Teaching Aboriginal Perspectives through an integrated inquiry approach

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Teaching Aboriginal Perspectives through an
integrated inquiry approach

• Catherine Henbest
• Catholic Education Office
• 14th August 2009

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Why inquiry?

• Not just about filling them up with information
  or facts
• Enabling students to grapple with big ideas, ask
  questions, constructing and challenging their
  views about the world in which they live.

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Big ideas

• Identity personal, cultural, Australian identity
• Time, continuity and change understanding their
  place in the world
• The earth sustainability and conservation
• Justice, inclusion and equity
• Tolerance living together with respect and
  harmony

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First Finding

• Students come to the classroom with
  preconceptions about how the world works. If
  their initial understanding is not engaged, they
  may fail to grasp the new concepts and
  information they are being taught, or they may
  learn them for purposes of a test but revert to
  their preconceptions outside the classroom.

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A starting point

• Gathering prior knowledge
• What do they already know
• About the topic
• About Aboriginal perspectives
• What attitudes and beliefs
• What are their misconceptions

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Common misconceptions

• Aboriginal people lived in the past- they are not
  around today
• Physical stereotyping
• Aboriginal culture was/is simple and basic
• The only reason the Aboriginal population
  declined drastically after European settlement is
  due to introduced diseases
• Negative views promoted by the media
• All Aborigines play the didjeridoo and do dot
  painting
• Collective idea that there is one Aboriginal
  nation and one culture.

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Second Finding

• To develop competence in an area of inquiry,
  students must (a) have a deep foundation of
  factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and ideas
  in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c)
  organize knowledge in ways that facilitate
  retrieval and application.

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Sample Understandings

• There are many cultures that make up the
  Australian nation. (1/2)
• Koorie people still have links to the local
  areas. (1/2)
• Understanding of the beliefs, values and symbols
  of different groups can lead to respect and
  tolerance. (3/4)
• Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for
  more than 40,000 years and their culture is
  strongly connected to the land. (3/4)

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• Aboriginal people saw themselves as part of the
  environment they believed Mother Nature provided
  for them and they had a responsibility to care
  for her. (5/6)
• European settlement caused conflict and violence
  and Indigenous people did not give up their land
  passively or easily. (5/6)

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A process for inquiry
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INVESTIGATING
PERSONALISING
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BUILDING
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Building
Immersing students in the topic Finding out prior
knowledge Engaging students Introducing shared
vocabulary and concepts Sharing common
experiences Building knowledge, understandings
and skills that are essential for building deeper
understanding More teacher directed
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Building
What is culture? What makes up our local
community? Who is an Australian? What is a
celebration? Why did the British come? What was
life like in Australia prior to 1770? How did the
Aboriginal people care for the earth? What are
some of the issues around sustainability
affecting our world now?
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Investigating
Generating bigger questions- now you know that
what are you wondering about? Deeper
investigation of an aspect of the topic students
feel strongly about. Investigation becomes more
independent and more student directed.
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Investigating
What was our local community like in the past
what has changed and what has stayed the
same? Whats my cultural story? How have people
from different backgrounds helped to make a
difference? Why and how do different people
celebrate? How did European settlement impact on
the lives of people? Why do we need to be
sustainable?
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Personalising
Reflecting on the learning What do I know now
that I didnt know before? What do I know about
myself as a learner? How has my thinking
changed? Applying new ideas and understandings
into real life contexts Transferring
understandings to everyday lives Taking action on
their learning. Now that you know this how will
it make a difference?
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Personalising
Demonstrating understandings Personal
reflections Evaluating the learning journey (pre
and post) Celebrating ideas and
learning Participating in projects and
events Developing action plans Sharing their
learning
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Third Finding

• A metacognitive approach to instruction can
  help students learn to take control of their own
  learning by defining learning goals and
  monitoring their progress in achieving them.

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snapshots
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1/2
Wurundjeri Wandering
Celebrating Culture
Signs of Celebration
We Are One
3/4
Melbourne Dreaming
5/6
Changing Lives Changing Ways
Sacred Land
Closing The Gap
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Celebrating Culture (1/2)

• Rich Question
• How do we celebrate our culture?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• How Aboriginals express their beliefs and values
  through art, music, dance and story.
• Explore similarities and differences between
  cultures
• Investigation of Aboriginal myths and legends

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Wurundjeri Wandering (1/2)

• Rich Question
• How has life changed for the people in our local
  community?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• Explore what the community looked like long ago
  (when it was first settled by Europeans and long,
  long ago (before European settlement.) education,
  food, family, transport, shelter, traditions
• Learning about local Aboriginal people in
  Gisborne (Gunung Willam Ballack)

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Year 1/2s Walking With the Wurundjeri
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Signs of Celebration (3/4)

• Rich Question
• How do symbols and celebrations reveal what
  people value?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• The importance of celebrations in all communities
• Identifying Aboriginal symbols and their
  significance in Aboriginal culture
• Compare different celebrations such as Eucharist,
  Aboriginal smoking celebrations and Anzac Day

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We Are One (3/4)

• Rich Question
• What inspires ordinary Australians to do
  extraordinary things?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• Who are Australians? recognising that
  Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for
  more than 40,000 years
• Very strong focus on identity in relation to
  multiculturalism.
• Study the contribution made by a variety of
  individuals, including Aboriginals

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Melbourne Dreaming (3/4)

• Rich Question
• How have changes in Melbourne affected the lives
  of people?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• Investigate the people who make up the Kulin
  Nation and their role as traditional owners
• The importance of preserving stories and
  artefacts from the past
• Gaining an understanding of what Melbourne looked
  like prior to white settlement

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Sacred Land (5/6)

• Rich Question
• Will continuing the practices of the Aboriginal
  people allow us to have a sustainable future?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders cared
  for the land and their spiritual connection
  between the people and their land
• Make links about what they have learned between
  the sustainable practices and conservation
  practised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait
  Islanders with current environmental issues

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Changing lives, changing ways (5/6)

• Rich Question
• How does an accurate knowledge of events in
  Australias past help us to understand Australia
  today?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• The arrival of the First Fleet and its impact on
  the Aboriginal people
• The changes to their lives as a result of this
  event
• View a range of sources with a critical lens
  questioning the perspectives of the authors

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Closing the Gap

• Rich Question
• How can we work to a more equitable world?
• Indigenous Perspectives
• Comparison of the living conditions and health
  related issues round the world, including
  Aboriginal people
• Close examination of Close the Gap campaign in
  addressing these inequities.

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Ancient Civilisations Year 7

• During the unit the students learn about Ancient
  Aboriginal society, and how it is the worlds
  oldest surviving culture. They will also
  investigate other Ancient civilisations Sumer,
  Egypt, Rome, Greece and China. They analyse
  change and continuity over time and compare key
  aspects of these past societies. Students also
  make links to today and examine the influences of
  ancient societies on contemporary societies.

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Ancient Civilisations

• Essential Understandings
• The organisation and lifestyle of ancient
  Australian Aboriginal communities, the worlds
  oldest enduring culture.
• Essential Questions
• Why has the Aboriginal culture endured when many
  other ancient cultures didnt?

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Environment Sustainability Year 8

• During this unit students investigate ways of
  maintaining a sustainable planet for the future.
  They examine the cause and effect of peoples use
  of the earths resources and human impact on the
  environment. They explore the Aboriginal and
  Torres Strait Islander philosophy and connection
  to the land, and question how their sustainable
  practices can be used to contribute to a
  healthier sustainable environment for all
  Australians.

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Environment Sustainability Year 8

• Essential understandings
• How Aboriginal people have always assumed
  stewardship of the earth. Aboriginal people saw
  themselves as part of the environment they
  believed Mother Nature provided for them and they
  had a responsibility to care for her.
• Aboriginal peoples beliefs about and approaches
  to sustainable land management, which can
  continue to contribute to a healthier sustainable
  environment for all Australians.
• Essential Questions
• Can Aboriginal beliefs and practices in
  particular, enable us to have a sustainable
  future?

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Questions/concerns of teachers

• Not being an expert
• Resources
• Language/terminology
• Political correctness
• Family/parent attitudes
• Coverage of VELS

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Key learnings

• Imperative to find out prior knowledge
• It is essential to incorporate authentic
  experiences
• Use understandings to keep you focussed
• Need to dig below the surface when finding
  information
• Be critical when selecting resources -Some of the
  older resources are still good

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Key Learnings

• Make links to today and students lives
• Flexible planning
• Perspectives can sometimes be subtle and at other
  times be very explicit
• Passion
• Teacher as learner
• Build partnerships within the local and wider
  community
• Victorian Aboriginal Education Association
  Incorporated?www.vaeai.org.au/