Aboriginal Pedagogies and Approaches in Enabling Programs Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer Program Convenor, Yapug University of Newcastle Worimi Ngarni Ngaya Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, Guringai, Gadigal, Dhurag, Wiradjuri. Dhurag Dalang Hello everyone, my name is Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, I am a proud Guringai, Gadigal, Dhurag, Wiradjuri woman. I would like to acknowledge the Nah-tea Far-two-ah and pay my respects, thank you for having me on your land. I am going to talk today about Aboriginal Pedagogies and Approaches in Enabling Programs and how I have embedded them into the Yapug program at the university of newcastle.

Imbedding Aboriginal Perspectives, Knowledges and Pedagogies Aboriginal pedagogy is the understanding of Aboriginal knowledge, Aboriginal ways of learning, Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing and our worldviews. Aboriginal pedagogy is entirely different to mainstream pedagogy. The difference is the outlook and the whole of life approach, the connection to the land, the importance of family and identity. Aboriginal perspectives are not found in Aboriginal content, but Aboriginal processes. Aboriginal pedagogy is the understanding of Aboriginal knowledge, Aboriginal ways of learning, Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing and our worldviews. Aboriginal pedagogy is entirely different to mainstream pedagogy. The difference is the outlook and the whole of life approach, the connection to the land, the importance of family and identity. Aboriginal perspectives are not found in Aboriginal content, but Aboriginal processes.

Decolonising Pedagogies Aboriginal pedagogy is tied to colonisation, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples did not have a voice and were ‘dehumanised’ in education. The academic world has not been particularly hospitable to Aboriginal ways of thinking, understanding and approaching knowledge, in part because such an approach has been considered not to belong to any existing theory. Aboriginal theories have been derived from “what it means to be Aboriginal” and have not been constructed in isolation from the human and civil rights movements, national struggles and other theoretical approaches.

Decolonising Pedagogies Aboriginal academics have developed theories that focus on decolonising and reframing pedagogies that enable Aboriginal voices to be heard. It is important that Aboriginal pedagogies are places at the centre of all teaching within Aboriginal enabling programs and ensure that all teaching staff are Aboriginal. This is what happens in the Yapug program at UoN, because what we bring to this space is our history, politics, discourses, social practices and knowledge’s; it is how we come to understand our everyday world and our cultural knowledge.

8 ways application in Enabling programs Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students don’t come to university for the same reason that non-Indigenous people do. For us it’s all about learning so we can give back to our communities. So for instance, in the Yapug program we don’t hold a lecture and tutorial, we hold interactive workshops utilising yarning and yarning circles, so students apply the knowledge being learnt and relate that back to their communities, to kinship, to Aboriginal Lore, to family and to connection to country.

Yapug = pathway Yapug, Uon’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enabling Program was introduced to the University of Newcastle in 1999 – next year is our 20th anniversary. It is an enabling program designed to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gain skills for entry into undergraduate degrees at UON. The program is run jointly by the English Language and Foundation Studies Centre and the Wollotuka Institute and is physically located within the Wollotuka Institute. In 2017 we developed a Yapug teaching and engagement philosophy, where we wanted to emphasise the difference between Yapug and other enabling programs at UoN, what makes us unique, why should Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students take Yapug instead of the other programs.

That our world views are acknowledged, accepted and valued. Philosophical Stance We acknowledge the work inherited from our ancestors and those who walked before us; in doing so we look back to look forward; working collectively for the good of our peoples; That Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students learn in a supportive, culturally appropriate, safe and stable environment that values our culture; That Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are aware of their cultural identity; and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, pedagogies and knowledges are imbedded into teaching practices; That we reframe history and challenge the stereotyping of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; That we unlock the leadership potential in our students; acknowledging the students aspirations whatever they may be; That our world views are acknowledged, accepted and valued. And this is the result of that work, this is the philosophical stance that was developed in conjunction with community Acknowledging the work that has come before us, looking back to look forward Students learn is a supportive, culturally appropriate environment, that values our culture Cultural identity, perspectives, pedagogies and knowledges are imbedded into teaching practice Challenge the stereotyping of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; That we unlock the leadership potential in our students; That our world views are acknowledged, accepted and valued.

8 way framework of Aboriginal Pedagogy The eight-way framework of Aboriginal pedagogy brings Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing ‘out of the dusty corners of anthropology and linguistics’ and into the Australian classrooms and universities. It comprises eight interconnected pedagogies that see teaching and learning as fundamentally holistic, non-linear, visual, kinaesthetic, social and contextualised. The 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning is a pedagogy framework that allows teachers to include Aboriginal perspectives by using Aboriginal learning techniques. Teaching through Aboriginal processes and protocols, not just Aboriginal content validates and teaches through Aboriginal culture and may enhance the learning for all students.

