Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic

18063631 102096 TUT: Tuesday, 1pm

When implementing education research into teaching pedagogy, the two can be

intertwined to create structure and success in the learning environment. The

incorporation of research into lesson planning is an effective way for teachers

and head supervisors to oversee the completion of curriculum and syllabus

outcomes. An educational issue within the Australian context is the address of

Indigenous culture and historical knowledge within the national curriculum.

Through analysis of Doug Hewitt’s (2000) ‘A Clash of Worldviews: Experiences

from Teaching Aboriginal Students’, a select few of his recommendations can be

elicited within a Year 10 English lesson, regarding the exploration of Indigenous

poetry.

The educational issue

The focus of Hewitt’s (2000) paper is the implementation of Indigenous culture

into the Australian schooling curriculum so as to more equitably inform an

individual’s worldview. The lack of Indigenous knowledge within any of the

subject curricula denies Indigenous and non-Indigenous children the right to

learn about the progression of Indigenous-Australian history before colonisation.

Engagement with Indigenous history is very important for the Australian

curriculum yet Hewitt and other researchers would agree that not enough

Indigenous content is performed in contemporary schooling. “There has been

little inclusion of the history, culture and language of the Indigenous people of

Australia in primary or secondary schools” (Craven, 1999 in Andersen, 2012, p.

40). Instead, students learn about the European settlement, the two World Wars,

or other significant battles, yet very little on their own heritage. This Indigenous

exclusion is “due to the assimilationist nature of schooling” (Harris & Malin,

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1994, in Andersen, 2012, p. 40) where measuring performativity and engaging

globally are goals set out by the board.

Previously there has been minimal criterion that requires teachers to

incorporate Indigenous culture and history into the English curriculum. In recent

years “the introduction of the national curriculum was intended to produce

educational progression” (Maxwell, Lowe & Salter, 2018, p. 162), in order to put

Australian students on par with global standards. Given that Hewitt’s article was

written in 2000 it is necessary to mention that there have been significant steps

taken to expose students to Indigenous histories and cultures across a broad

range of subject areas. With specific relation to English, students must now fulfil

several outcomes on Indigenous history, as will be explored.

Relation to KLA

Hewitt’s (2000) main issue has a direct connection with the key learning area of

English. The English curriculum has previously relied on the use of

Shakespearean texts, British and American 19th/20th century classics or popular

Australian novels – all of which have been recycled by teachers for decades.

Arguably, the Department of Education had overlooked the importance of

including Indigenous culture/history within any of the key learning areas as the

curriculum stipulated minimal proviso to do so. As Hewitt (2000) discusses the

centrality of Indigenous content in the creation of personal worldviews, there

has been a long withstanding loss for students regarding the lack of inclusion of

Indigenous texts in class.

Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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The introduction of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education

Policy (1989) to implement culture and knowledge into the classroom has

“wavered between positive engagement and complacent dismissal” (Mackinlay &

Barney, 2011, p. 93) with regard to curriculum and teachers. Reynolds (2002)

states that when Aboriginal children attend school, ‘their own values and culture

are denied, their language and communication strategies are challenged…’ (in

Reynolds, 2005, p. 32). This makes it very difficult for Indigenous students to

engage in the classroom when the stimulus presented by the teacher offers no

sense of familiarity or relation. It specifically affects the subject of English

because the improvement of language, spelling and comprehension skills should

happen here. Growth is prevented for Indigenous students when there is no

opportunity to engage their cultural skills in class and share with their peers

their opinion, experiences and beliefs. However, the progression of the English

curriculum now promotes a wide range of texts that provide “insights into

Aboriginal experience in Australia” (NESA, 2012, p. 23) as a key focus of the

syllabus from Early Stage 1 to Stage 5.

