Rethinking Reliance on Communities

New position paper

Educators are often motivated to build partnerships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to support their teaching and learning practice. However, these attempts must be guided by relationality, equity and sustainability. Rethinking Reliance on Communities advocates for educators to actively engage in showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and perspectives in their teaching, build their ability to be culturally responsive through ongoing support, training, resources and reflexive practice to complement and support effective and impactful engagement with communities where appropriate.

This is the sixth paper in the Weaving our Stories project.

Read the paper here.

Our calls to action

We challenge educators, educational leaders, and educational institutions, from early childhood centres to universities, to critically examine their curricula, teaching practices, and institutional cultures to identify and address any biases, stereotypes, or marginalisation of Indigenous perspectives and knowledges, as well as identify opportunities to strengthen this work.

We urge the Australian government and education authorities to provide adequate funding and resources to support initiatives, which aim to amplify Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives in education.

We call upon governments and educational policymakers to prioritise the meaningful integration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and knowledges into the national curriculum across all subject areas and grade levels.

We encourage all Australians, regardless of their background, to engage with and learn about the histories, cultures, and knowledges of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. This can be achieved through attending cultural events, reading works by Indigenous authors, and seeking out opportunities for respectful dialogue and knowledge-sharing.

About Weaving our Stories

The Weaving our Stories project highlights the significance of incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into Australian education and includes a series of position papers as well as additional materials to support educators and educational leadership to effectively advocate for the integration of Indigenous Knowledges in their teaching and learning.

Learn more about the project here.