Using Indigenous Resources To Support Teaching and Learning

Using Indigenous Resources To Support Teaching and Learning 1
USING INDIGENOUS RESOURCES TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING
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Using Indigenous Resources To Support Teaching and Learning 2
USING INDIGENOUS RESOURCES TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING
Critical indigenous studies have grown to be a highly controversial topic in the
educational field. In the Australian education sector, a current trend in the learning, as well as
teaching of Indigenous studies, have shown that there is more into the topic than what meets the
eye. When one talks about indigenous studies, the simple idea that comes into mind is programs
that are put in place to educate both indigenous as well as non-indigenous students as they
prepare for future engagements or more general understanding of Australia’s first people. During
the last decades, a new trend of events has been witnessed in that Indigenous people across the
globe have initiated the act of taking concrete steps in decolonizing and taking greater control of
the institutions that influence their culture, language as well as livelihoods. In relation, this is
where the concept of a school, and more specifically, a classroom joins the conversation.
Greater control over educational systems has seen indigenous communities experience
success in supporting cultural as well as linguistic integrity. Examples of the efforts can be
drawn from Canada and Australia. The two countries have built greater indigenous control of
school administration as well as authority, using indigenous languages as the primary languages
of instruction and redesigning the school curriculum to reflect indigenous cultures. Also, there is
also training and hiring of indigenous teachers to aid in the process.
Consequently, the paper will in an in-depth analysis examine key issues to be considered
when using indigenous studies in teaching. More focus, however, will be embedded towards the
teaching of History. The results will also be weighed against learning outcomes to determine
exactly how influential and practical the teaching strategy is. In this case, the selected movie
from the list given is Dean (2013). The biggest estate: 9000 years ago to 1788. Australia: Screen

Using Indigenous Resources To Support Teaching and Learning 3
Australia. The selection was exclusively based on the fact that it is more inclined towards history
as compared to other fields hence making it a credible source.
To understand key issues to consider when including critical indigenous studies, it is
equally vital to, first of all, understand the importance of indigenous studies classes. According
to Mallory Whiteduck, an Aboriginal Cultural Liaison officer at the Carleton University,
Indigenous studies provide the platform for Aboriginal scholars as well as other intellectuals to
make a conclusive reflection on the past to find a way through which they can forge a stronger
and more stable future for the nation in general.
Additionally, Mallory argued that several skills can be gained in aboriginal studies that
cannot be gained in other academic fields. In relation, the adoption of skills learned in the
indigenous studies can be used in other respective disciplines such as History and even religious
studies (Gibbs and Jenkins 2014). One of the most profound skills associated with the same is
learning how to think critically. Simply put, Indigenous studies matters, it matters because it has
always been viewed as a fundamental pillar in addressing the nation’s unfinished business.
Additionally, it also matters because the taken proactive steps in building aboriginal studies have
a positive impact for not only the individual, but also the school and the society in general.
After an analysis of its importance, it is equally imperative to examine key issues to
consider when including critical indigenous studies in teaching History. Through the years, there
has been a growing wave for the need for learning institutions to indigenize the curriculum and
additionally decolonize how exactly teaching is carried out (Van Dijk 2015). Many educators
today understand that the future of our education system is exclusively dependent on how
effectively the past is reconciled with the future to bring about holistic development. In relation,
the following section presents a concise summary of the key variables to be considered when