Student declaration: In accordance with the Flinders University information on academic

integrity and plagiarism, referred to in the Student related policies and procedures manual
(http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/student.html), by submitting this cover sheet as part of
my assignment I hereby certify that the work submitted in this assignment is entirely my own
unless otherwise acknowledged.

Student ID 2120517
FAN gobb0012
First name Sarah
Family name Gobbie
Topic code EDUC2420
Topic name Teaching Indigenous Australian Students
Tutorial lecturer Andrea Verlade
Assignment number As future educators, how will you teach for social justice?
and title (Critical Whiteness)
Word count 1327
Due date Monday 23rd of October
Date of submission
Is this a resubmission? Yes No
Student declaration: In accordance with the Flinders University information on academic integrity and plagiarism,
referred to in the Student related policies and procedures manual
(http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/student.html), by submitting this cover sheet as part of my assignment I
hereby certify that the work submitted in this assignment is entirely my own unless otherwise acknowledged.

Due to White privilege, White Australians are often unaware of their everyday privileges. There is a silence
along with many denials surrounding white privilege, however, it is evident in everyday life, especially within a
social context and especially in our political and government systems. Peggy McIntosh states, in her article
White Privilege and Male Privilege that those of us who are white usually believe that privileges are conditions
of daily experience [that are] universally available to everybody. Further, she says that what we are really
talking about is unearned power conferred systematically (Mcintosh, 1995 pp. 82-83). In order to create social
justice and reconciliation in Australia, it is crucial that white race privilege is recognised and acted upon.

Peggy McIntosh also points out that white people have not been taught about racism as something that puts
others (Indigenous Australians) at a disadvantage, while being white puts them at an advantage" (1995, P 31).
McIntosh continues to state that White Australians are taught to believe their lives are morally normative, and
that they work to benefit Indigenous peoples to allow them to be more like us. (1995, pp 31-32). McIntosh is
stating that whilst White Australians may be unaware of their privileges, they have also been taught to see racism
as something that puts someone else at a disadvantage, and not highlight the advantage is placed upon
themselves. Critical whiteness pedagogy asks teachers to be forthcoming about their goals and intentions. We
can make ourselves part of that pedagogical commitment, and continue to be accessible to our white students
during a challenging learning experience.

The characteristics mentioned above can be extremely damaging to the development of Indigenous students
education. These attributes place extreme disadvantages upon the relationships between students and their
teachers. The educational setting and these specific relationships highlight that White Australians are unaware
of the difference in privilege and culture between non-Indigenous Australians and Indigenous Australians. As an
educator, one has the obligation to reflect the ways in which Indigenous students can reclaim Indigenous culture
within the classroom. It is important to take a step back and consider the surroundings and content which is
being taught in a white Australian classroom. There is also a moral responsibility placed upon educators to
decolonise whiteness in an educational context and thus, teaching for social justice.
As mentioned above, white privilege is an injustice taking place within Australia. If educators want to teach
effectively for social justice, it is important to educate students and create awareness of this current inequity.
Author, Tannoch-Bland (1998, p. 38) advocates that through exposing white race privilege to students, we can
unpack and unlearn racism, along with critical whiteness. Exposing critical whiteness in the classroom can
help educate students in this area. One specific approach to this would be identifying the differences that occur
in white Australian students lives as opposed to Indigenous Australian lives, emphasis can be placed upon the
differences experiences from when students are born to the current day. Also,it would be critical to
introduce/educate students to the history of the Stolen Generation and the Assimilation policy. This can be a
starting point for students to gain an understanding and knowledge of the injustice that encompasses the
Indigenous culture.

There are many other ways to implement teaching for social justice into the classroom. The Australian Institute
for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has developed two key focus areas that revolve around improving
educational development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The two strands are:

Focus Area 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students

Focus Area 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

These areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers aim toidentify what teachers need to know
and be able to do in order to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and to teach all students about
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, history and culture (AITSL, 2017). Focus area 1.4 places
emphasis upon educators demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of the impact culture, cultural
identity and linguistics background on students from Indigenous backgrounds (AITSL, 2017). In order to
successfully meet this standard, there are many ways to implement and highlight the importance of culture into
the classroom. As an educator, I would aim to meet and coincide with these standards by incorporating
Indigenous history and culture into my classroom. More specifically, this would be done by ensuring that all
students and myself are meeting inclusive practices within the classroom. This means more thoroughly ensuring
that Indigenous history and culture is being included in all aspects of the curriculum. This could be done through
sharing Aboriginal Dreamtime stories throughout reading or library time. Another aspect to consider in order to
meet the AITSL standards would be educating students about the history of Indigenous traditions, laws and their
Ancestors. Another way to get students involved and excited about Indigenous culture is to incorporate it into
artwork. Most students thoroughly enjoy artwork and Indigenous artwork often allows students to to be hands
on. This work can also be displayed around the classroom in order to promote Indigenous culture and therefore
show an understanding of student diversity.

