Teaching Indigenous Learners: AT1 B Assessment 1 Workbooks

This report discusses inclusive teaching practices for Indigenous learners in Australia, including acknowledgement of country and early learning theories. It also covers the importance of culturally safe and inclusive teaching and the challenges faced by teachers. The report concludes with strategies for engaging children in learning about the environment, specifically through a garden. Course code: EDU3TIL.

Teaching Indigenous
Learners
EDU3TIL

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Workbook 1 – Country for the classrooms........................................................................3
Workbook 2 – Culturally safe and inclusive teaching......................................................4
Workbook 3 – Early learning theories...............................................................................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The efficiency of modern education has increased by leaps and bounds with the
advancement that psychology, science and information technology have made in the past decade
which has digitized the classrooms and has also changed the way that teachers interact with their
students in the globalized environment. In order to teach the students of Australia where a decent
sized population belong to Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, teachers have to display
an inclusive approach towards learning. This reflective report will include personal reflections
and analyse ways in which Australian students can be taught and included in a positive learning
environment by effective teaching practices.
MAIN BODY
Workbook 1 – Country for the classrooms
When it comes to the demographical breakdown of Australia's population, I got to know
some startling facts as I noticed that a large size of the population were ethnically distinct people
from rest of the mainlanders which comprised of aboriginal people which included many
minority and marginalized groups except Torres Strait Islanders which were their own separate
group. Due to this distinct population, the learning environment in the schools is also quite
diverse which is also followed by the fact that aboriginal people were here before the British
colonization took hold of the country and this is also why I think that preaching about
nationalism and Australia as a country is a harmful practice as teachers should know that
students who are not from privileged backgrounds and have ethnic origins might not feel the
same connection to their country in its modernized and globalized state which it is now. This is
where according to my opinion, this is where the acknowledgement of the country comes in as a
very important awareness generating tool which should be used extensively in classrooms to
teach children about the true custodians of the land they live and breathe on today and make

them know about the true culture of Australia. As far as I have seen, the main use of teaching
and exposing the acknowledgement of country that is employed by many educators in varied
fields of learning is to continue to spread the connection that Aboriginal people and Torres Strait
Islanders have to the land of Australia and to honour their contribution to the society at large and
to facilitate their gradual mainstream restoration among all the societal spheres of the country a
major part of which constitutes the classrooms.
One of the major reasons why the curriculum of Australia and all the major faculties of
arts in the country make sure to perform acknowledgement of country is because when it comes
to regional and legacy based arts, the contribution of both indigenous people and the Torres
Strait Islanders has been immense. According to Carmen, Davina and Tarquam (2019), the
complexity and cultural significance of the Australian arts made by the Australia's original
natives such as drawings and paintings have had great influence on Australia's modern culture
(Lawson et.al, 2019). Another major reason as to why teachers conduct acknowledge of country
is to help make the process of modern day facilitation easier for the indigenous people of
Australia. It is stated by Jia Tina Du (2017) that the study of the contribution of non-natives of
Australia has become mainstream due to the growth in information technology but at the same
time, the same technology threatens to eliminate them at the same time (Du, 2017). By
showcasing the practice of acknowledgment of country, the main aim of teachers is to ensure the
kids of these natives are thoroughly facilitated in the classrooms going forward.
Unlike welcome to the country which is a custom performed only by indigenous people
which is meant to welcome people to their lands who usually come from distant places, an
acknowledgement of the country can be delivered by both indigenous and non-indigenous people
and is meant to showcase the respect towards these marginalized people by honouring their long
standing legacy. Since the kids and teens which occupy the classrooms can often be fully
comprised on non-indigenous people, I have noticed some teachers skipping the
acknowledgement of country which I would advise not doing since the contribution of aboriginal
people should be respected regardless of their presence. I have also seen teachers use very
lacklustre acknowledgement of country without mention of paying respect to elders and I have
also seen them struggle to engage with the kids during the acknowledgment. I would personally
advise anyone who is delivering to give an acknowledgement of country to inculcate it in the
playing activities of the children. I personally wrote the following acknowledgement of country