Critical Summary

Hewitt’s (2000) ‘A Clash of Worldviews: Experiences from Teaching Aboriginal

Students’, questions how the lack of Indigenous content in school curriculum

affects the moulding of an individual child’s worldview. Given that worldview is

“a result of the interplay between…individual character and the socialising forces

of the cultural group to which they belong” (Hewitt, 2000, p. 111), Hewitt felt

that the failure to incorporate Indigenous histories into (a then state/now

Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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national) curriculum denied Australian students the right to form their

worldview with this exclusion.

Hewitt (2000) believes that we can improve the Australian education system by

“adapting a teacher education course” (p. 113), improving “the school

experience” (p. 114), “recognising indigenous culture” (p. 115), “adopting a

learning partnership” (p. 116) and “sharing worldviews to benefit all” (p. 116-

117). Hewitt does access an array of resources to prepare his report. However,

the research articles consulted to inform these recommendations are dated from

1972 to 1990 (p. 117). Given that his paper was constructed in 2000, this could

lead a researcher or teacher to assume that he could have accessed more recent

data to base his opinion. This constructively means that applying 45-25 year old

research has a limited applicability in a 2018 context.

Another weakness of Hewitt (2000) is that he makes several overarching

statements without providing evidence or statistical data to stabilise his

argument. For example he offers, “Australian schools have repeatedly

failed…students…from indigenous cultures” (p. 112). Whilst this fact is in no way

being denied, Hewitt does not provide any data to support his argument. This

would force a researcher or teacher to question the validity of Hewitt’s resource

and consequently whether or not these recommendations would be useful to

implement into teaching pedagogy.

Similarly, Hewitt fails to mention any education or curriculum policy. In an

education paper, one might assume this is a priority when presenting such an

argument. Kleeman (2012) reminds us that Recommendation 29 of the Royal

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Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991) called for schools to

“reflect the fact that Australia has an Aboriginal history and Aboriginal

viewpoints on social, cultural and historical matters” (p. 26). Hewitt fails to use

any such evidence, that would be easily accessible (and applicable) in his

research.

The Learning Activity

The learning activity I have chosen comes from ‘Australian Curriculum Lessons’

and focuses on Indigenous literature, specifically Oodgeroo Noonuccal. The

lesson plan in its entirety uses an array of options but basic activities that would

be appropriate for any student have been chosen (Jones, 2015, p. 5-9). This plan

is useful as it can actually be used across Stage 4 and Stage 5 as there are

interchangeable questions differing in difficulty. Therefore, a high level of

suitability is created depending on how the plan is implemented.

Hewitt (2000) believed “the contribution of such indigenous worldviews is

needed to benefit all who participate in the learning process” (p. 112). Therefore

participating in a lesson (or set of lessons) purely dedicated to Indigenous poetry

means Hewitt’s recommendations can be implemented and students can be

included in learning about the country’s first people. The lesson plan uses mainly

poetry from Oodgeroo Noonuccal including, ‘We are going’, and ‘No more

boomerang’. Given that Noonuccal is an Indigenous writer, it means that

students will gain insight into her prolific work and hence exposure to some

facets of Indigenous culture. Hewitt wanted students to have access to this

knowledge.
Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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Hewitt (2000) states “convergent thinking has been favoured because it is more

easily measured and thus divergence or creativity has been discouraged” (p.

112). Given that Indigenous culture has a prominent focus on creativity and

resourcefulness, means that focusing on the intricate poetry of Oodgeroo

Noonuccal benefits Indigenous students within the class. This learning activity

gives rise to a favourable opportunity for the Indigenous-Australian creole to be

explored through Oodgeroo’s work. The lesson plan unfortunately works based

on the teacher’s knowledge and using what data can be found in independent

research. This does align with Hewitt’s (2000) argument that ‘the lack of cultural

awareness among the predominantly non-indigenous teaching profession means

that Aboriginal culture will continue to be devalued’ (p. 113). This is obviously a

downfall of the activity.

The Revisions

The Melbourne Declaration (2008) requires that students “understand and

acknowledge the value of Indigenous cultures and possess the knowledge, skills

and understanding to contribute to, and benefit from, reconciliation…” (p. 10).

