Rachael Gully Assessment #2 110149873

Essay: Incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies into the curriculum

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies is about teaching social justice for all Australians in
regards to equity, human rights and having mutual respect for all people (Craven 2011, p. 2).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique culture and sense of identity has become a
cross-curricular priority of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
framework. The history and culture of Indigenous people can be approached through many aspects
of the curriculum in order to provoke opportunity for children to deepen their understanding and
appreciation of Australia and Indigenous Australian people (ACARA 2015). This essay aims to discuss
some strategies and ideas on how to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies into
the classroom. Many aspects of teaching Aboriginal culture will be explored and analysed, to
discover the strengths and weaknesses of each. The historical and contemporary aspects of self-
determination, community engagement and racism are explored and applied to classroom
situations. Along with these issues are some ideas for teaching, including having aboriginal culture a
part of the classroom all year round and having real-life experiences shared by guest speakers and
visitors.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies involves the study of societies both past and present in
regards to their histories, cultures, values, languages, lifestyles and beliefs. Craven (2011, p. 5)
suggests the idea that ‘it is about teaching with Indigenous people in contrast to teaching about
Indigenous people.’ This suggests inclusion of Aboriginal people in the teaching of the subject.
Although, not all teachers are experts in the field, it is their role to facilitate learning in the area of
Aboriginal studies for their students (Craven 2011, p. 3).

Schools play a critical role in promoting recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as
well as the many other cultures of the world (Craven 2011). Supporting Aboriginality in the
classroom can encourage self-determination for Aboriginal students to be proud of their sense of
identity and have pride in their culture (Craven 2011, p. 19). Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander studies can also have its benefits for Indigenous children in the class. Craven (2011, p. 19)
gives the example of an Indigenous child in her class who would often misbehave, but become more
persistent on academic tasks after a unit of work on Indigenous Australian people was introduced.
Indigenous children will often have their own family stories to tell during this unit and may even be
able to arrange for friends and family to contribute to the unit by visiting and speaking with the class
(Craven 2011). On the other hand, Crowley (1993, p. 38) raises an important concern for teachers in
this situation to ensure they aren’t making any assumptions about Aboriginal students in the class,
when teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. Students who have an Indigenous
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background are often assumed to have authentic knowledge on the subject and be able to directly
relate to the context (Crowley 1993), but it is necessary to keep in mind that this is not always the
case.

Schools are perceived as places where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is respected and
celebrated (Craven 2011, p. 20). Taking Aboriginal education this one step further and making its
content a part of everyday life in the classroom can help Indigenous students feel as though a part of
themselves and their culture is being reflected in their school experience (Hongyan 2012). This can
be implemented into each classroom by setting up the environment to suggest that Aboriginal
culture, as well as other cultures, are an everyday norm. Educators need to realise that there is no
need for a separation of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal topics (Hongyan 2012) and rather than only
having materials, resources and books available at the time of teach specific unit being taught, they
should be a permanent classroom addition.

However, books or resources that are biased or include stereotypes and inappropriate terminology
should be excluded from classrooms where possible (Price 2012, p. 156). This can be difficult to
exclude from all children’s reading as access from other locations such as libraries or book stores is a
possibility. In some instances, books use derogatory terminology, but are excellent in other regards
(Price 2012). A possibility in this situation could be to turn this negative into a strength by using
those books as examples of inappropriate terminology use and racism.

Racism exists within many books and publications, although sometimes it is unintentional, it is still
reflected onto the children in a negative way (Price 2012, p. 158). Children may see a reflection of
themselves or obtain ideas about others through books (Price 2012, p. 156), which can have
negative effects on children if the books contain inappropriate material. Aboriginal children
especially may gain negative ideas of their culture if they read the wrong publications. One way of
ensuring there isn’t any offensive language when introducing children to the history and culture of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, is to include material written by authors from
Indigenous backgrounds (Price 2012, p. 159). A guide to terminology is also a beneficial resource to
have, for both teachers and students.

Given the multicultural nature of Australia today, it is important that children gain an understanding
of cultural respect. Booth (2014) and Price (2012) have suggested similar views of racism in Australia
becoming more common as Aboriginal cultures are ignored in the classroom. This unsettling thought
only strengthens the need for embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies into the
curriculum framework wherever possible. Teaching Indigenous studies will enhance the overall
appreciation and acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures
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(Craven 2011, p. 18), which in turn should help to eradicate racism against all cultures. This is a
strength that could be employed to teach children not only about the racism against Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples, but also about the stereotypes and racism that is present all around
the world.

