Joanne Zeaiter

Student Number: 19862415

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures is a cross-curriculum

priority designed for all students to engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition
of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures.”

The contemporary Australian curriculum addresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Histories and Cultures as a significant cross-curriculum priority which allows
all students to acknowledge Indigenous traditions. It is paramount that modern
educators consistently work to improve their practice as to ensure their approach to
inclusive pedagogies incorporates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values
and perspectives (Evans, 2012). The process of achieving inclusive education for
both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students within Australian schooling should
hence begin with the teacher; it is important that the educator’s delivery of content
embraces Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, traditional
knowledge and holistic world views. This is evident through various policies
established by the Australian Government, as seen in the Aboriginal Education
Policy. This statement demonstrates that “the NSW Department of Education is
committed to improving the educational outcomes and wellbeing of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander students so that they excel and achieve in every aspect of
their education” (Department of Education, 2008). This critical essay will thus review
literature which evaluates how effective the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Histories and Cultures has been implemented into the cross-curriculum. It will further
investigate how Quality Teaching Frameworks (along with eight ways pedagogies
and yarning circles) can enhance connectedness to Indigenous learning and
ultimately promote student well-being and cultural identity.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum
priority is designed to enlighten all children of the prominence of Indigenous customs
and traditions within Australian culture. As our nation’s First Peoples, education
facilities hold the responsibility to engage with the cross-curriculum as to enable
reconciliation, respect and recognition. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority states that “The [cross-curriculum] framework is based on the
underpinning belief in the centrality of Identities and Communities and the three key
concepts of Country/Place, Culture and People” (ACARA, n.d.). There is an
emphasis for teachers to implement pedagogical strategies with the promotion of
Indigenous awareness and knowledge into their lessons. The ideals of the
curriculum however should extend from classroom content to the individual being
taught about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Evans proposes that “to
optimise learning in mandatory [Indigenous] Studies perspectives within teacher-
education programs it is appropriate and necessary to focus both upon the quality,
nature and extent of the content within dedicated subjects” (2012, p. 54). Essentially,
it is not satisfactory for an educator to simply teach the mandatory course, but to
ensure their pedagogical approach conveys a meaningful connection to the values
and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. The
purpose of this cross-curriculum should be to seek culturally responsive pedagogies
which enable all students and teachers to form respectful relationships with their
surrounding Indigenous community members.

Demonstrating pedagogical instruction inspired by the ‘8 ways’ framework within

music classrooms can result in inclusive environments that promote connectedness
and understanding of Indigenous sounds. Although the teaching of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander music is compulsory within the Australian curriculum, many
educators are unfamiliar with the method to implement in the classroom as they lack
a proper cultural understanding. This can ultimately result in both indigenous and
non-indigenous students becoming disconnected with the lesson. Power & Bradley
(2011) however suggest that teachers should be implementing the strategies found
in the ‘8 ways’ frameworks into their lessons by seeking collaboration between the
school and their local Indigenous community. By having students listen to authentic
performances from community members and Elders, “who... are known as ‘culture-
bearers’” (p.23), it would allow for the children to develop cultural awareness and
apply this knowledge into their own musical understanding. This hence uses the
‘community links’ framework to expose the students to cultural music which they may
not have experienced beforehand. Inclusivity is a fundamental aspect of teaching
Indigenous music as it showcases the communal values and traditions associated
with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musical ideas. A study conducted in Cairns
and Yarrabah (Queensland) reinforced the importance of learning an integration of
traditional indigenous and popular western music. This was accomplished by
combining “formal and non-formal music education… of holistic [and] aural practices”
(Cole, 215, p.67) alongside western music notation. By applying these concepts
together through collaborative works, student understanding of cultural sound
becomes integrated within their music understanding and therefore demonstrate an
awareness of the relevance that Indigenous performance has in cultural contexts.
Therefore, the music curriculum demonstrates a variety of pedagogical strategies
utilising the ‘8 ways’ framework to have teachers create meaningful connections
between the content and Indigenous cultural sounds.

It is essential that English classrooms also incorporate the integration of the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages as to enhance student
understanding and connectedness to the content. Research has revealed that there
is a significant achievement gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous students
as teachers are not well equipped with the resources to accommodate the language
barriers (Lewthwaite, et al., 2015). English teachers hence need to address this
linguistic diversity of Indigenous students and utilise strategies which enable them to
equally participate in classroom dialogue by “embracing of their language
background” (Oliver & Exell, 2020, p. 819). These educators can demonstrate
explicit teaching of poetry that display the use of Aboriginal English or Indigenous
experiences to reflect reconciliation within the classroom and subsequently work
towards equitable learning. When teaching poetry educators can have the class
analyse the imagery shown throughout the language in these poems through visual
representations (Flynn, 2014, p. 30). Teachers can also organise for community
leaders and Elders to participate in class discussion through ‘Yarning Circles’
(Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 2018) as students can
experience authentic poetry from our nation’s First Peoples. Students are also given
the opportunity to observe and respond to culturally diverse ideas, utilising the
Stories ‘8 way’ framework to allow students to develop “recognition of the integral
link between land, language and culture” (Simpson, Disbray & O’Shannessy, 2019,
p. 8). This Quality Teaching Framework of Narrative is an approach to Indigenous
education which provides enriching information and knowledge of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander culture that is difficult to replicate through technological
methods. Hence, English classrooms can promote the use of Aboriginal English
within lessons to create quality learning experiences for all students.

