EEB419 | ASSIGNMENT 2 STUDENT: MADELEINE TYSON #11490480

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EEB419 | ASSIGNMENT 2 STUDENT: MADELEINE TYSON #11490480

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Cover Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Acknowledgement of Country 3

Introduction 3

Rationale for teaching History with Indigenous perspectives in Stage 3

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Rationale for teaching Australia as a Nation with Indigenous Perspectives

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Curriculum and Pedagogy Intent 4

Curriculum 5

Explanation of the purpose and role of Indigenous perspectives in History

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Examination of the purpose and role of Indigenous perspectives in History and in Australia as a Nation

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Linking to the syllabus 6

Resources for Teachers 6

Pedagogy 8

Teaching Strategies 8

Learning Strategies 8

Assessment Activities 9

Teaching and Learning Resources 9

Inclusive Classroom Practices 10

Outline of a sequence of lessons 11

Justification 11

References 12

Turnitin Report 13

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Prior to presenting this Professional Development Package, I feel it is necessary to present an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’.

I acknowledge the Wiradjuri people as the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to elders, past, present and future. May the following learning honour the Wiradjuri people.

Our school community is proud to have a collection of Indigenous students who make up a significant portion of our cultural composition. The past is inextricably linked to the future, and so it our role as educators to recognise our nation’s oppressive history and its impact on our students today. Furthermore, through a whole-school approach we need to endeavour to make changes that will work towards eliminating inequality amongst populations in our classrooms. Research supports this practical methodology and validates that it can improve attendance, retention and workplace participation (Queensland Government, 2011, p.9).

To achieve this goal, this Professional Development Package has been designed to educate the staff at our school about Indigenous awareness, inclusivity and competence. The syllabus subject that will be utilised to establish how these facets can be incorporated into curriculum and pedagogy is History. The NSW History syllabus lends itself generously to accommodating Indigenous culture, with major emphasis on the first Australians throughout all stage curriculum content. For demonstration purposes, the stage level that will be focused on is stage 3, specifically year 6, and the specific topic that will be examined and explored will be ‘Australia as a Nation’.

Rationale for teaching History with Indigenous perspectives in Stage 3

This country has a shared history. It would be dishonest and unjust among many other things, to dismiss a significant part of this history. The Indigenous contribution to Australia’s history is the foundation of everything else that has come. To ignore it, would be to take away someone’s legs and yet expect them to stand. This was the early ‘white’ settlers’ mistake, and now we are trying to grow back those legs. Impossible to grow back yes, but there are structures being put in place now to help regain stability. One of those, is education.

Children in stage 3, generally around the age of 11 or 12, are extremely impressionable. This is the time where they are gathering information and begin to start sorting through it to form their own opinions and identities. Thus, it is extremely important that they are given access to authentic learning about Indigenous perspectives so that they may make full understandings about their history, their rich nature, and their present. Consequently, they will be able to contemplate their own place in our shared history through considering and acting on contemporary issues such as the Reconciliation process.

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Rationale for teaching Australia as a Nation with Indigenous Perspectives

Australia as a Nation, implies looking at all the elements that Australia is comprised of. Specifically, it refers to investigation about how and why Australia became a nation, twentieth century changes in Australian society, migration to Australia and significant individuals and groups in Australia’s history. Again the point must be emphasised that it is necessary to account for all segments of the nation, hence why Indigenous perspectives are essential to the teaching of this topic and must be considered in all of these areas.

Curriculum and Pedagogy Intent

A source of inspiration to approaching curriculum and pedagogy is ‘the third-cultural space’.

(Queensland Government, 2011, p.9)

This illustration should be interpreted as the black circle representing Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, the red circle representing Western ways and the yellow circle as the combination of the black and the red. This yellow circle reflects a new creative and innovative way of valuing Western and Indigenous systems equally in classrooms (Queensland Government, 2011). A framework to help teachers reach the heart of this method, is the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning. This framework encompasses the ideas of story sharing, community links, deconstruct reconstruct, non-linear, land links, symbols and images, non-verbal and learning maps, which are all aimed at adapting Indigenous perspectives and learning techniques to curriculum and pedagogy (Edith Cowan University, 2012).

