Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lesson Assignment 2022

Running Head: ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LESSONS
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lessons
Name
Institution

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ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LESSONS
Part A: Teaching Philosophy
You are to develop a statement of your philosophy as a classroom teacher for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander learners. The teaching philosophy should include a narrative about your
conceptions of teaching and learning in regards to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students; a description of how the teaching and learning of Indigenous students requires
understandings of how cultures, cultural identities and linguistic backgrounds influence
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ educational engagement, participation and
outcomes; and, justifications for the values, beliefs and goals shared.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait people are owners of the cultural knowledge which have
developed some protocols and rules when learning. The protocols are different in different
communities. The common principles of these cultures include respect the indigenous people in
their cultural expertise and also the knowledge, respect the complexity and the diversity of the
indigenous cultures which are different in Australia and consulting of the relevant communities
which are Aboriginal. Aboriginal children mostly go through their culture so as to deepen their
connections with the culture (Louws, 2016).
The concepts of teaching the Torres Strait and Aboriginal students is first understanding
their culture, their linguistic backgrounds, beliefs, values and their goals. The indigenous people
are the holders of the of some characters that are unique which include the knowledge systems,
unique languages and the possess which are invaluable in traditional knowledge for sustaining
their natural resources that are in special relation on how to use their traditional waters, land and
territories (Harrison, & Sellwood, 2016). A person who is Aboriginal or Torres Strait must be
accepted by the community in which she or he lives in. the other concepts of the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait include collective wisdom and knowledge of great grandparents and the grand

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parents in their state of living which are absorbed in collective bank of resources when they die.
The second concept is separating veil of physical life for its existence in physical life.
The language of the Torres and Aboriginal students identifies where they come from and
who they are. They use the language to express what they know and also to express their
feelings. The history shows that there are more than 250 Aboriginal language because they pass
their language to the new born orally making the languages to be preserved thus making it
difficult to lose it (CLE International, 2014). The cultural ways of the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait include the totemism which is used in resource management. Totemism is believe that
connects the human with animals, aspects of nature and also the plants. Individuals and the
groups are assigned with some particular animals that are related to have some care of. This is
what gives the Aboriginal and Torres Strait some profound connection to show some
responsibility to the natural world.
The concepts of the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait have impacted my thinking on the
future practice and promotion in so many ways (AITSL, 2014). First it helps in differentiating
two things before analyzing them. Also it made me realize that each community has its own
beliefs, character, beliefs and the values. Also it’s more important thing that I learned is that
every culture and beliefs should be respected and also the individuals that follow that s type of
culture. Also I should help on passing the cultures of my community the young ones to avoid
losing the culture and abandoning it.
Part B: My Professional Learning
Describe three sources in which you can continue building your knowledge and understanding
after the completion of this Course. You are to show how these sources could contribute to the

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ongoing development of your skills, knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages as well as for promoting ongoing
reconciliation and enable teaching strategies that support cultural and linguistic needs that
foster student engagement.
The teaching profession is the mother of all occupations in the whole world. The reason
being almost every literate individual passed through the hands of a teacher to be the person that
they are today. The profession requires that teachers should be competent enough to disseminate
knowledge to learners, using the right means (Australian Professional Standard for Teachers,
2014). This helps many graduates to be produced every year by the students. Hence the paper
explores the paths followed by pre-service teachers in achieving adeptness in the field and the
proper channels they should use in bequeathing knowledge to learners. The channels include
precise lesson plans and teaching and learning aids. The well planned lesson plans, it helps the
teacher to do his or her work more easily as it shows what to be done and at what time. Also it
helps the pupils to do some research on what to be taught to have some information because they
have a plan which shows what the teacher will teach next. This gives the teacher easy time as the
pupils understand more easily than when they don’t have a lesson plan.
My Professional Development
I am a pre-service teacher pursuing a bachelor's degree in education, majoring in
Geography at Victoria University. I am passionate about teaching, and my teaching philosophy
statement is;
 I believe every student possesses peculiar capabilities and should be put in a friendly
environment that will help them grow physically, socially, and cognitively.

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 I believe I am obliged as a teacher to help learners realize their full potential in school.
 I believe as a teacher; I have to strive and make the content relevant to learners as much as
possible.
 I believe in creating an interactive and friendly classroom environment for learners.
Learning is a dynamic process, and as a teacher, I will have to continue
with the process of acquiring further knowledge and technical know-how. This
process will be possible through;
i. Carrying out research work. The research entails going to the field and gathering data on
a particular phenomenon. For instance, collecting data on the cultural trends of people
from Islander will enable me to become conversant with their cultural diversity thus
incorporating the culture in the curriculum where possible ( Rhea, Anderson & Atkinson,
2012). This will also help in passing original culture over the generation.
ii. Reading history books and journals. History books about the language of people from
Islander will help me sharpen my knowledge of the linguistic diversity of the people.
iii. Acclimatization. I will assimilate myself with people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander to learn about their culture and language.
As a teacher, being conversant with the cultural diversity of the Islanders will
enable me to encourage learners to appreciate each other's culture, thus promoting
understanding and harmony.
Professional learning promotes accountability and professional responsibility
(Louws, 2016). Therefore it is my responsibility to ensure that learners realize their
potential and, as a teacher, I am accountable to the general demeanor of my learners.
Professional learning guides the teacher to be a complete professional in his/her career.

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PART C: Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students and
Communities
In Part C, you are provided with lesson plans from a variety of units of work based on a variety
of disciplines including English, Maths, Science and HASS, catering for Early
Childhood/Primary and Secondary classrooms.
Storytelling in Aboriginal Art: Lesson Plan
A good lesson plan should have clear objectives (Greenberg, 2014). According to
Greenberg, a lesson plan with clear goals helps learners to focus on the lesson hence avoiding
biasness. The lesson plan provided is not clear and does not specify the discipline the lesson plan
is concerned to have. The lesson should be taught to Year 3-5 as per the author's intention on
what to teach to the students. But learners are being taught complex art, for example,
interpretation of indigenous representations in art which is very complicated for them to get in an
easy way. A common characteristic of a lesson plan is that students should have prior knowledge
of what they are going to study in that semester hence they prepare in advance before it begins
(Casten, 2015). The above lesson plan does not indicate whether the students had previous
experience on what is supposed to be taught in class or not.
Since an American organization produced it, it is none stated how it aligns with the
Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2015). The topic is too wide to be consolidated in one lesson as
the time is always limited and the students cannot grasp big content at once. Since students have
to be taught first before being shown the paintings for elaboration, it is prudent to split the lesson
in to small sections so as to ensure that every part is taught well without leaving some parts

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behind. The interpretation of the artwork is prejudiced. Making assumptions that Kurinyin
artwork is ubiquitous in Aboriginal exposes the teacher as being uninformed with matters of
Aboriginal cultural diversity and history. This is the reason as to why teachers are supposed to
familiar on the Aboriginal history and culture so as to know what they are doing. Also the lesson
plan is supposed to be simple for the students and teachers to understand so as to get the concept
more easily.
i) Critique the chosen lesson plan and determine the appropriateness of the teaching and
learning, activities and resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners
People of Aboriginal tell narratives through word of mouth (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).
Painting has also been incorporated in the contemporary years to tell tales. Like, in this case, the
tale of Cyclone Tracy, a cyclone that barreled in Darwin in 1974 (Northern Territory News,
2014). Telling a narrative through word of mouth bolsters its authenticity since the message is
gotten firsthand.
The use of paintings helps in illustrations. The teacher should engage the learners during
the study to keep the session lively and memorable. Engaging students also help the teacher to
measure the understanding of learners. Using the mythical python in the painting also helps in
establishing the identity of the story. A painting as a learning resource creates a lasting image in
the mind of a learner it easier for them to remember (Bull, M 2013).
ii) Describe and discuss an alternative pedagogical approach that caters for Indigenous
students illustrating how it addresses Indigenous learning styles and promotes
Indigenous Knowledge’s.

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Apart from storytelling and use of painting, Collaborative Approach is an imperative
approach primarily when the teacher seeks to incorporate the indigenous people in the study.
Collaborative Approach is more of teamwork (Roberge, Losey, and Wald, 2015). The approach
entails benefiting from another's knowledge and skills. When a group of people actively share
information, they acquire knowledge subconsciously. For instance, the teacher sharing news of
what he understands about the way of life of the indigenous Islanders will trigger the curiosity of
learners who will also want to share the same. This will help in the teachers and the students to
get mutual benefit from each other.
A collaborative Approach will be fostering unity and understanding among learners and
their teacher; collaboration comes in different forms (Orego007, 2016). For instance, academic
walks to learn more about the culture and the terrain of the indigenous populace. Carrying out
experiments, for example, to establish certain occurrences will equip the indigenous people with
knowledge about the phenomena. Learners listen to the experienced members of society to
understand the values and cultural norms.
iii) You are then to select and evaluate two alternative and culturally appropriate resources
that could be included within the lesson.
The appropriate cultural resources include;
i. Resource persons
Resource people are those people with firsthand information about a
particular phenomenon. Organizing for a resource person to attend the lesson and
share information to learners is a score for both the teacher and the learners.
Resource persons often have firsthand information usually because they witnessed

