History Rationale - Reinterpreting Australian History

Rationale

• Curriculum Initiative: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
• Subject: Year 11, Modern History
• Theme: History and Historians: Theories and Standpoints
• Unit: Reinterpreting Australian History

Introduction

At present the Australian education system is, for the most part, culturally homogenous. It perpetuates a largely western, capitalist view of the world and history. Unfortunately, as McCarthy et al emphasise, this conservative approach denies, the ‘teeming multiplicity’ of the world that sits outside the school gates (as cited in Lowe & Yunkaporta, 2013, p. 156). In the Australian education system this mono-cultural view of the world is problematic for both holistic and specific reasons. Holistically, it denies all students an accurate understanding of the vibrant and diverse world that they will have to navigate individually upon completion of their high school studies. Specifically, it denies indigenous students access to their own culture and furthermore demands their accession to the dominant Anglo-western culture perpetuated by the education system. The year 11 modern history unit of work ‘Reinterpreting Australian History’ addresses these issues by focusing heavily on Indigenous perspectives as a means of creating space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures within the classroom. This in turn provides the opportunity to enlighten all students to the diversity of of perspectives and interpretations of the world around them.

Policy

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures priority has been developed for the purposes of providing enhanced opportunities for all young Australians to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Indigenous histories and cultures, deep knowledge traditions and holistic world views (ACARA). Furthermore, it is affirmed that the embedding of Indigenous perspectives deepens students’ knowledge of Australia and provides enhanced positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (QCAA). This policy has been developed in conjunction with the Melbourne declaration on education goals for young Australians, which highlights amongst other aims the need to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians as well as improving equity and excellence within the Australian education system (MCEETYA, 2008).

Significance

Historically, in Australian schools, Indigenous students have not been taught their own traditions, knowledge, history, or contemporary issues (Champagne & Abu-Saad, 2006, p. 2-3). This appears to have been at least somewhat disingenuous when one considers the fact that the histories of Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Australia are intertwined. So, how one must ask, can Indigenous peoples’ experiences be ‘known’ without a parallel investigation of the ‘other side’ of the equation and the intersections between the two sides that continue to exist (Phillips & Lampert, 2012, p. 2)? Furthermore, outside of this policy (Indigenous perspectives) the Australian Curriculum has failed to provide support to teachers to construct student learning that illuminates’ contentious issues such as the historical and contemporary experiences of Indigenous people within Australia (Lowe & Yunkaporta, 2013, p. 10). While this obviously affects all students learning opportunities it in particular denies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their communities the opportunity to interrogate within an educational environment, the historical, social, political and economic circumstances of their disenfranchisement (Lowe & Yunkaporta, 2013, p. 10). The effective placement of Indigenous perspectives seeks to bring about meaningful change regarding students’ understanding of Indigenous peoples’ contribution to Australian society and history by providing opportunities within the educational setting for the ‘other side’ to be ‘known’ and the complex relationship between the two groups to be openly and frankly explored.