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Explanation of the purpose and role of Indigenous perspectives in History

The importance of teaching Indigenous perspectives is highlighted by the NSW syllabus itself naming ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures’ as a cross curriculum priority. Moreover, it reveals how this priority should be looked at in History through the statement “students will examine historical perspectives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewpoints” (NSW Government, 2012). Students will do so through investigating numerous aspects of pre-British colonisation, post-British colonisation and the significance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within Australia and around the world (NSW Government, 2012).

The nature of the NSW History curriculum, in that it has a strong emphasis on Australian history, extends its availability to looking at Indigenous perspectives. Many would expect the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives in teaching history to be straightforward. As previously implied, the history curriculum does already contain compulsory Indigenous specific content to be taught. However if this content is delivered in a manner that is stereotypical, materialistic or incorrect, it will not enhance students awareness, inclusivity or competence. It must also be recognised that there are ambiguous outcomes in the syllabus in that while they do not directly mention Indigenous perspectives, they can be moulded to consider them. These avenues need to be utilised in an effective way so that a more holistic understanding of Aboriginal culture can be attained.

Examination of the purpose and role of Indigenous perspectives in Australia as a Nation

The topic Australia as a Nation should provide students with a comprehensive understanding of significant historical points of change and continuity in history that have shaped the nation as it is today. The purpose of ensuring Indigenous perspectives are known in relation to these points is so that students have access to the whole reality and a variety of views on various subjects which additionally helps them to be critical thinkers.

Through this unit, teachers should be meeting three key outcomes:

“HT3-3: identifies change and continuity and describes the causes and effects of change on Australian society

HT3-4: describes and explains the struggles for rights and freedoms in Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

HT3-5: applies a variety of skills of historical inquiry and communication” (NSW Government, 2012).

HT3-3 and HT3-5 are examples of outcomes that do not specifically refer to Indigenous perspectives but they will be manipulated to consider them. HT3-3 will be done through examining Indigenous perspectives of Federation, Australian democracy and migration of populations into Australia along with perhaps investigating migration patterns of Indigenous peoples moving outside of Australia. HT3-4 on the other hand references Indigenous perspectives clearly in its description through looking at their rights and freedoms. HT3-5 will

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be analysed by assessing the students’ skills in relation to historical inquiry and communication, for example giving students the opportunity to participate in source analysis.

Linking to the syllabus

Traditionally, this topic should be carried out over a period of two terms (20 weeks). For the purpose of modelling purposes, this Developmental Package will focus on the teaching of a quarter of this topic (5 weeks). It will cover one main content area, but will touch on all of the outcomes. Out of the three main content areas, there is one that specifically refers to Indigenous perspectives through looking at their struggle for rights and freedoms. However this 5 week model will not focus on that area, rather it will look at:

ACHHK113 “Key figures and events that led to Australia's Federation, including British and American influences on Australia's system of law and government” (NSW Government, 2012),

so that an understanding of how to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into an area that isn’t so clear-cut in incorporating Indigenous perspectives into content can be envisioned.

There are three indicators within this outcome which require students to:

“identify the influences of Britain and the USA on Australian democracy,

sequence key figures and events and explain their significance in the development of Australian democracy, eg Sir Henry Parkes, Edmund Barton, Louisa Lawson, Vida Goldstein

and

outline local, state and federal government structures and responsibilities”

(NSW Government, 2012).

Resources to teach teachers knowledge and skills in cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

There are an abundance and variety of resources available for teachers who are willing to advance their knowledge and skills of cultural awareness, inclusivity and competence. Some examples include:

Project: AITSL Improving teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. This project aims to assist teachers in effectively teaching Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. It covers research, pre-service teacher initial education, and personal development all related to this. Accessible at http://www.aitsl.edu.au/initial-teacher-education/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education (AITSL, 2014).

