EDUC9400 Luke Smale ID: 2083755

EDUC 9400 Critical Indigenous Pedagogies

Assignment 1: Self-reflection & philosophy of critical practice.

During my experiences of schooling and teaching, I haven’t really stopped and thought about the lack of
representation of First Nation Peoples in classrooms, curriculum, teaching, or in everyday life and society. Everything
I have enjoyed or benefited from by living in Australia has in some way, through systemic racialisation, been at the
expense of the First Nations People√. This systemic racism was (and still is) there, but I was unable to see it. I think
that this is due to the sheer lack of education around Indigenous Australians in schooling and the lack of
representation of them in Australia. The lack of recognition of Indigenous peoples startles me and I think that it
speaks to the fear of the ‘other’, the other being something dangerous and different to the way of life that is
‘whiteness’√. I was born in South Africa and lived there until I was 9, moving to Australia in 1999. My parents
believed that there were more job opportunities for us here and that we’d get a much better education. Others said
that it would be ‘safer’. Safer from what? I didn’t know. At that age, I was mostly unaware of the happenings of the
world, but I do remember that there was something not quite right about things people would say or how they
would act around others. I was about 4 when the Apartheid Era finally ‘ended’ in South Africa and my family
experienced it more than I, but I think that its effects were still felt by me, even if I was too young to fully understand
why people hated each other for the colour of their skin√. I thought it was normal that our neighbours (who were
white) had a gardener and a maid, both of who were black. This is what I was brought up seeing and experiencing,
not being told or knowing any different. I think that this added to my ignorance of the situation of First Nations
Peoples as I had only experienced racism that was right in front of me, something I could see, hear, and feel
firsthand√. Fortunately I have great parents who taught me to treat others the way I wanted to be treated. Racism in
Australia today is different to what it was and speaks to white race privilege. It is something which is hidden and
embedded, unearned, denied, systemic, undesirable, and confers dominance in the everyday for white Australians
against Indigenous Australians (Tannoch-Bland 1998)√. At a young age I experienced racism as being ‘normal’ or was
told that ‘that’s just the way things are’ and I think that’s how many Australian’s have been brought up too, or rather
they have simply not been exposed to it or taught about it, pushing it aside as if nothing happened√. I believe that
this way of thinking (that the past should be forgotten) has led to further exclusions of First Nation Peoples and
brought about the systemic racism in Australian society that is present today.

Through my university studies I have come into much more contact with Indigenous studies, in my undergrad studies
(Australian Languages: Issues and Debates) and now in my postgrad (Critical Indigenous Pedagogy) I believe that I
have gained far greater insight into histories of First Nation Peoples and the ways in which perceptions have (or
haven’t) changed than anything I gained through primary or secondary school√. This means that there are ridiculous
gaps and issues with what is being taught about the First Nations Peoples and colonisation, but this also means that
there is possibility for great change and improvement. Being a pre service teacher I am in a prime position to be able

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EDUC9400 Luke Smale ID: 2083755
to change not only my pedagogical practice but also aid in combating racism through education and awareness. I
think that when

I decided to get into education and also for most of the time during my studies in the field, Indigenous education was
always something in the background or tacked on at the bottom of something√. It was never really brought to the
fore until I started the Critical Indigenous Pedagogies topic. Through this topic I have been influenced by tutors and
lecturers, the writings of Tannoch-Bland on her ideas of white race privilege and that of Ladson-Billings and her
writing about critical race theory in education (to name a few). Particularly, Ladson-Billings (1998) has drawn my
attention to the shortcomings of educational curriculum in that critical race theory sees it as a culturally specific
artefact that only aids in muting other voices, e.g. those of Indigenous Australians and other minority groups.
Throughout university study of education, I have been told that in order to plan and teach well, there needs to be
quality curriculum, so how does this work if applying critical race theory? Does it support Indigenous education and
support? I’d argue that it doesn’t support it well, if at all. For me, this means that I need to be conscious at all time
about what and how I will be teaching, there can be, but should not be any pre conceived ideas of any student. Dei
(2008) supports these ideas of culturally specific curriculum, suggesting that schooling works to protect the self-
interest, power and privilege of the dominant that is whiteness. Schooling (not only in Australia) works in the favour
of the dominant and in doing so, aids in the exclusions, lowering standards, and in solidifying misconceptions around
marginalised groups of students√. Whether or not there are Indigenous students or other minority groups within a
school or classroom, I believe that their stories need to be told and that curriculum should be there to support this,
not downplay minority voice or contribution. I believe that being able to normalise race within schooling and
curriculum as something not to be afraid of will enable far greater and better learning opportunities for all students
and allow for the continual breaking down of prejudices, misconceptions, stereotypes and ultimately lead to the
embedded and systemic racism within Australia being brought into light.√

As an educator, it is my duty and want to put my students at the centre of education, being able to form meaningful
and mutually beneficial relationships with students is key in helping this. It is my goal to change how education is
delivered so that it can engage all students but it is also an opportunity for me to engage with students’ lives and
their culture. Dei (2008) explains that:

‘Effective education require that educators utilize race and difference as teaching tools. Race is not something ‘out
there’ but must be broached as art and parcel of our lives.’√

I think that this quote makes the act of critical reflection even more important for educators as the ability to ‘utilize
race and difference as teaching tools’ does not come easy, nor is it something which can be done with little or no
practice. It is important to critically reflect on oneself and on their teaching as it changes mistakes into
improvements, and turns risks into quality teaching√. Embracing race and culture in creating relationships is
important in creating a classroom of care but I also think that these relationships should support and invite parents
into the picture too. In her lecture on critical race theory, Sam Schulz (2016) expresses a counter-story from the

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point of view of ‘Rasta’, an Aboriginal man who shares his story and experience of his son’s schooling and how his
white teacher made effort to create relationships with the family beyond the school gates and resisting stereotypes.

‘I’m still not going up to that school, but now I can connect through Dennis’ – Rasta

I think that this reflects the importance again or being able to form meaningful relationships and also that it doesn’t
take much to be respectful of and supportive of a student’s/families culture and country. Ngitji Ngitji Tur (2010)
speaks to this respects in her recount of her time spent at a mission, remembering that she had great teachers who
helped them to engage with European culture while still retaining as much of their culture as possible. Allowing
them to speak their own language and encouraging them to hunt out bush with family. This is not to glorify missions
in anyway but to rather say that teachers have and still do have great ability to support their students in allowing
them the opportunity to freely be who they√ Teaching is every bit about my learning as it is about the students and I
hope that by giving students (Indigenous and non-indigenous) a voice in the classroom they have the opportunity to
influence and improve my teaching practice and the world outside the classroom. √

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EDUC9400 Luke Smale ID: 2083755
References

Dei, George Jeryy Sefa 2008, ‘Race, schooling and education: raising new questions’, in Dei, George Jerry Sefa,
Racists beware: uncovering racial politics in the postmodern society, Sense, Rotterdam, pp. 93-102.

Ladson-Billings, