STANDARD 2: KNOW THE CONTENT AND HOW TO TEACH IT
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss,
ARTEFACT - LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Incorporating learning and understanding of Aboriginal culture and spirituality and respect for diversity, is embedded in the Australian curriculum from early years to highschool. In this artefact, I had planned to read a book called “I LOVE ME” by Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina to the 3-5 year olds which allowed children to see a clear link to Aborignal culture and themselves (2.2.4) It was a book that expressed self-love but from the eyes of someone from an Indigenous background. Children were able to relate to someone the same age as them and see they laugh, breathe and play the same, even if they do not all look the same. It is an educator's ethical responsibility upon the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics (ECA) to teach with dignity and respect. Teaching the content associated with Aborignal and Torres Strait Islander in a way that reflects that will allow children to recognise the sacredness and importance of it.
This artefact has a strong link to (2.2.4) and has achieved promoting the standard for many reasons. Children between the ages of 0-5 are developing at a much faster rate due to neurons in the brain working increasingly faster, this process is called ‘synaptogenesis’ (Wilson & Conyers, 2013). Providing children with concrete understandings about Indigenous culture within the early years will formulate their learning and understanding for which they will develop further with appreciation in primary school. The Alice Springs Declaration (2019) stressed the importance in cross-curriculum priority ensuring learning is built on cultural knowledge of Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Department of Education, 2019). Analysing this learning experience in practice, it was a pivotal teaching moment as it allowed discussion of the topic to be extended further as children were able to transfer their past knowledge to the present moment and discuss what they already knew about Indigenous culture and how it correlates to the story being told. (321 words)