The first topic in this Module — Respect, Relationships and Reconciliation — enables you to explore your personal and professional values in relation to these ‘3Rs’.
The dominant culture underpins the curriculum of many schools and influences its content, as well as the skills, processes and values promoted in schools.
Explore the concepts, activities and assessment tasks below or use the Get Started button to work through the content in the suggested sequence.
A 'Welcome to Country' is a practice that has taken place for thousands of years in Indigenous Australia, in which an Indigenous custodian or Elder from a particular traditional area in Australia welcomes people to their land through speech, ceremony or music.A contemporary and high profile example of a Welcome to Country is Sydney New Year's Eve. A Welcome to Country is also common at more modest events such as conferences, school assemblies and launches. An 'Acknowledgment of Country' can be informal or formal and involves visitors acknowledging the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander owners of the land as well as the long and continuing relationship between Indigenous peoples and their Country. Unlike a Welcome to Country, it can be performed by a non-Indigenous person.
The 3Rs modules are underpinned by the values embodied in the title: mutual respect, positive relationships between people and reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians.The following short film was produced by Reconciliation Australia to explore the theme of National Reconciliation Week 2016 — Our History, Our Story, Our Future. It provides an insightful glimpse into the values of respect, relationships and reconciliation and their important connection to the stories of our past, our present and our future.
Showing respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be demonstrated by seeking opinion from a wide range of Elders and other community members.Respect refers to the way an individual treats others. Showing respect occurs in many ways, such as waiting to speak, not asking too many direct questions, ensuring that people are not made to feel uncomfortable or uneasy, and generally showing regard for the ideas, beliefs and cultures of others (New South Wales Department of Education and Training 2003, p. 14). Relationships and interconnectedness underpin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of thinking, being, relating and seeing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and kinship connections are essential to wellbeing.
Rights describe the freedoms, obligations and responsibilities people have in relation to the state (government and or authority) — a way of expressing the entitlements that people hold.Talk of rights in modern times broadly directs our notions of what actions and institutions can be considered ethical and just. Human rights are considered universal (in common to all people) and inalienable (unchallengeable and indisputable). In 1948 human rights were instituted within international law with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights where its preamble states: The equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace (United Nations 1948).
Suggested readings for Topic 1: Respect, relationships, reconciliation
Activity: A contemporary example of a traditional welcomeA contemporary example of a traditional welcome is the Welcome to Country app — each time you cross into a different nation, the app sends a notification and a traditional owner welcomes you to Country through a video display.
Activity: In this activity you will have the opportunity to think about what respect means to you and your peers.We use the word respect quite often in education but what do we really mean?
Activity: Explore the Kinship Learning Modules from the University of Sydney.Relationships and interconnectedness underpin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of thinking, being, relating and seeing.
This wheel shows the outcomes and impact of the eight modules.[/caption]
Further information about Aboriginal kinship is available from the Central Land Council: <http://www.clc.org.au/articles/cat/aboriginal-kinship/>
of 4 and choose one of the following topics to report back to your group to form a list of actions that could be undertaken to promote respectful relationships:
Activity: Consider a timeline of significant events.Fostering reconciliation through historical acceptance requires all Australians to understand and accept the wrongs of the past and the impact of these wrongs. Accordingly, Australia can then make amends for the wrongs of the past and ensure that these wrongs are never repeated.
Activity: Reflect on visions of reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Reconciliation can mean many different things. It might be as simple as a handshake with your Aboriginal neighbour, or, more broadly, better relations between indigenous communities and other Australians in all the places we share across this land: suburbs, towns and remote settlements; farms and stations; the rivers, lakes and seas; the bush, the mountains and the plains.
Above all, it must mean some form of agreement that deals with the legacies of our history, provides justice for all, and takes us forward as a nation. In the words of our council’s vision, we should walk together towards: 'A united Australia which respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage; and provides justice and equity for all'.
www.reconciliation.org.au
In 1991, Australia made a formal commitment to reconciliation by establishing the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR). The role of CAR included encouraging meaningful communication, consultation, cooperation and action between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to provide justice and equity for all.
A united Australia which respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage; and provides justice and equity for all.
Eight key issues for reconciliation identified by the Council were:
Activity: Consider what national and international perspectives relate to the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in contemporary society and how they relate to the world view of Indigenous Australians.
Assessment A: Develop a Group Reconciliation Action Plan (GRAP)
Focus Area 1.1: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning. (Graduate level) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate teachers)