The inclusion of indigenous Perspectives in AusVELS and Victorian classrooms
By creating a respect for indigenous people we can reduce racism and allow students to gain a deeper knowledge about indigenous Australians. One way to do this is through education in schools. Early approaches of teaching Australian history had a particular narrative, which positively outlined that the British settled in Australia (O’Dowd, 2004). In reality, the British invaded and took possession of Aboriginal lands. The language and perspectives which teachers choose to teach their students can have a massive influence on how younger generations understand the true history of our country. One of the goals outlined in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (AEP) is 'to provide all Australian students with an understanding of and respect for indigenous traditional and contemporary cultures (What Works, 2010).' To do this, teachers need to provide indigenous perspectives of history and culture throughout their teaching. This goal can be reflected in the Australian curriculum for Victoria.
A cross-curriculum priority
AusVELS is the Foundation to Year 10 Australian curriculum for the state of Victoria. Is provides prescribed content and outlines common standards of achievement for young Australians. As stated in AusVELS, the inclusion of 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture' is a cross-curriculum priority (VCAA, 2012).' AusVELS acknowledges the importance of embedding indigenous Australian perspectives into the curriculum and states that through the interconnected aspects of country/place, people and culture, students will develop a rich understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, including their sense of identity. Learning about indigenous perspectives will benefit both indigenous and non-indigenous students. By having a rich knowledge of indigenous issues, students will have the ability to participate positively to various issues facing the ongoing development of Australia and will build a respect of cultural values and heritage of indigenous Australians (Jorgensen, Sullivan & Grootenboer, 2013). In addition, indigenous students will also benefit by having the opportunity to learn about and retain their cultural heritage and values.
Where and how often indigenous perspectives appear in the curriculum
The inclusion of indigenous perspectives appear to be a cross-curriculum priority, however actual content and key learning areas relating to indigenous perspectives are rarely mentioned in the Victorian curriculum for levels 7-10. In the whole of the level 7 curriculum there is only one brief mention of indigenous perspectives in history when investigating the importance of conserving the remains of the ancient past (VCAA, 2012). Moreover there is only one brief mention of indigenous perspectives in level 8 and level 9 and that is in english and civic and citizenship, respectively. The only level that has a reasonable amount of content dedicated to indigenous perspectives is in year 10 history, although even to investigate 'the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples for rights and freedom before 1965' is only one section of a general unit called 'Rights and freedoms (1945- the present).' It is important to note that some students may not even choose to study history in level 10. There is very little opportunity for teachers to directly engage students with indigenous perspectives in the curriculum for levels 7-10. Unless teachers are confident to adhere to incorporating indigenous perspectives as a cross-curriculum priority into their various other subjects, young Australians will not be receiving the sufficient education needed to improve their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait People.
Teachers delivering indigenous perspectives in the classroom
The continuous policy changes in education and various forms of encouragement have influenced schools to successfully introduce indigenous language, culture and history programs into schools (What Works, 2010). This has been beneficial for both indigenous and non-indigenous students as the appreciation of indigenous peoples and cultures is improving, however there is still plenty of progress to be made. As there is rarely any mention of indigenous perspectives in the curriculum for levels 7-10, teachers are faced with the challenge of attempting to integrate indigenous perspectives into various other aspects of the curriculum. In order to do this, teachers need to have the knowledge and resources to be able to them.
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Birch (2010) explains that because many teachers haven't studied indigenous history or politics, there are a number of teachers who lack the confidence to deliver the relevant content, because they fear being culturally insensitive or being politically incorrect. Teachers generally find it challenging integrating indigenous perspectives because they feel like they lack the relevant knowledge about Aboriginal cultures, have minimal resources in the classroom and don't always have support from school administrators (Deer,2013). These themes suggests that even though indigenous perspectives is a cross-curriculum priority, this aspect of the curriculum may not be practiced in all Victorian classrooms. This demonstrates the lack of education in previous generations and promotes the idea that teachers may need more training to successfully teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives to their students.