Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 1

Indigenous Issues: Assignment #2

Pre service Teacher: Jarryd Bruce
ID: 26655603
ear !eve!: 5
"nit Tit!e: Indigenous #tudies $ %eading to &econci!iation
"nit Duration: 6 'ee(s
Introduction:
The purpose of this unit of work is to provide students with the opportunity to
learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island history, society and develop a
respect for the traditional owners of this land. In turn promoting reconciliation
between all Australians and closing the gap between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous Australians. Through 6 lessons, spanning as many weeks, students
will learn vital information that will epand any prior knowledge, with each
lesson etending and adding onto the previous. At the conclusion of the !th
lessons, students will hold an open night to demonstrate to parents, family and
friends the knowledge they have developed over the past ! weeks.
It is hoped that students will have developed a deep respect for Australia"s
Indigenous people and have an understanding of the ancient culture that eists
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.
)hi!dren*s Prior %earning +Prior ,no-!edge.
Students may have some prior knowledge around this topic,
particularly if they are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island
descent, however it is a strong possibility that students will have
limited to no knowledge around this topic from a historical point
of view. This is why it is important to cover this topic over 6
weeks and allow students time to process and discuss what they
have learnt or want to learn.
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 2
,ey "nit &esources
S#S Series $%irst Australians& ' T(
#ooks) *+ou and ,e) -ur .lace", *The Arrival"
/ercise #ooks
0omputers
A large room 1%or guest speaker and open night2
,ey Teaching #trategies
I will ask open-ended 3uestions that students are epected to respond to their peers or myself.
Appropriate classroom behaviour will be made clear.
Teamwork and the importance of others opinions will be promoted and provide an inclusive learning environment, where all contributions will be
free from criticism or embarrassment.
I will include various modes of learning to cater for all students needs and give the opportunity to eplore new ways of presenting work.
I trust students to move around the classroom to eplore and discuss their ideas with peers and the teacher, but not force.
#e/uence o0 %essons +Activities.
1 4hr Shaun Tan 5 The Arrival The Arts %ollowing up from the guest speaker, students
will look at the Shaun Tan book *The Arrival".
They will work through the book and draw
similarities to the Indigenous people who first
came into contact with the /uropean settlers.

Students will then create their own illustrations of
what they think happened on 6anuary 7!
th
, 4899.

This is a creative piece, so
very little assessment
would be done. 0reativity
and accuracy of their final
work would be evaluated.
5 7hrs :esearch Task 5 .rominent
Indigenous Australians
0ivics and
0iti;enship
Students are to use the Internet to investigate a
prominent Indigenous Australian and eplore
why they are well known, what they do<have
done for Indigenous issues and create a short
biography.

Individuals such as) ,ichael =ong, >eoffrey
>urrumul +unupingu, ,arcia =angton or Sir
?ouglas @icholls.
Assessing why they chose
this individual, why they
believe he<she is
important, information
they learnt about he<she
and investigating personal
information that they
previously didn"t know.
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 3
6 7hrs An open night Interpersonal
?evelopment
The final lesson is to allow students to
demonstrate their new understanding of
Indigenous history and culture and show off what
they have learnt over the past ! weeks to parents,
family and friends.

