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c3109550 EDUC6912 Essay 1 Resource Critique
ADoriginal students continue to struggle across most aspects of the Austral ian education system,
as this is mostly due to infrequent use of educational resources that are produced and endorsed by
Aboriginal communities and individuals. Such resources are valuable to Engli sh and History
classrooms, where plurality of perspectives and critical analysis is encouraged. They provide the
Abori ginal voices and perspectives during an influential period in the development of student
values, awareness and appreciation of Australian history and culture. The Awabakal Word Finder
and Dreaming Stories Companion is an educational resource with the potential to improve both
English and History teaching, especiall y in local contexts of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. It
) "is the result of a local Aboriginal community directive" (Maynard, 2004) that was produced out
of an acti ve local interest in reintroducing the Awabakal language for study. (Maynard, 2004) Its
use in English classrooms will improve student literacy and acknowledgement of local Aborigi nal
languages and spirituality. Its use in History classrooms wi ll enrich the experience of local
Australian hi story by providing alternative interpretations of local areas, features and Aboriginal
cultures. The Awabakal Word Finder also supports the learning of indigenous students, as
through its use, in partnership with local Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal students will see
thei r culture as a valued and integrated part of their classroom study of Austral ian culture and
Australi an history.
The Engli sh syllabus claims to support "the development[ ... ] of a system of personal
values based on students' understanding of moral, ethical and spiritual matters." (Board of
Studies NSW, 200 1a) This and the syllabus' consistent emphasis on critical analysis imply that it
supports the development of unprejudiced, well-informed values. Students need to be fully aware
of Australi an society, and all its components, including the indigenous experience in order to
develop such values. The Awabakal Word Finder can faci litate student development by providing
them with the oppo1t uni ty to learn about the language and spirituality of the Indigenous peoples
local to Newcastle. The resource was produced by the Wandi yali Aboriginal and Torres Strait
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c3109550 EDUC6912 Essay 1 Resource Critique
Islander & Hunter Koori Youth Service and is edited by a local Worimi man, Dr John Maynard. ,
It is specifically designed "provide a resource for youth, students and adults alike." (Maynard,
2004) This text offers classrooms an opportunity to intimately engage with the Aboriginal history
and culture of the Newcastle area. Both the Awabakal dictionary and the collection of local
dreaming stories can be used in both English literacy and Historical inquiry act ivities that would
enrich student knowledge of local Aboriginal culture and language. Such activities could achieve
the Stage 4 and 5 objective of English syllabus "express themselves and their relati onships with
others and the world. " (Board of Studies NSW, 2001a) The resource would also be patticularly
useful for Stage 4 History, Topic 3A: "Australia 1788-1900." (Board of Studies NS W, 2003)
"The best way for students to learn about Aboriginal hi story and culture is to li sten to the
experiences of Aboriginal people." (Board of Studies NSW, 2001 b) The Dreaming Stories
Companion part of this resource is intended to be used as a written suppott for the original oral
format of the dreaming stori es. The text would ideally be used in pattnership wi th local
Aborigi nal community members, who could be invited to deliver the stori es in the text orall y.
Students would be encouraged to critically evaluate the stories in Engli sh class as an oral text and
in History as a source. The Aboriginal Education &Training Policy acknowledges the "right of
Aboriginal students to fair, equitable, culturally inclusive and signifi cant educational
opportunities." (Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate, 2009) This can only be achi eved
through recognition of the educational needs of Aboriginal students. The IESIP research
identified that a unique barrier to Indigenous student learning was a dismissal of Aboriginal
English as a "bad or incorrect" (McRae et al., 2002) use of English. The Awabakal Word Finder
allows students to deconstruct the Standard Engli sh expected in the classroom, thus teaching it
explicitly and "accepting dialectal differences" (McRae et al. , 2002) through a comparison to the
Awabakal language. Teaching strategies that suppott the particular educational needs of
Aboriginal students are inclusively supportive. The IESIP research identified that Aboriginal
students respond well to high expectations scaffolded with achievable steps, and group work.
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c3109550 EDUC6912 Essay 1 Resource Critique
Bolh of these are effective teaching strategies for the learning of all students, (Killen, 2009) and
The analysis of the dreaming stories could possibly be a group activity. Also, a collaborative
story writing exercise using Awabakal words from the text's dictionary, or a peer-marked
Awabakal spelling test are other options for combining the Awabakal Word Finder with inclusive
teaching strategies, to maximise the learning potential of all students, including Aboriginal
students.
For History, this resource could be used in depth for the Stage 4 History Topic 3, Section
A, "Australia 1788-1900: the nature and impact of colonisation and contact."(Board of Studies
) NSW, 2003) As part of this topic students learn to "compare the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
relationship to land and country." (Board of Studies NSW, 2003) This resource provides a
genuine demonstration of the Aboriginal relationship to the land. The dreaming stories collected
in this volume can be examined as primary sources, wi ll consideration of the oral tradition and
how they have been preserved and translated since. The advantage of the fact that they are local
stories means that students will be able to relate as they will be able to identify the landmarks
mentioned in the stories, increasing the significance of the learning, particular to Aboriginal
students who may be able to offer a modern Aboriginal perspective on the stories. By this The
) Awabakal Word Finder encourages active Aboriginal participation in class and appreciates the
knowledge and experience of living Awabakal people. The resource will also support Aboriginal
education through recognition of the connection of the land to Aboriginal spirituality.
The Awabaka/ Word Finder effectively supports the increase of Aboriginal education in
classroom learning, as wel l as the positive education of Aboriginal students. It has been
demonstrated how this resource is applicable to English and History classrooms, but this resource
could also be effectively integrated into the teaching of other subj ects across the curriculum. As
the text was produced by the local Aboriginal community, it is an authentic representation of
Aboriginal perspectives. The acknowledgement of this in the classroom has the potential to
3
c3109550 EDUC6912 Essay 1 Resource Critique
greatly enrich the study of Curri cular Engli sh and History for secondary students. Thi s resource i.s
able to improve the knowledge of future Australi an generations in Aboriginal culture, history and
language, through effective partnerships with local Aboriginal communities and inclusive
teaching strategies and learning activities. All students of the Australian education system would
benefit from such an increased knowledge, and an integrated respect of the Indigenous cultures of
Australia. This benefit of this resource in particular is not limited to Novocastrian classrooms
either; it could be examined as a text or source for a case study in any Australian classroom
context.
Bibliography
Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate. (2009). Aboriginal Education and Training Policy:
An I11troducto1J' Guide. Sydney: NSW Department of Education & Training.
Board of Studies NSW. (200 I a). English Years 7- 10 Syllabus. (2003284). Sydney: Board of Studies
NSW.
Board of Studies NSW. (200 I b). Working with Aboriginal Communities. Sydney: Board of Studies
NSW.
Board of Studies NS W. (2003 ). HistOJy Years 7-10 Syllabus. Sydney: Board of Studies NSW.
Killen, R. (2009). Effective Teaching Strategies: Lessonsjio111 research and practice (5th ed.).
Melbourne: Cenage Learning Australia.
Maynard, J. (Ed.). (2004). Awabakal Word Finder and Dreaming Stories Companion. Southport:
Keeaira Press.
McRae, D., Ainswo1th, G., Hughes, P., Price, K., Rowland, M., Warhurst, J., . . . Zbar, Y. (2002).
What Works. The Works Program. Improving Outcomesfor Indigenous Students. The
Guidebook. Canberra: Australian Curriculum Studies Association and National Curriculum
Services.
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