Indigenous Perspectives – Australian Context
Description:
The purpose of this assignment is to build and extend your professional resources by drawing on learning about Indigenous culture, history, education and perspectives. A portfolio is a demonstration of your professional growth and improvement as a teacher as well as a useful place to store and curate ideas, examples and a place for reflection. You will have an opportunity to plan authentic learning experiences, putting into practice your learnings from this unit and creating something you can share with children and young people to help them learn about Indigenous people and perspectives. You can use this portfolio to demonstrate that you have met the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Standard 1: Know students and how they learn.
Focus Area 1.4:
Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
- Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it.
- Focus Area 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
- Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
Related learning outcomes
This task is assessing your ability to meet the following unit learning outcomes:
- Identify how indigenous education and perspectives aligns with teachers’ professional role as advocates for children and their families.
- Reflect on their own attitudes and values in relation to Indigenous people and how these may affect their teaching and professional relationships.
- Recognise the continuous contributions of Indigenous people in Australian society.
- Plan authentic learning experiences that enable all children and young people to learn about Indigenous people and perspectives.
Assessment details Develop a portfolio based on the learning from this unit that supports your work as a graduate teacher.
Your portfolio should comprise the following:
Planning – Two lesson plans using the template provided.
You must develop one plan for Early Childhood Education and one plan for Primary School.
- An outline/plan of an authentic learning experience for prior to school age children (ages 1 to 4) (650 words). This plan must focus on the concept of Identity and Culture.
- An outline/plan of an authentic learning experience for Primary school age children (ages 6 – 10) (650 words). This plan must focus on the concepts of Respect and Reconciliation.
Reflection (500 words)
- Reflection of your current attitudes and values (including potential bias and prejudice, and from where this might originate) in relation to Indigenous peoples and how these may affect your teaching and professional relationships. In your reflection should include consideration of how you would identify and address racism or prejudice?
- Reflection of how Indigenous education and perspectives aligns with your professional role as an advocate for children, young people and families.
- Critical reflection of how you plan to use authentic learning experiences to enable all children and young people to learn about Indigenous peoples and perspectives. Consider: How can you continue to integrate Indigenous theories and knowledge? How can you avoid doing this with a tokenistic approach?
Include reference to literature to support your reflections.
Required Headings Description example for Lesson Plan
- Overview of learning experience
- Rationale
- Age / year level
- Curriculum frameworks
- Resources
- Timing
Reflection
- Introduction
- Main body
- Strategies
- Conclusion