Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies

Critical Reflection

Intro

Aboriginal culture has always been overshadowed since the colonisations of

Australia. Only in recent times has the Australian people and government come to

terms to try and significantly repair the damaged done to the relationship between

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. An example of the attempt to help repair the

relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples is the unit Aboriginal

and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies offered in the Masters of Teaching

(Secondary) program at Western Sydney University. Before this unit I had thought

very little about how to teacher aboriginal students, but this unit has helped to equip

me with some strategies to use when dealing with these particular students in a

culturally responsive and respectful way. This unit has been a fantastic

representation of the current move towards embracing our own rich unique past.

This reflection will provide an insightful analysis of specific and significant learnings

in relation to readings and learning experiences throughout the course Aboriginal

and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies. It will analyse the importance of considering

the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers found on the ASTIL website, the

cross-curriculum priorities on the ACARA website and how this is used to help

teachers create culturally responsive pedagogies. Furthermore the reflection will

investigate how week to week lessons have influences the formation of culturally

sensitive pedagogies. This will include an in-depth analysis how the 8 ways pedagogy

framework has helped incorporate aboriginal students into attaining knowledge.

Finally this reflection will analyse the contribution made to the team initiative in

Assessment task 2 with reference to education for aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander perspectives and how the assessment meet cultural protocols principles and

concepts.

Standards and policy

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership are corporate body

which is responsible for the accreditation of pre-service teachers (AITSL, 2014). They

have a high expectation when it comes to meeting the needs of all students

including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. There are three standard points

which solely aim to improve the learning capabilities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander students. This includes standard 1.4, 2.4 and 7.4. 1.4 is Strategies for

teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander students. This standard is

accomplished in the unit by supplying us information and different practices which

help to effectively incorporate the learning needs of these minority groups. For

example the 8 ways pedagogy which will be further discussed in this academic

reflection is an example of attaining strategies for teaching aboriginal students. 2.4 is

Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote

reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. While the

health inequalities are being heavily address through the Close the Gap initiative

(Australian Human Rights Commission, 2016) the relationship between Aboriginal

and non-aboriginal peoples is still damaged and needs to be addressed. This

standard is a great example of how this can be achieved as it enforces teachers to

develop a better understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islanders. The Assessment task was a great initiative which forced pre-service
teachers to challenge their own thoughts on history and help develop understanding

of Aboriginal culture. This interim has helped pre-service teachers become more

culturally responsive when it comes to Aboriginal culture. The assessment task also

requires pre-service teachers to engage with the broader community to help meet

the needs of Aboriginal students. This encompasses standard 7.4 which completes

the first step in creating Aboriginal pedagogical approaches for students. The focus

on these three standards has helped teach a valuable lesson when considering

Aboriginal Students. It has powered me with the ability to teacher content in a way

that reaches Aboriginal students and also non-Aboriginal students, creating an equal

learning environment. Embedding aboriginal perspectives in curriculum is a start on

how to best create culturally responsive pedagogy (Blair, N. 2015). I found these

standards try to move away from forced compliance and move towards cultural

understanding which has reflected in the group assessment.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority is another governing

body with is trying to achieve Aboriginal responsive pedagogy (Australian

Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority , 2016). It has a focus on cross-

curriculum themes which include aboriginal and Torres Strait islander histories and

cultures. It has three key concepts including connection to country/place, examining

Aboriginal culture through language, ways of life and experiences as expressed

though historical, social and lastly addressing the diversity of Aboriginal societies.

The assessment task was contrasted with these three key concepts in mind which

has helped me and my team member become more culturally competent.

Learnings in me - Incorporating reading

This unit has taught me a great deal about Aboriginal students and their broader

culture. Before this unit I through I had a solid understand of Aboriginal culture and

values having grown up in Nowra on the South Coast, but this unit gave me a great

academic level of understand when considering their educational needs. Institutional

teaching requires students to sit down, open books, prepare to write and listen to

the teacher at the front. In Aboriginal culture, individuals connect with everyone

around them, not just a sole person such as a teacher (Dobia, 2016). This is just one

example of something I will consider in the future when teaching Aboriginal

students. This short paraphrased statement from a lecture goes a long way to

represent the little understanding we have of Aboriginal learning. This has taught me

to think about Aboriginal culture before I plan a lesson that may include Aboriginal

students. The greatest tool which I will keep with me is the 8 Ways Pedagogy. This

