Indigenous Education and Perspectives
Overview
This unit focuses on contemporary and historical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, identity, languages, histories, status, challenges, contributions and perspectives. The unit enables pre-service teachers to synthesise perspectives about Indigenous education and how these can enhance Western education practices. An additional aim is to plan and develop authentic curriculum and pedagogy for teaching Indigenous children and analyse how Indigenous teaching and learning practices can benefit all children. This knowledge and understanding contributes to graduates' cultural competence and promotes culturally inclusive teaching practices based on sensitive and informed relationships.
Requisites
09-February-2025
08-June-2025
05-October-2025
02-November-2025
08-February-2026
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Discuss and critique Australian Indigenous education and perspectives
- Assess the impact of historical and contemporary events and issues on current educational contexts for Indigenous people
- Identify how Indigenous education and perspectives align with teachers’ professional role as advocates for children and their families
- Reflect on their own attitudes and values in relation to Indigenous people and how these may affect their teaching and professional relationships
- Recognise the continuous contributions of Indigenous people in Australian society
- Plan authentic learning experiences that enable all children to learn about Indigenous people and perspectives
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
Live Online Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
On-campus Class |
3.00 | 8 weeks | 24 |
Specified Activities Various |
4.00 | 12 weeks | 48 |
Unspecified Activities Various |
5.50 | 12 weeks | 66 |
TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.50 | 12 weeks | 150 |
TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Individual | 40% | 1,2 |
Portfolio | Individual | 40% | 6 |
Research Assignment | Individual | 20% | 3,4 |
Content
- History and culture of Australia's first nation Aboriginal people
- The positioning of Indigenous and traditional education systems within the nation state
- The impact of colonization and issues related to the retaining and maintaining of Indigenous and traditional knowledge through education
- The role of international organisations in protecting, preserving and maintaining Indigenous and traditional education systems
- Current and past contributions of Indigenous people
- Contemporary contexts for Indigenous people
- Reconciliation and its implications for teachers
- Anti-Bias Curriculum
- Integrating authentic Indigenous studies in the curriculum
- Indigenous perspectives and pedagogy in and implications for teaching not only Indigenous children but all children
- Roles of teachers in supporting reconciliation in a post-apology Australia.
Graduate Attributes
- Communication Skills
- GA1: Verbal communication
- GA2: Communicating using different media
- Teamwork Skills
- GA3: Collaboration and negotiation
- GA4: Teamwork roles and processes
- Digital Literacies
- GA5: Information literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.