Taking this into account, the learning activity discussed above requires some

alterations in order to help students value culture and possess knowledge. To do

so, teachers must recognise “the cultural interface…between Indigenous

students and non-Indigenous students within classrooms provides challenges

and opportunities” (Andersen, 2012, p. 40). Yet implementing Indigenous

resources into the English classroom promotes an invaluable social cohesion,

and removes the categorisation of students as Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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The first alteration is for students to work collectively in analysing the poetry

(see Appendix 2), where they can share their own thoughts and experiences. The

inclusion of Noonuccal’s poetry will remain the same (Appendix 1). The

exploration of such poetry is very useful for informing personal understanding of

Indigenous culture and thus, informing worldview. “Including Indigenous

knowledge in the curriculum promotes its visibility” (Andersen, 2012, p. 40) and

consequently would open up an opportunity for Indigenous students to offer

their own perspectives regarding Aboriginal history in Australia. This is

beneficial to all students – if Indigenous students are willing to share their own

encounters with their culture, this is a special and valuable experience for all

students. This ties with Hewitt’s (2000) belief that “the introduction of global

perspectives into systems of formal education has resulted in a growing

awareness of the distinction between different worldviews” (p. 111). Hearing of

others experiences provides variety amongst school pledged uniformity.

In keeping with Hewitt’s (2000) recommendation that teachers and students

should have some form of interaction with an Indigenous elder or community

representative, the teacher undertaking this lesson plan should arrange to have

an in-class visit from an elder. This alteration (Appendix 2) was made in the

hope that students would have the opportunity to engage with an Indigenous

person, who can answer student queries, provide cultural insight beyond the

information that is gained from a textbook or provide knowledge that helps form

the individual’s worldview. There should also be a prior opportunity for the

teacher to meet with the Elder and inform their worldview of Indigenous culture,

through ‘recognising Indigenous culture’ (p. 115) or ‘adopting a learning

Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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partnership’ (p. 116). This will ensure the teacher is engaged in learning as well

as the students.

In acknowledging Hewitt’s (2000) other recommendations, the Department of

Education has actually made considerable progress since 2000 and therefore

some of his recommendations are being achieved. One includes the

incorporation of culture and knowledge into curriculum (p. 113). Maxwell, Lowe

and Salter (2018) discussed the importance of the ‘cross-curriculum priorities’

(p. 162) in shaping the incorporation of Indigenous education across all subject

areas. The education board devised a plan to incorporate ‘Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander histories and cultures’, ‘Australia’s engagement with Asia’ and

‘Sustainability’ into every learning area in Australian schools (ACARA, 2017). In

doing so, students around the country will be exposed to all three priorities as a

means of ensuring that all children in Australia understand the country’s

heritage and formation prior to colonisation (where there has been an

overwhelming emphasis). Harrison and Greenfield (2011) argue “quality

teaching of Aboriginal perspectives is contingent upon the teacher’s

conceptualisation of Aboriginal knowledge” (p. 66). Otherwise students “really

only learn stereotypes of Aboriginality” (Pearson, 2009, in Harrison & Greenfield,

2011, p. 66). Teachers should ensure that making continuous links with relevant

bodies in quality teaching fulfils the priorities of the English curriculum.

Darling-Hammond (2016) believes that schools in this century must adopt an

“adaptive mode” (p. 85) as opposed to a “selective mode” (p. 85). In doing so, she

believed teaching will be “adjusted to individuals – their backgrounds, talents,

interest and the nature of past performance” (p. 85). So adapting certain
Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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curriculum outcomes to include the use of indigenous texts should occur more

frequently than just meeting the specific Indigenous outcomes. This may assist in

addressing indigenous “issues of absenteeism and transience” (Jorgensen &

Niesche, 2011, p. 46) that are regulated by different policies.

