LEIGH CREEK AREA SCHOOL A MODEL FOR ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE LEARNING

March 26, 2020

The Mobile Language Team has been working partnership with Leigh Creek Area School (LCAS) since 2019 to develop Adnyamathanha language resources and to research methods of incorporating language teaching across the R-12 school.

Screenshot: Adnyamathanha Community Education Officer Noel Wilton (left) and teacher Rosalie Richards in a language and music session with students.

LCAS is perfectly positioned in their mission to achieve bilingual education in the near future. The school is located on traditional Adnyamathanha lands in the Flinders Ranges, and the majority of students identify as Adnyamathanha. Local Elders come into the school regularly to act as language models and mentors and the teaching staff are passionate about incorporating language into their respective subject areas.

These positive activities brought the attention of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) who are working to further develop the Aboriginal language framework for adoption into schools nationally. ACARA has developed a series of videos featuring LCAS to serve as a model for schools looking to adopt a similar language revival programme.

Adnyamathanha Elder Linda Coulthard features in one of ACARA’s videos, “We don’t want our language to die away, we’re trying to teach our children to carry it on.” A student reflecting on the success of the programme says proudly “I’m learning my language, on my land and it just makes me real happy”.

The Mobile Language Team’s manager Dr Paul Monaghan discusses the benefits of the programme in this video.

You can watch all of the videos about the LCAS Adnyamathanha language revival programme here.