AITSL STANDARDS FOR GRADUATES Standard #2

AITSL
Standards for Graduates
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
2.2 Content selection and organisation
2.3 Curriculum assessment and reporting
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people to promote reconciliation between
Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies
2.6 Information and Communication Technology ITC

2. Know content and how to teach it

by Sophie Love

Case Story - 2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation
between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians

Due to the lack of indigenous students in the school that I completed my final practicum, there was a
real need to incorporate reconciliation in creative ways. I enquired as to how many students in the
school system identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and there was only one (of all the
classes I taught throughout the school) and she did not actually admit to this (only her parents who
had enrolled her). Needless to say, it was an extremely Anglo-Saxon population. I made it my mission
to find an opportunity to develop reconciliation and this came in the form of my year 10 HASS class
where I was asked to bring in weekly news topics for discussion and note taking practice. The news
article titled Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: Were committed to sticking with Australia Day on
Australia Day (Chang, 2017) came up on my news feed the day before my lesson and I thought it was
a great catalyst for discussion.

My topic led to a hearty conversation about what it meant to be Australian and why reconciliation
involves more than stopping negative actions and words, but rebuilding and reaching out. For some
students this was a very challenging concept with phrases like, they need to help themselves being
thrown about and, its just a day, why bother changing it. I had to deepen their thinking by
explaining things metaphorically. I had to be very diplomatic, with my wit, in responding to the
students who had appeared to have made up their minds on the issue. I sent them to two websites to
compare the arguments with a for and against table. This showed strong results and I could see
their perspectives were changing. My mentor teachers response was also positive, describing to me
that this sort of conversation was not often had amongst the students and she could see they were
thinking outside their normal perspectives.

Though the exercise didnt show that students had a full turn around in attitude, I believe this issue is
something that cannot be solved overnight. What I realised is I need to model reconciliation before I
can teach it. I need to be ready to respond negative comments which can and will arise by having my
own confidence in the knowledge and respect for original peoples. For myself, it needs to be an
ongoing conversation and interaction with the local indigenous community. For many of these
AITSL STANDARDS FOR GRADUATES | Issue # 2

students, it was the first in-class conversation they had had around such issues so I encouraged
students to make friends with indigenous Australians and start to think of ways they might be similar.
The school too, has made steps by inviting Indigenous performers and planting the school garden to
the Noongar seasons. Its actions like these that will make a long lasting difference. There are many
opportunities, in the region that I live in, to promote conversations on the topic. The Wardan Cultural
Centre on Wyadup Rd is a great excursion location for schools and communities; the Koomal Dreaming
Cultural experience is likewise both centred in the South West where I live. I deliberately made a
connection with an Indigenous musician, whilst doing this degree, to educate myself and lead
reconciliation in my own life. He and I have regular contact and he has offered to perform and speak
in classes whenever I ask. Through my church I know several indigenous families and two artists who I
can call on for demonstrations and more. For me, its a long-term conversation and a breaking down
of expectations. Little by little, I believe our perspectives can change and we can all see that the
original land owners have much to offer our next generation.

Figure 1 This is my mentor teacher's response to my current news lesson aimed at opening students eyes to Indigenous Australians
perspectives.

Figure 2 This the comment on my final evaluation, that my mentor made regarding my work on reconciliation:

Reference:

Chang, C. (2017, 08 28). Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: Were committed to sticking with Australia Day on Australia Day. Retrieved 09 06, 2017, from
News.com.au: http://www.news.com.au/news/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-were-committed-to-sticking-with-australia-day-on-australia-day/news-
story/7cbf345d7457e7895e840361a50216c2