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The Koorie Heritage Trust is a not-for-profit organisation located in Melbourne's Federation square (Koorie Heritage Trust, n.d.). This site acknowledges the shared history of the Koorie peoples and Victorians, as a central meeting spot where histories, cultures and communities are recognised. Cultural education opportunities offered here include guided walking tours, building Aboriginal cultural competency programs, professional development and school partnerships. Teachers can use this resource to enhance their own knowledge and cultural competency; or, better yet, take their students on a guided walking tour with Koorie guides for an immersive learning experience.

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Our cultural education programs include: guided walking tours of the Birrarung Marr (River of Mists / Yarra River) and other sites of cultural significance at Federation Square and within the Melbourne CBD; walking tours for primary and secondary schools; Aboriginal cultural awareness and competency programs offered within the framework of professional development for all sectors; and, professional development and Indigenous curriculum support for educators.

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Cultural Education - Koorie Heritage Trust

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Our cultural education programs include: guided walking tours of the Birrarung Marr (River of Mists / Yarra River) and other sites of cultural significance at Federation Square and within the Melbourne CBD; walking tours for primary and secondary schools; Aboriginal cultural awareness and competency programs offered within the framework of professional development for all sectors; and, ...

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Reconciliation Australia is a national organisation which promotes reconciliation between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Australian community (Reconciliation Australia, n.d.). This interactive website is informative of Indigenous culture, history and relationships; and, provides a number of resources such as books, films, indigenous biographies and other interactive websites which can be used to educate oneself and students within the classroom. These resources cover a broad range of relevant topics and exemplify people and events which resonate with students today.

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Combining Aboriginal Knowledge with Western Medicine

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Combining Aboriginal Knowledge with Western Medicine

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The ABC Education website provides a multitude of learning activities which recognise and incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge into activities (ABC, 2018). The example given here highlights the use of spinifex grass by Aboriginal peoples for infrastructure and technology, which combined with western medicine knowledge could be a potential sustainable material for the building industry. These types of learning activities which use both indigenous and western knowledges together promote positive relationships and cross-cultural understandings in building the future (Aikenhead, 2001). Other activities include using indigenous knowledge in burning-off land management, sustainable conservation management of Australia's wild animals and natural medicines and sources of protein found in the natural Australian landscape (ABC, 2018; Aikenhead, 2001).

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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My Place - Sharing Indigenous Perspectives

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My Place - Sharing Indigenous Perspectives

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This site is dedicated to creating teaching resources which incorporate indigenous perspectives into many subjects of the curriculum (Australian Children's Television Foundation and Education Services Australia Ltd, 2011). The My Place television series re-enacts the lives and significant events of Aboriginal Australians from their own perspective, for example, Kevin Rudd's 2008 Apology, which can be used for teaching the differing perspectives of these peoples and broader Australian community. Careful scrutinisation and planning may be required with some of these resources to avoid "us"  and "them" connotations which may cause student segregation and exclusion (Paris, 2012). Effective inclusive pedagogy ensures all students feel welcome, safe and a sense of belonging within the classroom (Shipp, 2013).

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Indigenous perspectives | My Place for teachers

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Laura and her family are at the community centre to listen to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's address to Indigenous people apologising for decades of government policy that allowed children to be stolen from their families. However, Laura is more concerned with the apology she needs to make to Michaelis.

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AFL Sports Ready - Supporting Indigenous Employment Qualifications

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AFL Sports Ready - Supporting Indigenous Employment Qualifications

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AFL SportsReady is an Australian not-for-profit organisation which aspires to help everyone obtain a high level of education and gain qualifications to support their future careers (www.aflsportsready.com.au). Indigenous peoples and cultures are highly recognised and valued through specific programs designed to cater for high educational outcomes of these people. Inclusive practices may include seeking these types of programs to engage indigenous students in their learning and future educational prospects by removing barriers in accessing these opportunities and learning in a culturally responsive environment (Purdie & Buckley, 2010).

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AFL SportsReady delivers the AFL Footy Means Business program, in partnership with Rio Tinto. The program provides 50 Indigenous men, aged 18 to 24 years, with exposure to elite AFL programs and training, along with networking opportunities in corporate environments.

The AFL Rio Tinto Footy Means Business Program is a stand out platform that recognises that Australian Football develops transferable skills that can be taken into the workplace and back into the community.

Young Indigenous men from across Australia benefit from being part of the program, which focuses on development and talent opportunities.

Participants are selected based on football ability, engagement with their communities and their potential to serve as a positive role model.

The program involves the participation in two camps:

Darwin: Off-field professional development with a focus on community and cultural identity pillars.

Melbourne: Focus on leadership development, including a cultural walk, training sessions at Richmond and Essendon Football Clubs and media exposure at Channel 7 studios.

Each year, the program coincides with the Toyota AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round culminating in the opportunity to play in the Rio Tinto Cup, which is the curtain-raiser match to Dreamtime at the G.

Participants are selected based on football ability, engagement with their communities and their potential to serve as a positive role model. Participants must be:

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

Not engaged in AFL or Second Tier competition

Employed (part-time or apprenticeships accepted) or undertaking education/training or involved in community programs

Aspirational

Display leadership qualities

Rio Tinto is one of the largest private sector employers of Indigenous men and women in Australia. Alongside the AFL, Rio Tinto is now in its sixth year of involvement in the leadership development program Footy Means Business.
Find Out More

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AFL SportsReady delivers the AFL Footy Means Business program, in partnership with Rio Tinto. The program provides 50 Indigenous men, aged 18 to 24 years, with exposure to elite AFL programs and training, along with networking opportunities in corporate environments.