Students will have their pieces of work on display
for all to view and have the option to talk people
through what they have learnt and areas they
found interesting.
/valuate the students"
ability to epress what
they have learnt over the
past ! weeks and the
content they have
presented to demonstrate
there new understanding
for Indigenous culture.
&e0!ection:
There are many views surrounding the history of Australia, terms such as invasion and settlement are two conflicting views that are held by many
within this country. $Some think that Australia was invaded because the /nglish came here and forced their system on Aboriginal people. These people
refer to 76 6anuary as Invasion ?ay. -thers say that Australia was settled and they celebrate 76 6anuary as Australia ?ay& 1Aarrison, 7B44, p4982.
Aowever you may look at this day or series of events, as a teacher you must hold a somewhat unbiased opinion and educate students that you have the
ability and right to hold which ever viewC most importantly allow them the chance to be free from scrutiny. A difficulty in educating students about
reconciliation and respect for Indigenous culture, is that students of primary school level may not have to maturity levels to understand the great impact
it would have and needs to have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It would be hard for them to fathom the inDustice and brutality of the
*%irst Settlers" and the impact that treatment continues to have into modern times. E:econciliationE is about promoting e3uality and recognition across
culturesC this might seem to be a big concept for young children, but the things we do every day either contributeF or they hinder that process 16o
>oodwin, 7B472. :emarkably a study found that most of the general population of Australia, believe that Indigenous Australians are disadvantaged on
most measures) particularly in the areas of health, employment, education and self-esteem. 1?avid Stolper, 6ennifer Aammond, 7B4B2, yet most non-
Indigenous people aren"t willing to take stronger steps or action in any form to amend these issues. %ortunately however, /ducation appears to be a
shining light in promoting reconciliation as ,a :hea 17B472 discusses, the importance of the AIST= standards, $standards 4.G and 7.G are designed to
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 4
Assessment and &e2orting
Assessment for this unit of work is based around the students gradual development in understanding Indigenous culture and history, this is a very
detailed subDect matter and allowing students time to appreciate what they are learning is crucial. /ach lesson contains its own formal and informal
assessment, with the overall assessment occurring on the final night.
support teachers to improve their teaching of Indigenous students and to be at the forefront of reconciliation efforts between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous peoples of Australia& 1,a :hea, 7B47, p. 462.
I have chosen a wide range of media to eplain this horrible history that our country holdsC from video, to picture books and even a guest speaker, to
give the point of view of a modern day Indigenous person. I designed my unit of work to flow on from the lesson prior, I believe with units of work
that are both detailed and highly important for students to learn about, it is beneficial for lesson to gradually progress over numerous weeks. I chose to
begin with the *%irst Australians" T( series, as this is an engaging episode that allows students to engross themselves with a side of Australian history
they may be foreign toC although this episode may contain information that goes into to much detail, I believe it would provoke intrigue and open
students minds to 3uestions they had not previous thought about. =evel ! of Aus(/=S also states that students must begin to $consider the effects of
Australian federation on the democratic rights of different groups of people such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people&, which also ties in
with AIST= 7.G, as they are now beginning to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples history, culture and language.
%ollowing on from this lesson, my net lesson is based around a storybook, *+ou and ,e) -ur .lace" by =eonie @orrington, eplores the relationships
between the young and the old, the indigenous and the non-indigenousC it also paints a picture of what the land was once like for Hncle Tobias"
ancestors. This book flows on well from the video as it discusses how the land changed when the *Ihite Settlement" arrived and allows students to
discover the rich culture that Indigenous Australians had for millions of years, leading students to recogni;e the different cultures that eist within
Australia 1outside of their own2 and 3uestion the differences and the similarities that link the many cultures Australia has. This further pushes students
to begin the understanding of how important reconciliation and how we must respect the ancient culture that eisted prior to 4899. To add some
ecitement to the unit of work and further engage students, I thought having a local Indigenous guest speaker would be highly beneficial. -ften local
Indigenous groups are neglected, so having a member of a local Indigenous Art organi;ation enables students to discover Indigenous culture within
their own backyard. I have chosen an artist by the name of .eta AudsonC she is both an Artist as well as, a Joori /ducation Support -fficer and works
closely with Indigenous youth. I felt she would be perfect to educate students on Indigenous Art and the history and
traditions behind art in her culture, but also discuss the differences she has eperienced for Indigenous and non-
