In addition to local Aboriginal language resources, you will need lots of teaching resources, many of which will have to be created.
We know that Aboriginal people are the best equipped and the most appropriate people to teach Indigenous knowledge. Therefore, wherever possible you should seek to involve your local Koorie community and Traditional Owners in your Aboriginal language programs. Respectful engagement also extends to visits, excursions to Country or Place, and use of cultural material as part of the teaching and learning program.
This webpage includes links to external websites and resources. Please refer to our
disclaimer regarding external content.
Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI)
VAEAI is a state-wide Koorie community organisation that represents the Koorie community in relation to education policy development and strategic programming at the local, state and national levels. VAEAI supports the provision of education and training that reinforces the Koorie community’s cultural identity and increases awareness in the wider community of Koorie culture and aspirations in education and training.
Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL)
VACL is the peak body for Aboriginal Languages revitalisation in the state of Victoria, leaders in the field of language revitalisation, resources development, research, and the archival and development of Aboriginal Language Library and Aboriginal languages digital information.
Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET):
Koorie Heritage Trust offers a cultural education service for schools and an Oral History Program and Reference Library
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum and online
Your local Aboriginal community may be accessible via:
Please make sure you seek all necessary permissions prior to using these maps.
AIATSIS Australian Languages Map (1996)
This map attempts to represent the language, social or nation groups of Aboriginal Australia. It shows only the general locations of larger groupings of people, which may include clans, dialects or individual languages in a group. It used published resources from 1988–1994 and is not intended to be exact, nor the boundaries fixed.
Gambay – First Languages Map
First Languages Australia is working with regional language centres nationally to develop a map of Australian languages that reflects the names and groupings favoured by community. The map is interactive and is updated by communities as they require. Teachers’ notes have been compiled to assist teaching about Australia’s first languages across the curriculum.
VACL Aboriginal Languages of Victoria map (2016)
Arthur, B, & Morphy, F (eds) 2019, Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia, 2nd edition, Pan Macmillan
Aboriginal Country map (select state, e.g. Victoria).
Explore using the markers on the map which provide further information.
Welcome to Country and Acknowledgments map
This map allows you to find out who the formally recognised Traditional Owners are for an area.
Norman, B 1940, republished 1974, Tindale Tribal Boundaries in Aboriginal Australia, South Australia Museum
8 Aboriginal ways of learning – Aboriginal Pedagogy
'Every place, every People, has its own unique pedagogies. These 8 simple ones are merely a starting point for dialogue. Each school engages in a different way, and produces its own unique frameworks for Aboriginal education through dialogue with the community about local ways of doing things.'
Video:
Teacher explains the value of the ‘8 [Aboriginal] Ways of Learning’ framework (AITSL)
Yunkaporta, T 2010, ‘Our ways of learning in Aboriginal languages’, in J Hobson, K Lowe, S Poetsch & M Walsh (eds)
Re-awakening Languages: Theory and Practice in the Revitalisation of Australia’s Indigenous Languages, Sydney University Press, Sydney, 37–49
Knowledge frameworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) Queensland resources
Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL)
Language apps for a number of Victorian Aboriginal languages
Yulunga Traditional Indigenous Games
A selection of games and activities from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies all around Australia. Useful for groups or whole class
Marrin Gamu
This project is gathering versions of Indigenous languages from across Australia. It allows you to record your own song, as a language program activity
Quizlet
Free vocabulary learning tools, flashcards that can have your choice of images and sound files uploaded to them and games to play individually, in groups or as a class
As a member of the Language Team, you may wish to undertake some professional learning. This could include:
School-external opportunities:
- local Aboriginal community and Traditional Owners may be available to share their expertise in language and culture
- linguists and Aboriginal language researchers can provide training in finding language resources, reconstructing languages and describing how Aboriginal languages work
- workshops, training courses and conferences in Aboriginal languages and pedagogy
School-internal opportunities:
- mentoring and coaching may be organised, for example observations and discussion. This may be provided by:
- qualified language teachers
- classroom teachers, particularly in primary school
- leading the Language Team
- presenting to staff and students about the VAL curriculum and Aboriginal pedagogy
Other professional learning opportunities are provided by: