Understanding Indigenous Education & Perspectives

About this unit

This unit focuses on contemporary and historical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, identity, languages, histories, status, challenges, contributions and perspectives. The unit aims to enable pre-service teachers to synthesise perspectives about Indigenous education and how these can enhance Western education practices. An additional aim is to plan and develop authentic curriculum and pedagogy for teaching Indigenous children and young people, and analyse how Indigenous teaching and learning practices can benefit all children and young people. This knowledge and understanding will improve graduates’ own cultural awareness and knowledge, and contributes to graduates’ cultural competence and promotes culturally inclusive teaching practices based on sensitive and informed relationships.

Content

• History and culture of Australia’s first nation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• The positioning of Indigenous and traditional education systems within the nation state
• The impact of colonisation and issues related to the retaining and maintaining Indigenous and traditional knowledge through education
• The role of international organisations in protecting, preserving and maintaining Indigenous and traditional education systems
• Current and past contributions of Indigenous people
• Contemporary contexts for Indigenous people
• Reconciliation and its implications for teachers
• Anti-bias curriculum
• Contemporary research into cross-curriculum dimension of Indigenous perspectives
• Integrating authentic Indigenous studies in the curriculum
• Indigenous perspectives and pedagogy in and Implications for teaching not only Indigenous children but all children
• Roles of teachers in supporting reconciliation in a post-apology Australia

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