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The ASHE program designed and run by the University of Melbourne focuses on sport as an outlet to engage students with education and training (www.ashe.unimelb.edu.au). Programs designed specifically to target indigenous students aim to create a supportive and culturally responsive environment in which all students can achieve excellence in learning and leadership through participation in sport. These local programs provide teachers with an avenue to direct students who demonstrate interest and skills in sport into an inclusive environment in which they can achieve higher educational outcomes and qualifications (Purdie & Buckley, 2010).

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The Academy of Sport, Health and Education

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Indigenous sports and education, Melbourne University, ASHE, Shepparton

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Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives into the Classroom: Why and How?

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Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives into the Classroom: Why and How?

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Shipp's (2013) article provides useful explanations of why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives should be included within classrooms and how this can be done. The challenges of these inclusive practices lie in incorporating indigenous perspectives rightfully, respectfully, sensitively and using correct information to achieve this. This practice seeks to dissipate segregation within classrooms rather than create disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous students. This paper can be used to clarify misconceptions and develop some confidence in ways to most effectively execute pedagogies recognising all perspectives.

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The Indigenous Australians are major contributors to the national identity of our nation (Shipp, 2013). Therefore, school curricula should integrate Indigenous cultures into all subject areas to assist Indigenous students in developing stronger cultural identities. Framework for Embedding Koorie Cultures, Histories and Perspectives in Victorian Schools (2011) provides an action plan for Victorian teachers to proactively engage with local Indigenous community and seek culturally relevant and appropriate resources in teaching practice.

The aims for teaching culturally relevant content include:

-            Improve Indigenous students’ engagement in school;

-            Facilitate Indigenous students to embrace and develop their cultural identities and self-esteem;

-            Encourage exchange and reconciliation of knowledge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students;

-            Create inclusive classrooms that supports the learning of Indigenous students, and;

-            Fully utilise their cultural repertoire in improving Indigenous students’ learning experiences and outcomes.

This Padlet provides useful resources for Victorian teachers to incorporate culturally relevant content into four subject areas, namely SOSE, science, English/EAL and Health and PE. Excursion and incursion ideas relating Indigenous content can also be found at the end of the Padlet.

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The Australian Curriculum - Illustrations of practice

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The Australian Curriculum - Illustrations of practice

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The Australian and Victorian Curriculum's explicitly include incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures across curriculum subjects (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2010a; Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority [VCAA], n.d.). This not only promotes inclusion of Indigenous students within the classroom, but creates an inclusive classroom environment where all students gain cultural competency (Nakata, 2011).

Including indigenous perspectives into subjects can be challenging and should be done so with the confidence of benefiting both indigenous and non-indigenous students (Nakata, 2011). This resource provided by the Australian Curriculum exemplifies ways that indigenous perspectives and knowledge have been successfully incorporated into learning (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2010b). Ideas and inspiration can be drawn from the videos to incorporate these types of pedagogical practices and execute them in a respectful and effective manner. Teachers may use this to overcome barriers or uncertainties of how to make their subjects or projects inclusive of Indigenous students.

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Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools.

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Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools.

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Teacher cross-cultural competencies are important and relevant in Australian classrooms which include Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island students, to engage these students in learning and close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous students (Shipp, 2013). An inclusive approach to teaching ensures that these students have a voice and all students learn through and with each other of various cultural backgrounds. Through acknowledging and incorporating the knowledge and perspectives of indigenous Australians into classrooms, they are more likely to have increased rates of attendance, engagement, demonstrate positive classroom behaviours and create pathways into higher education and work prospects.

This document discusses embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into schools through both classroom and whole school implementation (Queensland Government Department of Education and Training [DET], 2011). This could provide a useful framework from which schools can design strategies to achieve this through a top-down approach (policy), or, bottom up by addressing the attitudes, beliefs and practices of teachers. Inclusive practices thereby require educational leadership in how to create this type of classroom and school culture, and this document gives insightful suggestions of ways to achieve this.

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The creative spirits website covers many topics in relation
to teaching and engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, one of these being sport (Creative Spirits, 2000-2017). This site provides statistics and information on different sports and Aboriginal sports people. These resources exemplify ways in which indigenous values, beliefs and cultures are embedded within the sporting curriculum and ways to make lessons relevant for these students. Sport is a powerful tool for inclusive practices, as engaging all students in sporting outlets promotes teamwork, unity, communication and forming relationships where everyone
is heard and respected (Wearing, 2011).

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Tips for teaching Aboriginal students

Many non-Aboriginal teachers do not have a lot of experience teaching and engaging Aboriginal children. To reach them and get them interested in learning, you must sometimes leave behind the textbook solutions you studied.

Know cultural needs

Aboriginal students can avoid direct eye contact to an adult as it is considered rude in Aboriginal culture. When teachers misdiagnose Aboriginal students' classroom behaviour we can speak of 'soft racism'.

Aboriginal children are also less likely to answer questions in the classroom because traditionally, Aboriginal culture has been passed on through the telling of stories; it's not about questions and answers or because they don't like to be the centre of attention.

"I realise that many children might know the answer, but aren't comfortable speaking up. Instead, I try to incorporate more ' hands on' learning and a greater variety of practical experiences into our lessons," explains Aboriginal teacher Matthew Pinchbeck of NSW.

Use story telling with visual cues in your teaching to support Aboriginal students learn better, rather than having them read and process materials directly.

Aboriginal students may have difficulty letting you know when they don't know something or are struggling to understand, due to a sensitivity to feeling shamed. They will keep quiet when something is too difficult to avoid 'getting it wrong'. Check with them that they are understanding and absorbing without them feeling shame if they are not.

Bear in mind that many Aboriginal children had early, often untreated ear infections which might have lead to hearing loss and explain why they are not listening or speaking loudly.