A teacher should be mindful of whether activities can be seen as beneficial to learning or if they are
designed in a way that can be seen as racist or as perpetuating stereotypes (Price 2012). Activities
such as making didgeridoos out of cardboard and decorating them, for example, could be seen as
stereotyping or racism as it doesn’t really teach any real information about Aboriginal culture (Price
2012, p. 160). Price (2012, p. 160) suggests that teaching students how didgeridoos are made, what
they are used for, or even looking into the different language groups who make and use them,
would be a more appropriate way of teaching students about the didgeridoo. A possibility to extend
on this could be to then make didgeridoos and decorate them with Indigenous style painting, but
this should also be properly researched with the class first.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies has the opportunity to be taught with a modern
perspective (Price 2012, p. 160), which could involve the use of multiple technologies available in
schools today. This could include the internet to research topics further, smart boards to interact
with Aboriginal artwork, or watching videos to get a sense of real life cultural practices.

While watching videos and interviews can help to gain a deeper understanding of the culture,
engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members face-to-face is an extremely
beneficial way of teaching students about the culture directly from the perspective of an Aboriginal
person who has real-life experiences and stories to tell (Price 2012, p. 160).

Lessons about local content is also a significant way to teach Aboriginal studies as it makes the
subject immediately relevant to the children and can make them aware of the prior ownership of the
land they inhabit in their everyday lives (Crowley 1993, p. 37). The year three history curriculum
entails the first instant of this and states ‘The importance of Country and Place to Aboriginal and/or
Torres Strait Islander peoples who belong to a local area’ (ACARA 2014, ACHHK060). Exploring local

content is also a strength as it raises children’s consciousness of the immediate issues surrounding
Aboriginal people in their area (Crowley 1993, p. 37; Craven 2011, p. 5). This area of study provides
the strength of including community engagement with many extended opportunities for a class,
such as inviting local Indigenous people to visit the school, going on an excursion to see some local
Aboriginal landmarks, or on a larger scale, a class camp at nearby Aboriginal cultural grounds.
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When creating lesson plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies, a teacher should look at
the Australian Curriculum as it includes context descriptions for learning at each year level, and it
easily sets out the knowledge, understanding and skills students are expected to acquire (ACARA
2014; Booth 2014). Alongside the curriculum is the Australian Professional standards for Teaching,
which under the second standard requires teachers to ‘Know the content and how to teach it’ (AITSL
2014). This goes hand in hand with standard 2.4 which states that teachers should ‘Understand and
respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous
and non-Indigenous Australians’ (AITSL 2014). If teachers are following these guidelines, there
should be no room for inconsistency in the quality of teaching the Aboriginal curriculum, which was
a worry for Booth (2014, p. 17), who believes the quality of teaching is uneven.

Craven (2011, p. 20) supports this by raising the point that teachers need to understand the
importance of teaching in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. She recommends
being committed to teaching the area permanently across other curriculum aspects wherever
possible, rather than having only a single unit in one term on the topic. As many of the learning areas
have been changed and improved to become more specified for teachers (Booth 2014), ACARA has
made Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures to be one of the three cross
curriculum priorities, and is now embedded throughout many of the Curriculum’s learning areas
(ACARA 2011; ACARA 2014; Price 2012, p. 155; Lowe & Yunkaporta 2011).

As it is mandatory to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in society and
environment lessons at school (ACARA 2014), it is likely that a large amount of information is
covered within that subject. However, the cross-curricular priority means that the interconnected
aspects of Aboriginal culture are enhanced and can be found in other areas of the curriculum as well
(ACARA 2011).

English and literacy requires students to ‘replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes,
songs and poems from a range of cultures’ (ACARA 2014, ACELT1579). This involves the study of
dreamtime stories, songs and many other aspects of Aboriginal literature and is spread out across
different year levels from foundation to year 10 (ACARA 2014).

The Arts curriculum covers a variety of past, current and emerging art forms across a range of
cultures (ACARA 2014). Through the strand of drama, children are able to ‘Respond to drama and
consider where and why people make drama, starting with Australian drama including drama of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ (ACARA 2014, ACADRR030). Similarly, dance allows
for the opportunity to ‘Respond to dance and consider where and why people dance, starting with
dances from Australia including dances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACARA
2014, ACADAR004). In regards to visual arts, there are multiple areas within the curriculum, but
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children start off by working with ‘visual artworks from Australia, including visual artworks of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ (ACARA 2014, ACAVAR109) and continuing through school
furthering their experience with Aboriginal arts.

