Overview
This unit will develop your knowledge and understanding of historical factors that impact on the engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners and families in education. The policy and action of governments and media representations are analysed, discussed and compared with indigenous perspectives on race relations and past events with an emphasis on developing understanding and appreciation of contemporary Indigenous Australian identity and culture. Pedagogies for working effectively and appropriately with indigenous Australians, families and communities including current systemic initiatives and policies are evaluated in terms of their suitability for students in rural, remote and urban Australian communities. You will consider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander world views and your own and others attitudes to Indigenous people to defend the selection of teaching strategies aimed at promoting reconciliation and effective learning relationships with students, families and communities.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2021
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Evaluations
Students enjoy the resources in the unit but feel it is very content heavy and is not structured in a user-friendly way in Moodle.
Redefine Moodle content to ensure it is clear and flows logically for students.
Feedback from Student Evaluations
Student enjoyed zoom tutorials as they provided an opportunity to cover topics in more depth and learn with other students.
Continue to deliver online zoom tutorials in split format to allow for students to engage and reflect on learning.
Feedback from Student Emails and Student Evaluations
Assessment tasks are complex and need more scaffolding for students.
Review assessment task requirements and ensure assessment tasks and support materials are clear.
- Analyse the impact of deficit views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on learning and engagement
- Analyse and respond to representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in contemporary and historical texts and their impact on race relations with non-Indigenous Australians
- Critique government policies and approaches to the education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in past and present society
- Explain the effect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander world views and the concept of relatedness on the learning styles of indigenous students
- Justify the use of strategies that cater for the diversity of experience, identity and linguistic background of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and communities
- Evaluate the capacity of current programs and initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, families and communities for promoting engagement and participation in education
Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers focus areas of:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians
3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process
4.1 Support student participation
7.3 Engage with the parents/carers
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||||
| 4 - Research | ||||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 50% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Learning and Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
Edition: 3 (2016)
Authors: Harrison, N. & Sellwood, J.
Oxford University Press
Melbourne Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
ISBN: 9780190303204
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.daietti@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
TOPIC 1: Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
Chapter
Refer to the Week 1 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 1 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 2: A Shared Australian history
Chapter
Refer to the Week 2 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 2 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 2: A Shared Australian History - continued
Chapter
Refer to the Week 3 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 3 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 3: The Impacts of Past Policies on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures and Identity
Chapter
Refer to the Week 4 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 4 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 3: The Impacts of Past Policies on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures and Identity- continued
Chapter
Refer to the Week 5 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 5 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 4: Culture and Identity: Ways of Knowing, Learning and Being
Chapter
Refer to the Week 6 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Written assessment due:
- Week 6 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 5: Quality Educational Strategies
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 7 Study Guide tasks to be completed
- Written Assessment Task 1 due:
Monday 20th December, 2021 (11.45 p.m.)
Written assessment Due: Week 6 Monday (20 Dec 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Please note that the 3/01/2022 is a public holiday
Module/Topic
TOPIC 5: Quality Educational Strategies - continued
Chapter
Refer to the Week 8 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 8 Study Guide tasks to be completed
- Please note that the 3.01.2022 is a public holiday and the university is closed on this day
Module/Topic
TOPIC 6: Relationships, Community Partnerships and Strategies for Indigenous Education
Chapter
Refer to the Week 9 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 9 Study Guide tasks to be completed
Module/Topic
TOPIC 6: Relationships, Community Partnerships and Strategies for Indigenous Education - continued
Chapter
Refer to the Week 10 eReading list for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Week 10 Study Guide tasks to be completed
- Written assessment Task 2 due:
Tuesday 25th January, 2021 (11.45 p.m.)
Please note that the content of Term 3 units is delivered in various ways (some intensive mode over the first six weeks of the Term). Each unit's timetable was created to best deliver its unique content and prepare you to complete assessment tasks effectively, as well as allow some 'downtime' prior to the commencement of the placement for Professional Praxis 3 and the commencement of university Term 1, 2022.
To allow this to happen, some online Zoom Tutorial sessions will be conducted over 6 weeks straight with a class occurring in 'non-teaching week' – that is, Week 1 - 4, Non-Teaching Week and Week 5.
Due to the nature of a diverse unit delivery, it is important that you organise your personal diary in order for you to keep up and realise that you should double the usual time allocation to a unit during the intensive mode period for those units.
Please, see the Moodle site of each unit for further information.