Whilst many of these aspects may appear as a surface level recognition, I believe they are important in many
ways. It is crucial for students to see these details and make connections with with them to gain a ground level
identification and acknowledgement. From here, educators can further imbed the curriculum with deeper
connections to Indigenous culture. More specifically, incorporating discussions surrounding the lengthy past of
Indigenous Australians into the subject of history can be extremely beneficial. In classrooms today, history is
covered from a one sided point of view. It is important to recognise and acknowledge that there are two stories
to cover. Incorporating Indigenous culture within a Mathematics and English context will ensure that students
are well enlightened and educated about Indigenous culture.

Another way to meet the AITSL standards is to incorporate learning Indigenous languages through other areas
of the curriculum. This could mean learning languages through science, music, nature play, focusing upon
traditional lands - gardening and animals etc. This will help to build and create an awareness whilst also
promoting reconciliation with an educational context. By incorporating all these aspects into the classroom it will
help students to recognise respectively the differences in culture and thus ensuring inclusive practices are being
met in the classroom.

Externally, there are also educational options to help recognise Indigenous culture. There are workshop
organisations such as Outreach Education that offer preschool to year 12 teachers extensive ranges of learning
opportunities that have been developed by the South Australian Department for Education and Child
Development. It could also be beneficial to incorporate other Indigenous voices into the classroom. This could
be achieved by having someone of Indigenous heritage visit the classroom, some schools may even have an
Indigenous liaison. Having Indigenous voices within the classroom could help to engage students and result in
reducing the gap between whiteness with the classroom.

AITSL area 2.4 highlights the importance of respect and understanding in regards to Indigenous students and
also promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students (AITSL,2017). Along with the
implementation educational strategies are important, there are also several ways to meet standard 2.4 within
the classroom. Most schools make an acknowledgement of country at every assembly. Perhaps this is
something that could be done within the classroom on a daily basis. Ensuring the classroom is a safe and
welcoming place allows students to feel comfortable and empowers students to learn. Dr Christine Asmar from
the Teaching Fellowship states that, Many students, Indigenous or not, feel trepidation as they enter a
classroom where they may feel uninformed or out of place. Numerically speaking, most Indigenous teaching
involves non-Indigenous students, so the issue of such students' fears is a real one for many teachers . This is
why is it crucial to ensure the classroom is a safe and welcoming place for all students. A minor detail like an
acknowledgement of country every morning can be a major step towards reaching the safe environment.

Another way to meet standard 2.4 is to encourage Indigenous students to share knowledge of their culture in
regards to all subjects. This will help the every member of the classroom to reach a mutual understanding and
respect. Ultimately, this will lead to building strong relationships with all students in the classroom. It is through
the use of these strategies that will contribute and lead to the respect of Indigenous students, reconciliation,
and decolonisation of whiteness within my classroom. Buckskin claims too many Indigenous children in
Australia enjoy neither success at school, nor the opportunities that should follow (2012, p. 166). Through the
implementation of the mentioned strategies one hopes to promote reconciliation and decolonisation of
whiteness. By using these strategies to meet the AITSL standards it is hoped that this will impact and ultimately,
influence Indigenous culture in a positive manner within the classroom. In relation to Buckskins quote, I am
hoping to change the current negative view Indigenous students have on school and the education system as a
whole.

There can only be positives as a result of embracing cultural diversity within the classroom. Ensuring students
are in an inclusive environments allows them a safe place to allow their learning to flourish. The goal is that this
ultimately leads to students feeling confident with attending and participating in school on a daily basis.
Incorporating Indigenous culture into our curriculum can lead to a boost in Indigenous students self esteem
along with their self-identity and engagement in learning. Buckskin states that if teachers have an understanding
are are involved with students cultures, this becomes the basis for effective learning relationships with students
(2012, P. 168). Educating students about the theoretical framework of critical whiteness and allowing the
classroom to be a respectful and inclusive environment, students will begin to begin to feel equal. Recognizing
and honouring Indigenous students cultures, languages and perspectives is a crucial step in order to decolonise
the critical whiteness theory, specifically within the classroom. Essentially, this will help to close the gap and
teach for social justice.

Reference List
Buckskin, P 2012, Engaging Indigenous students: the important relationship between Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students and their teachers, in Price, Kaye (ed.), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education:
an introduction for the teaching profession, pp. 164-180, viewed 1st November 2015, Cambridge University
Press

Department for Education and Child Development 2015, Government of South Australia, viewed 1st November
2015, <http://www.outreacheducation.sa.edu.au/about/>

Education services Australia & Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) 2014, Australian
Government, viewed 31st October 2015, <http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-
teachers/standards/list>

McIntosh, P 1990, White privilege: unpacking the invisible Knapsack, Independent School, no. Winter, pp. 31-
31, viewed 31st October 2015

http://www.indigenousteaching.com/1-make-classroom-safe-environment-learning