About SWiRL

Program foundations

What is SWiRL?

For the past 28 years, groups of tertiary students, primarily from Victoria University (VU), have participated in the Story Writing in Remote Locations (SWiRL) Program, a literacy-focused initiative working alongside children, teachers and communities in remote and rural First Nations communities in the Northern Territory.

SWiRL is primarily designed to support school children in remote communities to develop their reading, writing and storytelling skills. Preservice teachers spend up to four weeks in community, working collaboratively with students, teachers, school leaders, First Nations Elders and First Nations support officers to co-create storybooks grounded in local culture, language and lived experience. These stories reflect strong connections to land, Country and cultural traditions, and are used as culturally relevant literacy resources within schools.

Through this immersive experience, preservice teachers develop skills in First Nations knowledges and ways of being, while gaining a deeper understanding of culturally responsive and respectful teaching practices. The program also encourages critical reflection on the ongoing impacts of colonisation and the responsibilities of educators working with First Nations communities.

The SWiRL Program has been generously funded in recent years by Anglicare NT through the East Arnhem Communities for Children initiative, with The Smith Family - Katherine Communities for Children recently coming on board to further support the program.

The history & foundations of SWiRL

The Story Writing in Remote Locations (SWiRL) Program commenced in 1996 and was developed by former Victoria University education lecturer Lawry Mahon. Since its inception, the program has been grounded in principles of collaboration, cultural respect and community-led storytelling.

Learn more about SWiRL in Tales from the Top End, a documentary by Dr Sarah Tartakover that captures the history of SWiRL and includes reflections from preservice teachers who participated in the program in 2016.

Aims of SWiRL

• Work alongside Indigenous students to develop culturally relevant teaching and learning materials
• Extend preservice teachers’ knowledge and skills of Indigenous values and beliefs
• Establish respectful partnerships with Indigenous communities
• Create opportunities to work collaboratively with school stakeholders
• Accelerate preservice teachers with an awareness of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous wellbeing
• Support graduate teacher preparedness to teach in remote Indigenous communities
• Consider research projects that draw attention to the role of Indigenous storytelling in enhancing literacy skills for school students 

SWiRL participants & partners

People and groups involved in the SWiRL program include preservice teachers, teacher educators, remote Indigenous communities, school stakeholders who live and teach in remote communities, Indigenous elders, the Northern Territory Department of Education, and tertiary institutions.

Preservice teachers

Preservice teachers work alongside mentor teachers in remote Indigenous schools and early learning centres. They participate in classroom teaching and spend time engaging in SWiRL activities.

Preservice teachers are expected to work with school students to develop at least five SWiRL books during their stay. They work closely with mentor teachers and school leaders to support school activities and extracurricular programs.

Preservice teachers also attend a pre-departure program where they develop storywriting skills from an Indigenous perspective. The SWiRL pre-departure camp addresses culturally sensitive protocols for working alongside Indigenous people and their communities.

School principals & mentor teachers

Mentor teachers and school principals guide preservice teachers in their teaching responsibilities throughout each day of their stay. Mentor teachers also help preservice teachers develop culturally relevant and culturally sensitive teaching and learning materials.

Some mentor teachers will be required to complete a practicum report for preservice teachers who are completing placement days at the school as part of their program. School principals and mentor teachers provide preservice teachers with opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge of Indigenous culture and beliefs.

Academics

Teacher educators who participate in the SWiRL program are expected to supervise preservice teachers throughout their stay. Teacher educators also ensure that preservice teachers are aware of their roles and responsibilities when working in remote Indigenous communities.

Teacher educators work closely with school teams and mentor teachers to establish clear and transparent communication protocols regarding their expectations for preservice teacher participation. Teacher educators are expected to support preservice teachers when they face challenges during their stay. They also have the authority to send a preservice teacher home if there is a breach of the student code of conduct.

Community partners

The SWiRL program is supported through the Communities for Children initiative in East Arnhem, delivered by Anglicare NT and The Smith Family - Katherine Communities for Children, and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Learn more about our SWiRL community partners.

Learn more about our SWiRL community partners.

SWiRL international & national collaboration

On the 6 June 2022 the SWiRL consortium endorsed a proposal to establish a SWiRL preservice teacher education program that would extend to inter-university partners. The consortium is made up of, AHEIA and the principal of Numbulwar School, Numbulwar, NT and the following five universities: 

• ACU University – Associate Professor Mellita Jones
• Federation University – Professor Jenene Burke
• Monash University- Professor Graham Parr
• Victoria University- Professor Marcelle Cacciattolo
• Deakin University- Kelly Sirca and Paul Garner

The aim of the SWiRL consortium is to provide professional teaching practice experience in schools in remote and rural Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The hope is that preservice teachers who are placed in these schools will consider employment in this region upon graduation. Additionally, the SWiRL consortium aims to equip both staff and preservice teachers with in-depth skills and knowledge in the following areas:

• Intercultural Competency
• Trauma Informed Teaching and Learning Practices
• Story Writing as a pathway for literacy enhancement

Preservice teachers and academic staff from Deakin University and Federation University have participated in the SWiRL program.

SWiRL India

In February 2016, 13 preservice teachers and three academics from the College of Education at Victoria University participated in a SWiRL study tour to Visakhapatnam, India. During this time the VU team worked with school students at Catherine Public School on a range of literacy-based curriculum activities. 

Preservice service teachers and mentor teachers also collected artworks and visual representations that were created by the students. These artworks were later shared with teachers and students in Australian schools. School students from St Albans Primary School and Carranballac P-9 College in Melbourne, Victoria have used these artworks to write accompanying short stories.

This publication showcases how children from different parts of the world can come together to create beautiful images and words. The model of story writing – where one student draws an illustration and another student writes the corresponding story – is based on the ‘Words and Pictures’ project, a writing concept from the work of Professor Maureen Ryan and Dr Sarah Tartakover.