Parents might not be the most significant adults in a child's life because many Aboriginal adults share raising children in a community.

Don't expect them to underperform

If Aboriginal student numbers are low, teachers might ignore Aboriginal students, expect them to deliver low results or victimise them.

"I dreamt big," says Aboriginal gold medal winner and politician Nova Peris. "Most people would have looked at an Aboriginal girl from the Territory, with its statistics of alcohol abuse, youth suicide, domestic violence, imprisonment rates and substandard education, and point to every reason why I should not succeed. But I was determined to be successful."

Sky News international editor and Wiradjuri man, Stan Grant, remembers: "Aboriginal kids like me were too often denied opportunity, ignored or held captive to the low expectations of others. Indeed at age 14 I, along with my black cousins and mates, was encouraged to leave school, our principal said there was no meaningful place for us."

Instead, have high expectations. "I want them to reach for the stars," says principal Paul Eaglestone from Looma Remote Community School in WA. "We're all about student gain. I prefer high targets, even if sometimes students do well but don't quite get there." The success of his school proves him right.

"I give the students examples," explains Len Yarran from Balga Senior High School (WA). "I tell them there are people who came from alcoholic households, suicides in their family, backgrounds where there was no hope, and they have changed their lives. Some of them are in really influential positions."

High expectations = high outcomes

Children of Asian background are often perceived to be "smarter" than their other classmates. Researchers found that they enter schools with no significant academic advantage, but outperformed their non-Asian classmates significantly in Grade 5 .

They found Asian families ("Tiger Mums") were more likely to set higher expectations for their children. Greater effort from the students, and not advantages, contributed to academic success.

Similarly, if teachers set high expectations for Aboriginal students they can motivate them to succeed.

"Classmates who were straight-A students were never told they couldn't do medicine. I was a straight-A student but I was black," recalls Dr Kris Rallah-Baker, Australia's first eye doctor. A careers adviser told a young Kris that he would not get into medicine .

Relate examples to their environment and community

Teaching Aboriginal students needs to convey a "relatedness" , which is a key feature of Aboriginal world views. It stems from the connectedness to every living thing, which is the foundation of Aboriginal tradition, culture and spirituality.

Including Aboriginal stories and achievements also helps Aboriginal students feel more valued and accepted, and boosts their sense of identity.

When your lessons are relevant to students and applicable to everyday activities results can improve significantly. This sense of relatedness helps them answer the question "Who am I" and "Where do I fit in", rather than "What do I want to be?" .

Aboriginal children look at this macro view of the world before narrowing it down to the micro . Students would look around and notice who is not there rather than who is there.

The Teaching Indigenous Maths Education (TIME) program at Queensland University of Technology related mathematics classes to everyday tasks such as shopping and sports. Students were much more engaged, and some gained A-level results for the first time while none received an E-level .

Will Lutwyche taught for 2 years in remote Tennant Creek, NT. He learned that in order to engage his students he had to bring local stories into the classroom.

"In the end their stories really drove the history unit, along with the stories of community members. It was more relevant and integral to their lives, and their families and the town of Tennant Creek. They engaged well with it and started to reflect deeply and use critical thinking, which is not always easy to do without relevant content."

Help them fake power to become powerful

In the TED talk below, social scientist Amy Cuddy reveals typical body postures of people who feel inferior and the messages this sends to their brain.

By faking a posture of power, even if for just two minutes, the brain receives signals of more power which reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases testosterone (the hormone of power).

Why not invite Aboriginal students to fake these postures until they, like a student Amy coached, become more self-confident? (Video runs for approx. 20 minutes)

Consider intergenerational trauma

Aboriginal history is horrific in many places, for example assimilation policies or the Stolen Generations, and parents can pass on their trauma to their children which then becomes intergenerational. Teachers need to recognise this trauma when they assess the choices Aboriginal parents or students make.

Some Aboriginal parents don't want the Stolen Generations topic taught at school at all as they fear it can open wounds for the children as their aunties, uncles, mothers, fathers or grandparents might be affected. Most kids already know through their families.

Effects of the Stolen Generations still have implications on each student's life. When teaching about this chapter, teachers need to protect students' privacy and not expect them to talk about their personal stories.

Be aware of a greater sense of autonomy

Aboriginal children have been raised to be autonomous individuals with a right to express their needs and opinions and have them taken seriously. But a strong character can get them into trouble in a classroom .

Include community spirit

Aboriginal students are more used to working for the collective good rather than focusing on individual achievement. It is foreign for them to be tested as 'individuals' for their knowledge, when their usual context is seeing what the group can achieve collectively .

Looma Remote Community School, about 120 km south-east of Derby, WA, uses a high level of community involvement and togetherness as a crucial factor to its success in education. Every morning, students, and often parents, play 'heads and tails' in morning assembly. Parents and carers often join sack races and tugs of war at sports carnivals and eat lunch with children.

Remember English is a foreign language

For many Aboriginal children English is their second, third or fourth language. Teachers should explain things in more than one way and more than once to enable Aboriginal students to understand and learn. In Aboriginal culture knowledge was passed on through repetitive story-telling.

If possible, Aboriginal children should be taught in their first language. "Learning to read and write requires the brain to be neurologically developmentally primed," explains speech pathologist Mary-Ruth Mendel . "Children's brains need to be stimulated in the first language that they speak."

Bilingual programs and children's textbooks help Aboriginal children to live in two worlds and improve literacy rates.

Story: Cultural knowledge a must for language teachers

Here are some insights from Jasmin Martin, an Australian teacher living in Germany :

"I teach English here to the locals, and I see that the same approach that you described has to be taken with each student of a second or third or fourth language.