Aboriginal pedagogical framework is expressed as eight interconnected pedagogies

involving narrative-driven learning, visualised learning processes, hands-

on/reflective techniques, use of symbols/metaphors, land-based learning,

indirect/synergistic logic, modelled/scaffolded genre mastery, and connectedness to

community (Yunkaporta, 2009). I find this extremely useful not only for Aboriginal

students but for the broader population of students as well. It drives towards getting

the best out of students and keeping them as the centre of their own learning. It

works hand in hand with the quality teaching framework with clear links between

the two sets of guidelines. For example deconstruction can be related to background

knowledge as they both require the breakdown of previous taught knowledge. The

readings in the unit including the pre-scribed text helped aid in my course
progression. As I have already cited, some of these articles have stayed strong with

me especially Blairs chapter from learning to teach in secondary school (2015). This

not only supplied me with great information and clarification about how to best

teach aboriginal students, it also made me challenge myself not just to tick the boxes

set out from policy and recommendations from educational government bodies. This

was one of the greatest implications for my future practice in teach which is to go

beyond just ticking the boxes and fully embrace all aspects of teaching aboriginal

students.

Assessment task

The group assessment was a great way to bring different KLA groups together to

work collaborative and achieve one overall goal. The goal of the assessment was to

create a unit of work that would achieve learning outcomes from the different

syllabuses and also to create a unit that would heavily consider and incorporate

Aboriginal students. Our site visit was unique and a great experience. Jibbon Beach is

home to some of the best Aboriginal engravings in NSW. These engravings help drive

the unit forward, using the engravings as focal point of the entire unit. The site visit

demonstrated why this site would have a great effect to an Aboriginal students

learning. They would learn about their own culture but also learning about nutrition,

history, geography and incorporating these into textiles. I had been to this site

before this unit which is where I sourced the idea from. I believe my group

appreciated the artefacts there and helped them on their journey to becoming

culturally competent. We used the engraving in our lesson and like many Aboriginal

stories as a journey to an end of our unit of work. The end product of the unit are T-
shirts which show the students journey through their life, much like the engravings

at Jibbon beach show the journey of the Dwarawal people.

Cultural Protocols

Our group worked closely with the cultural protocols. Protocols are appropriate

ways of behaving, communicating and showing respect for diversity of history and

cultures (Board of Studies NSW, 2008). As teachers taking students on a trip it is

important to consult with the aboriginal community first. This was done for us as the

Royal National Park of Sydney works closely with the Aboriginal community

especially when developing school trips. The trip included an elderly who tells the

stories of their people and is open to answer any questions students may have.

Aboriginal peoples are the custodians and owners of their knowledge and culture

which is why they need to be consulted when conducting such a trip (Price, K., 2015).

Conclusion

This unit has helped me become a better teacher. Often you hear during a teaching

course is that content knowledge is only the beginning of being a great teacher, and

this has come to be true though this unit. I have grown as a educator and I am

determined to try and make a big impression when I arrive at a school that has an

aboriginal community.
References
AITSL. (2014). Australian Proffesional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership:
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-
teachers/standards/list
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority . (2016). Cross-
curriculum priorities . Retrieved from ACARA:
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2016, February). Close the Gap:
Indigenous Health Campaig. Retrieved from Close the Gap:
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-
islander-social-justice/projects/close-gap-indigenous-health
Blair, N. (2015). Aboriginal education: More than adding perspectives in learning to
teach in the secondary school. In N. Weatherby-Fell, N (Ed.), Learning to
teach in the secondary school (pp. 189-208). Port Melbourne, Australia:
Cambridge University Press.

Board of Studies NSW. (2008). Working with Aboriginal Communities. A Guide to

Community.
Dobia, B. (2016). Positive learning environments, mental health & well-being.
Growing healthy communities. Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive
Pedagogies Summer 2015-16.
Price, K. (2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: An introduction for
the teaching profession (2nd ed.). Port Melbourne,

Yunkaporta, T. (2009). Aboriginial pedagogies at the cultural interface. PhD thesis,

James Cook University.