Faculty meeting

Wednesday 14th March 2018

TAS Staffroom

Indigenous
Education
Strategy
Welcome to Country
“Yinaagalangbu, gibirbangbu,
Gawaymbanha-dhu nginyalgir
Wiradyurigu ngurambanggu.
Wiradyuri mayiny gadhaang,
Ngindhugir nginhi yanhayi”
 Overview of
Presentation
• Welcome to Country
• Racism
• Cultural competencies
• Indigenous Education Strategy
• Educational Policies
• Curriculum requirements
• Effective teaching and learning strategies
• Resources
• Collaboration with community
• Incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into
the food technology classroom
 Racism
• Racism is the inequitable distribution of opportunity,
benefit or resources across ethnic/racial groups

• Occurs through avoidable and unfair

actions that further disadvantage minority
ethnic/racial groups; or further advantage
dominant ethnic/racial groups

• Is expressed through attitudes, beliefs,

behaviours, norms and practices and
may be either intentional or
unintentional
 Tackling racism
What does it look like in a classroom?
• Jokes or comments that cause offence or hurt.
• Name-calling or verbal abuse.
• Harassment or intimidation.
• Commentary in the media or online that inflames
hostility towards certain groups.
• Acts of physical abuse and violence.

Strategies and resources to combat racism

• Model respectful behaviour and inclusive practices,
• Carefully manage classroom discussions and student behaviour
• Explicitly teach about racism and how to deal with it through
teaching and learning activities.
• http://www.racismnoway.com.au/
• https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/anti-racism-policy
Cultural competence
• Knowing who you are as a teacher, and
incorporating this into your teaching practice is
important. Ask yourself how comfortable you
are with Aboriginal education? What are your
strengths and weaknesses?

It is our will and actions as teachers to:

• Build understanding between people
• Be respectful and open to different cultural
perspectives,
• Strengthen cultural security
• Work towards equality in opportunity
• Relationship build
The importance of an
Indigenous Education
Strategy (IES)
• An IES ensures that all Indigenous students
are able to participate in education and
achieve appropriate, positive outcomes at an
individual level.
• Develops programs that assist the school
community to increase their understanding of
Indigenous culture and history.
• It is essential to have Indigenous input at all
levels from development to presentation and
support.
Addressing the past and moving
forward
• “Every teacher in Australia is required to acknowledge
and respect the history and culture of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people” (Harrison, 2011, p.18).

• Government policies have been introduced in an

attempt to control the lives of Aboriginal people.
• These include protection, assimilation,
integration and self-determination. The current
federal government policy is ‘closing the gap’

• Reconciliation is about unity and respect

between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
and non-Indigenous Australians. We all have a
role to play to make this happen.
 Australian Institute for
Teaching and School
Leadership (AITSL)
The Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers identify what teachers need to know
and be able to do in order to teach Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander students and to teach
all students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander languages, history and culture.

• Focus Area 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander Students
• Focus Area 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Education policies
• MCEECDYA identifies the need for all Australian
children to “understand and acknowledge the value
of Indigenous cultures and possess the knowledge,
skills and understanding to contribute to, and benefit
from, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous Australians” (MCEECDYA, 2008, p.9)

• The NSW Department of Education is committed to

improving the educational outcomes and wellbeing
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students so
that they excel and achieve in every aspect of their
education and training (DET, 2017)
• Aboriginal Education Policy
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Education Strategy 2015
 Myths about Aboriginal
Education in the
Mainstream classroom
• Aboriginal Studies and running NAIDOC
week are great starting points.

• Aboriginal People are different from everyone

else

• Aboriginal people are the same and will speak

with one voice

• Only Aboriginal people can teach Aboriginal Studies.

• Real Aboriginal people are “full-bloods”, black, and speak

their own language.
Curriculum requirements
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education is
one of the three cross-curriculum priorities in the
national curriculum: “providing the opportunity for
all young Australians to gain a deeper understanding
and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander histories and cultures, deep knowledge
traditions and holistic world views”

The stage 5 Food Technology syllabus:

• Students will develop knowledge and understanding
of Aboriginal and Indigenous culture
• Students will learn to appreciate and value aspects
of Aboriginal and Indigenous cultures through the
investigation of traditional and contemporary use of
native and bush foods.
 Effective teaching and
learning strategies
Teaching strategies:
• Active learning
• Inquiry based learning and problem-solving
• Cooperative learning:
• Avoiding direct questioning
• High expectations = high outcomes

What works for Indigenous students:

• Cultural recognition and support
• The development of requisite skills (literacy and numeracy)
• Adequate levels of participation.
When planning to incorporate
Aboriginal perspectives in your
classroom, look for resources that:
• acknowledge local Aboriginal Elders,
traditional owners of the land, dialects,
languages and families.