ACARA’s history content includes many aspects of Indigenous culture and perspectives on Australian
history, while also addressing the contemporary issues being faced by Indigenous people resulting
from past experiences as well as the modern-day issues (ACARA 2014; Booth 2014).

Many teachers ask the question ‘why teach Indigenous Australian studies?’ Which Craven (2011, p.
18) simply answers by stating the fact that it is the truth about Australian history. Another important
fact is that we are living in this country and should therefore have an appropriate amount of
knowledge of the country’s history (Price 2012, p. 153). It is important to teach both Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal children about the real history of this country, so that the myth of Australia
beginning as the white Australians took over the land doesn’t continue. As Indigenous studies is
about Australian people, Australian history and Australian culture over time, it is of relevance to
Australian students, whether they are from Indigenous backgrounds or not (Craven 2011).

It is important to note that Aboriginal history is not to be taught as a ‘guilt trip’, but rather as a way
of understanding the truth about Australian history and recognising the effect it still has on
Indigenous Australian people today (Craven 2011, p. 18). Another important note when teaching
history is being mindful of the age appropriateness to the year level of students in the class. For
example, a teacher shouldn’t be teaching young children about the violence and heartache of the
stolen generation as it can be quite upsetting (Williams-Mozley 2012).

History can be studied for the purpose of learning about the past, but also as a way of understanding
how today’s current society’s concerns had emerged. Many issues Aboriginal people are suffering
from today, are a result of what has happened in the past (Craven 2011, p. 5). Learning about
Australian history is likely to empower children to want to create their preferred future (Craven
2011, p. 5), leading to a better society.

While incorporation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies within the classroom curriculum
is important, another beneficial aspect is to raise awareness throughout the school as a whole
community (Williams-Mozley 2012; Hongyan 2012). Hongyan (2012) suggests the benefits of
community engagement as it can build relationships between schools and the Aboriginal
community. Which in turn, allows for integration of Aboriginal culture and traditional transmission
of knowledge into teaching. After many years of Aboriginal people having a negative perception of
themselves during their schooling, the addition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in
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the curriculum, can be seen as the cause of an increased sense of self-determination within
Aboriginal students (Hongyan 2012).

After looking at the many aspects of incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies into
the classroom, it is clear to see that the future depends on the teachers and their ability and
willingness to show children the real Australian history and Aboriginal culture. In order to live in a
racist-free country, children should have the opportunity to engage with and learn Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander studies throughout their schooling, which is why it is such an important aspect
of the classroom curriculum. If teachers are able to sensitively and appropriately apply Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander education within their classrooms, children will have the opportunity to
understand, appreciate and accept Aboriginal culture, which is likely to help Australia on its road to
reconciliation.
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Reference list

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2015, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, viewed 14 September 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-
islander-histories-and-cultures>.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2014, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum:
The Arts, Dance (ACADAR004), viewed 14 September 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/the-arts/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#page_va>.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2014, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum:
The Arts, Drama (ACADRR030), viewed 14 September 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/the-arts/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#page_va>.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2014, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum:
English, Examining literature (ACELT1579), viewed 14 September 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level3>.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2014, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum:
Humanities and Social Sciences, History (ACHHK060), viewed 14 September 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/history/curriculum/f-
10?layout=1>.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2014, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum:
The Arts, Visual Art (ACAVAR109), viewed 14 September 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/the-arts/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#page_va>.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2011, The Shape of the
Australian Curriculum version 3, viewed 17 September 2015,
<http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/The_Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_V3.pdf>.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) 2014, Australian Professional
Standards for Teachers, viewed 15 September 2015, <http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-
professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list>.

Booth, S 2014, Teaching Aboriginal curriculum content in Australian high schools, Edith Cowan
University, Western Australia.

Craven, R 2011, ‘Why teach Aboriginal Studies?’, Teaching Aboriginal studies, Crows Nest, New
South Wales, pp. 1-21.

Crowley, V 1993, 'Teaching Aboriginal Studies: Some Problems of Culturalism in an Inner City School',
Aboriginal Child at School, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 33-44.

Hongyan, W 2012, 'Incorporating aboriginal content into public education: One way to improve
relations between aboriginals and settlers, old and new, in Canada', Canadian Issues, pp. 53-57.

Lowe, K & Yunkaporta, T 2011 ‘The inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content in the
Australian National Curriculum: A cultural, cognitive and socio-political evaluation’. Curriculum
Perspectives, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 1-14.
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Price, K 2012, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies in the classroom’, Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Education, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 151-163.

Williams-Mozley, J 2012, ‘The Stolen generations: what does this mean for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander children and young people today?’, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 21-34.