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As an educator and member of the community of Australian schools, it is crucial to recognise,

promulgate and elevate a full and enriched cultural landscape that recognises and connects to our

world’s oldest continuous culture. This includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship and

language groups from all over the Australian continent, which have highly valuable and rich histories

to share and learn from. This has been encapsulated in the Australian Curriculum through the cross-

curriculum priority which recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture and is

designed for all students to “engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition” (ACARA, 2020).

Complementary to this is the Australian professional teaching standard (Focus area 2.4) which

requires educators to “Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to

promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians” (AITSL, 2010).

This essay will critically reflect on how engagement with this cross-curriculum priority can be taught

and included in classroom pedagogy for all students. It will look at the barriers to success based on

generational systemic deficits for Indigenous students and teaching before looking at how schools can

and have successfully engaged with Aboriginal pedagogy and delivered authentic meaning and value.

Finally, we will look at the NSW History Syllabus and demonstrate that a valuable and culturally

relevant scope and sequence can be developed for Australian high school students to deliver some

amazing cross-curriculum outcomes.

Right across Australia, state and federal governments are committed for high school education to

acknowledge the deep cultural ties, knowledge and wisdom that is offered by embracing the

languages, histories and unique culture of our Indigenous communities (NATSI, 2015). To complement

this, the NSW Aboriginal Education Policy (2008) advocates that all staff receive Aboriginal cultural

education “as it is everybody’s business”, meaning for all educators and students Indigenous or non-

indigenous and our communities. By doing this, Australian schools are promoting respect, strength,

diversity and pride in our many complex Aboriginal cultures and their custodianship of the land (NSW

Department of Education, 2008). To do this effectively, we need to consider that the cross-curriculum

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will have the most meaning when it is based in genuine, current, local Indigenous perspectives which

can create an empowering sense of citizenship and belonging in students who can become positive

change agents in their communities and even society itself (Lloyd, Lewthwaite, Osborne & Boon,

2015).

In establishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cross-curriculum priority, it must be recognised

that the Australian education system has been built on “dominant race perspectives” which have

historically excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research, design and pedagogy (Bodkin-

Andrews, Seaton, Nelson, Craven & Yeung, 2010). The historical educational issues that have

marginalised Indigenous cultural perspectives must therefore be contextualised and overcome

through continuous reflection and learning with our Indigenous students and communities (Gorringe

& Spillman, 2009). Indeed, as outlined in the ‘Close the Gap’ report, we must as educators and

institutions overcome the old processes of discrimination and marginalization to improve Indigenous

student’s “social mobility and intergenerational outcomes” (Australian Government, 2020).

Despite historical deficits, the real purpose of the cross-curriculum priority is to embrace,

acknowledge, respect and then celebrate the richness of our Indigenous students and cultures (NATSI,

2015). As one mother of a North Queensland Catholic school stated, “Most important is that [school]

will be a place where [my children] can be proud of who they are. I don’t want them to learn but then

put away who they are [as Aboriginal people]” (Lewthwaite et al., p.142). As a former principal of

Cherbourg State School in Northern Queensland, Sarra (2006) worked on having the Aboriginal

students of his school come to embrace their identity so that “being Aboriginal is seen as something

truly great”. He developed a strong, positive mindset around Aboriginal identity that was not mired in

rejecting “other people’s whiteness” but instead promoted something important to all Australians

(Sarra, 2006). This is supported by Bodkin-Andrews et al. (2010) who state that it is increasingly

critical to understand Aboriginal history, culture and identity to know what it is to be truly Australia.

This affirms the cross-curriculum priority significance in embracing Indigenous culture in a way that

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enriches learning for all students across every cultural background that should be embraced in the

classroom, school-wide as well as throughout the community.

While great steps have been taken to integrate and effect change, it must still be noted that

generational discriminatory policy and low-expectation teaching has produced significant

underachievement and alienation in many Indigenous communities (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson,

2013). As spoken with a heavy heart in the Uluru Statement (2017): “Proportionally, we are the most

incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people”. This correlates with an

international evaluation of Australia as a low equity-high quality education performer (Lloyd et al.,

2015), and the Close the Gap report (Australian Government, 2018) which stated that there had been

no improvement in attendance rate gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from the

prior report five years earlier. As far back as the 1998 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in

Custody, the Commission identified that most of those who died while incarcerated where illiterate

or had very limited education (Sarra, 2006). These essentially racist and discriminatory factors often

could produce great inequities in Indigenous communities impacting health, wellbeing and financial

stability (Bodkin-Andrews et al., 2010).

