Country as pedagogical: enacting an Australian foundation for culturally responsive pedagogy

ABSTRACT

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) has become a driving force for change in North America and New Zealand and is gaining some recognition in Indigenous education in Australia. But as a model of learning and teaching, it cannot be imported unproblematically into Australian schools, wherein the past Indigenous students have had limited success. Given that Country is positioned in the Australian Curriculum as a priority concept, we investigate how it might be leveraged as a foundation of CRP. We conduct a review of the international and Australian literature in order to identify research studies that provide evidence of clear links between Learning from Country as a pedagogical approach in school-based education and improved learning outcomes. Results of the review demonstrate that using Country as a ‘teacher’ of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures enacts a sense of belonging for students. As intrinsically pedagogical, Country enacts the seasons, the direction of winds, tides, light and sun. Country presents in the review of literature as a solid foundation for thinking beyond the cultural backgrounds of students, and beyond accusations of cultural assimilation, to position both Indigenous and western epistemologies at the centre of the Australian Curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Culturally responsive pedagogy
• Indigenous
• Learning from Country
• belonging
• representation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Neil Harrison

Neil Harrison is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University, Australia. His research focuses on the ways in which Indigenous knowledge of Country can be embedded in the Australian Curriculum. His latest book (together with Juanita Sellwood), Learning and Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education (Oxford) is used widely in teacher education programs in Australia.

Iliana Skrebneva

Iliana Skrebneva researches and teaches in the area of Inclusive and Special Education. Iliana’s research interests focus on how approaches to teaching can be developed to successfully support diverse groups of students. Her recent work examines culturally appropriate curricula and teaching methods that resonate with Indigenous identity and supports Aboriginal students to develop a sense of connectedness to their knowledge and Country.