New research released in NAIDOC Week has found Australian teachers are afraid of saying the ‘wrong thing’ when it comes to embedding First Nations histories and cultures into classrooms. The University of Queensland and First Nations not for profit SharingStories Foundation has partnered to produce a new research report, which has highlighted a lack of teacher cultural safety in Australian classrooms. Despite ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures’ being a part of the national curriculum since 2012, 67% of teachers surveyed identified as either: not having the confidence to share First Nations knowledges across subject areas regularly; worried about pronouncing words incorrectly, or; worried about saying something inappropriate or offensive.
Organisation/s: The University of Queensland
Media release
From: The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Meanjin: Cultural safety, accuracy and authenticity of resources are critical to address the lack of First Nations histories and cultures embedded in Australian classrooms, according to teacher-focused research by The University of Queensland, in partnership with First Nations not for profit SharingStories Foundation.The in-depth study surveyed 61 teachers across three schools in South-East Queensland and South Australia, to identify challenges they faced delivering the national cross-curriculum priority of ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures’ from Prep to Year 10.Despite being part of the national curriculum since 2012, the report found that 67% of surveyed teachers identified as either not having the confidence to share First Nations knowledges across subject areas regularly, were worried about pronouncing words incorrectly or saying something inappropriate or offensive. Together, these concerns imply a lack of teacher cultural safety.While many non-Indigenous educators lack the confidence to meaningfully engage students in First Nations education, 90% of teachers reported that special events, such as NAIDOC Week (7th-14th July), were when they predominantly sought to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into lessons.The Holistic Approach to Embedding First Nations Perspectives report, undertook an in-depth evaluation of Jajoo Warrngara—The Culture Classroom platform and its First Nations authored resources. This innovative educational tool, with its suite of creative media and lessons all co-developed with First Nations Elders and Custodians, aims to support educators in embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures into the Australian curriculum with confidence.The key findings of the report reveal significant benefits for both educators and students:Confidence and Cultural Safety: educators reported increased confidence in delivering First Nations content with many reporting feelings of increased cultural safety.Student Engagement: educators observed heightened student engagement and interest in lessons involving the Jajoo Warrngara materials.Time Spent on Content: Prior to using the platform, 57% of educators spent less than 30 minutes per week on embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.Teacher Support and Resource Reliability: educators felt the resources provided were reliable and culturally appropriate, addressing concerns about the accuracy and sensitivity of embedding First Nations content.Dr Yael Leibovitch, Lecturer, Director of Research Research at the UQ Critical Thinking Project, said: “A central finding from this study is the extensive capacity of the Jajoo Warrngara platform to support educators’ confidence and cultural safety when teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Teachers that work with Jajoo Warrngara’s multifaceted and engaging resources feel equipped and capable of providing students with enriching learning experiences regarding First Nations’ perspectives, across a range of disciplinary contexts and year levels. This is significant given the dearth of meaningful experiences typically on offer in classrooms.”The research found only one in three (31%) teachers reported not having sufficient time or support to embed First Nations’ perspectives into their lesson plans, which the authors suggested point to “social, psychological, or epistemological [knowledge]l” barriers. Jajoo Warrngara has collaborated on the development of cultural media captured directly on the Country of Traditional Custodian partners and has a range of lesson for different years across Mathematics, Science, English, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Media Arts, Design and Technology, and Health and Physical Education. Educators also have access to Cultural Protocol Guides created with Custodians so they can be assured they are sharing the knowledges ‘right way’ in their classrooms.Sharon Williams, Co-CEO at SharingStories said: “Authentic representation can be challenging for teachers, so it is crucial they draw upon genuine resources written by First Nations teachers, such as Jajoo Warrngara. The research underscores the imperative need for teachers and schools to enhance their understanding and delivery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures as part of the Australian Curriculum and help them to feel culturally safe in creating a supportive learning environment for all students.”“Whilst NAIDOC Week is a great opportunity to explore First Nations curriculum, we want teachers to foster a more inclusive and comprehensive educational experience that respects and celebrates First Nations knowledge more regularly across all learning areas. Our resources aim to provide invaluable insights and perspectives that can help foster meaningful partnerships with First Nations Custodians and community.”“In the last year we’ve seen more than 300 teachers subscribe to SharingStories to start embedding first nations knowledges in curriculum areas such as Mathematics, Humanities, Social Sciences, and English. The content is designed so all students have the opportunity to deepen their understanding and respect for First Nations cultures, while enabling First Nations young people to see themselves reflected and valued in a western educational setting.”Designed to The Australian Curriculum V9 standards, SharingStories education portal Jajoo Warrngara means “to gather around and learn from the Elders” – a fundamental principle of First Nations pedagogy.To learn more about the research, read the full research report: https://jajoowarrngara.org/yarns/-ENDS-ABOUT SHARING STORIESSharingStories is a not-for-profit organisation led by a passionate majority First Nations board that has worked for over 12 years alongside First Nations communities to protect, maintain and grow languages, stories and cultural heritages. SharingStories facilitates community-driven arts and education initiatives that support cultural continuity, building connections between Elder and child, community and educator and First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples.www.sharingstoriesfoundation.orgABOUT JAJOO WARRNGARA: THE CULTURE CLASSROOMThe Culture Classroom is a social enterprise run on a 50/50 revenue split with communities (50% of subscription revenue is returned to communities which co-developed resources and 50% goes back into supporting further SharingStories Foundation work with partner communities.) In its first year, Sharing Stories has delivered more than $13,000 back to community partners.www.jajoowarrngara.org