Assessing Indigenous Oral Language Skills

Presented by Monica Ittusardjuat and Olivia Griffin

The Inuktitut Oral Language Assessment Game (OLAG) assesses core language skills in an authentic, user-friendly way. Like many Indigenous languages, Inuktitut is polysynthetic. A word can have many sub-parts and can carry as much meaning as an entire English sentence. The OLAG’s design reflects this structure and the accessible, game-based approach emphasizes communication over memorization. Teaching and assessment should reflect the priorities of Indigenous communities and the structure of their languages. This presentation will be interesting to educators who want to go beyond English-style vocabulary tests and focus on the skills that learners need in order to become proficient Indigenous speakers.

The OLAG was developed through a combined effort of Inhabit Education and NBES. You can find our websites here:

• https://inhabiteducationbooks.com/
• https://nbes.ca/

This project was funded by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. Their website can be found here: https://www.qia.ca/