Website: ‘Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in schools: A guide for school learning communities’. The Queensland Government have developed this document so that educators can gain skills of cultural awareness, inclusivity and competence. Within this document there is information about EATSIPS ( ), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, whole school ethos,

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classroom ethos, case studies of EATSIPS in action, and the implementation process. An excellent diagram of aspects of teaching that must be taken into account when integrating Indigenous perspectives is shown on page 37, as displayed below

This website can be accessed at http://deta.qld.gov.au/indigenous/pdfs/eatsips_2011.pdf (Queensland Government, 2011).

Song: ‘Secret War’ by the Warumpi band. This song was written and performed by an Indigenous band. The title itself is an eye opener of an Indigenous perspective. The lyrics describe the effects of colonisation on the Indigenous people in a confronting and powerful way. This song can be accessed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw7cCwq-Jss (Warumpi Band, 2009).

Podcast: Coding Cultural Riches- Investigating Indigenous Languages in Australia. This ‘Up-Close’ podcast available on YouTube is delivered from the University of Melbourne. The podcast involves an interview by Jennifer Cook of Dr Rachel Nordlinger, a linguist. It is useful for informing about how Australian Aboriginal languages are researched and how communities migrating cause specific Indigenous languages to flourish while others become endangered. This podcast can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEld8ih6QzU (The University of Melbourne, 2011)

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Online Package: Sharing Culture Online Teacher Account. This Account includes information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, access to Yolngu knowledge, a Sharing Culture teachers handbook, a guide to working with Indigenous students and access to a large range of support materials. This can be accessed at http://www.sharingculture.com.au/products/sharing-culture-online-teacher-account (Sharing Culture, 2012).

Fact Sheet: 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning. This factsheet gives insight about how to include Indigenous perspectives in the classroom. Can be accessed from http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/510073/8-Aboriginal-ways-of-learning-factsheet.pdf

Camp: Cultural Awareness Training Camp. Information about this camp can be gained from http://www.ngurrabu.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Cultural-Awareness-Training.pdf

Teaching strategies for this topic to develop students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

Strategies that teachers can impose whilst teaching this topic to enhance students’ cultural understanding could be:

Ensuring careful language. It is of the upmost importance that the language used in the classroom is not offensive and does not alienate Indigenous students or any other students for that matter. An example of how an Indigenous student may feel alienated throughout the teaching of this subject would be for a teacher to make a generalisation that Aboriginal people had no part in Federation, where in reality both Indigenous men and women could vote and there were significant Indigenous

Incorporate traditional Aboriginal languages into the teaching of content. Indigenous students and their relatives could be major tools to assist with this.

When questioning allow time for students to construct an answer. Do not be afraid of silence and feel the necessity to prompt them.

Create a learning atmosphere where no question is considered silly and no opinion

as wrong so that all students can feel comfortable contributing to class

conversations.

Encouraging humour within the classroom when appropriate will help build relationships with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

Have variety with group activities. While students feel comfortable if they are able to stay in their culture cliques, it is important to mix it up too. If there are a variety of cultures present within groups, students will able to have in depth discussions and consider various cultural perspectives.

Respect and celebrate all cultures

(Harrison, 2011)

Learning activities for this topic to develop students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

Learning activities that blossom in the ‘third cultural space’ that would be appropriate within this topic include:

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Learning through narrative. For example story sharing. Planning on visualising explicit processes. For example Learning Maps. Working non-verbally with self-reflective, hands on methods. For example applying

intra-personal and kinaesthetic skills to thought. Learning through images, symbols and metaphors. For example using artworks to

understand content. Learning through place-responsive, environment practice. For example linking

content to local land. Using indirect, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches. This means joining

multiple ideas to create new knowledge. Role-play. For example performing a group act of a specific historical event Oral tasks. For example having a group discussion. Group work.