Significant to the teaching space across every faculty is the deficit of low expectation and negative

cultural image among educators. Low expectations have been shown to be directly linked to low

achievement (Lloyd et al., 2015), while also professionally being contrary to the Classroom Practice

Guide’s second dimension (Quality learning environment) item 2.3: High Expectations (NESA, 2006).

In Sarra’s (2006) experience he noted that Aboriginal people were generally thought of as “alcoholics

or heavy drinkers” as well as being not as intelligent as other students which contributed to some

teachers blaming students and their communities for failing. This negative, discriminatory cultural

stereotype is a detriment that is not only entirely erroneous, but mentally and spiritually degrading

and defeatist. As one parent stated: “I never remembered anything at school that made me feel proud

I was [Aboriginal]. That is not what I want [today for my children]” (Lewthwaite et al., p. 142). This

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shows just how important it is for positive, professional educators to be connecting with Indigenous

students and their communities to create high expectations and a sense of pride and place for

Aboriginal identity in their classrooms and schools, while continuously advocating for the change and

removal of dated, discriminatory or irrelevant pedagogies. Prioritising the values of the cross-

curriculum for Indigenous history and culture is the perfect platform to include positive and informed

pedagogy and content that will instead champion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity to all

children across all Key Learning Areas (KLAs).

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 2015 identifies that schools need

to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people achieve their “full learning

potential” (NATSI, 2015) and in doing so, teachers must be responsive, transparent and highly

accountable. To do so, educators need to be immersed in their Indigenous learning and teaching skills

through collaboration with the Indigenous community. They need to understand that there are

language programs and dialects such as Aboriginal English that can be included in everyday teaching

and not only enhance relationships with students, parents and carers, but also enable equity and

reconciliation (Lloyd et al., 2015). Their pedagogies need to adapt to the social and cultural context of

their students instead of blaming it (Sarra, 2006).

Successful classroom engagement using the cross-curriculum and Indigenous pedagogy should look at

different modes and styles of learning. Frameworks such as the 8ways method can create engaging

ways of bringing an Aboriginal perspective into the classroom. The research of Lloyd et al. (2015)

suggests Aboriginal students can learn better from the “imaginal end of the verbal-imaginal spectrum”

(p. 7) which can be contrary to they way other students learn. Engoori from Mithaka country in South-

west Queensland likewise bring an explicit Indigenous perspective to learning: who are? How do we

do things? What practices and behaviours need to change and what are needed to become ingrained?

(Gorringe & Spillman, 2009). It is also important to always be respectful of Aboriginal cultural values

within teaching and the curriculum, and never descend into condescending caricatures or over-

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simplified cultural motifs (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2013). By embedding these perspectives, you

give power to their meaning and enhance relationships with both students and the greater community

(Lloyd et al., 2015).

As noted in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, ‘sovereignty is a spiritual notion’ (Uluru, 2017) which

means that it exists in every school and every classroom, and is also why it is critical to enable

partnerships and share decision making with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community

(Australian Government, 2018). The key then to successful engagement is authentic engagement and

curriculum. Authentic curriculum recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

maintain a special connection to and responsibility for country and place (ACARA, 2020). Flying

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at school is emblematic of respect for the history, people

and culture of our first peoples, and promotes a strong sense of connectiveness, reconciliation and

“commitment to closing the gap” (ACARA. 2020). More individually, teachers need to embrace their

local Indigenous communities. “We need to receive that gesture, that smile, that comment. If it is

indifferent, then that’s telling us we aren’t welcome. There is a difference between being made

welcome and being made to feel like you are not welcome” (Lewthwaite et al., p. 141). This

demonstrates how important it is to develop mutual trust and respect with not only Indigenous

students but their families for authentic collaborative learning engagement.

Authentic engagement includes adopting local approaches which are developed through genuine and

meaningful interactions with the Indigenous community (NATSI, 2015). This can include members of

the Aboriginal community working with and in the school, modelling co-education and a positive,

strong and smart spirit of growth and learning (Sarra, 2006). By bringing Indigenous culture into the

classroom through community engagement and the cross-curriculum priorities, teachers and schools

can access “collective knowledge and wisdom” (Gorringe & Spillman, 2009) and produce story-telling

narratives that respect, elevate and celebrate the heritage, work and wisdom of those generations

who have gone before.

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Looking specifically at the History KLA, there are many great opportunities to explicitly engage the

Indigenous cross-curriculum priority. The Stage 3 History curriculum includes the study “The

Australian Colonies – Australian as a Nation” (NESA, 2017) which lays foundational knowledge that

can be used to enter deeper discussions around the impact of European colonialism on Australia’s first

peoples. This can be connected to the call from the Uluru statement to see that their “ancient

sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood” (Uluru, 2017).