Story Telling Perhaps not surprisingly, the key pedagogy in the eight-way framework is the narrative based one of story sharing. This is fundamental to the eight ways as it is not only the way Aboriginal people keep abreast of current issues in an oral culture but is also the way we manage our connection to Country. Yarning is how Aboriginal people transmit knowledge and learn about the world, teaching and learning is also a social activity in Aboriginal pedagogy We connect the curriculum to Aboriginal storytelling and dreaming stories and explain how it relates to their community.

Learning Maps This way of learning is to visualise pathways of knowledge. Diagrams or visualisations are used to map out processes explicitly for the learner. In optimal Aboriginal pedagogy, the teacher and learner create a concrete, holistic image of the tasks to be performed which serves as a reference point for the learner

Non Verbal Perhaps also not surprisingly, Aboriginal pedagogy is kinaesthetic, hands-on learning with a strong emphasis on body language and silence. non verbal pedagogy ‘is more than just the idea of reduced language Aboriginal learners test knowledge non-verbally through experience, introspection and practice, thereby becoming critical thinkers who can judge the validity of new knowledge independently’

Symbols and Images This pedagogy uses images and metaphors to understand concepts and content. Knowledge is coded in symbols, signs, images and metaphors and is therefore a tool for learning and memorizing complex knowledge. learning maps, symbols and image pedagogies are naturally linked; ‘one provides the structure of memory while the other provides the language of memory’.

Land Links ‘Aboriginal pedagogies are intensely ecological, place-based’ and ‘drawn from the living landscape within a framework of profound ancestral and personal relationships with place’ For Aboriginal people, learning is about linking content to local land and place and is thus highly contextualised.

Non Linear According to Aboriginal pedagogy learning is not sequential but a continuous relational endeavour. Problems are solved laterally through association and through making connections with existing knowledge Hence, there is much ‘repetition and returning to concepts for deeper understanding

Deconstruct Reconstruct The deconstruct – reconstruct pedagogy is a holistic, global orientation to learning whereby the initial focus is on the whole rather than the parts ‘seeing an overall meaning, purpose and structure first and then breaking it down into manageable chunks’ In this pedagogy, the text is initially modelled by the more knowledgeable other before the learner tries it independently; thus watching first then doing

Community Links Learning according to aboriginal pedagogy is ‘group-oriented, localised and connected to real-life purposes and contexts’ The motivation for learning is inclusion in the community, while teaching refers to community life and values’ Because holistic thinking and relational cognition are also grounded in people and place, the pedagogies of: deconstruct–reconstruct, non–linear, land–links and community links are interrelated on the 8-way framework.

the 8 ways of learning can utilised in non-indigenous contexts the 8 ways of learning can utilised in non-indigenous contexts. for instance, last year a group of researchers in ELFSC at uon undertook an project: a participatory conceptual mapping of practices at the university of newcastle, I introduced the 8 ways of learning to the research team and instantly others within the team identified how these ways of learning could easily be transposed into mainstream enabling programs, and in fact some were already imbedded without people realising it.

Common Ground What is the common ground between mainstream and Aboriginal pedagogies: • Learning through narrative. •Planning and visualising explicit processes. •Working non-­‐verbally with self-­‐reflective, hands-­‐on methods. •Learning through images, symbols and metaphors. •Learning through place-­‐responsive, environmental practice. •Using indirect, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches. •Modelling and scaffolding by working from wholes to parts. •Connecting learning to local values, needs and knowledge

Aboriginal Student Success What are the determinants of success for access education in an Aboriginal context? Success should not be determined by governments and equity performance indicators Success in Aboriginal enabling education must focus on concepts and strategies that affirm and grow Aboriginality and develop Aboriginal leadership. Universities place to much effort into attrition and retention, when they need to address under representation Little effort is directed toward recognising and maximising the inherent strengths and values that students bring with them – which could influence success rates, and impact on students’ opportunities to be dynamic, empowered, Aboriginal leaders of the future. key determinants of success include individual family and community relationships, with the result that programs that leveraged and enhanced these relationships were becoming increasingly effective.

Yanu Didgurigura

References Drozdowski, V (n.d). The eight-way framework of Aboriginal Pedagogy, retrieved from https://vickidrozdowski.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/individual-investigation- of-a-learning-theory-aboriginal-pedagogy.pdf Yunkaporta, Tyson (2009) Aboriginal pedagogies at the cultural interface. PhD thesis, James Cook University, retrieved from https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/10974/ Yunkaporta, T., & Kirby, M. (2011). Yarning up Aboriginal pedagogies: A dialogue about eight Aboriginal ways of learning. In N. Purdie, G. Milgate, & H. R. Bell (Eds.), Two way teaching and learning: Toward culturally reflective and relevant education (pp. 205-213). Victoria, Australia: ACER Press. Hook, G (2012) Towards a Decolonising Pedagogy: Understanding Australian Indigenous Studies through Critical Whiteness Theory and Film Pedagogy, Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, The, Vol. 41, No. 2, Dec 2012: 110-119