"Even Germans are a little apprehensive of English and the domination of English within their own language and dialects. I could not imagine trying to teach English to Germans, without knowing any German or having any sense for the way they think or live.

"Likewise, I could not imagine teaching English to Aboriginal communities in Australia, without knowing anything about their culture, language and what makes them tick, even if I have lived in Australia all my life and also lived up north in Darwin for many years."

Promote Aboriginality

For Aboriginal students to have a full and productive life, they need to receive an education that enhances and promotes their Aboriginality. Teachers can encourage cultural pride through programs such as, among others, music and dance.

Some students are trying to find their identity and what opportunities are there for them, and sometimes schools are the only safe place for them to do that. Teachers can support students by encouraging them to have pride in culture and with inspirational role models.

Address racism and use an open dialogue in a positive way: "This is the past; however, you are the people that can change that, this is how things have been done in the past, but you can make Australia a better place."

With boosted confidence and positive influences suspensions and detentions will drop and attendance rates increase.

Give students more chances

Many behavioural problems can be managed by taking the time to listen and giving students a "second, third and forth" chance .

Consider broken homes

Many Aboriginal students come from dysfunctional families where they need to dodge domestic violence or alcohol abuse. Many have emotional problems that materialise when they reach their mid-teens. Providing pastoral care lets them develop trust and feel safe and valued .

In remote communities, some Aboriginal kids might not have been taught values at home. If teachers spend half an hour teaching basic norms they have a much better chance to connect with their students .

There is a lack of positive role models for Aboriginal students, especially boys who have no father figures in their lives through death or separation. They need basic strategies for their immediate needs, for example extra attention, food or a talk about what happened the previous night at home.

Offer homework classes

Students (especially of remote communities) don't have computers at home, sometimes not even a desk.

Story: Education NRL-style: One metre at a time

Cherbourg State School in Queensland has implemented a popular reading program borrowing some ideas from National Rugby League (NRL) rules.

Each classroom is divided into 4 NRL teams. Students gain 'metres' on a virtual field for their attendance, work ethic and behaviour.

If a team has 100% attendance for any given day it automatically makes 10 metres.

Further metres can be made if the children read magazines or do puzzles of a night at home.

There are also physical activities played outside for extra metres.

"[The program] is about boosting numeracy, literacy, behaviour and the idea of team building to reach and end goal," says Steve Belsham, Australian Rugby League development officer

How to create a culturally responsive classroom

"It's very easy to say I want to have a culturally responsive classroom but to know what that looks like was a bit more difficult than I thought," admits Will Lutwyche who taught Aboriginal kids for 2 years in remote Tennant Creek, NT.

He found the following components to work well:

Build trust. "You need to get to know the kids really well before you can [teach]," says Will. "There needs to be mutual trust to establish your legitimacy. They can't gauge your authenticity straight off."

Acknowledgement of Country. Before a class, acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land where you teach.

Embrace diversity. Honour students' diversity within Aboriginal culture by letting them mark their nation, language group or moiety on a Aboriginal Australia wall map. Note that within the same community there might also be cultural ceremonial differences, kinship differences and totem differences. What works in one community most likely won't work in another.

Liaise with Elders. Run your curriculum ideas by Elders first. They can also introduce you to contacts in the community and people who can speak to the class.

Invite community members. Get community members into the classroom to share their stories and have a yarning circle.

Explore family trees. Will found it effective to explore children's family trees.

Let students teach. Have students run a lesson, which is often something they've never experienced before and fosters their self-esteem.

Use local resources. To support community context, use local resources that align with the curriculum. Will found written resources relevant to Tennant Creek buried deeply in books, and a DVD about the Coniston Massacre which occurred just south of Tennant Creek.

Promote calmness. Will found it very helpful to introduce routines, such as doing vocabulary at the beginning of each lesson, and then quiet reading or writing, or a bit of mindfulness practice to calm students down.

Don't yell. "Once kids realise I'm not going to get angry with them, they settle down," says Will.

Prepare students for walking in two worlds

In some parts of Australia Aboriginal people have "a huge hesitation" about the embrace of Western education, according to Aboriginal elder Noel Pearson . Many Aboriginal people are afraid of losing their children to a bigger world, and their children losing their identity and culture.

Educational systems designed to Western standards give Aboriginal people little to motivate them to have faith--on the contrary, many feel disrespected and marginalised. Academics think of Aboriginal people as "guests in the dominant educational domain". This 'guest paradigm' defines the relationship that Aboriginal people have with 'Eurocentric' education systems.

Teaching both worlds might be the answer to these problems.

Aboriginal leaders try to foster "a [cultural] centre of gravity" in their children so that they are able to "operate in two worlds" . Only when children accommodated both western and traditional Aboriginal culture would they be able to build their socio-economic strengths and maintain, revive and re-double the strength of their cultural determination, Mr Pearson said.

The Boonderu Music Academy in Roebourne, Western Australia, recognises that Aboriginal culture is based on song and story telling and encourages kids to enjoy school through the use of music first and worry about grades later. This approach entices students to go to school, validated by an attendance rate of 80%.

"My generation have learned now, that to live in this society, we must walk in two worlds," says Kendall Smith, one of the mentors and music teachers at the academy. "We must learn to adapt to be white man world, in that way, but then as soon as we get home, doing what our old people have done for 45,000 years -- going out bush, hunting, singing law and ceremony songs... that is the key to the survival of our Aboriginal people.

"While everyone else was learning how to drink and do drugs, we sort of kept to ourselves and played music. We were trying to find another way," Smith said.

Story: Better marks at a community-owned school

The Aboriginal and Islander Independent Community School, also known as "Murri School" after the name of Aboriginal people of Queensland, operates since 25 years in Brisbane .

The school is community-owned, develops its own policies and decides on teaching directions.

