Indigenous Languages Education

Coursework

The Master of Indigenous Languages Education is a one-year full time degree open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers seeking to develop their skills in Indigenous language teaching.

The master’s program provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively implement the NSW Aboriginal Languages Syllabus from Kindergarten to Year 12, as well as being equipped to teach syllabi from other states and territories.

Course content is arranged into three strands – linguistics, theory and practice strands – and is applicable to all Indigenous Australian languages. Students do not need to be fluent in an Indigenous Australian language to enter the course.

Course Accreditation

The NSW Department of Education and Training accepts this program as providing appropriate training for qualified Aboriginal teachers seeking additional approval to teach an Aboriginal language.

The program has been designed to meet the need for qualified instructors to participate in the delivery of Indigenous Australian languages education programs in a range of educational settings.

The Master of Indigenous Languages Education does not substitute a standard teaching qualification, but does provide professional development to teachers in Indigenous Languages in Education, training for others to assist teachers or work in community education in Indigenous Australian languages.

Capstone Experience

The capstone experience is completed in the last semester of the award course. It provides an opportunity to integrate ideas and understandings drawn from units of study taken in the course.

Candidates may elect to undertake a research project in Indigenous languages education on an approved topic relating to one of the many Indigenous languages worthy of further documentation, investigation and research. You may also choose to learn an Indigenous language outside the masters program.

Outcomes

At the conclusion of their studies, students should be able to:

• understand and apply recent disciplinary and practice developments relevant to their own language, Australian languages, revival languages, and languages education.
• demonstrate and apply knowledge of the research principles and methods applicable to Australian languages and languages education.
• critically reflect on theoretical knowledge in application to specific languages, complex problems, data sets, and languages education praxis.
• identify and explain the relevance of information about a given language derived from a range of primary and secondary sources.
• prepare learners’ guide content, curriculum and teaching materials appropriate to a range of learners.
• solve complex linguistic problems, analyse data sets, and develop creative, practical solutions to languages education problems.
• apply and evaluate complex theoretical and methodological ideas relevant to their own language, Australian languages, revival languages, and languages education.
• interpret scholarly linguistic analyses to develop learners’ guide content, curriculum and teaching materials appropriate to a range of learners and their peers.
• conduct and report orally and in writing on their own empirical research in languages education.
• design, evaluate, implement, analyse, and theorise about a significant scholarly research question that will contribute to the professional practice of Indigenous language teaching.
• plan and execute a research-based project based in their professional practice of language teaching.

Awards and requirements

Master of Indigenous Languages Education
To qualify for the award, candidates are required to complete 48 credit points, including:

• 24 credit points of core units of study
• 24 credit points of elective units of study

Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Languages Education
To qualify for the award of Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Languages Education, candidates are required to complete 36 credit points, including:

• 24 credit points of core units of study
• 12 credit points of elective units of study

Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Languages Education
To qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Languages Education, candidates are required to complete 24 credit points, including:

• 24 credit points of core units of study

Contact

Susan Poetsch
T 02 9351 5202
Room 713, Education Building A35
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