in my classroom after our teaching explained the proper structure and supplemented the writing
process with playful stories.
 “I would like to acknowledge that this classroom which we are currently shaping
our future in is situated on the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri people and I would
like to pay my respects to all elders, past, present and the future”
Workbook 2 – Culturally safe and inclusive teaching
The modern day classrooms of Australia are much more diverse than they used to be
some time back as globalization and increasing relevance of marginalized communities has made
it so that both Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander students are active part of the audience which
teachers have to engage with on a daily basis. The origin of the term ‘inclusive education’ has
been used in a traditional sense to advocate for better and more effective teaching methods to
cater to disabled students or those with special needs but in the cultural context of Australia, the
role of inclusive education is much broader as it seeks to eliminate labels which are intended to
create division. In order for me to become an inclusive teacher and remain so over the entire
duration of my academic career, I have to make sure that the teaching techniques and strategies
that I use in my classroom results in a shared learning experience which takes into account the
needs and sensitivities of all the students of my class regardless of their background. I have
however, met with a decent number of challenges while working towards ensuring that I make
my classroom environment and teaching style safe for all cultures which have been highlighted
below.
 The academic curriculum and degrees awarded in the field of education even today in
Australia do not pay proper emphasis on inclusive learning methods which leaves
teachers unprepared to properly teach students in a culturally diverse environment. I
faced a lot of trouble initially in getting adjusted to diverse classrooms and I think that the
educational frameworks of the country are in need of major structural reforms
 Apart from the classrooms getting much more diverse, they have also got busier as the
time dedicated to studying the basics of technical streams or important subjects and
theorems eats up most of the time of a teacher. It takes a lot of time to plan a lesson
taking into account the needs of all the indigenous students and I often found myself
struggling for time

 Teachers cannot handle inclusive classrooms simply through proper training as students
with special needs and disabilities have to be supported by proper medical equipment’s
and systems built for their convenience. Lack of proper support system is also a major
challenge I encountered which hampers culturally sage and inclusive learning.
My focus area of arts which I aim to develop further involves indigenous healing and
inclusivity and in order to become proficient in this area, I have to make sure that I treat students
in my classrooms without any bias and also build a through knowledge about minority and non-
native cultures. According to Anderson, Yip and Diamond (2022), despite the government
making exclusive promises and strategies to encourage the facilitation of students with an
indigenous background but schools are nowhere near ready to answer the growing demand for
indigenous learning (Anderson et.al, 2022). This makes my focus area of arts much more
important as it is only through individual contributions that fist year programs can be made
inclusive and safe.
My experience with the time I spent studying the cultures of Aboriginal people helped a
lot in developing strategies to make my teaching more inclusive and indigenous student oriented
as it helps me to identify little cultural cues that make all the difference at the end of the day. An
example being that I learned that Aboriginal students can avoid eye contact as it is considered
rude in their culture which I why do not persist on this matter in any circumstance. I also learned
to strategise better by getting involved in indigenous research which allowed to me to rigorously
study the indigenous culture. For example, I frequently ask aboriginal students if they understood
something or not as they are sensitive to feeling shamed and would rather stay silent then ask any
question they deem silly.
Workbook 3 – Early learning theories
To successfully implement such extensive learning which incorporates elements of
philosophy in first year programs, my focus area of indigenous healing and inclusivity will once
again be based on my skills to effectively engage young children. The learning about the garden
also directly ties into my core focus area since making people acknowledge the connection to

