Curtin University-led research has unveiled a new teaching approach which could help incorporate Aboriginal languages into Australian classrooms to teach younger generations and potentially prevent these important cultural connections from being lost.
Researchers spent a year in an Aboriginal playgroup developing a new teaching model called 'translingual yarning pedagogy (TYP)'.
TYP combines 'yarning' - a traditional Aboriginal practice of storytelling and shared learning - with translanguaging, which encourages students to draw on all their language skills to communicate, including English, Aboriginal languages and non-verbal communication such as gesture, song and play.
The study saw preschool-aged children learning Noongar take part in yarning circles, songs and storytelling activities, allowing them to move naturally between languages while engaging with Aboriginal cultural knowledge.
Researchers found this flexible, culturally embedded approach helped children participate more actively and confidently in language learning.
Lead author Professor Sender Dovchin from Curtin's School of Education said the findings highlighted the importance of shifting away from rigid, English-dominated teaching methods.
"Rather than separating languages or focusing on 'correct' forms, we saw children freely using English, Noongar and gesture together to make meaning," Professor Dovchin said.
"This created a space where children were not just learning words, but connecting language with culture, identity and everyday experience."
While more than 250 Aboriginal languages were once spoken across Australia, only a small number are still actively learned as first languages and are often underrepresented in formal education.
Study co-author, Yalkarang Consulting founder and Noongar language educator Tamara Tucker said approaches such as TYP were critical to making language learning meaningful and sustainable.
"When children learn language through culture like story, song, movement and connection to Country, it becomes something they feel, not just something they memorise," Ms Tucker said.
"This kind of learning builds pride, confidence and a stronger connection to identity, which is essential if we want to keep our languages strong for future generations."
The research also challenges the way language learning is framed in schools, where Aboriginal languages are often excluded from mainstream Languages Other Than English programs, which tend to prioritise global languages.
Professor Dovchin said the findings pointed to a broader opportunity for education systems to better recognise Aboriginal languages as part of Australia's linguistic landscape.
"This approach shows what is possible when classrooms value students' full cultural and linguistic backgrounds," she said. "By embedding Aboriginal languages and ways of learning into education, we can create more inclusive classrooms while supporting the revitalisation of languages that have been marginalised for generations."