All of these learning activities have been promoted as beneficial to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, hence they will not cause learning barriers in the classroom. (Edith Cowan University, 2012, p.1) (Harrison, 2011, p.50)

Assessment activities for this topic to develop students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

Assessment is a significant part of education in that it allows students teachers and communities to gage students’ learning and knowledge. However if assessments are not standardised and are biased, results will not be an accurate representation of students’ capabilities. When planning for assessment, educators need to decide how students will show what they know and how they the teachers will figure out if they’ve learned what they wanted them to lean. The Queensland Government have identified three aspects as significant to assessment when considering Indigenous perspectives, these being, “assessing the perspectives explicitly taught as part of the intended learning, assessing Indigenous students’ learning of the intended curriculum and enabling assessment to link with real-life experiences and aspirations within Indigenous communities” (Queensland Government, 2011, p.39). Obviously, assessment will differentiate according to curriculum, student cohort, context etc, however it is important to try and ensure that Indigenous perspectives are always assessed when they are incorporated into content. By doing so, the value placed on Indigenous perspectives is increased and also assists in checking students understanding of the perspectives. One type of assessment that could be given to an Indigenous student participating in this topic could be allowing them to be assessed in their home language (Queensland Government, 2011, p.39).

Teaching and learning resources for this topic to develop students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

The Federation topic is usually approached by teachers from a ‘white’ settlers’ point of view. It is quite difficult to find resources that inform on Aboriginal perspectives in regards to Federation but there are a few very useful ones that are outlined below.

Website: Federator. An Independence WebQuest. This website is structured in the form of a challenge, the students being required to research Federation from the view of Aborigines living at the time and additionally look at the effects Federation had on their rights. http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/federator/strategy_task1_indigenous.htm

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Document: Australian Electoral Commission, History of Indigenous Vote. This pdf gives valuable data that reflects Indigenous voting in Australian History. Specifically, it is useful for looking at Aborigines’ votes in the Federation referendum. It can be accessed from http://www.aec.gov.au/indigenous/history.htm

Website: 100 Years of Indigenous History. This website looks at the ‘First Federation’ of Indigenous nations and explores Indigenous achievements and contributions to Australia. It can be accessed at http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10492/20021115-0000/indigenous/default.htm

Other resources that could be utilised within the whole school to endorse cultural awareness, inclusivity and competence could be:

Presentation: This was a presentation I created for a previous university subject. Directed at non-indigenous students, the empathy presentation aims to put them in the shoes of their Indigenous peers. It can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU5TCb_pt_8&rel=0

Poster: Recognising Racism and its Effects in School. This poster would be extremely beneficial to promote around the school. Again this resource targets empathy. It can be retrieved from http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/school-planning/poster_effects_in_schools.pdf (Racism. No way!, 2013).

Inclusive classroom practices that will enhance students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence and address the needs of the diversity of students as they study this topic and work in class (200 words)

Inclusive classroom practices need to be established so that all students have equal access to learning opportunities, being taught in ways that suit their needs. Significant principles of inclusive classroom practices involve giving the opportunity for:

Fair access and participation Valuing diversity Adjustments made to cater for access, participation and achievement Equitably resourced adjustments Pedagogy reflecting student needs Programs and services that meet student needs Collaborative models and partnerships

(Government of Western Australia, 2014)

Some specific examples of how teachers can create inclusive environments in their classrooms are to:

Avoid favourites Learn all students’ stories. According to Harrison, “an understanding of the student’s

life outside of the classroom scaffolds learning inside the classroom” and students are likely to feel appreciated and significant if their teacher shows genuine interest in them (Harrison, 2011, p.160).

Be fair and consistent with disciplining and rewarding. It is significant to note that Indigenous students should be rewarded in groups so that individuals are not seen as acting above others (Harrison, 2011, p.153)

Utilise a calm voice and avoid shouting (Harrison, 2011, p.153).

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Do not segregate groups in the classroom. For example, do not over emphasise the Indigenous students or ‘white’ students as separate groups.

Again the importance of diction in the classroom must be recognised. Inclusive language is key.

