This document discusses empowering teachers to confidently teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and students. It addresses two key questions: 1) Are teachers prepared to do so? and 2) How can teacher education programs better prepare educators? It notes challenges like standards, curriculum, and cultural competency. Suggested solutions include mandatory Indigenous education units in teacher training, professional development workshops on changing mindsets, and engaging Indigenous communities in curriculum development.

1. Australian Indigenous Lecturers in Initial
Teacher Education
Empowering Teachers
2018 NATSIEC: Adelaide

2. Empowering Teachers (AILITEA)
Two key questions:
1. Are pre and post-service teachers adequately
prepared to confidently teach Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander perspectives and content as well as
Aboriginal students?
2. How can University courses/Professional
Development better prepare educators to teach in this
space?

3. Preparedness of pre & post service
teachers
• Snap shot across Australia: teacher graduates 1980s
to current generation
– e.g., Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Education/Studies
unit(s) in pre service courses and current levels of
preparedness
• Current teacher education courses
– e.g., Amount of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander content,
assessment criteria

4. Challenges for teachers
• AITSL Standards 1.4 & 2.4
• Education systems implementing Aboriginal & Torres
Strait Islander Cultural Standards frameworks
– e.g., culturally responsive schools
• ACARA
– e.g., National curriculum, STEM program
• Cultural competency/responsiveness training
• Anti-racism pedagogy & racism-awareness education

5. Teacher responses
• Ill prepared to teach Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
content
• Ill prepared to teach Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
students
• Afraid of making mistakes
• Resistant to significance of topic being mandatory
• Racism

6. Addressing the situation
Current teachers:
– Workshop and practical learning experiences, e.g.,
Learning on Country
• Regular PD workshops,
– e.g., changing the mindset of teaching Aboriginal & Torres
Strait Islander students with a ‘white’ (Western)
assimilationist perspective, e.g., NAPLAN testing
• Engaging Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
community in curriculum development & teaching
• Identifying & rewarding exemplar schools/educators

7. Addressing the situation
Pre-service teachers:
• Compulsory Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
education/Studies units in each year of the ITE course,
including cultural competency type content,
– e.g., strategies to build effective and sustainable
relationships, embedding Indigenous perspectives
• Opportunities for students to do teaching practicums in
schools with high Indigenous enrolments

8. Policy level
• Strategies to increase the number of Aboriginal &
Torres Strait Islander teachers in schools
• Funding to Universities who provide opportunities for
pre service students to undertake practicums in
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities