AITSL Standard 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages

AITSL STANDARD 2.4 Evidence

(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], 2014)

Situation

We can't teach what we don't know (Gay, 2002). In order to effectively teach the curriculum to a diverse range of students, a teacher must have an understanding of each students' educational needs and capabilities (Skamp, 2012; Ashman, 2015). A person's cultural history is a part of their who they are; therefore, to teach ethnically diverse students, explicit knowledge about their culture and a high awareness of barriers that present themselves when engaging with their perspective is necessary (Gay, 2002). There are still many racial prejudices in Australia creating barriers against reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander [TSI] people [essay]. If these barriers are not understood, then a teacher will not be able to effectively address them in aide to reconciliation. This essay and lesson sequence demonstrate how an understanding and respect of the Aboriginal and TSI perspective can be used in teaching to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Action

• Explicit activities promote a direct understanding and acceptance of the Aboriginal and TSI perspective through learning about their culture and history – activity on traditional Aboriginal homes [learning sequence].
• Activities that address barriers to the Aboriginal and TSI perspective in an implicit way:
  • Learning to question themselves and each other (Barton & McCully, 2007) through posing critical thinking questions that challenge the way students currently think and see a variety of perspectives [essay].
  • Scaffolding students' understanding of 'home' to develop into empathising with having homes taken away [learning sequence].
• An understanding of the way Aboriginal and TSI students learn allows barriers to their perspective to be addressed implicitly through the inclusion of all learning abilities.
  • Collaborative learning ensures all students are equally engaged in learning together where each student's contribution is equally valued [learning sequence] (Sullivan, 2011).
  • The learning sequence and essay reveal how a non-Indigenous Australian teacher can effectively ensure learning responds to Aboriginal and TSI students' needs, and giving them an advantage to succeed by working at their own level of understanding through visual, imaginative and hands-on activities such as story-telling, dance, drawing or craft (Matthews, 2012; Matthews, Cooper & Baturo, 2007).

Result

Education has the power to change the world (Nelson Mandela Foundation, 2014). The result of understanding the Aboriginal and TSI perspective leads to effective planning, use of materials, questioning, discussions and activities that change non-Indigenous student's perceptions and enable Aboriginal and TSI students' learning through increased accessibility (Sullivan, 2011). This understanding influences the teacher in making necessary and inclusive adjustments to teaching activities to ensure all students are taught 'on the same basis' as each other (Ashman, 2015). Education that is understanding and respectful of the Aboriginal and TSI perspective will change the culture of Australia in becoming more inclusive and accepting.

References

• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list
• Ashman, A. (2015). Education for inclusion and diversity (5^th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
• Barton, K. & McCully, A. (2007). Teaching controversial issues…where controversial issues really matter. Teaching History (127), 13-19.
• Gay, G. (2002) Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education (53)2, March/April, 106-116. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
• Matthews, C. (2012). Maths as storytelling: Maths is beautiful. In K. Price. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An introduction to the teaching profession. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Matthews, C., Cooper, T.J., & Baturo, A.R. (2007). Creating your own symbols: Beginning algebraic thinking with Indigenous students. In Woo, J. H., Lew, H. C., Park, K. S. & Seo, D. Y. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 31st Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of  Mathematics Education (3), 249-256.
• Nelson Mandela Foundation. (2014). Lighting your way to a better future. Retrieved from: http://db.nelsonmandela.org/speeches/pub_view.asp?pg=item&ItemID=NMS909
• Skamp, K. (2012). Teaching Primary Science Constructively (4^th Ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage.
• Sullivan, P. (2011). Teaching mathematics: Using research informed strategies. Australian Education Review. Melbourne: ACER Press.