Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages

1
Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Languages

• Learning P-12

2
Queensland Context

• Languages
• Significant diversity
• Various states of health
• Urgent need for language revival, reclamation,
  maintenance
• Communities
• Aboriginal
• Torres Strait Islander
• urban, regional, remote
• Approaches
• No strategic state-wide approach to language
  learning in schools across P-12
• Some areas of strong Indigenous leadership in
  schools and broader community
• Several areas have traditions of language revival
  and maintenance through community programs (out
  of school)

3
Why P-12 Indigenous Languages?

• Indigenous student achievement in mainstream
  education appears strongest in areas where
  Indigenous leadership is evident and Indigenous
  culture is valued by the whole school
• strong relationships between school and community
• Process
• Engaged a consultant to undertake state-wide
  consultation
• Education sectors
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• Different community/regional contexts
• Indigenous Language Centres
• Develop a design brief and conceptual framework
  for learning
• Indigenous Language P-12

4
Proposals from consultation

• P-12 Framework
• Early Years learning statements
• Middle Years learning statements
• Senior Years syllabus for an Authority Subject
• Community empowerment through engagement
  paramount i.e. connection to language centres,
  teachers/teacher aides, local community learners
• Effective implementation of the Aboriginal and
  Torres Strait Islander Studies Senior Syllabus
  can only occur when there is alignment with
  Indigenous knowledge principles and local
  community

5
Two approaches within P-12

• Learning a Language
• School site learning of the language of the land
• Learning experiences heavily interdependent on
  community and country interaction
• Resembles current approaches to language learning
• Working with Languages
• School site may not have density of language
  resources to plan and implement a course purely
  based around language hence this approach
• Working with languages (after a community
  consultation) building up language resources,
  interconnectedness with community histories
• These 2 approaches will inform practice at school
  sites and interaction with
• communities

6
Snapshot of organisation from consultations

• Early Phase
• Approach negotiated with communities school,
  local language group, local Indigenous community
• In some communities a Learning a Language
  approach may resemble immersion program
  leading up to Year 3 juncture
• In other communities language maybe an instigator
  for joint revival of languages with language
  centres Working with Languages
• Middle Phase
• Approach negotiated with communities school,
  local language group, local Indigenous community
• Use current Languages Essential Learnings but
  identify specific content and processes for
  Indigenous languages
• Immersion continuation proposition
• Senior Phase
• Approach negotiated with communities school,
  local language group, local Indigenous community
• Authority subject Learning a Language/Working
  with Languages
• Immersion possibilities

7
Major considerations for state/national success

• In P-12 language learning
• content descriptions need to recognise that
  Indigenous knowledge, language and culture are
  deeply connected to place and community
• assessment approaches should provide
  opportunities for students to engage with their
  local communities
• external exams unlikely to meet the need
• modes of assessment engage with concepts of
  Indigenous knowledge and learning
• must provide flexibility to enable schools to
  respond to local contexts