Since the foundation of policy to incorporate Indigenous content across all

subject areas, there has arguably been progressive change. This can as shown

through the steady increase in Indigenous school completion (16.9% in 2002 to

25.7% in 2015) and attainment of Certificate or Diploma (26.1% in 2002 to

46.5% in 2015), (ABS, 2016). Therefore the continuation of teachers using

Indigenous culture and knowledge in the English classroom is sure to improve

these statistics in years to come and give students the autonomy to inform their

worldview.

Conclusion

Hewitt (2000) believes that “no single approach to teaching and learning can suit

all people” (p. 111). While this may well be the case, teachers around Australia

have the opportunity to implement education research into their pedagogy in

order to provide a successful and safe learning environment for children from all

backgrounds. Through evaluation of Hewitt’s recommendations, there can be

several alterations made to current activities within the English KLA. However,

out-dated research, failure to provide evidence for argument and exclusion of

relevant policy jeopardises the reliability of research. Therefore, the applicability

of Hewitt’s research is limited due to his failure to validate his work.

Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016, April). National Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander Social Survery, 2014-2015, (no. 4714.0). Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/0/AD174BBF36BA93A2CA25
6EBB007981BA?Opendocument

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017). Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. Retrieved from
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curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-
cultures/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017). Cross-

curriculum priorities. Retrieved from
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-
curriculum-priorities/

Andersen, C. (2012). Teacher education, Aboriginal studies and the new national
curriculum. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 41 (1) 40-46. DOI:
10.1017/jie.2012.7

Darling-Hammond, L. (2016). Research on teaching and teacher education and

its influences on policy and practice. Educational Researcher, 45 (2) 83-91.
DOI: 10.3102/0013189X16639597

Harrison, N., & Greenfield, M. (2011). Relationship to place: positioning Aboriginal

knowledge and perspectives in classroom pedagogies. Critical Studies in
Education, 52 (1) 65-76. DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2011.536513

Hewitt, D. (2000). A Clash of Worldviews: experiences from teaching Aboriginal

students. Theory Into Practice, 39 (2) 111-117. DOI:
10.1207/s15430421tip3902_8
Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
18063631 102096 TUT: Tuesday, 1pm
Jones, L. (2015). Classic Australian Literature Unit – Indigenous Poems for Years 7-
10. Australian Curriculum Lessons. Retrieved from
https://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/Indigenous-Poems-Classical-Australian-
Literature-Unit.pdf

Jorgensen, R., & Niesche, R. (2011). Curriculum leadership in remote Indigenous

communities. Leading and Managing, 17 (1) 45-58. Retrieved from
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au.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/fullText;dn=138046979475890;res=IELAPA

Kleeman, G. (2012). Towards a more inclusive curriculum: the perspectives of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples geography curriculum
documents. Geographical Education, 25, 24-28. Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfvi
ewer?vid=2&sid=90e099fb-3d05-4688-bbc0-
7343366c2451%40sessionmgr120

Mackinlay, E., & Barney, K. (2010). Transformative learning in first year

Indigenous Australian studies: Posing problems, asking questions and
achieving change: a practice report. The International Journal of the First
Year in Higher Education, 1 (1) 91-99. Retrieved from
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wsydney&it=DIourl&s=RELEVANCE&p=AONE&qt=TI~%22Transformati
ve+learning+in+first%22~~SP~91~~IU~1~~SN~1838-
2959~~VO~1&lm=DA~120100000&sw=w&authCount=1

Maxwell, J., Lowe, K., & Salter, P. (2018). The re-creation and resolution of the
‘problem’ of Indigenous education in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander education in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cross-
curriculum priority. The Australian Association for Research in Education,
45 (2) 161-177. DOI: 10.1007/s13384-017-0254-7
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Triffett, G. (1995). Worawa. Youth Studies Australia, 14 (4) 35-38. Retrieved from
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=0&sid=501bb777-8bf8-4a74-ad8e-
acfc6f8b905c%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY
29wZT1zaXRl#AN=9601090819&db=sih

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs.

