First Nations Content 

“Learning about the cross-curriculum priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability is embedded in the curriculum areas of the Victorian Curriculum F–10. These priorities provide national, regional and global dimensions and give students the knowledge and skills to engage with and better understand their world.”

These priorities are not only aimed at F-10 levels but also part of our Study Designs at the VCE Level. We at WHSC are looking at this as a matter of priority for us to develop and prepare our young learners with a view of a long-term outcome.

On Tuesday 23rd May, we launched the Aboriginal Content Curriculum program. This is a cross curricular program starting with the Arts, English and Mathematics learning areas. We are starting this initiative with our Year 7 RISE, Year 8 RISE, Year 9 RISE, All Year 8s, Year 10 Maths Methods and the Mathematics club members.

In the English subject area, we will begin to explore the stories in The Dreamtime and reflect on how these stories resonate with our personal values. The 8 RISE class will be exploring similar viewpoints shared by The Dreamtime and Japanese mythology.  

We would also have a look at the idea of dreaming as a form of telling our life stories and growing up Aboriginal in modern Australia via narrative writing and modelling our personal Art sculptures. Year 9 RISE will examine First Nations figures and their fabulous achievements, exploring the gap between Indigenous and other Australians with regards to education, health care, life expectancy, incarceration, the need for an advisory voice in parliament regarding Indigenous affair. 

In the Mathematics learning area, students will be challenged to create a piece of Aboriginal inspired art using Maths equations on DESMOS (digital application). The idea is to introduce students to the main concept behind Aboriginal Art using the program. To give you an overview, here are some Comics inspired Maths Drawings that the Year 7 did last year using DESMOS.

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/cqtx6taynq

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/wcxb7qidpo

In the Visual Arts, we are currently participating in the annual Youth Art for Reconciliation exhibition organised by Monash reconciliation Group Inc. for the 3rd consecutive year. The theme for this year is the Uluru and we will be looking at the content English subject area will be delivering and create artworks that can be applied to a specific Industrial Design piece. 

We are looking forward to expanding this initiative to other Learning Areas such as Food Technology, Science, Health, just to name a few, in the near future. The launch presentation went very well. We are proud to say that our young people have demonstrated what WHSC stands for: Respect, Creativity and Excellence whereby the value of Respect during the whole presentation was clearly shown.

We are hoping that students will have the opportunity to make connection not only between the subject areas but also, the connection between them and the land they stand on. We believe this important initiative will bring us closer to the culture and the country we live in.

Khairi Razaai

Arts  Learning Area Leader