Unlike most mainstream independent schools the Murri School does not charge parents expensive fees. Since many Aboriginal parents are unemployed the school only charges a small fee for food. It provides students with three meals a day and transport to and from school.

Because of this financial and practical help the Murri School does not have any issues with students not attending school, unlike many mainstream schools with Aboriginal students.

Students are thriving and score well in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) exam.

"Our children achieve higher in the tests after being schooled in our system then they do after being schooled through Education Queensland," says Tiga Bayles, board president, Aboriginal and Islander Independent Community School Brisbane.

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Ways of teaching & engaging Aboriginal students

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Teaching Aboriginal students requires sensitivity for their special needs and knowledge about Aboriginal cultural protocols. Successful programs relate content to real life and work around Aboriginal parents' limitations.

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The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a database containing culturally sensitive information on indigenous health and advice to help close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous people (www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au). Indicators of health are accompanied by publications, policies, resources, programs and organisations accessible to retrieve information and assistance. This resource can be used carefully and sensitively to demonstrate the discrepancies between indigenous and non-indigenous health, and recognise historical, cultural and political reasons behind some of these discrepancies for indigenous peoples.

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The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters of Australia and the Torres Strait.

We respect all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people-their customs and their beliefs. We also pay our respects to Elders past and present, with particular acknowledgement to the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, the traditional owners of the lands where our offices are located.

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Home Page - Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

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Comprehensive information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing. We aim to help 'close the gap' by providing the evidence base to inform practice and policy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

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The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) places great emphasis on building a diverse learning environment where Indigenous values and cultures are incorporated into all subject areas wherever relevant. The policy suggests that schools should ensure all students have access to Indigenous resources and encourage the exchange of knowledge and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Furthermore, the Melbourne Declaration also encourages school and community partnerships to enrich the learning experiences of Indigenous students whilst building school-wide understanding of local Indigenous cultures.

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ABC. (2018). Education. Retrieved from http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/103132/

Aikenhead, G. (2001). Integrating Western and Aboriginal sciences: Cross-cultural science teaching. Research in Science Education, 31(3), 337-355. Australia: Author.

Australian Children's Television Foundation and Education Services Australia Ltd. (2011). My place. Retrieved from: https://www.myplace.edu.au/themes/indigenous_perspectives.html

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010a). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010b). Illustrations of practice. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/illustrations-of-practice/

Bevan, C., & Shillinglaw, D. (2010). Bigges Mob Mirlimirli. Teaching Two Way: Codeswitching Cultures and Dialects. Literacy Learning: the Middle Years, 18(2), 11-17.

Creative Spirits. (2000-2017). Aboriginal Sport. Retrieved from: https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/sport/

Davies, J. (2018). Classroom to campfire: Aboriginal culture is being used to teach maths and science. Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-31/boomerangles-learning-maths-and-chemistry-through-culture/10174930

Focus on Indigenous stud. (2018). Retrieved from: https://worldstrides.com.au/collections/focus-on-indigenous-studies/

Gambay – Languages Map. Retrieved from: https://gambay.com.au/teachers

Koorie Heritage Trust. (n.d.). Cultural education. Retrieved from http://koorieheritagetrust.com.au/cultural-education/

McKinley, E. (2016). Research conference 2016: STEM and Indigenous students (pp. 64-68). Melbourne Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

Meyers, S. A. (2008). Using transformative pedagogy when teaching online. College Teaching, 56(4), 219-224.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). (2006). Australian directions in Indigenous education, 2005–2008. Carlton South,

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2018). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Melbourne: Author.

Nakata, M. (2011). Pathways for Indigenous education in the Australian curriculum framework. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 40, 1-8.

Narragunnawali science resource guide. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/uploads/media/professional-learning/science-resource-guide-fffe8b3f4f.pdf

Out of the classroom and into the bush. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.nacc.com.au/out-of-the-classroom-and-into-the-bush/

Purdie, N., & Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students. Retrieved from: https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&context=indigenous_education

Queensland Government Department of Education and Training. (2011). Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in schools. Retrieved from: http://indigenous.education.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/eatsips-docs/eatsips_2011.pdf

Reconciliation Australia. (n.d.). Share our pride. Retrieved from: http://shareourpride.reconciliation.org.au/

Sharifian, F., Truscott, A., Konigsberg, P., Malcolm, I. G., & Collard. G. (2012). “Understanding stories my way”: Aboriginal-English speaking students’ (mis)understanding of school literacy materials in Australian English. Perth, Australia: Department of Education Western Australia.

Shipp, C. (2013). Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the classroom: Why and how. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 21(3), 24.

Siegel, J. (2010). Second dialect acquisition. Cambridge, England: University of Cambridge Press

Simpson, J., Caffery, J., & McConvell, P. (2009). Gaps in Australia’s indigenous language policy: Dismantling bilingual education in the Northern Territory. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), 24 [Research discussion paper]. Canberra, Australia.

VAEAI. (2011). Framework for embedding Koorie cultures, histories and perspectives in Victorian schools. Retrieved from: http://vaeai.org.au/_uploads/rsfil/000234_caba.pdf

Victoria State Government. (2016). Marrung Aboriginal education plan 2016-2016. Retrieved from: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/aboriginal/Marrung_Aboriginal_Education_Plan_2016-2026.pdf

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (n.d.). Cross-curriculum priorities. Retrieved from http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/overview/cross-curriculum-priorities

Wearing, M. (2011). Strengthening youth citizenship and social inclusion practice—The Australian case: Towards rights based and inclusive practice in services for marginalized young people. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(4), 534-540.

