Aboriginal Knowledge

Diagram Module 1(Cheree Dean, CSU 2013)

Aboriginal Perspectivesand Knowledge

“…it became clear that there is considerable confusion between Aboriginal perspectives and Aboriginal knowledge with both concepts being used interchangeably to teach syllabus content and information about Aboriginal people.”

Neil Harrison and Maxine Greenfield (2007) p1

Aboriginal Knowledge

“Aboriginal content presented without an Aboriginal framework of values or pedagogy only damages relations and marginalises Aboriginal learners.”(Yunkaporta, Tyson p 188)http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/10974/2/01thesis.pdf

Aboriginal Knowledge

“…teachers also need to analyse what knowledge and perspectives are appropriate to include in the curriculum and what the pedagogy does to students in terms of their expectations and images and how they talk about Aboriginal people.”

(Harrison and Greenfield p69)

Aboriginal Knowledge

…” approaching Aboriginal or even mainstream content explicitly through an Aboriginal pedagogy framework improves student engagement, student behaviour, quality of student work, deep knowledge, intellectual connectedness and high expectations.”

(Yunkaporta p 163)

Aboriginal Knowledge

“These in turn raise standards for quality teaching and increase work satisfaction for teachers.”

(Yunkaporta p163)

Aboriginal Knowledge

Knowledge in the Aboriginal world view is’ owned’ by a person or group and they choose with whom they wish to share it.

An Aboriginal person owns their narratives which are often related to place( ‘country’).

Aboriginal Knowledge

Aboriginal knowledge is different from Aboriginal content and is not something that can be presented out of context and must be grounded in place.

Aboriginal knowledge comes from the community and so it meets these requirements.

Aboriginal Knowledge

“…quality teaching in Aboriginal Education is ‘about respecting Aboriginal people as the traditional knowledge holders.”

(Harrison and Greenfield p69)

Aboriginal KnowledgeInvolving Aboriginal parents and Elders in

planning and delivering Aboriginal knowledge provides them with power and control over the knowledge and how it is taught. (Harrison and Greenfield p 70)

This places emphasis on authenticity, for both Aboriginal and non Aboriginal students.

Aboriginal Knowledge

“….Aboriginal cultural knowledge and identities must be valued by teachers if schools are to be taken seriously by the Aboriginal community”.(Harrison and Greenfield p. 73)

Aboriginal Knowledge

There is an argument that only Aboriginal teachers should teach about Aboriginal knowledge, customs and identity

(Noel Pearson 2009 in Harrison and Greenfield p 66 and Nakata 2007 also p 66)

Aboriginal Knowledge

By using local Aboriginal people to deliver local knowledge and be involved in our teaching we are part way to “ break through many of the facile representations of Aboriginal people to produce quality teaching and learning in Aboriginal education.”

(Harrison and Greenfield p 66)

Aboriginal Knowledge

Who can help me find the right people in the community to provide and deliver local Aboriginal knowledge?

Aboriginal Knowledge

Your local AECGCommunity organisationsDECYour new teachers’ mentor at your schoolAboriginal teachers and workers in your

communityColleagues

References

Harrison, N and Greenfield M(2011) Relationship to place: positioning Aboriginal knowledge and perspectives in classroom pedagogies, Critical Studies in Education,52:1,65-76

Yunkaporta, T (2009)http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/10974/2/01thesis.pdf