Indigenous youth. Students would be able to further their understanding of the discourse that eists within Australia,
if they"re able to link themselves to those who are disadvantage. This is a vital part of reconciliation, as
$reconciliation is all about understanding. Achieving it involves raising awareness of, and learning about,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures 1:econciliation Australia, 7B4B2&.
%urthering the discussion of Indigenous art and the tale that art can tell I have included an interesting book to the
unit of workC *The Arrival" is a wordless book that uses detailed illustrations to tell the story of a man who travels to
a foreign country, finding himself in a bewildering city of foreign customs, peculiar animals, curious floating obDects
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 5
The Arrival
and indecipherable languages. It contains stories of struggle and survival in a world of incomprehensible violence, upheaval and hope. Although not
directly, it relates to the feelings Indigenous Australians would have felt with the /uropeans arriving on their shores and landC it illustrates to students
the hardship that the Indigenous people endured and the foreign world they were forced into. %ollowing on, the fifth task for students is an investigative
piece. I wanted students to research prominent and influential Indigenous Australians and learn about them in some detail, I believe that we do not
recogni;e Indigenous Australians outside of the sporting arena, neglecting the great work many people do, such as ,arcia =angton and 0hris Sarra. I
would encourage students to delve into depth and discover why these people are important members of their communities and representatives of their
people.
%inally, holding an open night to display the students work allows the school and students to involve the broader community in raising awareness of
Indigenous issues and the importance of educating students about Indigenous culture. 6udy :adich 17B472 discusses the need to work on three levels)
/ducational program and practice 1the unit of work2, relationships with children 1working with students to learn about new information2 and
collaborative partnerships with families and communities 1involving parents in the school2, this can work on two varying levels, for both Indigenous
and non-Indigenous families. %irstly it is important that these K levels occur with Indigenous students to promote the importance of education,
$improvements in educational outcomes occur when there is a significant level of formal Indigenous community involvement in the management and
delivery of education& 1.eter #uckskin, 7BBB, p. 82, a point further discussed in :igney 17BB72C secondly promoting the importance of reconciliation
and respect for Indigenous culture within Australian society. This highlights the need for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to work
together to combat this issue.
As a pre-service teacher, I have had very little to do with educating Indigenous students up until now, with many of my placements being in strongly
Anglo Saon areasC thankfully however, through this subDect I have been able to gain a better understanding of Indigenous issues and are now
e3uipping myself with skills that will hold me in good stead for my future years, The (ictorian Aboriginal /ducation Association Incorporated found
that $Aboriginal Studies courses were seen as a starting point for student teachers in fostering reconciliation and an effective tool for combating
racism& 1The (ictorian Aboriginal /ducation Association Incorporated, 7B47, p. G2, a prior article also states that $reconciliation between Aboriginal
and non-Aboriginal Australians cannot be achieved and maintained without the effective teaching of Aboriginal studies and perspectives to all
Australian students& 1The (ictorian Aboriginal /ducation Association Incorporated, 7B44, p. !2. I am also in the fortunate position to be able to make a
strong mark on the future generations coming throughC I am able to properly educate students on e3uality and respect of Indigenous people and their
culture, and by *presenting the facts and giving people an opportunity to broaden their knowledge, we can work towards better understanding
1:econciliation Australia, 7B4B2.
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 6
&e0erences:
#aluk Arts -rgani;ation. :etrieved from www.balukarts.org.au
%irst Australians, S#S T( Series. :etrieved from http)<<www.sbs.com.au<firstaustralians<
>oodwin, 6. 17B472. Indigenous 0ulture) ItEs /verybodyEs #usiness. Every Child, 18142.
Aarrison, @. 17B442. Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education. South ,elbourne, (ictoria) -ford.
@orrington, =. 17BB82. You and Me: Our Place) Iorking Title .ress.
:adich, 6. 17B472. 0ultural 0ompetence) Iorking Towards :econcilation Every Child, 18172.
:econciliation Australia 17B4B2. :etrieved from http)<<www.reconciliation.org.au<home<resources
:hea, L. ,. 17B472. Teaching in the spirit of reconciliation. Proessional Educator, 11142.
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 7
:igney, =. 17BB72. Indigenous /ducation and Treaty) #uilding Indigenous ,anagement 0apacity.
Stolper, ?., M Aammond, 6. 17B4B2. Australian :econciliation #arometer 7B4B) 0omparing the Attitudes of Indigenous .eople and Australians
-verall.
Tan, S. 17BB62. The Arrival) AodderEs 0hildrenEs #ooks.
The (ictorian Aboriginal /ducation Association Incorporated 17B472. !AEA" Position Pa#er $ %oorie&Aboriginal 'tudies and Education.

The (ictorian Aboriginal /ducation Association Incorporated 17B442. (ra)e*or+ or E)bedding %oorie Cultures, ,istories and Pers#ectives
in !ictorian 'chools
Indigenous Studies Unit Planner Assignment 2 8