Teaching to Diversities: Indigeneity
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The University of Sydney's Reconciliation Statement (pdf) states its commitment to 'creating an environment in which the rich, and diverse cultures of Indigenous Australians are known, promoted, and celebrated'. In a general sense, the University works to promote education for Indigenous Australian peoples at all levels in society. More particularly, that work includes 'the incorporation of relevant Indigenous perspectives into University materials and academic programs'.
Many of the resources available for teaching staff engaged in Indigenising their curriculum, and/or in teaching Indigenous students, are still in the development stage. We welcome suggestions for further resources to add to our list below.
Indigenous units of the University
The University of Sydney supports Indigenous teaching and learning through its two main Indigenous units, as well as individual Indigenous staff in the disciplines. These units are dedicated to Indigenous student support, but also work on the teaching of Indigenous curriculum across a range of disciplines. They provide professional development for non-Indigenous colleagues, as well as carrying out research and fostering relations with community.
Koori Centre
The Koori Centre provides
programs, services and facilities to encourage and support the involvement
of Indigenous Australians in all aspects of tertiary education at the University
of Sydney. Their programs are offered both within the Centre and through
the many faculties and departments of the University.
Email: koori@koori.usyd.edu.au
Yooroang Garang School of Indigenous Health Studies
Yooroang Garang School
of Indigenous Health Studies in the Faculty of Health Sciences
has now been made into two units:
Yooroang Garang is responsible for:
- recruitment of Indigenous students into the Faculty
- provision of support for Indigenous students in health sciences programs in the faculty
- academic preparation of Indigenous students for future tertiary study in health sciences
- school and community liaison and engagement
- conducting research into practice in Indigenous student recruitment, preparation, student support or experience
- teaching Indigenous health across health sciences curricula
- teaching and developing curricula for postgraduate programs in Indigenous community health
- development of flexible delivery options for courses offered
- development and implementation of short professional courses
- conducting research in Indigenous health.
Indigenous protocols
Indigenous staff of units such as the Koori Centre and Yooroang Garang are an invaluable resource for the institution's staff and students, and give readily of their time and expertise. Research has shown, however, that the small number of Indigenous staff in Australian universities are at risk of being overloaded by requests for curriculum development advice, guest lectures, requests for Welcomes to Country, etc., on top of their regular academic work.
Recognising this, the Koori Centre has developed protocols such as their
'Request
for Koori Centre Staff Guest Speaker' (pdf).
It is also important to observe Indigenous protocols when carrying out
research, including pedagogical research. The Australian Institute of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) has provided
Guidelines
for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies. These guidelines
are mainly intended for researchers working with Indigenous communities,
but they are also relevant for researchers such as those investigating
teaching and learning issues in relation to our Indigenous students.
Synergy articles
The November 2007 issue of the Institute for Teaching & Learning's publication Synergy (No. 26), has a special focus on diversity. Contributions include articles by academic staff on Indigenous issues in teaching, learning and research supervision. Previous issues of Synergy contain other articles on these issues; see, for example, Indigenous Philosophy in Pedagogy and Research (Issue 19); and Indigenous Ways of Learning (Issue 12).
Resources for teachers
We have found these resources
and links to be particularly useful for teachers looking for new insights
into and strategies for Indigenous teaching and learning, as well as
research in the field. A more comprehensive list of references follows.
Cass, A., Lowell, A., Christie, M., Snelling, P., Flack, M., Marrnganyin,
B. & Brown, I. (2002). Sharing the true stories: Improving communication
between Aboriginal patients and healthcare workers. Medical Journal
of Australia, 176, 10, 466-470.
Clapham, K & Kinchela, J. ‘What Health Science Students Learn about Indigenous Health.’ (2005). Yooroang Garang School of Indigenous Health Studies in Association with the School of Public Health, The University of Sydney.
Devlin, M. & James, R. (2006). Partnerships, Pathways and Policies - Improving Indigenous Education Outcomes. Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC) Report on Second Annual Indigenous Higher Education Conference (December).
Falk, P. (2007). The Pathways Model: Pathways to Indigenous Inclusive Teaching and Learning Practices. Report on A Griffith University Teaching and Learning Signature Grant Experience. Brisbane, QLD: Griffith University Press.
Farrington, S., Digregorio, K. & Page, S. (1999). Yooroang Garang issues in Aboriginal health worker training: listening to students. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 23, 1, (Jan/Feb), 17-20.
James, R. & Devlin, M. (2006). Improving Indigenous Outcomes and Enhancing Indigenous Culture and Knowledge in Australian Higher Education. Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC) Report. (March).
Norman, H. (2004). Exploring Effective Teaching Strategies: Simulation Case Studies and Indigenous Studies at the University Level. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 33, 15-21.
Rose, D., Lui-Chivizhe, L., McKnight, A. & Smith, A. (2003). Scaffolding Academic Reading and Writing at the Koori Centre. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 32, 41-49.
Smith, L. Tuhiwai (1999). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London & New York: Zed Books Ltd.References
Asmar, C, Blanchard, M. & Mooney, J. (2003). Nurturing Indigenous Australian Knowledges and Traditions: Landscapes of Western Supremacy within a Tertiary Institution. In M. Kalantzis & P. James (Eds.) International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, 3, 641- 648.
Benseman, J., Coxon, E., Anderson, H. & Anae, M. (2006). Retaining non-traditional students: lessons learnt from Pasifika students in New Zealand. Higher Education Research & Development, 25, 2, 147-162.