Differentiated pedagogical strategies are essential for educators who want to

demonstrate inclusive environments for all students learning the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum. A good teacher does
not simply modify or ‘water down’ the class work as to have Indigenous students’
complete tasks at an easier level. Instead, an educator must develop strategies to
assist English as a Second Language (EAL) students without compromising their
learning process. Teachers must understand that being culturally inclusive is about
differentiating their own pedagogy to suit the learning needs of students from diverse
backgrounds instead of the activities. Research has shown that educators who “are
culturally aware, have high expectations, create personalised learning plans and
develop good relationships with students and families” (Lloyd, 2015, p. 9) reduce the
disparity separating Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic achievement. Schools
should implement bilingual strategies to assist EAL Indigenous students by seeking
help from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to assist with linguistic
teaching. By doing this, linguistically diverse students’ self-esteem towards learning
can improve which will promote engagement and understanding (Price, 2012; Troy,
2012). It is also important to consider how “cultures differ in how they categorise and
form Concepts” (Vialle, 2010, p. 25). Identifying gifted students from a White
Australian perspective will not yield the same outcomes when comparing them to
Indigenous perspectives. Teachers should learn to evaluate other skills outside of
ability testing conditions including leadership capabilities, innovative and creative
cognitive abilities and interest in understanding their surrounding world. It is hence
apparent that teachers need to accommodate their pedagogical strategies to suit the
needs of linguistically diverse students in order to successfully create inclusive
classrooms.

Despite the research involving methods to enhance inclusivity of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander education, there is a concern about educators not knowing
how to teach the content without being objectifying. This barrier prevents genuine
engagement of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students with class content
when learning about the Histories and Cultures of Australia’s First Peoples.
According to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy
(2015), one of the main goals for Australian schooling is to accomplish equitable
learning opportunities for all diverse students. However, contemporary literature finds
that a “perpetuating inequity in school outcomes” (Lewthwaite, et al., p. 132) is
especially present between those of Indigenous and non-Indigenous backgrounds.
Researches Harrison and Greenfield (2011) investigate the contribution to
“stereotypical discourses” (p. 68-69) which attribute low performance of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander children to the inaccurate use of ‘dehumanising’ use of
metalanguage and terminology. They propose that non-Indigenous educators can
only offer their personal perspectives of First Nation’s knowledge and understanding,
and instead advise that schools establish close relationships towards the Elders and
leaders of their community. Only by doing this can both non-Indigenous and
Indigenous students experience accurate examples of identity, connection to country
and cultural traditions. Henceforth, teachers should always aim to create culturally
accurate lessons in regard to Indigenous culture as to establish accepting and
appropriate environments for all students.

It is essential that a teacher’s perspective towards Indigenous education is guided by

authentic engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural
understandings. This entails teacher understanding of various perspectives,
knowledge and cultural awareness of Indigenous learning and strategies. The
Stronger Smarter philosophy reflects this idea by having teachers seek ‘dynamic
approaches’ (Stronger Smarter Institute) to Indigenous learning. It is paramount that
teachers’ pedagogical practice constantly engages with cultural concepts as they
should be “embracing a positive perception of Aboriginal identity and fostering a
culture of accountability” (Sarra, 2007, p. 34). This is most profoundly accomplished
when educators possess a deep awareness of the Australian Professional Standards
for Teachers throughout their practice. Standard 2.4 states that teachers must
“understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote
reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians” (AITSL, 2011, p.
13). This standard calls for respect from all teaching staff towards Indigenous
members and Elders. When a teacher however ignores these respective teaching
standards, there is no evidence of the school community working towards
reconciliation. Teachers demonstrating good practice are those who “teach
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies with a contemporary perspective”
(Price, 2012, p. 160). For example, a teacher should not just conduct a music lesson
where students make a digeridoo with cheap materials and watch online instruction
videos. Instead, they would learn about the significance it has to the culture and
communicate with community leaders to experience genuine understanding.
Therefore, it is essential that classrooms display authentic practices within the
classroom which involve community collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander leaders who can provide wisdom about their tradition and culture.

To conclude, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cross-curriculum priority is

necessary to Australian education as it allows students to acknowledge the
Indigenous culture that provides unique perspectives this country’s rich history. This
critical essay has hence observed the principles established by the Australian
Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to evaluate how
Indigenous perspectives and beliefs are integrated into Australian schooling. This
essay has further analysed pedagogical frameworks of ‘8 ways’ and yarning circles
and how they can be utilised to enhance Music and English students’ understanding
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Ultimately, I believe that a teacher
who demonstrates good practice is one who engages with authentic understanding
of Indigenous culture and implements strategies within the classroom to provide
quality learning without compromising a students’ identity or well-being.
References

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