Outline* of the sequence of connected lessons in a balanced and authentic context that demonstrate developing student knowledge, skills and values in this topic while incorporating culturally appropriate perspectives in the development of students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

To reinforce once again, over the 5 week period, the topic of Federation will be covered. To start off this topic, students will be identifying the influences of Britain and the USA and Britain on Australian democracy. Students are required to investigate whether the Britain and the USA had influence on Australian democracy and if they had any influence on political decisions involving Indigenous people. They will discuss their findings in a class discussion. Students will then move on to the next indicator and create a timeline of the events involved with Federation and a key element of this task will to be to include Indigenous related content with each event on the timeline. A significant person study will follow. Students will cover the main personalities who had a part in Federation such as Sir Edmund Barton, however their main focus will be to investigate an important Indigenous personality and their involvement in the Federation process. They will use ICT and the school library archive to complete this research and in pairs will create a role-play video of this personality being interviewed about their part in Federation. The next indicator of outlining local, state and federal government structures and responsibilities to the public and reference to Indigenous peoples specifically, will be completed by separating the class into three groups, each group will study a different type of government and present a speech to the class about their governments’ structures and responsibilities.

Justification* for your pedagogical approach to explain* the ways this pedagogy will develop students’ cultural awareness, cultural inclusivity and cultural competence

This pedagogical approach is an intricate web of teaching strategies, learning activities, assessment activities, teaching and learning resources, inclusive classroom practices and a sequence of lessons which are all spun around cultural awareness, inclusivity and competence. The teaching strategies I have used will ensure all cultures in the classroom are appreciated and celebrated, the learning activities specifically focus on the ‘third cultural space’ where equality is central, the assessment approach sees methods of creating fair judgements explored, the resources supplied for learning are cover multiple perspectives and the inclusive classroom practices address the necessity of all students feeling wanted in the classroom and willing to learn. The sequence of lessons incorporated many aspects from all of these areas to create a holistic learning experience for all students where they are made culturally aware, thus becoming willing to be culturally inclusive and competent.

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References

AITSL. (2014). Improving Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. Retrieved from

http://www.aitsl.edu.au/initial-teacher-education/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education

Edith Cowan University. (2012). 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning. Retrieved from

http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/510073/8-Aboriginal-ways-of-learning-

factsheet.pdf

Government of Western Australia. (2014). What is Inclusive Classroom Practice?. Retrieved from

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsplus/detcms/navigation/parents/?page=5&tab=Main

Harrison, N. (2011). Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education. Melbourne: Oxford University

Press

NSW Government. (2012). NSW Syllabuses for the Australian Curriculum: Human Society and its

Environment. Retrieved from http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/hsie/history-k10/content/805/

Queensland Government. (2011). Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in

schools: A guide for school learning communities. Retrieved from

http://deta.qld.gov.au/indigenous/pdfs/eatsips_2011.pdf

Racism. Now Way!. (2013). Recognising Racism and its Effects in Schools. Retrieved from

http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/school-

planning/poster_effects_in_schools.pdf

Sharing Culture. (2012). Sharing Culture Online Teacher Account. Retrieved from

http://www.sharingculture.com.au/products/sharing-culture-online-teacher-account

The University of Melbourne. (2011). Coding Cultural Riches: Investigating Indigenous Languages in

Australia. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEld8ih6QzU

Tyson, M. (2013). Relationships b/w Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU5TCb_pt_8&rel=0

Warumpi Band. (2009). Secret War. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw7cCwq-

Jss

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Turnitin Report

I submitted my assignment to turnitin when I was about ¾ through my assignment. Thenonce I was

finished I went to resubmit my assignmnent but the website wouldn’t allow me to do so. So I had to

create another login using a different email. I still used my full name as can be seen on both reciepts

however my final submission to turnitin revealed avery high similarity rate of 74%, this was because

it was comparing this accounts completed assignment to my original accounts assignment that was

¾ done. Hope you understand, thanks.