Project: Transforming Auslan education in Australia

VDEI is proud to have had the opportunity to partner with Monash University’s successful application for an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Program for Industry Fellowship Program grant. Associate Professor Louisa Willoughby led the proposal and is the project lead of Transforming Auslan education in Australia.

The research addresses the following research questions:

1. What knowledge, skills and practices do Auslan teachers view as most critical to do the job well?

2. How can digital tools be most effectively used to support Auslan learning?

3. How can a more nuanced understanding of Auslan variation and use be incorporated into teaching practice?

On a national level, Victoria has led the way in developing Auslan as part of the school curriculum, having developed an Auslan curriculum for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) level in 1994. Over 20 languages are currently taught in mainstream Victorian government primary and secondary schools, with Auslan consistently placed in the eight most studied languages.

With increased visibility in school communities, Auslan has been increasingly embraced in mainstream school settings and is currently studied by more than 73,000 students in over 330 government schools.

Monash University’s Transforming Auslan Education in Australia project aligns closely with the department’s Languages Education policy which acknowledges the contribution studying Auslan makes to students’ intellectual and social enrichment. Auslan education also provides inclusive opportunities for hearing students to communicate in Auslan with their deaf peers and to engage with the Deaf community to learn about its rich cultural heritage.

VDEI envisages that this project and its activities will fulfil the department’s commitment to strengthen the knowledge and practice of Auslan teaching in schools and increase the numbers of competent Auslan teachers in educational programs. Evidence-based professional learning resources linked to the project will be designed and delivered by VDEI and will be accessible by educators to further support the knowledge and practice of Auslan in educational settings.