(2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.
Retrieved from:
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_
on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2012). English K-10 Syllabus. Retrieved

from
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10_full.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2012). Suggested texts for the English K-10
Syllabus. Retrieved from
http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/english-k10-
suggested-texts.pdf

Reynolds, R.J. (2005). The education of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students: repair or radical change. Childhood Education, 82 (1)
31-36. DOI: 10.1080/00094056.2005.10521337
Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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Appendix
Appendix 1
Reference: Jones, L. (2015). Classic Australian Literature Unit – Indigenous Poems
for Years 7-10. Australian Curriculum Lessons. Retrieved from
https://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2015/05/Indigenous-Poems-Classical-Australian-
Literature-Unit.pdf

Learning Activity: Grades 7-10

Content descriptors
- Creating literature ‘create literary texts that adapt stylistic features
encountered in other texts eg stanza, juxtaposition’ and ‘experiment with
text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary
texts eg rhythm, layout, colour
- Creating texts ‘ plan draft and publish imaginative informative and
persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular
language visual and audio features to convey information and ideas’
- Responding to Literature ‘reflect on ideas and opinions about characters,
setting and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and
difference with others and justifying a point of view’

Summary: Oodgeroo Noonuccal (formerly known as Kath walker ) was the first
indigenous female poet to have her works published in 1964 to great success as
the title ‘We are going’. Awarded the OBE in 1970 she famously returned the
honour in 1987 in protest of the Bicentennial Celebrations Australia Day 1988.
Born on North Stradbroke Island Minjerribah she worked in domestic service in
Brisbane while raising two children. She returned to Minjerribah as a
‘grandmother’ and educator to the children of the island.

This series of poems will be analysed using the method SMILES

S tructure line length, organisation of text, rhyme scheme, syllables
M eaning title, overall theme, message, subject
I magery visual picture, literary features, symbolism, irony
L anguage grammar, punctuation, use of words – simple, complex, lyrical,
colloquial, ironic
E ffect opinion, bias or message presented by poet
S ound onomatopoeia, rhythm of spoken text

Assessment Ideas
Summative: Creative Writing
Write an imaginative piece (letter or journal entry) written from the perspective
of a resident living on North Stradbroke Island i.e. an event such as the building
of the mission, an escape from the benevolent asylum, a corroboree, using the
outline of a short story.

Or

Write a biographical feature article on the life of Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

Madeleine Clark Researching Teaching & Learning Bettina Stevanovic
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Appendix 2

Content descriptors
- ‘create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other
texts eg stanza, juxtaposition’ and ‘experiment with text structures and
language features and their effects in creating literary texts
- ‘plan draft and publish imaginative informative and persuasive texts,
selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language visual and
audio features to convey information and ideas’
- ‘reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, setting and events in
literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others
and justifying a point of view’

Summary: Oodgeroo Noonuccal (formerly known as Kath Walker) was the first
indigenous female poet to have her works published in 1964. Students will work
collaboratively to dissect ‘We are going’ and ‘No more boomerang’.

This series of poems will be analysed using the method SMILES

- S tructure line length, organisation of text, rhyme scheme, syllables
- M eaning title, overall theme, message, subject
- I magery visual picture, literary features, symbolism, irony
- L anguage grammar, punctuation, use of words – simple, complex, lyrical,
colloquial, ironic
- E ffect opinion, bias or message presented by poet
- S ound onomatopoeia, rhythm of spoken text

Visitation: from local Indigenous Elder to occur

Students to ask questions and discuss experiences with Elder. Teacher can
encourage Elder to discuss cultural celebrations, experiences, misconceptions
etc.
Teacher should have had communication with Elder prior to the class time (as
part of the community partnership)

Assessment Ideas
Summative: Creative Writing
Write an imaginative piece (letter or journal entry) written from the perspective
of an Indigenous person. This may achieved through the experiences recorded by
Oodgeroo Noonuccal or inspired by the stories shared by the Elder.
Use of Indigenous-Australian English/creole is encouraged