Locating the Learner: Indigenous Language and Mathematics Education

Indigenous language speaking students in remote Northern Territory schools are expected to learn mathematics in English and are assessed in English. Most teachers in these schools have little knowledge of the mathematical concepts with which their students start school. This paper reports on the initial findings of a project which is investigating spatial concepts in Iwaidja, an Indigenous language spoken in the NT. Examples of spatial frame of reference preferences in Iwaidja and related languages are compared with those taken for granted by English speakers. Implications for mathematics teaching are explored in the context of an Australian Curriculum.