Boulton-Lewis, G., Wilss, L. & Lewis, D. (2003). Dissonance between conceptions of learning and ways of learning for Indigenous Australian University students. Studies in Higher Education, 28, 1, 79-89.
Bourke, C.J. & Burden, J.K. (1996). Factors affecting performance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students at Australian Universities: A Case Study. Canberra: Department of Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, Evaluations and Investigations Program, 96/18 (December).
Brady, Wendy, and Michelle Carey. (2000). Talkin' Up "Whiteness": a Black and White Dialogue, in John Docker and Gerhard Fischer (Eds.), Race, Colour and Identity in Australia and NZ, UNSW Press, Sydney.
Christie, M. (2006). Transdisciplinary research and Aboriginal Knowledge. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 35, 78-89.
Craven, R. (2005). Turning points in Indigenous education: new findings that can really make a difference and implications for the next generation of Indigenous Education Research. Paper presented at The Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, Parramatta, NSW.
Gale, P. (2000). Indigenous rights and higher education in Australia: ‘Not just Black and White’, in Teasdale, G.R, & Rhea, Z.M, (Eds.) Local Knowledge and Wisdom in Higher Education. Oxford: IAU Press.
Gower, G., Nakata, M., Mackean, T. (November 2007). Achieving appropriate outcomes in the teaching of Indigenous Australian studies in Universities. A discussion paper for the Indigenous Higher Education Council Conference, Adelaide.
Hart, V. (2003). Teaching black and teaching back. Social Alternatives, 22, 3, 12-16.
Howard, P. (1992). Preparing an academic community for a Cross-Cultural interchange. Journal of the Aboriginal Studies Association, 2, 1 (August). 95-101.
Johnston, P. M. (2004). When Indigenous knowledge questions the limits: A lesson about wisdom. Keynote paper, HERDSA Conference, Sarawak, 4-7 July.
Jones, A. (1999). Pedagogy by the Oppressed: The Limits of Classroom Dialogue. Paper presented at AARE-NZARE Conference.
Kippen, S., Ward, B. & Warren, L. (2006). Enhancing Indigenous participation in Higher Education health courses in rural Victoria. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 35, 1-9.
May, S & Aikman, S (2003). Indigenous Education: addressing current issues and developments. Comparative Education, 39, 2, 139-145.
McConville, G. (2002). Regional agreements, higher education and representations of Indigenous Australian reality. Australian Universities Review, 45, 1, 15-24.
McDaniel, M. & Flowers, R. (2000). Adult Education and Indigenous Australians in Foley, G. (Ed.) Understanding Adult Training and Education. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
McLisky, Claire & Day, Diana. ‘Black and White Science: Encouraging Indigenous Australian Students into University Science and Technology.’ (2004). The Koori Centre in association with the College of Sciences and Technology, The University of Sydney.
Nakata, M. (2004a). Indigenous Australian Studies and Higher Education. The Wentworth Lectures, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved 25 July, 2007, from http://www1.aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/wentworth/a352185_a.pdf
Nakata, M. (2004b). Ongoing conversations about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research agendas and directions. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 33, 1-6.
National Staff Development Committee. (1996). A report on professional development for teachers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students. Melbourne, VIC.
Page, S. & Asmar, C. (2004). Indigenous academic voices: Stories from the tertiary education frontline. Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) News, 26, 1 (April), 13-15.
Phillips, J. (2003). Decolonising the centre. Social Alternatives, 22, 3, 3-5.
Reid, J. & Santoro, N. (2006). Cinders in snow? Indigenous teachers' identities in formation. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34, 2,143-160.
Rigney, Lester-Irabinna. (1997). Internationalisation of an Indigenous Anti-Colonial Cultural Critique of Research Methodologies: A Guide to Indigenist Research Methodology and its Principles. Journal for Native American Studies, WICAZO sa Review, University of Minnesota Press, 14, 2 (Fall), 109-121. Retrieved 6 August, 2007, from http://www.flinders.edu.au/yunggorendi/staff/lester/Paper%20no1%20lirherdsa.pdf
Scott, D. & Smart, W. (2005). What factors make a difference to getting a degree in New Zealand? NZ Ministry of Education, October.
Sterne, G. (2004). Connecting with students of Pacific descent. NZ Education Review (September 22-28), 7.
Wignell, P. (Ed.) (1999). Double Power: English literacy and Indigenous Education. Melbourne: Language Australia.
Worby, G. & Rigney, D. (2002). Approaching ethical issues: Institutional management of Indigenous research. Australian Universities Review, 45, 1, 24-33.
Other useful links
Using language inclusive of Indigenous peoples A guide for university teachers, adapted by the ITL from a resource developed at Queensland University of Technology, and reproduced with their permission.
E-book
on Australian Indigenous Knowledge and Libraries, edited by Professor
Martin Nakata and Professor Marcia Langton. This E-book has been negotiated
with the authors as 'open source material' , in order to reach more
Indigenous people across the globe. It costs nothing to download.
Questions
and Answers about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
A useful general resource provided by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Commission.
Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council: The Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council has been established to provide policy advice to government on higher education issues. Among other things the Council convenes an annual Indigenous Higher Education Conference.
Indigenous Higher Education Centres: The Department of Education, Employment & Workplace relations has a listing of Indigenous Higher Education Centres located in universities around Australia. These Centres provide support to Indigenous students, further Indigenous academic studies, create a network of Indigenous students and academics, and provide an Indigenous presence on university campuses.