Actions For Justice - First Nations People

We acknowledge that our National Office is on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe

Teachers for First Nations Education

Resources

Teachers for First Nations Education

Resources

OUR EXPERT YARNS

How teachers can go beyond tokenism

This panel from World Vision's Teachers for First Nations Education network explores how educators can overcome obstacles and develop new practices to help students discover the history and culture of their local area, and this land as a whole.

Panel:

Bronwyn Cochrane - Gamilaraay woman, teacher, Founder and CEO of TIPIAC
Dr Scott Winch - Gundungarra/ Wiradjuri man and the First Nations Senior Policy Advisor for WVA
Vince Wall - non Indigenous teacher of secondary History

Yarn #2 July 2020

How to embed First Nations Cultures and Histories into your school

The first panel for the Teachers for First Nations Education network, designed to help teachers connect their students with Aboriginal culture, history and strength in their local community.

Panel:

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Wollongong
Robert "Binter" Cooley, Cultural Educator
Sally Lawrence, Teacher and author

Yarn #1 June 2020

Stay connected with World Vision and Teachers from around the country who are passionate about improving First Nations Education.

There is an opportunity for all schools in every subject to have a holistic curriculum that’s based not just on western knowledge but Aboriginal history and perspectives as well.

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Wollongong

Aboriginal people were the first mathematicians, the first scientists, the first artists. We have quite a lot to contribute to the curriculum.

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Wollongong

You’re a dead duck in the water if you’re not working with your local community

Sally Lawrence, Teacher and author

To build our cultural capability we need to reflect on our own privilege.

Sally Lawrence, Teacher and author

We want our students, our Indigenous kids coming out of school not only realising their enormous potential but having their culture and their methodologies and perspectives represented in schools.

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Wollongong

A lot of teachers were not taught any Aboriginal knowledge or perspectives when they went school or university. It is really hard for teachers but I think the first step is always the hardest in any journey.

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Wollongong

Keep turning up. Keep sitting and listening to the community. You can’t sit there in your school - in your castle - and be going: “Community come to me!” because you are not the centre of their world. You always need to go beyond the school gate.

Sally Lawrence, Teacher and author

You need to build that relationship first. You can’t just go in first wanting. What I’ve learnt through my 25 years of working with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is it’s about reciprocity. You just can’t take, you’ve got to give back.

Sally Lawrence, Teacher and author

To this day I can still sing the French National Anthem, word for word but until recently knew very little of my own language.

Binter Cooley, Cultural Educator

A lot of Curriculum is done ‘on country’ so you don’t have to be stuck in class. I wish more schools were doing it, but I can understand why they don’t because there’s so much bureaucracy in doing any form of an excursion out of school.

Professor Paul Chandler, Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Wollongong

palawa artist Dane Chisholm from lutruwita

Links and resources discussed during the Panels

Teaching Indigenous Perspectives In the Australian Curriculum (TIPIAC) Founded by Bonnie Cochrane
Sally Lawrence - Check out Sally's "Breaking down barriers to Build Cultural Capability" Webinar Series available in her online shop.
Our Land, Our Stories – AIATSIS and Nelson Cengage FREE Webinar series. Like it? Browse the series here.
Murri Maths - Helps you to embed First Nations perspectives into Australian Curriculum Mathematics
Uncle Ernie Grant shares how to acknowledge Indigenous holistic views of the world
The La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority's
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Handbook (2010)
- Knowledge frameworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

We acknowledge that our National Office is on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe

Teachers for First Nations Education

Teachers for First Nations Education

OUR EXPERT YARNS

How teachers can go beyond tokenism

Yarn #2 July 2020

How to embed First Nations Cultures and Histories into your school

Yarn #1 June 2020

There is an opportunity for all schools in every subject to have a holistic curriculum that’s based not just on western knowledge but Aboriginal history and perspectives as well.

Aboriginal people were the first mathematicians, the first scientists, the first artists. We have quite a lot to contribute to the curriculum.

You’re a dead duck in the water if you’re not working with your local community

To build our cultural capability we need to reflect on our own privilege.

We want our students, our Indigenous kids coming out of school not only realising their enormous potential but having their culture and their methodologies and perspectives represented in schools.

A lot of teachers were not taught any Aboriginal knowledge or perspectives when they went school or university. It is really hard for teachers but I think the first step is always the hardest in any journey.

Keep turning up. Keep sitting and listening to the community. You can’t sit there in your school - in your castle - and be going: “Community come to me!” because you are not the centre of their world. You always need to go beyond the school gate.

You need to build that relationship first. You can’t just go in first wanting. What I’ve learnt through my 25 years of working with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is it’s about reciprocity. You just can’t take, you’ve got to give back.

To this day I can still sing the French National Anthem, word for word but until recently knew very little of my own language.

A lot of Curriculum is done ‘on country’ so you don’t have to be stuck in class. I wish more schools were doing it, but I can understand why they don’t because there’s so much bureaucracy in doing any form of an excursion out of school.

Links and resources discussed during the Panels

First Nations Education Authorities and Resources:

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