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Recognising the Linguistic Needs of Indigenous Students

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Recognising the Linguistic Needs of Indigenous Students

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Whilst the majority of the young Indigenous learners in Australia speak English at home, their English is often influenced by their indigenous languages (MCEETYA, 2006) hence should be perceived as English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) learners with specific linguistic/literary needs (Simpson, Caffery, & McConvell, 2009). Too often they are misperceived as English speakers who are learning their Indigenous Languages rather than the other way around. The following research paper explores the linguistic needs of Indigenous students and suggests that in order to provide adequate linguistic assistance, educators must firstly recognise these specific learning needs.

Indigenous students’ language competency ranges from bidialectal to multilingual. However, their rich language repertoire is often neglected since the national, state level and school level literacy tests solely assess them against “non-indigenous monolingual norms” or “Standard Australian English”. Under such hegemonic language curriculum, Indigenous students are often considered to be under-achieving and sometimes even misdiagnosed as having learning difficulties or cognitive impairment.

The following paper addresses this situation and uses a case study to demonstrate to English/EAL teachers that by embracing students’ mother tongue and the associated first language resources, students can truly engage with language learning, establish self-esteem and cultural identities.

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The Australian Directions in Indigenous Education 2005-2008 provides a wide range of recommendations that aims at mproving Indigenous students’ engagement, educational experience and educational outcomes. In particular, it emphasises the significance of school and community partnerships as well as quality teaching in improving their academic outcomes whilst maintaining their Indigenous identity and integrity. This document also highlights that proactive school leadership is fundamental in creating inclusive learning environment for Indigenous students, that helps them to develop and embrace their Indigenous Identity.

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This paper exemplifies an number of ways in which western and indigenous sciences can be integrated for cross-cultural teaching practices (Aikenhead, 2001). The importance of these practices are highlighted, such as making science learning relevant for both indigenous and non-indigenous students and learning through and with one another. This can create a culturally-responsive classroom in which individual perspectives and knowledges are heard and shared.

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Integrating Western and Aboriginal Sciences- Cross-Cultural Science Teaching

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Ensuring All Koorie Students Achieve Their Learning Aspirations --- The Marrung Strategy

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Ensuring All Koorie Students Achieve Their Learning Aspirations --- The Marrung Strategy

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Together with the Melbourne Declaration (2008) and Australian Directions in Indigenous Education (2006), the Marrung Aboriginal Education Plan (2016) identifies the “gap” in Indigenous Education and aims at closing these gaps. In particular, all three documents highlight the need to improve Indigenous students’ engagement in school. As suggested by the Australian Directions in Indigenous Education (2006), the Marrung also acknowledges the significance of involving local communities to strengthen the Koorie identity of Victorian Indigenous students, hence subsequently building a culturally inclusive learning environment that engages these students. The Marrung specifically advises Victorian teachers to teach cultural and historical content relevant to the Koorie students to support integration of of Koorie cultures across all subject areas.

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Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Subjects on Camp

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Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Subjects on Camp

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This ABC News article explains the rationale and impact of a new Indigenous educational program in NSW. It demonstrates to educators working with Indigenous students that a culturally relevant and practical approach to teaching STEM subjects allows students to see the connection between their Indigenous identity and the “Western curriculum”. For instance, educators from this program allowed students to compare the rationale behind a boomerang and a drone to teach the Physics notion of aerodynamics; and facilitated students to explore the patterns of tides and seasons using Mathematics.

The purpose of these field learning programs is to re-connect disengaged Indigenous students in our mainstream classrooms. Allowing them to see relevance of school materials helps to build their Indigenous identity and empowers them to justify their position in the curriculum.

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Updated September 03, 2018 12:39:37

A group of passionate educators are taking Aboriginal students from the classroom to the campfire to spark a love of science, technology and maths.

Demand is high for spots in a new, hands-on initiative that takes the form of overnight camps, where yarning and dance circles set the scene for workshops taught by Aboriginal leaders.

Students attending the camps learn their angles through the art of spear making, and aerodynamics by studying boomerangs and drones.

They learn about magnetism through storytelling, and understand chemistry through bush medicine.

"We firmly believe our kids need a western education, but it can't be at the expense of their cultural identity," Aboriginal educator and Ngunnawal woman Cindy Berwick said.

"These camps teach science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects through a cultural lens to inspire students.

"Not only do they learn to love these subjects, but they come out feeling truly proud to be Aboriginal."

Ms Berwick is president of the New South Wales Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), which co-ordinates the camps in conjunction with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Maths Alliance.

The two organisations paired four years ago to help develop the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

"The demand for our camps is now so high we often have 250 students applying for a workshop with just 100 places," Ms Berwick said.

"We've gone from running three camps last year to nine this year."

Creating the perfect learning environment

AECG senior project officer and Wiradjuri man David Towney, from Dubbo in the Western Plains region of New South Wales, said an all-Aboriginal camp environment created the perfect setting for students to feel empowered.

Building on the success of their STEM camps, this week Mr Towney ran a language and culture camp at Lake Burrendong for 100 Wiradjuri students.

"A lot of Aboriginal kids in a mainstream school context sit down the back, and if they have hearing difficulties they don't ask questions because they can't hear the teacher," he said.

"Often they're embarrassed and because of this they fall behind.

"But at the camps all the kids are on an equal footing. They're all Aboriginal and can ask each other, ask the teachers and the support staff questions.

"Learning about their culture is incredibly important for the identity of these children."

Connecting maths to kinship

For Chris Matthews, chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Maths Alliance, the concept of the Aboriginal kinship system can be viewed mathematically.

He teaches Aboriginal students they are a part of their physical environment and its natural cycles.

"I believe students disengage from maths because they have no real connection to it," the pioneering academic said.

"When you think about it, a lot of applied mathematics actually deals with modelling the complex systems around us, like the tides and the seasons.

