ATSI Perspectives in the New Curriculum

What does it mean to be Aboriginal?

Before A Unit of Work

After a Unit of Work

According to the Government...

To be Aboriginal one has to meet all three criteria: Being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

descent Identifying as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait

Islander Being accepted as such by the community in

which you live, or formally lived(AIATSIS, 2009)

What does being Aboriginal mean to you?

Aboriginals are the first Australians, and the only Australians who are spiritually connected to the land through the ever-present dreaming – Anthony McKnight UOW lecturer

I identify myself by my nations, I’m a Dangatti & Gandagarra Woman – Denise Darcy, Gandagarra Land Council

To be Aboriginal you have to be entwined in the kinship system - Nicole Watson, solicitor

Aboriginal people are not a skin colour, we are a community and people by history, spirituality, locations, country, thinking, politics, treatment, laws, cultures and most importantly, our stories. —David Towney, Koori Mail

Aboriginality is not a question of skin colour—it is about our cultural connection to our communities and our history, a history that is alive and thriving.—Abigail Burchill

To me, Aboriginality is about that shared experience, that shared culture and that shared pride. —Amy McQuire, Aboriginal journalist,

To be Aboriginal is to to hear the secret and loving stories of the land with understanding, to be independent, to hear and see with feeling that which can not be seen with open eyes J ulie Tommy Walker, Innawonga woman and Aboriginal leader

Aboriginal students

Improve educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders students and learners in schools, TAFE and community colleges, so that they excel and achieve in every aspect of their education and training.

Personalised Learning Plans

8 Aboriginal ways of learning

All students

Build everyone's knowledge and understanding of the histories, cultures and experiences of the first people of Australia.

Learning across the National Curriculum

Learning across the National Curriculum

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Histories & Culture

Country

Activity:

Use the language Maps to find what country we are on

Find another place significant to you- what is the Aboriginal language group of that local area?

Find a capital city Find your totems home

Acknowledgement of CountryWelcome to Country

Australia is made up of many different Aboriginal Nations, Clans or groups, each having their own country, culture, language, beliefs and customs.

Country takes in everything within the landscape - landforms, waters, air, trees, rocks, plants, animals, foods, medicines, minerals, stories and special places. Community connections include cultural practices, knowledge, songs, stories and art, as well as all people: past, present and future.

People have custodial responsibilities to care for their Country, to ensure that it continues in proper order and provides physical sustenance and spiritual nourishment. These custodial relationships may determine who can speak for particular Country.

People Activity

Famous Aboriginal Study Who are they? What are they famous for? Where do they come from?

OR “Use the Ringbalin App to meet Aboriginal people from different places along the river”

People Prior to colonisation the First People of Australia identified

themselves by their nation People who identify themselves as ‘Aboriginal’ range from dark-

skinned, broad-nosed to blonde-haired, blue-eyed people. Aboriginal people define Aboriginality not by skin colour but by

relationships: http://aso.gov.au/titles/shorts/shifting-sands-my-colour/clip1/Aboriginal boundary (state) names

State Name

New South Wales Koori, Goorie, Koorie, Coorie, Murri

Victoria Koorie

South Australia Nunga, Nyungar, Nyoongah

Western Australia Nyungar, Nyoongar

Northern Territory Yolngu (top end); Anangu (central)

Queensland Murri

Tasmania Palawa, Koori

Culture Activity;

Use the “Sharing the Dreaming” app to learn a bit about Nyoongar Culture

Culture Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people,

defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Culture is shared history and heritage.

Aboriginal Culture:Family- Importance of elders/ KinshipSpirituality- Dreaming/ceremony/sacred sitesStory Sharing- passing on knowledgeObjects- Tools, Toys & WeaponsGames- Traditional Indigenous GamesFoodMedicineDanceMusic

Embedding these ideas across the Curriculum

Code Organising ideas

Country/Place

OI.1 Australia has two distinct Indigenous groups, Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

OI.2Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities maintain a special connection to and responsibility for Country/Place throughout all of Australia.

OI.3Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have unique belief systems and are spiritually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways.

Culture

OI.4 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have many Language Groups.

OI.5Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing.

OI.6Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years and experiences can be viewed through historical, social and political lenses.

People

OI.7 The broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies encompass a diversity of nations across Australia.

OI.8 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have sophisticated family and kinship structures.

OI.9 Australia acknowledges the significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people locally and globally.

EnglishCountry and Place, People, Culture and Identity.

Students will have the opportunity to engage with texts that give them experience of the beliefs and value systems of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In their study of English, students explore a range of experiences and achievements of Aboriginal peoples in historical and social contexts and the links between cultural expression, language and spirituality.

English Lesson Example

Big Rain Coming

http://splash.abc.net.au/media/-/m/30177/how-do-you-know-when-rain-is-coming-

HistoryCountry and Place, People, Culture and Identity.

The study of History in Australia requires a valued engagement in and celebration of the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, past and present, as part of the shared history belonging to all Australians.

Students examine historical perspectives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewpoints.

