Glen Education Mordialloc
Cultural Responsiveness at Glen MK
By Donna Burke, Early Childhood Teacher
"For children to understand and develop a sense of civic responsibility and awareness as members of their family, kindergarten, local and global community by establishing sustainable and respectful relationships with the natural and built world and its peoples in culturally responsive ways." - One of our service curriculum goals at Glen MK
Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives
Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in the curriculum is an integral part of cultural responsiveness here at Glen MK.
We include our own Acknowledgement of Country and have artworks, stories, and resources that support this throughout our service.
First Nations Incursion Experience
Earlier this year, we extended our learning and knowledge of Indigenous culture with a visit from First Nations Incursions.
Sean and Ronan welcomed us with the local greeting: Wominjeeka.
They:
- Played the didgeridoo, imitating the sounds of different Australian animals for us to guess
- Showed us animal skins to look at and feel
- Spoke about different types of boomerangs and their uses
- Demonstrated how to make ceremonial ochre for body painting
- Painted ochre on our hands
The favourite part for most of us was clapping along to the music Sean and Ronan played on the didgeridoo (yadaki). With their permission, we recorded this performance so the children can revisit the experience when they speak about it.
A Culturally Inclusive Environment
Glen MK is a culturally inclusive environment, and our learning spaces reflect many diverse cultures through:
- Books
- Music and musical instruments
- Artworks and posters
- Dolls and dress-up clothes
- Puzzles and puppets
We value our multicultural community, and children and families are encouraged to use and share their home languages, and other aspects of their culture and celebrations with us.
We have all enjoyed families in the program sharing:
- Craft activities
- Cooking experiences
- Music and storytelling
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
On St. Patrick’s Day (17th March), one of our children came into kinder wearing a green Ireland t-shirt and wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
This sparked a discussion among the children about the holiday — a great example of how different cultures and countries celebrate various traditions.
We decided to create a lucky green shamrock collage, which we proudly displayed in our foyer to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
