This topic is designed to assist you to examine your own values, culture, and identity.
You will question the assumptions underpinning your perceptions of cultural identity, and reflect on how this may impact on your pedagogical choices and student learning.
Explore the concepts, activities and assessment tasks below or use the Get Started button to work through the content in the suggested sequence.
Values are the principles or standards by which we live. We can use the idea of values and/or morals to discuss and decide whether something is right or wrong, good or bad.In the Australian Curriculum, capability encompasses knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions. One of seven general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum is Ethical Understanding. By examining our own values and the values of others, understanding ethical concepts and issues, and reasoning in personal decision-making and actions, we can achieve ethical understanding.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a long and proud history that includes rich cultural and spiritual traditions.Far from being associated with notions of primitivism or terra nullius, Indigenous societies were and still are sophisticated cultures. The imposition of European cultures and values on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies, the dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands and places, and the imposition of alien modes of governance began a cycle of social, physical and spiritual destruction that continues to this day for many people. From having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values oppressed and rights disregarded a loss of identity and a learned helplessness have arisen, along with inter-generational trauma, poverty, poor health, and substance abuse.
Identity refers to a sense of attachment, or connecting to and finding comfort in particular individual and collective characteristics.Identity characteristics are both assumed by and ascribed to individuals and groups, but at times self-identification (assumed identity) is at odds with the dominant views (ascribed or given to) of that person or group. Assumed identity makes for a sense of belonging with those perceived to share characteristics and for the 'othering' of those seen as not belonging. Identity is a multi-faceted collection of personal characteristics that will change and reform over time because of altered conditions associated with existence, age stages, significant events, education and experience.
The greatest gift any Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parent can give to their child is the gift of identity (Huggins 2001, p. 44).This has been largely due to the resilience, family and community orientation—the cultural values—of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies. Other factors, such as connection to land, language, humour and identity, have also influenced the continuity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures that have persisted to the present and will continue to provide future generations with strength, dignity and purpose. In general, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples distinguish themselves from other Australians and are linked together by a sense of belonging to a locality and to an extended family, wherever they are. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander spouses and, particularly in urban Australia, live in situations where they are embedded in non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander society. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in urban and rural areas have developed a culture of their own through family, community and organisational structures. These structures give psychological and physical support and provide a sense of security.
The best way to begin our understanding of Indigenous knowledge is by considering its source, namely indigenous peoples and their societies — comprising over 370 million people spread across at least 70 different countries.This diversity of societies presents us with problems if we want to avoid generalising and simplifying the knowledge systems that characterise them. It is easy to take the concept of knowledge for granted. Yet what counts for knowledge, and by whom, is not only value-laden but also highly contested and needs consideration given the role knowledge plays in schooling. ...it is possible that you have managed to live without having to operate outside of knowledge systems that are familiar to you, or shift the paradigm through which you view the world in order to make sense of things. (Dunn 2013)
Activity: Consider a situation in which your values were questionedThis could have been, for example, a personal experience whereby there was a disagreement (overt or covert) or perhaps when you were in a cultural group that was unfamiliar to you. How did this challenge your own values? How does this help you to unpack the ‘taken for granted’ assumptions you might carry into your teaching?
Activity: How would you describe your own culture and cultural background?Culture represents the ways of living that are built up by groups and transmitted from one generation to another. Sometimes it is difficult to reflect on our own culture and cultural norms because they are invisible to us. For example, most people (who share my cultural background) would know not to bring a bottle of champagne along to a funeral. But how do we know this?
Go to Reconciliation Australia’s Share Our Pride website to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and perspectives.
Also, see the Cultural Competence for Staff resources on Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Schools and Early Learning online platform.
You may also like to visit the Resources section of the Share Our Pride website to read about the First Australians and Our Culture.
Activity: Review the ethical values that underpin schooling in AustraliaShared values such as respect and a ‘fair go’ are part of Australia’s common democratic way of life, which also includes equality, freedom and the rule of law. These values reflect our commitment to a multicultural and environmentally sustainable society where all are entitled to justice. (MCEETYA 2005).
Activity: View this episode of the ABC TV series Redfern Now to explore how family and community values may conflictEpisode 4 tells the story of 16-year-old Joel Shields (Aaron McGrath), who has just won an Indigenous scholarship to Clifton College — one of Sydney’s most elite private schools. 'Stand Up', Series 1, episode 4 is no longer available online; contact your library for access.
Activity: Explore a range of resources on the concept of identity
Activity: Explore activities about Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural bias
Koori IQ test: http://www.johnwiley.net.au/highered/cyberPsych03/interactives/culturalBias/09int1.html
…it is possible that you have managed to live without having to operate outside of knowledge systems that are familiar to you, or to shift the paradigm through which you view the world in order to make sense of things.
Consider the extent to which your social, cultural and economic background have played a part in shaping you in specific ways to be the unique individual that you are.Consider the following guide questions and instructions:
Focus Area 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate teachers)