Throughout the course of Australian history work, the important place and relevance of our

Indigenous nationhood can be explored, such as Indigenous soldiers in the two world wars who laid

down their lives for their country as part of the mandatory Stage 5 unit “Australians at War” (NESA,

2017). Using historical investigative enquiry and the disputed nature of history outcomes students can

explore the systemic racism as well as the heroism which these Aboriginal men experienced: "They'd

been warriors. They'd performed roles that they were very willing to perform for their country and

when they came back pretty much to same invisibility that they'd experienced before the wars"

(Thorpe, 2017). This supports the curriculum when it says the first people’s have demonstrated

“resilience in responding to historic and contemporary impacts of colonisation” (ACARA, 2020) and

gives voice and power to the Indigenous contribution to modern Australian nationhood.

When students arrive at the Stage 6 mandatory “Rights and Freedoms” unit (NESA, 2017), they should

be prepared to explore significant themes around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, such

as the 1962 right to vote, the 1967 referendum, reconciliation, Mabo, the ‘Bringing Them Home

Report’ and the Apology (NESA, 2017). Developing a detailed understanding of the injustices of the

past and the terrible discrimination and suffering of our Indigenous communities will help all students,

Indigenous and non-Indigenous to broaden their historical and social perspectives and go right to the

heart of the cross-curriculum priority to “engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition of the

world’s oldest continuous living cultures” (ACARA).

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In conclusion, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority

should be incorporated right across the curriculum for all students to broaden perspectives, share

knowledge and wisdom and create an empowering dialogue that promotes respect, recognition and

reconciliation. This will be achieved by recognising barriers such as entrenched discriminatory systems

and dominant Western culture pedagogical perspectives as well as deficit mind sets in both students

and educators. Successful engagement needs to be authentic and collaborative, drawing upon the

Indigenous community to not only teach and share their culture, but to have genuine input and

investment in changing the hearts and minds of the children and community as a whole.

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References
Australian Curriculum: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. (2020). ACARA.
Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/1536/guiding-principles.pdf

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited (AITSL). (2010). Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B. (2013). Racism, aboriginal and Torres strait islander
identities, and higher education: Reviewing the burden of epistemological and other
racisms. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Bodkin-Andrews, G., Seaton, S., Nelson, G., Craven, R., & Yeung, A. (2010). Questioning the
general self-esteem vaccine: General self-esteem, racial discrimination, and
standardised achievement across Indigenous and non- Indigenous Students. Australian
Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 20(1), pp. 1-21.

Closing the Gap. (2020). Australian Government. Retrieved from

https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/previous-reports

Gorringe, S. D., & Spillman, D. (2009). Creating stronger smarter learning communities: The role of
culturally competent leadership. Queensland University of Technology.

Lewthwaite, B.; Osborne, B.; Lloyd, N.; Llewellyn, L.; Boon, H.; Webber, T.; Laffin, G.; Kemp, C.; Day,
C.; Wills, J.; and Harrison, M. (2015). Seeking a pedagogy of difference: What Aboriginal
students and their parents in North Queensland say about teaching and their learning.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(5). pp. 132- 159.

Lloyd, N., Lewthwaite, B., Osborne, B., & Boon, H. (2015). Effective Teaching Practices for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Students: A Review of the Literature. Australian Journal of Teacher
Education, 40(11).

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 2015. (2015). Education Council.
Retrieved from
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ents/NATSI_EducationStrategy_v3.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). (2006). A classroom practice guide 2nd ed. (2006).
Retrieved from https://app.education.nsw.gov.au/quality-teaching-
rounds/Assets/Classroom_Practice_Guide_ogogVUqQeB.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). (2017). NSW Syllabus for the Australia Curriculum.
Retrieved from https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/stage-6-
learning-areas/stage-6-history/history-standard-2017

Sarra, Chris. (2006). Armed for success. Griffith Review. Retrieved from
https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/armed-for-success/

The NSW Aboriginal Education Policy 2008. (2008). NSW Department of Education. Retrieved from
https://policies.education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/aboriginal-education-and-
training-policy

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Thorpe, N. (2017). Rejected by the country they fought for: New push to give Indigenous soldiers
recognition. The Point. Retrieved from https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-
news/article/2017/04/21/rejected-country-they-fought-new-push-give-indigenous-soldiers-
recognition

The Uluru Statement from the Heart. (2017). From the Heart. Retrieved from
https://fromtheheart.com.au/uluru-statement/the-statement/

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