Developing pedagogical practice through culturally inclusive curriculum ACSA BIENNIAL CURRICULUM CONFERENCE

Biography Kym Walker is Batjala person from Fraser Coast Queensland. Kym has a long history in cross discipline curriculum development and consultation with Indigenous Studies and Cultural Competence programs. Bruce Pridham and Dona Martin have expertise in conceptualising innovative higher education curricula, particularly in relation to teacher education.

Our aim was to produce a subject that provides: well structured, inclusive, cross-curricula education partnerships quality Indigenous education for undergraduate teachers culturally appropriate pedagogical practice through culturally inclusive curriculum. The opportunity for students to reflect using the 4R’s model clear alignment with ACSA’s Australian curriculum principles.

EDU3IED – Subject Intended Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this subject, you should be able to: 1.Investigate Australian Indigenous culture in schools and community. 2.Explain the issues that impact on Indigenous learners and how they influence educational outcomes. 3.Critically examine personal assumptions, preconceptions and values when relating to Indigenous Australia. 4.Design Indigenous curriculum opportunities and teaching resources, incorporating educational technologies. Example presentation title Page 4

AITSL – Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 1.4 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. 2.4 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. Example presentation title Page 5

The participants Our campus of La Trobe University is situated in Bendigo, a rural city in Central Victoria. The teacher education course that hosts our subject provides multi- campus curricula for both our Central Victorian campus and a Northern Victorian campus at Mildura. The unit of work discussed here is accessed across a variety of courses (numbers grow by the year); currently it houses around 195 students per year, approximately 8% of whom are Indigenous.

4R’s a reflective model Our version of the 5R’s of reflection model (Bain, Allantyne, Mills, and Lester (2002). Reporting Responding Relating Reasoning Reconstructing Reporting Relating Reasoning Reconstructing We collapsed the first two headings into one heading We wanted to verbally elicit Respones about observations, feelings and questions about issues

Example presentation title Page 8 Our 4 R’s Model

Reporting Descriptive account of the situation, incident or issue Storytelling

Relating Drawing a relationship between current personal or theoretical understandings and the situation, incident or issue Indigenous relationship

Reasoning An exploration, interrogation or explanation of the situation, incident or issue Lore

Reconstructing Drawing a conclusion and developing a future action plan based upon a reasoned understanding of the situation, incident or issue. Passing knowledge on for others to learn

Indigenous Education EDU3IED

Bringing it all together The 4R’s Model enables our students to build unique records of their learning, and to recognise that they now, through direct engagement with the issues, feel better equipped to be responsible decision-makers. Our students demonstrate through assessment a developing self-awareness of Cultural Competence and a stronger capacity to present as informed teachers, teachers who are better equipped to work in an environment alert to the needs of Indigenous Education.

Example presentation title Page 15 Thank You