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the said occurrence, or they might have recorded (CLE International, 2014).
These people are the ones who improve the student score as they get the
information from the person who was there during the phenomenon. Also the
teacher gets some extra information which he or she did not know about the same.
This also helps in maintaining the culture and history because when it is taught by
many people it continues to change but when it is taught by the source it remains
the same.
ii. Artifacts
Artifacts are appropriate resources since they act as tangible proof that a particular
phenomenon happened. Incorporating objects in the lesson will add more weight
to the authenticity of the teaching thus teaching will be easier (Ruthven &
Choudhury, 2015). Artifacts also makes the explanation of the teacher to students
taking less time compared to when the there is nothing used. This is because
students under stance the concept more easily and in a better way while using the
artifacts.
iv) Finally, you are to plan a learning activity using one of the selected resources from (iii)
demonstrating how you would include or consider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples in the teaching and learning, how you would utilize the resource and the
alternative pedagogical approach from (ii) providing a minimum 20 step-by-step
process.
Teaching is a sensitive profession that requires a teacher's utter dedication and preparedness
to deliver quality work and teaching to the students and pupils. In this case, the teacher should be
conversant with the cultural diversity of learners from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander so as

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to know what exactly he or she supposed to deliver to the students without doubts. This will
ensure that he/she chooses an appropriate and well elaborate lesson plan that he or she is
supposed to use during teaching. The methods of teaching and the approaches are dependent on
the teacher's knowledge of the indigenous populace and what is required of him or her to deliver
(Ruthven & Chowdhury, 2015). The experience ensures that the teacher is not biased whatsoever
and is confident of what he or she is doing. Also the experience gives the teacher an opportunity
to use less time in class as they know exactly what they have to do. As they say, “experience is
the best teacher”.
I will consider Aboriginal and slander people in learning because that’s what I good for them.
Without them learning that concept concerning their culture and history, they will take long time
to understand the concepts in learning. Also I will choose them because it’s easy to teach them as
the teaching is based on what they know and interact with in daily basis. With the clue they have,
it will be possible for them to understand the concept better and in easy way. By calling resource
people, they will help me to pass the information to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in
a better way and also I will gain some concepts which I did not know about. I will also gather the
artificial teaching materials to enhance the students to understand with no time. Teaching as my
career am trained to deal with all peoples when it comes to their culture and history thus it was
not very challenging.

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Appendix

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ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LESSONS
Eubena Nampitjin
1991
'Kinyu'
Painting
Synthetic polymer paint on linen canvas
100 x 49.2 cm stretched canvas
Source: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/2.2003/

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ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LESSONS
Rover Thomas [Joolama]
1991
'Cyclone Tracy'
Natural earth pigments and binder on canvas
168x180 cm
Source: https://artsearch.nga.gov.au/detail.cfm?irn=148012

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References
AITSL. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list.
Bull, M. (2013). Inventing falsehood, making truth: Vico and Neapolitan painting. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press.
Casten, C.M. (2015). Lesson plans: dynamic physical education for secondary school students. Boston:
Pearson.
CLE International. (2014). Cultural resources. Denver, CO.
Greenberg, S. (2014). Lesson plans. New York: Prospect Park Books.
Harrison, N., & Sellwood, J. (2016). Learning and Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
education. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press
Louws, M. L. (2016). Professional learning: what teachers want to learn. Netherlands: publisher not
identified.
Ma Rhea, Z., Anderson, P., & Atkinson, B. (2012). Improving teaching in Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander education: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Melbourne:
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Retrieved from
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/improving-teaching-in-
aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education-professional-development-and-the-australian-
professional-standards-for-teachers-monash-university.pdf?sfvrsn=55e7ec3c_0.
Orega007. (2016, March 10). Collaborative Approach to Problem Solving. Retrieved from
https://humanresources.umn.edu/perfomance-management/ collaborative-problem-solving
Northern Territory News. (2014). Cyclone Tracy: 40th Anniversary. Darwin, N. T.

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Roberge, M. Losey, K. m., & Wald, M. (2015). Teaching U.S.-educated multilingual writers:
pedagogical practices from and for the classroom. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press
Ruthven, I., & Chowdhury, G. G. (2015). Cultural heritage information: access and managemen
Chicago: Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association.