian campuses. Universities have a range of language policies/practices around diversity, however, these often reflect national language planning policies in their strong monolingual tendency, with almost exclusive use of English dominant in most areas. This study was based on the premise that linguistic racism is present on Australian university camp…
Breaking with old ideas
Maoist policy in China emphasised the peasants and workers. It integrated academic study with productive labour to nurture socialist citizens useful for the nation’s modernisation. More recently, China has been described as having a ‘neoliberal turn’ but many see the situation as more complex than this due to the significant role given to the state in economic development and governance. Using the film ‘Breaking with Old Ideas’ [Li, W. (1975). Br…
Translanguaging and “English Only” at Universities
Translanguaging literature has broadly discussed translanguaging as fostering expressive and creative interactions within classroom contexts. Often overlooked, however, are the responses of students who are encouraged to translanguage in spaces they previously deemed to be reserved for the dominant language only. Using Linguistic Ethno‐graphy, we investigate the interactions of eight Chinese university students in two classroom settings at an Aus…
Anthropogenic impacts of mining on indigenous peoples in Western Australia
The Anthropocene epoch is known as the time when the actions of humans began to impact the planet in unprecedented ways. There is consensus that the “golden spike” coincided with the advent of colonialism and especially settler colonialism. Indigenous Peoples have been impacted by what has been called contemporary colonialism or new colonialism. This has had implications, not only for their local environment, but also for their cultures, language…
Breaking with old ideas
Maoist policy in China emphasised the peasants and workers. It integrated academic study with productive labour to nurture socialist citizens useful for the nation’s modernisation. More recently, China has been described as having a ‘neoliberal turn’ but many see the situation as more complex than this due to the significant role given to the state in economic development and governance. Using the film ‘Breaking with Old Ideas’ [Li, W. (1975). Br…
Breaking with old ideas
Maoist policy in China emphasised the peasants and workers. It integrated academic study with productive labour to nurture socialist citizens useful for the nation’s modernisation. More recently, China has been described as having a ‘neoliberal turn’ but many see the situation as more complex than this due to the significant role given to the state in economic development and governance. Using the film ‘Breaking with Old Ideas’ [Li, W. (1975). Br…
Seeing things as they are, not just as we are
Globalisation in higher education has brought linguistically diverse students and staff to Australian campuses. Universities have a range of language policies/practices around diversity, however, these often reflect national language planning policies in their strong monolingual tendency, with almost exclusive use of English dominant in most areas. This study was based on the premise that linguistic racism is present on Australian university camp…
Finding the familiar in the strange
© 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Diverse university campuses present an ideal context for fostering transcultural learning. Despite the potential that this diversity presents, universities in Australia have yet to make use of this opportunity. The pilot study described here investigates an informal learning experience created by the hosting of the Department of Foreign Affairs and T…
Using teacher-researcher collaborations to respond to the demands of ‘real-world’ EAL/D learning contexts across the curriculum
Despite the increasing levels of cultural and linguistic diversity represented in Australian classrooms, many universities do not adequately prepare teachers to teach English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). Moreover, in neoliberal educational regimes, teaching tends to remain steadfastly focused on monolingual conceptions of literacy development, and ‘evidence-based’ practices tend to reflect this stance. In this paper, we argue tha…
Translingual Practices
Meeting standards
AI potential to recolonise language practices by reproducing existing marginalisations in novel ways has already instilled fears of a ‘contemporary dystopia’ ( Miras et al., 2022 ) — a space of cultural and linguistic erasure. Accents represent a distinctive aspect of language practice associated with one’s sociocultural, and ethno-racial characteristics. They account for one’s social identity, status, and proficiency ( De Klerk & Bosch, 1995 ). …
Intimacy in online classrooms
In this article I describe the transition of a group of university students in Australia into an online learning environment during COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. I reflect upon my intersubjective experiences as the lecturer in an unexpected situation of urgency and physical distancing. Research has acknowledged synchronous virtual learning contexts as less psychologically distancing than previously thought. I argue that these contexts can foster…
Decolonizing or recolonizing
Translanguaging and “English Only” at Universities
Translanguaging literature has broadly discussed translanguaging as fostering expressive and creative interactions within classroom contexts. Often overlooked, however, are the responses of students who are encouraged to translanguage in spaces they previously deemed to be reserved for the dominant language only. Using Linguistic Ethno‐graphy, we investigate the interactions of eight Chinese university students in two classroom settings at an Aus…
Anthropogenic impacts of mining on indigenous peoples in Western Australia
The Anthropocene epoch is known as the time when the actions of humans began to impact the planet in unprecedented ways. There is consensus that the “golden spike” coincided with the advent of colonialism and especially settler colonialism. Indigenous Peoples have been impacted by what has been called contemporary colonialism or new colonialism. This has had implications, not only for their local environment, but also for their cultures, language…
Locked out, but not disconnected
At the onset of COVID-19, many Local Government Areas (LGAs) indicated they were struggling to communicate effectively with multilingual migrant communities. Communities were isolated from vital LGA support due to factors including the digital divide, barriers to language access, and top-down communication strategies. The pandemic also provided insights into the ways migrant communities mitigate hardship by engaging in placemaking and place-shapi…
To what extent do Australian universities offer dedicated units to prepare pre-service teachers to support EAL/D learners
Framed by social justice perspectives, in this article, we present our findings from an audit of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees offered by Australian universities. The purpose is to establish which degrees (and universities) offered dedicated English as an Additional Language and/or Dialect (EAL/D) units that explicitly and solely focus on EAL/D learning and teaching, as core units or elective units, or as a specialisation for secondary …
From English-only to only English
Children’s languages are often rendered invisible in Australian primary school classrooms where monolingual norms govern interaction. For heritage language learners this can be reinforced by parental and social expectations and their language use subsequently relegated to specific sites. In our critical participatory action research (CPAR) project, using culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT), we investigated how children in a m…
Towards a playworld translanguaging approach in early childhood education
In this conceptual paper, we integrate interdisciplinary perspectives from early childhood education and applied linguistics to propose a new framework: Playworld Translanguaging . This framework refers to the intentional blending of pedagogical translanguaging and conceptual playworlds to create a supportive, inclusive pedagogy in early childhood education settings for children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We argue that peda…
Professional Transition in Australia
Although Australia has a long history of migration, migrants often confront significant impediments to their professional goals. New migrants may be forced into employment which is below their qualifications. This inquiry aims to investigate Ukrainian migrant teachers' experiences of professional pathways in Australia to better comprehend the problem and to facilitate migrant teachers' transition into the Australian professional environment. The …
‘I know what I want … and then I'll find ways to achieve that’
Research on international graduates’ transition to the Australian workplace tends to gravitate towards the social and cultural constraints they encounter and the challenges they experience. Such research provides only a limited account of international graduates’ transitional experiences as it misses out on their agency in navigating the new setting, adapting to change and contributing to this space. This article focuses on the agency of three Ch…
Exploring land, language and culture through playworld translanguaging
Foregrounded in the work of Elizabeth Povinelli and drawing on semiotic theory, translanguaging and play-based learning pedagogies, this article presents findings from a critical participatory action research project conducted in an early years classroom in a remote Aboriginal community school in Western Australia. It describes how two educators, from both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal backgrounds, collaborated to create spaces for the children i…
Sociology (13 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Linguistics (8 works) · Pedagogy (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (5 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Gender Studies (3 works)