"Here, we're trying to connect with our students by explaining that mathematics is a part of who we are as Aboriginal people. It's not separate to who we are."

Dr Matthews is proud of the impact the camps have had.

"If you look at any science camp, students usually go to a university and get taught by a white male and typically students have no real connection with who they are," he said.

"At our camps there's a real focus on us as one being Aboriginal people and together we explore our connection with science, technology and maths.

"I think that is a bit of a game changer for them because they don't experience that kind of connectivity at school."

Dr Matthews said students returned to their schools feeling more settled and confident in their abilities in STEM subjects.

"I spoke to one parent recently and the first thing they said to me was 'What have you done to my child?'.

"They went from someone who didn't care about science to topping their science class. It was clear to me their ability was always there, but something switched in their little mind during our camp."

Escaping racism with STEM

Dr Matthews is passionate about shaping the Indigenous leaders of tomorrow, but he was not always that way inclined.

At school, he was the only Aboriginal boy in his class.

As a Noonuccal and Quandamooka First Nation man from the Stradbroke Island and Moreton Bay regions of Queensland, he endured hurtful racism from his classmates.

"It was only spasmodic but those times were very impactful," he said.

"I didn't feel like I belonged."

He chose a career in maths and science to escape racism, saying, "They don't deal with people in maths and science."

At university he achieved a Bachelor of Science and went on to earn a PhD in applied mathematics.

"All the way through my studies I faced a battle to justify my position to be there," he said.

"This experience influenced me strongly in wanting to make a difference."

Topics: education, indigenous-culture, mathematics-education, science, dubbo-2830, moree-2400, lennox-head-2478

First posted August 31, 2018 07:02:26

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aboriginal and torres strait islander maths alliance

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Classroom to campfire: Aboriginal culture is being used to teach maths and science

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Updated September 03, 2018 12:39:37 A group of passionate educators are taking Aboriginal students from the classroom to the campfire to spark a love of science, technology and maths. Demand is high for spots in a new, hands-on initiative that takes the form of overnight camps, where yarning and dance circles set the scene for workshops taught by Aboriginal leaders.

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The Orb - Multimedia Interactive Online Resource

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The Orb - Multimedia Interactive Online Resource

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Interactive online resources can be effective for student engagement, knowledge retention and positive learning outcomes (Meyers, 2008). The Orb resource uses an interactive format to cover topics which are central to the history and cultures of Tasmanian Aboriginals. Inclusive pedagogies can have the capacity to challenge student misconceptions (Shipp, 2013). The Orb using Tasmanian Aboriginal knowledge and history to educate everyone on this group and their daily practices, cultures and understandings (www.theorb.tas.gov.au). Tackling student misconceptions thereby creates a more culturally aware and competent classroom (Shipp, 2013).

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Walk in our shoes, see through our eyes and journey alongside us... the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community.

- From Gumnuts to Buttons
About
The Orb celebrates Tasmanian Aboriginal people and the interconnections between Country, culture, identity, and Community.

The Orb features interviews with Tasmanian Aboriginal Community members. It provides teachers with Australian Curriculum aligned resources to assist the teaching of Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures.

Contact: aboriginal.education@decyp.tas.gov.au

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From Gumnuts to Buttons About The Orb celebrates Tasmanian Aboriginal people and the interconnections between Country, culture, identity, and Community. The Orb features interviews with Tasmanian Aboriginal Community members. It provides teachers with Australian Curriculum aligned resources to assist the teaching of Tasmanian Aboriginal histories and cultures. Contact: aboriginal.education@decyp.tas.gov.au

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“Understanding Stories My Way” --- Recognising and Utilising the Differences to enhance Indigenous Students’ linguistic and literary skills

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“Understanding Stories My Way” --- Recognising and Utilising the Differences to enhance Indigenous Students’ linguistic and literary skills

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The handbook, “Understanding stories my way”: Aboriginal-English speaking students’ (mis)understanding of school literacy materials in Australian English (Sharifian, Truscott, Konigsberg, Malcolm & Collard, 2012) explains thoroughly to English and EAL/D teachers that Indigenous Englishes are different from mainstream Anglo-English, and are unique due to the diversity of Indigenous cultures and languages. Hence, the authors believe that language teachers need to be proactive in learning the local Indigenous cultures and languages in order to develop better understanding of their Indigenous students and assess their language competencies.

The handbook suggests that rather than seeing “non-Standard Australian English” as a deficit, English and EAL/D teachers should recognise and acknowledge the diverse linguistic resources that Indigenous students bring with them into the classroom. As discussed previously, that the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) advocates for exchange of knowledge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to develop mutual understanding and create opportunities for cross-cultural communication. This is consistent with ideology of this handbook as it recommends language teachers to generate classroom activities that investigate the differences (divergence) and similarities (convergence) between Indigenous English and Anglo-English. The handbook suggests that this approach improves student engagement by allowing them to see the relevance of curriculum materials and encouraging them to advocate their cultures and languages to mainstream students.

Moreover, this handbook also provides comprehensive guidance and lists of resources on practicing “two-way pedagogy” in teaching Indigenous EAL/D learners, where “two-way” refers to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and teachers cross-communicate to perfect strategies that aim at improving Indigenous students’ engagement and enrich their literacy by drawing on existing cultural resources.

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Two-Way Pedagogy to Encourage the Use of Indigenous Languages

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Two-Way Pedagogy to Encourage the Use of Indigenous Languages

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This article is a case study whereby researchers exemplify practicing two-way pedagogy in teaching senior Indigenous students. In this case study, the researchers demonstrate to English and EAL/D teachers that students’ learning outcome and engagement were clearly improved as they were allowed to codeswitch between English and their own languages to express and transform their knowledge. The authors of this paper also shows that Indigenous languages and Indigenous Englishes need to be recognised, valued and openly discussed in classrooms to better engage these students and to encourage them to fully utilise their language resources.

