Digital Indigenous-Related Stories as Tools for Language and Cultural Learning
Shin Yi Chew
Indigenous communities are often marginalised, with school materials largely reflecting dominant English-speaking cultures. To address this, Indigenous-related digital stories were created by undergraduate students engaged in service-learning, following the stages of investigation, planning and preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration (IPARD). The design of these stories was guided by the CREDIBLE framework to ensure culturally responsive, ethical, and contextually grounded practices. Teachers’ and students’ responses were gathered through interviews and questionnaires. Pupils responded positively, appreciating the stories’ cultural relevance while learning moral values and vocabulary in a fun way. In the meantime, the undergraduate students also appreciated the opportunity to have meaningful and goal-driven communication with the Indigenous community, as well as to learn more about inclusivity and marginalised communities. Overall, digital storytelling shows strong potential as a tool for promoting both language and cultural learning.
Two examples of Shin Yi's students work included in this issue of The Amplifier (Reviews) are:
Review #1 by Barbara Muszynska
This short video review offers a guided way into Digital Indigenous-Related Stories as Tools for Language and Cultural Learning. It highlights what the entry makes visible about multimodal storytelling, language–culture connections, and how knowledge moves across communities and institutions—while also pointing to moments where its claims, choices, and implications invite closer reflection.