their lands and highlight the contribution of indigenous people which are also closely affiliated
with the land of Australia.
A garden is the perfect example of teaching children about the lesson that if they stay
connected to their land and care for it, the land will care for them in return as gardens are agents
of human labour and as much love and manual labour one puts in their garden in doing activities
such as sowing seeds, irrigating the flowers and trimming the clutter, the garden returns all that
love back in the form of beautiful flowers and nutritious vegetables sprouting about and the place
being transformed into a great location for the purpose of personal leisure. This teaching can be
very beneficial for students according to me as it will not only help them to learn more about
their land which can result in more respect towards the indigenous culture of Australia but will
also make them appreciators of nature and everything pristine about life while growing up. To
better make children understand this concept, the use of psychological theories and models are
important which details their mental state and drivers of their behaviour. The study of human
development is very interesting and complex as the elements and factors which determine the
way a child behaves and responds to any given situation or the way they learn and grasp
differently in accordance to their environment and ages has sparked numerous early learning and
child development theories.
One of the most important theories according to me which can help instil this learning
among children is the one given by Erick Erickson in which he cites psychosocial factors
divided into 8 broad stages which determine how human beings develop their individual
identity and personalities. By applying his theoretical stages to make children understand the
learning concept behind the garden, I would engage with the children in the garden by making
them play entertaining games and sports and also giving them space to explore the garden so
they enjoy themselves and forge a deep connection with the garden. Another early learning
theory which can be used is given by Lev Vygotsky in which he states the type and amount of
learning that children experience in their early years is deeply enriched and enhanced
when they are guided and are engaged by an adult whose knowledge is considerably higher
than them. This theory can be sued to teach children about deep concepts such as the one linked
with the garden and their care getting reciprocated back and by interacting and explaining the
importance of garden and how it bears fruits and vegetables to them on a one-on-one basis and
through practical demonstrations will result in much more efficient and faster learning. Jean

Piaget’s theory about children progressing through 4 major development stages beginning
from infancy and ending in adolescence can also be used to make children connect with the
garden by making them undertake easy and engaging activities in the garden and looking for
areas which interest them and then connect their interests to the learning initiated about the
pivotal role of the garden.
In order to properly engage children in a holistic and inclusive way to ensure uniform
participation and effective learning, it is necessary to inculcate different methods of learning and
teaching in my methodology. According to Green, 2017, in order to make children become better
tuned to their environment surroundings and gain maximum exposure possible, four major
techniques were found to be most effective which were role playing, art-making, model building
and book making (Green,2017). I will focus on making the children explore and draw what they
think of the garden, explain what the garden gives them back through role playing to gain better
engagement and inclusivity through participation.
CONCLUSION
The above report went into detail regarding the various learning and teaching experiences
that are used in modern classrooms to make children study and learn in an inclusive and
culturally safe environment and make them feel connected to the land they live on. The report
contained the definition and the major ways in which teachers undertake acknowledgment of
country in their classrooms, the way in which teachers make their classrooms and teaching style
more in exclusive towards indigenous people. The report was concluded with the listing of
various early learning theories which can help children understand key learnings attached to an
environment such as a garden and it was found that studying the indigenous culture and
interacting with students personally is key to make sure they are learning in a safe and efficient
manner.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Anderson, P. J., Yip, S. Y., & Diamond, Z. M. (2022). Getting schools ready for Indigenous
academic achievement: a meta-synthesis of the issues and challenges in Australian
schools. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 1-24.
Du, J. T. (2017). Research on Indigenous people and the role of information and
communications technology in development: A review of the literature. Journal of the
australian library and information association, 66(4), 344-363.
Green, C. (2017). Four methods for engaging young children as environmental education
researchers. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 5(1), 6-
19.
International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring
Report. (2020). Inclusive teaching: preparing all teachers to teach all students.
Lawson, C., Woods, D., & McKenna, T. (2019). Towards Indigenous Australian knowing. In Art
Therapy in Australia (pp. 77-105). Brill.
Maree, J. G. (2021). The psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson: critical overview.
Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1107-1121.
Mercer, J. A. (2018). Child development: concepts and theories. Sage.
Partridge, F. (2020). Shaping an acknowledgement of country for the Christian school. Christian
Teachers Journal, 28(4), 14-16.
Porter, L. (2018). From an urban country to urban Country: confronting the cult of denial in
Australian cities. Australian Geographer, 49(2), 239-246.
Thomas, L. (2021). Inclusive teaching:: Becoming an effective facilitator of learning. In
University teaching in focus (pp. 217-242). Routledge.