Short presentation discussing the Australian Curriculum and school policy framework in relation to culturally-responsive curriculum content and pedagogies inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders knowledges and perspectives for the subject areas Science, Technologies and Mathematics

1. Teaching STEM
inclusive of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives

2. Public Perceptions
No place for Indigenous knowledge and understanding
in STEM?
Warren Mundine
Aboriginal leader
former ALP National President
Chairman of the Government's
Indigenous Advisory Council
“We need real units that teach the subjects without
this ridiculous insertion of culture … [t]he sciences
and maths should be taught properly.”
“Aboriginal culture and languages should be taught as
separate subjects, with a rigorous curriculum taught
by people with expertise and training”
“... refer­ences to indigenous culture … — which are
included throughout the existing curriculum, including
in maths — had been cut back to where they
naturally fit, with an emphasis on history, geography
and art”
Robert Randall
Chief Executive Officer of
ACARA
2The Australian (March 13, 2014). Warren Mundine: indigenous culture in maths nonsense & (Sep 19, 2015). Phonics, faith and coding for primary school kids

3. Australian Curriculum
cross-curriculum priorities
Education Council’s National STEM School Education Strategy
(2015) recommends teaching of the disciplines within its
umbrella or a cross-disciplinary approach
3
Curriculum integration

4. Curriculum emphasis
QCAA advised learning area
time allocations (F－Year 6)
4
AC content descriptors with ATSI
cross-curriculum priorities
v8.2 F–10 Australian Curriculum (In HaSS F-Year 6 13 out of 129 CDs) QCAA Time allocations and entitlement advice on implementing the AC F(P)–10

5. MD Goal 1
… ensure that schools build on local
cultural knowledge and experience
of Indigenous students as a
foundation for learning, and work in
partnership with local communities
on all aspects of the schooling
process, including to promote
high expectations for the learning
outcomes of Indigenous students
– ensure that the learning outcomes
of Indigenous students improve to
match those of other students
Australian schooling
promotes equity
and excellence
http://www.aihw.gov.au/ Years 3 and 9 students at or above the national minimum standard for numeracy, by geolocation and Indigenous status, 2014

6. 8 ways of
Aboriginal Learning
6
culturally- and
linguistically-
responsive
pedagogies instead
of “indigenised
content”
Culturally-responsive pedagogy
Yunkaporta, T., & Kirby, M. (2011). Yarning up Indigenous pedagogies: A dialogue about eight Aboriginal ways of learning

7. 7
Science
SKim, E. J. A., & Dionne, L. (2014). Fig. 1 ‘Connections Among Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and
Traditional Ecological Knowledge,’ p.315

8. 8
Technologies
Seemann, K., & Talbot, R. (1995). Fig. 3 BTechnacy model to to foster holistic technology problem-solving skills’,
p.770

9. 9
Mathematics
Matthews, C. (2008). Fig.10.1 ‘Epistemology of Mathematics’, p175

10. Q&A
Selected references:
Yunkaporta, T., & Kirby, M. (2011). Yarning up Indigenous pedagogies: A dialogue about eight Aboriginal ways of learning. In N. Purdie, G.
Milgate & H. Bell (Eds.), Two way teaching. A critical discussion of the cultural interface and learning: Towards culturally reflective and
relevant education, (pp. 205-213). Camberwell, Vic.: ACER Press
Seemann, K., & Talbot, R. (1995). Technacy: Towards a holistic understanding of technology teaching and learning among Aboriginal
Australians. Prospects, 25(4), 761-775.
Sarra, G., Matthews, C., Ewing, B. F., & Cooper, T. (2011). Indigenous mathematics: Creating an equitable learning environment. In N. Purdie, G.
Milgate & H. Bell (Eds.), Two way teaching. A critical discussion of the cultural interface and learning: Towards culturally reflective and
relevant education, (pp. 172-185).
Kim, E. J. A., & Dionne, L. (2014). Traditional ecological knowledge in science education and its integration in Grades 7 and 8 Canadian
science curriculum documents. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 14(4), 311-329.