Indigenous languages and cultures

The Northern Territory Indigenous Languages and Cultures Curriculum

The revised Northern Territory Indigenous Languages and Cultures Curriculum is now complete and available for schools. The curriculum was developed by a reference group led by Indigenous educators from across the Northern Territory.

At the heart of the curriculum is cultural knowledge, organised across three strands: Country/Land, People and Kinship, and Natural Environment. Students in Northern Territory schools come from diverse linguistic backgrounds and to cater for this diversity the NT ILC Curriculum provides four broad learner pathways:

1. First language pathway
2. Language Revitalisation, Revival and Renewal Pathway
3. Second Language Learner Pathway
4. Language and Cultural Awareness Pathway

The choice of pathway is based on the community language profile and the knowledge situation of the languages. Schools negotiate the choice of the focus language and the best language learning pathway with the school community.

Keeping Indigenous Languages and Cultures Strong

The NT ILC curriculum is part of the Northern Territory Board of Studies Keeping Indigenous Languages and Cultures Strong – A Plan for Teaching and Learning of Indigenous Languages and Cultures in the Northern Territory (the Plan).

• …the Plan provides a long term vision and goal for building the capacity of our Indigenous leaders, sector and school leaders and classroom educators to implement teaching and learning programs in Indigenous Languages and Cultures.

The Plan aligns the teaching of Indigenous Languages and Cultures (ILC) in the Northern Territory with the Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages in the Australian Curriculum: Languages learning area.

ILC Curriculum Implementation guidelines

Guidelines for the implementation of ILC programs in schools have been developed to support schools in engaging with the Plan and the long term goals of building ILC teaching and learning capacity across the Northern Territory.

The guidelines also outline the roles and responsibilities of the regional and corporate office business units in supporting schools.

The guidelines have been developed for all NT schooling contexts; urban, remote and very remote.

Contact

For more information contact the Indigenous Languages and Cultures team: indigenous-lc.doe@nt.gov.au or (08) 8901 1303