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Website: https://gambay.com.au/teachers

The diversity of Indigenous cultures and languages contributes to the complexity of inclusive practice in English and language teaching. In order for to teach culturally relevant content, practice two-way teaching and encourage codeswitching amongst Indigenous students, English and EAL/D teachers must firstly develop understanding of the LOCAL Indigenous community. The Gambay Languages Map allows teachers to identify their local Indigenous group hence conduct their research from there onwards. It also provides guidance on how to access support from local Indigenous communities and how to start language support programs that focus on enriching their first language resource repertoire.

Furthermore, the page provides topic ideas relevant to Indigenous students that address various aspects of the curriculum across subject areas from years 7 to 10. Here, teachers, including English and EAL/D teachers, can obtain inspirations on designing lessons/units that are relevant and appropriate for Indigenous students.

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Mapping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

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Excursions are integral component of teaching and learning. School can utilise excursion opportunities to support culturally relevant learning that helps to develop Indigenous students’ identity and self-esteem.

This website lists Indigenous workshops and incursions available for schools. Educators may select relevant workshops and organise incursions or excursions on Indigenous content.

http://www.findschoolworkshops.com/melbourne-vic/melbourne/aboriginal-incursions

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School Aboriginal Workshops, incursions and assemblies in Melbourne

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School Aboriginal Workshops, incursions and assemblies in Melbourne. Browse our primary and secondary school Aboriginal workshop providers in Melbourne

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https://museumsvictoria.com.au/bunjilaka/learning/school-programs-and-resources/

The Melbourne Museum holds numerous school programs that aim at educating students about Victorian Indigenous cultures and Identities from Years 1 to 12.

Excursions at the Museum is both affective and visceral as they promote enquiry-based learning as well as haptic learning --- that is learning through touching the Indigenous artefacts. The Museum currently has Koorie culture learning kits consisting a wide range of artefacts from Victorian Indigenous groups. This type of workshops is appropriate for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners to develop a more holistic understanding of the Koorie people through this three dimensional learning experience.

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Teaching STEM Subjects Using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

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Teaching STEM Subjects Using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

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This paper familiarises STEM teachers with challenges in Indigenous STEM education and provides list of research papers on overcoming these challenges. The paper highlights the importance of connecting Indigenous cultures and the curriculum in order to effectively deliver scientific contents. Consistent with previous discussion in this Padlet, the author of this paper encourages filed trips and excursions in improving science-learning amongst Indigenous students, and reiterates the importance of community involvement in effective Indigenous STEM pedagogy .

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This Website allows school teachers to book group interstate tours to culturally rich destinies such as the Uluru. If funding allows, these are great educational trips that bring classrooms to live. During the trips, students gain knowledge and skills through experiential learning as they complete various activities that are closely aligned with the curriculum. By delivering educational content “on site”, students can better develop their cultural identity and a sense of connectedness in mainstream education.

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You searched for indigenous - WorldStrides Australia

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Dating back over 75,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the longest living culture in the world. As the traditional custodians of Australia, their ideologies and way of life are a deeply significant part of Australia's national identity. Surrounded by the timeless landscapes of desert plains, mountain ranges and dramatic gorges, there's no...

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Indigenous cultures value their connection with the land and the nature. For this reason, more schools are taking students out into the bush to learn about ecology and merge the western notion of ecosystem with that of the Indigenous. The following case study explains the benefit of moving out of the classroom and providing Indigenous student hands-on experiential learning opportunities.

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NACC - Northern Agricultural Catchments Council

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Mullewa students and teachers got out of the classroom and into the bush last week, learning traditional ecological knowledge from local Elders - Leedham Papertalk and family.

The excursions are part of NACC's education project, which aims to build relationships between Traditional Owners and teachers to enable greater inclusion of Aboriginal history and culture in classrooms.

Ms Nicki Patterson, Mullewa DHS Principal said "Our students love going out bush. It was amazing to see our kids enjoying the day - the smiles on their faces said it all. This experience will remain with them for a while to come."

All the teachers involved expressed how privileged they felt to be a part of this amazing bush excursion.

"Teachers have requested that we do this bush trip during a school development time, so that the staff who missed out on this occasion have the chance to experience it," said Ms Patterson.

As a Yamaji person, Ms Patterson was pleased to hear that NACC was taking a role in conserving various sights and was happy to be involved in NACC's education project.

"We received so much positive feedback from families and the community. Thank you to everyone who got involved," said Ms Patterson.

A big thanks to the traditional owners Leedham Papertalk (and family) for sharing their knowledge and land, and to Chris Lewis from ABC Midwest, who captured the trip in this short video...
This project is presented by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council and is supported by funding from the WA Government's State NRM Program, supported by Royalties for Regions.

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Mullewa students and teachers got out of the classroom and into the bush last week, learning traditional ecological knowledge from local Elders - Leedham Papertalk and family. The excursions are part of NACC's education project, which aims to build relationships between Traditional Owners and tea

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Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Science within Specific STEM Learning Areas

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Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Science within Specific STEM Learning Areas

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The link below contains links to extensive resources in relation to Indigenous culture, histories and sciences that can be embedded into the mainstream STEM subjects. These resources are extremely helpful for teachers of Junior sciences as they cover topics of ecology, technology, biodiversity, geography, meteorology, chemistry, food sciences and other STEM topics. These resources can be used in conjunction with mainstream materials to further generate the sense of connectedness amongst students with Indigenous backgroud. Communicative activities and tasks can be used alongside this resources to encourage exchange and negotiation of these knowledge to create a supportive learning environment for all students.