About this resource:
The Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) provides opportunities for students to study Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages being revived by their owners or custodians and which are in various stages of revitalisation, renewal and reclamation.
LR covers a much broader range of language types and ecologies than either L1 or L2, and the vast majority of Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are included in the LR category.
Schools teaching the Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) will most likely be located broadly within the geographical region of the language and culture, sometimes in towns and cities and other times in rural and remote regions. Classes will likely include students who relate closely to the language and culture, students with varying degrees of affiliation with the language and culture, and students who have no connections to the language and culture. A key expectation in the LR pathway is that of students having opportunities to interact with Elders and particular places on Country/Place.
The Language Revival Learner Pathway draws on the Australian Indigenous Languages Framework (AILF) and takes into account key variables such as: how much is known about and documented for the language; the extent to which it is used or remembered, ranging from no longer being spoken (owners often use the term ‘sleeping’) to being spoken fluently by members of the older generations; and the extent to which it has been reintroduced into the community of owners and custodians.
These variables give rise to the following broad categories of language revival:
A number of factors and variables will need to be considered when planning for a language revival curriculum or program, and further information on these is presented in the context statement for this pathway and in the section Using the Framework.
At this level, students bring to their learning a range of language learning strategies. They are increasingly aware of the world beyond their own, and are engaging with the broader issues of youth and society, land and environment, education and identity, while establishing a balance between increasing personal independence and social responsibilities. They are considering their future pathways and choices, including how the language they are learning could be part of these.
Language learning and use
Learners interact using the language whenever possible in classroom routines and communicative tasks with peers, the teaching team, Elders and community members. They give presentations and participate in conversations, with some preparation and support, such as the use of cue cards. They acquire skills in accessing and analysing historical documents and recordings.
Learners extend the range and quality of their writing through drawing on increased vocabulary and grammar knowledge, to the extent that this is possible in the revived language; and by drafting and editing their own work and that of their peers. They use models to create a range of texts, including descriptions, recounts and reflections.
Students learn about the techniques used to build language, such as analysing historical sources, interviewing/recording existing speakers, and they discuss the contemporary orthographic and grammatical choices of the community.
Students act as contemporary documenters of the language, for example, by listening and transcribing spoken texts, and preserving language resources developed at school for future access and use.
Contexts of interaction
Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team, while additional enrichment and authentication of the learning experience is provided through access to Elders and other speakers living in the same community. Interacting with Country/Place to explore the environment and learn about Country/Place with Elders and other community members is essential to their continued learning. Students may also have access to community centres, such as interpretative museums or art and language centres. They may have opportunities to work with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in language-related projects, contributing to the development and maintenance of local language records and resources through structured and research-based projects.
Texts and resources
Country/Place and the community are the most important resources for learning and are the origin of most of the texts learners work with.
Learners engage with and help to shape a range of spoken, visual, written and digital texts that use as much language as possible. These include historical documents, photographs, maps, songs, raps, performance, stories, local environmental and social programs, painting and visual design, as well as teacher-generated materials such as games and items from the community and local environment. Some texts will incorporate English or another community language in a complementary role, filling in for items or expressions that have not yet been reconstituted in the language; other texts will be bilingual, with no mixing of languages.
Level of support
Learners are increasingly aware of and responsible for their own learning. They continue to access support resources such as word lists, modelled texts, dictionaries, grammars, and they seek teacher feedback to support their receptive and productive language use.
They require explicit instruction in the grammatical system of the language, which includes comparison with English and other known languages and opportunities to discuss, practise and apply their knowledge. They keep records of their learning, for example, through journals, folios or a blogs. They use these resources to reflect on their language learning and intercultural experiences.
The role of languages
The language is used whenever and to the extent possible in the revived language for classroom interaction, language learning tasks and experiences. Maximal use of the language increases learners’ language proficiency and enhances language revival.
English and other known languages provide a basis for linguistic and cultural comparison and for a developing metalinguistic understanding of intercultural learning that supports the ability for consider different perspectives and ways of being meditated by language.
For revival languages that are at the ‘beginning’ end of the revival spectrum, English or another community language might be used in a complementary fashion, for example, to fill in for missing words or expressions. Alternatively, language owners and the community in general may decide to side-step these gaps altogether, thus avoiding the need to use other languages.
About this record:
http://rdf.australiancurriculum.edu.au/elements/2018/05/155554b8-c037-4312-a385-1b768a3e6ced.rdf