CIS Splash
By Mr Greg Edwards -
On Tuesday the 9th of March, GWPS staff had the opportunity to take part in a powerful curriculum day delivered by the Department of Education. The Cultural And Safety Training Program is designed to educate teachers and support staff on the how to approach teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concepts and history within schools.
Prior to European settlement in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have occupied this land for over 60,000 years, with some research indicating that this timeframe could be even longer. Indigenous Australian history is fascinating and includes hundreds of unique tribal languages, customs, beliefs and countries. The educators shared with us this unique history of Australia and why we should all be proud to have this as a part of our nation’s story.
As we continued to learn throughout the day, we were challenged in our thinking as we learnt about the various struggles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders since colonisation. Sadly, since colonisation, Indigenous Australians have suffered from many injustices and inequities. A large part of our workshop focused on initiatives that Department of Education has already undertaken to reduce these inequities, in addition to helping us build our own understanding of what we could do as a school and educators.
At GWPS, we are already taking steps to help build the children’s understanding of some of the challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and their perspectives in history. Our curriculum is purposely designed to include indigenous perspectives across all levels of the school through our units of inquiry. We deliberately use acknowledgement of country at assembly to help our children understand the small steps that can be taken to help with the process of reconciliation.
Despite this, we completed our day of Cultural And Safety Training with a willingness to put more steps in place to even further recognise the important contribution that Indigenous Australians have made to this amazing country. As a school which is dedicated to continuous improvement, we are excited by this challenge and look forward to the opportunities this will provide for our learners. Coupled with the work that we have completed with Dr Niranjan Casinder to deepen our knowledge of cultural understanding, we will be continuing to develop children who have the skills required to be global contributors and understand the perspectives of cultures from all over the world.
If you would like to know more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, or take the time to help educate your own child, the link below to the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated will be extremely helpful.
Here, you will find a Cultural And Safety Training Program Online Community Program that will help to deepen your understanding of Indigenous perspectives.
We look forward to sharing with you the opportunities that will arise in this field of work in the future.