For example: Comparing Five Different Historical Sources

A contemporary news story: http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/stolen-generations/clip2/Case Study: http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/case-442/clip1/An interview: http://stolengenerationstestimonies.com/index.php/testimonies/974.htmlA documentary: http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/first-australians-episode-5/clip3/A movie scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD4yu0cvi2o

History

Throughout the study of History, students learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as the world's oldest continuous cultures, prior to colonisation by the British, the ensuing contact and its impact.

They will examine the interaction between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Europeans, with special emphasis on Aboriginal initiatives and responses to key government policies since their earliest contact with British colonists.

Students develop an awareness of the significant roles Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have played in Australian society and the wider world. This knowledge and understanding will deepen and enable students' capacity to participate in the ongoing development of a just and equitable Australian society that genuinely reconciles with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Science K-10 Syllabus

Country and Place, People, Culture and Identity.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have diverse cultures, social structures and a history of unique, complex knowledge systems. The Science K–10 (incorporating Science and Technology K–6) Syllabus provides students with opportunities to learn about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have developed and refined knowledge about the world through observation, making predictions, testing (trial and error) and responding to environmental factors within specific contexts. Students will investigate examples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' understanding of the environment and the ways that traditional knowledge and western scientific knowledge can be complementary.

MathematicsCountry and Place, People, Culture and Identity.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a unique sense of identity, which can be demonstrated through the interconnected aspects of Country and Place, People, and Culture.

Mathematics is a representation of the world that has developed over thousands of years through many diverse cultural contexts. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures have a rich understanding of mathematics that includes a broad range of applications of mathematical concepts.

The NSW K–10 Mathematics curriculum values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives of mathematics and provides opportunities for students to investigate various aspects of number, measurement and geometry, including time and location and relevant interrelationships, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts. Students can deepen and extend their understanding of the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the application and evaluation of statistical data.

Creative Arts & PDHPE Still using NSW Syllabus

Links http://

www.livebinders.com/edit/index/1053707?id=1053707

Where to Start?

Black Diggers

A True Story “In 1935 a fair-skinned Australian of Indigenous descent was ejected

from a hotel for being an Aboriginal. He returned to his home on the mission station to find himself refused entry because he was not an Aboriginal. He tried to remove his children but was told he could not because they were Aboriginal. He walked to the next town where he was arrested for being an Aboriginal vagrant and placed on the local reserve. During the Second World War he tried to enlist but was told he could not because he was Aboriginal. He went interstate and joined up as a non-Aboriginal. After the war he could not acquire a passport without permission because he was Aboriginal. He received exemption from the Aborigines Protection Act and was told that he could no longer visit his relations on the reserve because he was not an Aboriginal. He was denied permission to enter the Returned Servicemen's Club because he was”

(Gardiner-Garden, 2003)

Lesson Ideas Explore History of Aboriginal Servicemen & Women Black Diggers Hero Profiles e.g. First Australians Episode 6: http://

aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/first-australians-episode-6/

War Museum Aboriginal Trackers My Place: Australia at War Torres Strait Islands Light Infantry: http://

www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/R8917/resource.html

Look at Artefacts & Sources

NAIDOC Ideas Hold a flag raising ceremony. Display Indigenous posters around your class room. Invite local Indigenous elders to speak at your school or workplace. Listen to Indigenous music. Study a famous Indigenous Australian. Research the traditional Indigenous owners of your area. Study Aboriginal arts and crafts. Read a Dreaming story. Start your own Indigenous hall of fame featuring local role models. Create your own Aboriginal art. Visit Indigenous websites on the Internet. Make your own Indigenous trivia quiz. Visit local Indigenous sites of significance or interest. Learn the meanings of local or national Aboriginal place names. Run an art competition. Host a community BBQ or luncheon. Invite an Indigenous sportsperson or artist to visit your school to talk to the students. Invite an Indigenous elder to do a Welcome to Country. Organise a smoking ceremony. Invite Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander dancers to perform.

Events in the Area NAIDOC in The City- Monday 7th July Hyde Park

11am

Flag Raising Ceremony: Monday 7th July Campbelltown Council

Community Fun Day: Monday 7 July at Koshigaya Park, Cnr Camden and Menangle Roads, Campbelltown.

NAIDOC Morning Tea: Tuesday 8th July MTC Australia Level 1, 101 Queen St Campbelltown

NAIDOC Touch footy comp: Wednesday 9th July Sarah Redfern Oval

8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning

Using narrative to structure a lesson on comparing grammar systems

Hands-on sequencing of text and images

Non-linear visual map of text for study

Community focus

Learning situated in land and place context

Beginning with whole text, then sentences, then grammar, then spelling.

Silent reflection time after a learning sequence

Model texts

from community

Literacy Scaffolding

Sharing Story

Local place is topic for study

Story mapping

Traditional design used for learning map

Hands-on deconstruction and reconstruction of text and grammar

Land focus

Can you match these statements with their symbols?

We connect through the stories we share.

We picture our pathways of knowledge.

We see, think, act, make and share without words.

We keep and share knowledge with art and objects.

We work with lessons from land and nature.

We put different ideas together and create new knowledge.

We work from wholes to parts, watching and then doing.

We bring new knowledge home to help our mob.

Aboriginal Perspectives Teaching the Truth Beginning with the Present Standing on the Shore rather than the

Ship Localise Embedded across the Curriculum