1 Written Assessment
*This assessment task comprises up to 50% of the overall grade for this unit
Focus statementStatistics show that despite substantial government spending on Indigenous education, there are still serious differences in the educational outcomes achieved by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (Gray & Beresford, 2008). Many writers claim that policies that aim to close this gap for Australian Indigenous students will only achieve successful educational outcomes if schools and teachers acknowledge and address the impact that the past has had on the present for these students (Gray & Beresford, 2008; Vass, 2012; Ford, 2012). |
Structure and expectations for your written response
Use an essay format and structure to write a response of no more than 1500 words (excluding the List of References) that clearly establishes your position in response to the statement provided above. In doing so, please be guided by the following:
- Your response will be informed by the material covered in the unit, including readings provided or linked to on the Moodle site, and by other relevant sources obtained through independent searches. The use and relevance of the literature used should be demonstrated by in-text citations and a list of references.
- Your paper will aim to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the impact of past and present representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and government policy on race relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This may be achieved through a discussion of a selection of past and current events, policy approaches and their effects, perspectives and interpretations of the effects of colonisation, racism and dispossession, and other such topical aspects introduced and covered in the unit. The topical points to be included in the discussion need to be selected so that they support your response to the focus statement while being sufficiently diverse to demonstrate your understanding of the broader range of topics covered in the unit.
- Your paper will include a section that outlines your own personal reflections on the impact of a shared Australian history, and also of your own cultural background on the attitudes and views you have formed of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as students and learners. In doing so, you should make reference to three (3) learning experiences from the unit activities that have,
(a) shaped your perspectives on the importance of teachers’ acknowledgement, recognition and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures;
(b) show how the identity needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students might be supported; and,
(c) how teaching can promote reconciliation within classroom contexts and the broader school community.
Your paper will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (especially Standards 1.4 and 2.4) by making a direct comparison and referencing them when relevant to your response and reflections. Your paper will also demonstrate a practical understanding of the use of appropriate terminology by employing acceptable and respectful terminology when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families, communities and students.
Week 6 Monday (20 Dec 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Assessment Task 1: Written assessment
Feedback on this assessment response will be provided in sufficient time to allow for academic support and advice as necessary to inform students' responses to the next assessment task.
- Knowledge and understanding of past and present government policy in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Analysis of the impact of policy, representations and racial discrimination on the culture and identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
- Critical reflection on the range of perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and identity and the impact these views have on engagement and participation in education and care settings
- Construction of a defensible position on the given stimulus using examples to support the point of view
- Analyse the impact of deficit views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on learning and engagement
- Analyse and respond to representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in contemporary and historical texts and their impact on race relations with non-Indigenous Australians
- Critique government policies and approaches to the education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in past and present society
- Evaluate the capacity of current programs and initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, families and communities for promoting engagement and participation in education
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Portfolio
*This assessment task comprises up to 50% of the overall grade for this unit.
Throughout the unit, you have examined a range of strategies and resources for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander learners, families and communities and for teaching the history of Australia in respectful ways that promote reconciliation.
For this task, you will select and describe the strategies you would use to engage Indigenous students in learning in educational settings and explain why you think they would work.
Task Details
(1) You will identify strategies that show consideration of students' cultural, linguistic and identity needs AND strategies for working effectively and sensitively with families and communities to support the learning and engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Your work can be presented in a format of your choice such as a table, matrix, written report or a multimodal form that includes diagrams, flowcharts or any other format suitable for identifying and describing the chosen strategies. A word limit of 800 words (or equivalent for tables, diagrams, and so on) applies to this section of the task.
(2) You will write a justification of no more than 1000 words that clearly explains why these strategies would meet the learning, language, cultural and identity needs of Indigenous learners and that identifies any limitations on the effectiveness of these strategies in a range of different contexts. This justification should consider the diversity of needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in rural, remote and urban areas and educational settings made up solely of Indigenous learners as well as those where only a small minority of students are Indigenous. As a minimum, the justification will be supported by references from unit readings and your set text.
Week 10 Tuesday (25 Jan 2022) 11:45 pm AEST
Assessment Task 2: Written assessment
Week 10 Tuesday (25 Jan 2022)
Feedback on this final assessment task will be provided following moderation and prior to the date of certification of grades for the term.
- Knowledge and understanding of the identity needs of Indigenous learners and families and the impact of these factors on learning and engagement
- Application of knowledge of indigenous culture to the selection and justification of strategies for building relationships with learners, parents, carers and communities
- Chosen strategies address the language learning needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and show understanding of the diversity of students' backgrounds and characteristics
- Justification draws on authoritative sources and considers the limitations of selected strategies
- Explain the effect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander world views and the concept of relatedness on the learning styles of indigenous students
- Justify the use of strategies that cater for the diversity of experience, identity and linguistic background of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and communities
- Evaluate the capacity of current programs and initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, families and communities for promoting engagement and participation in education
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
