Yarning, reflecting and redirecting: Infusing Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum and classroom

Cumming-Potvin, W.ORCID: 0000-0002-4961-9379, Jackson-Barrett, E.ORCID: 0000-0002-3662-657X and Potvin, D. (2021) Yarning, reflecting and redirecting: Infusing Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum and classroom. In: 36th WAIER Research Forum 2021: Research, Reflect, Redirect, 7th August 2021, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Western Australia

Abstract

To improve Indigenous students’ learning outcomes and all students’ participation in reconciliation and cross-cultural awareness, The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2016) identified the Cross-Curriculum priority of Indigenous histories and cultures. In addition, the Melbourne Declaration (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008) and the Mparntwe Declaration (Education Council Australia, 2019) have underscored the significance of providing all young Australians with high quality, discrimination-free education, which builds on cultural experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, in tandem with local communities. However, researchers have raised concerns about schools’ lack of emphasis on Indigenous curriculum and teachers’ confusion about how to teach this content (Booth, 2019; Harvey & Russell-Mundine, 2019; Turner, Wilson & Wilks, 2017).

This qualitative study reports on early career teachers’ strengths, starting points and challenges for becoming culturally responsive educators, who use multi-modal, Indigenous texts in the primary school setting. Results suggest that the practice of yarning (Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010) can be used to reflect on teachers’ experiences of infusing Indigenous texts in the primary classroom as well as to develop decolonising knowledge in the curriculum. Our presentation will redirect participant engagement through yarning and the use of multi-modal, Indigenous texts.

Item Type:	Conference Paper
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Education
Conference Website:	https://www.waier.org.au/annual-waier-research-for...
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/61738

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