Indigenous Languages: From Policy and Planning to Implementation and Assessment (edX)

Learners will explore how to develop and implement a language plan that will support individual and community-centered goals for reclamation, revitalization, resurgence, education and/or maintenance based on available resources (e.g., human, financial, linguistic, technology), or resources they need to seek.
Learners will have access to IDIL resources and events through UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL) Global Community. Learners are also encouraged to build and participate in a global community by sharing open access resources with their community members and engaging in global dialogue surrounding language policy, planning, implementation and assessment.
This course offers free or low-cost digital learning that does not rely on high-bandwidth or infrastructure to access resources.
This course is for:
Indigenous community members wanting to develop a language plan for their family, local community, local schools or other settings
Indigenous community members interested in language and linguistic human rights, language policies, language conservation and maintenance
Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in international development, teaching, public policy, political science, social sciences and other fields who are interested in language policy, planning, implementation and assessment
Teachers, policy makers, government officials and other practitioners interested in the policy and language factors impacting the communities they support and serve
Sustainable development practitioners who want to understand linguistic needs and the support that is necessary to help communities locally, regionally, nationally and/or internationally
Those who work for international aid organizations and nonprofits in the realms of human rights, language rights, Indigenous Peoples’ rights and education

What you'll learn

• Policies and frameworks that impact Indigenous language use, linguistic rights and access to resources
• How to plan, develop, implement and assess Indigenous language projects for different contexts
• Case studies from Indigenous language scholar-educators and community members that offer insight into specific language initiatives, projects, programs, etc.

Syllabus

Module 1: What is Language Policy?
Week 1: Key Concepts and Ideas
Local policies & frameworks
National policies & frameworks
Global policies & frameworks
Human, language, & linguistic rights
Intellectual property & copyright
Guiding principles regarding Indigenous knowledges
Week 2: Case Studies and Practice

Module 2: What is Language Planning?
Week 3: Key Concepts and Ideas
Language vitality & language use
Overall goals for the community and language
Environmental scan: Assessment of resources (financial, physical, human)
Community-centered, -driven and -led language plans
Vision
Goals
Language activities
Language policies (to facilitate language use)
Project action plan
Funding
Week 4: Case Studies and Practice

Module 3: What is Implementation?
Week 5: Key Concepts and Ideas
Building a team that is Indigenous-led
Roles & responsibility
Accountability
Bench marks
Outcome driven results
Flexibility
Working through challenges
Week 6: Case Studies and Practice

Module 4: What is Assessment?
Week 7: Key Concepts and Ideas
Ensuring outcomes driven
Summative vs formative assessment
Performative assessment
Community ownership of assessment
Week 8: Case Studies and Practice