• are current and contemporary. Old

resources i.e. old photos of Aboriginal
people in books can present stereotypes.

• are based on your community histories,

people and places, and have been
designed by Aboriginal people
 Resources
Aboriginal Education Officer
• When you work with an AEO, you are
modelling a cross-cultural relationship for
students
• Works with Aboriginal students on literacy
and numeracy, should not be preoccupied
with welfare and discipline

Aboriginal Educators
• Use their knowledge of the children and their
families; their local Aboriginal history, language
and culture; and the ways in which Aboriginal
children think to strengthen classroom-based
education
Aboriginal 8 ways

of learning
Outlines fundamental strategies to support success
for all children including:
• Acknowledging, embracing and developing
a positive sense of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander identity in schools.
• Acknowledging and embracing Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander leadership in
schools and school communities.
• High expectations to ensure high quality
classrooms, with strong teacher and student
relationships.
• Innovative and dynamic school models in
complex social and cultural contexts
http://strongersmarter.com.au/
Collaboration with the
community
• Excursions to local gardens where
Aboriginal community members can talk
about the plants and animals of the
Wiradjuri region, and how Aboriginal
people prepared and cooked these foods

• Invite local Aboriginal elders into the school

and classroom to assist students with cooking
traditional foods such as kangaroo, bush
tomatoes, and tubers.

• School bush gardens can be established through the

advice of the schools Indigenous community.
 When teaching students about
Aboriginal Australia:
• Work closely with the AEO/tutors in our school, and
with Aboriginal parents and organisations outside school.

• Spend time with Aboriginal community members

outside of school to get to know the culture.

• Incorporate Aboriginal perspectives into your

classroom. Make Aboriginal people a strong
reference point for your students when they think
about Australia.
• Students will learn about Aboriginal
Australia from the tone of your voice and
the language you use, as much as from the
knowledge and content of the lesson.
Incorporating Aboriginal
Perspectives into the Food
Technology classroom

Activity: incorporating
the 8 Aboriginal ways of
Learning into the Food
Technology Classroom
References
8 Ways of Aboriginal Learning (2015). [Motion Picture]. Retrieved August 19, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M6AtI_Khz8

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. (2014, July 10). What does it mean to be culturally competent? Retrieved August 15, 2017, from
Cultural Competence: https://wehearyou.acecqa.gov.au/2014/07/10/what-does-it-mean-to-be-culturally-competent/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2016). Cross Curriculum Priorities. Retrieved August 12, 2017, from Australian Curriculum,
Assessment and Reporting Authority: https://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities

Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership. (2013, March 13). Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership . Retrieved from Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers: http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list.

Board of Studies NSW. (2003). Food Technology Year 7-10 Syllabus. Sydney: Board of Studies NSW.

Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW. (2015). Australian Professional Standards for Teaching. Sydney: Board of Studies, Teaching and
Educational Standards NSW. Retrieved April 1, 2017, from
file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Australian%20Professional%20Standards%20for%20Teachers%20Feb15%20(3).pdf

Curriculum Corporation. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Melbourne: Ministerial Council on Education,
Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. Retrieved August 12, 2017, from
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Department of Education and Training Western Australia. (2006). Myths in presenting Aboriginal issues in mainstream classrooms. Perth: Department of
Education and Training Western Australia. Retrieved August 8, 2017, from file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Myths.pdf

Harrison, N. (2011). Teaching and learning in Aboriginal Education (2nd ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Queensland State Government. (2007). Selecting and evaluating resources. Spring Hill: Queensland Studies Authority. Retrieved August 18, 2017, from
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach2/indigenous_g008_0712.pdf
StrongerSmarter Institute. (2017, March 27). Leadership Program. Retrieved from StrongerSmarter: http://strongersmarter.com.au/leadership/