Abstract:

The South Australian Department for Education has partnered with South Australian Aboriginal Nations to embed Aboriginal knowledges and ways of knowing into the South Australian Science Curriculum.

In accordance with its Aboriginal Education Strategy 2019-2029, the South Australian Department for Education is transforming the delivery of curriculum and learning through strengthening Aboriginal input, valuing and respecting Aboriginal knowledges, languages, cultures and histories.

Aboriginal students will experience high-quality teaching and learning that challenges them intellectually, supports and resonates with their cultural identity and empowers them to achieve success within school, in further study and in the workforce.

This initiative works with South Australian Aboriginal Nations to contextualise Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority science content elaborations, embedding their science knowledge and ways of knowing into Year 7-10 Australian Curriculum: Science. The South Aboriginal Contexts in Science Initiative engaged with Elders and Cultural Consultants nominated by the Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri Nations.

Resources and materials have been developed:
- using Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Protocols (ICIP) for consultation and resource clearance processes with participating Aboriginal Nations and their nominated representatives
- providing background information for teachers that is referenced using accurate language/ terminology and sensitivities appropriate when describing Aboriginal ways of knowing and doing.
- including best advice on how to implement the teaching and learning of the science concepts with uniquely South Australian Aboriginal contexts.
- providing a variety of learning resources including hands on inquiry tasks, classroom tasks, excursions and scientific field trips
- using video vignettes of South Australian Aboriginal Elders and Cultural Consultants to bring their knowledge into classrooms

The videos and accompanying learning tasks support teachers with background information to embed culturally appropriate and scientifically rigorous learning.

This presentation will:
- highlight the processes undertaken to develop the content with Indigenous knowledge holders and obtain approval of the content from the South Australian Aboriginal Nations
- showcase examples of curriculum resources that bring together the Aboriginal Cultural knowledge with the Science concepts and the pedagogy and the assessment criteria to support teachers to facilitate authentic teaching of deep and rich learning experiences for students.

Keywords:

Aboriginal education, Torres Strait Islander, science curriculum development, culturally responsive teaching and learning.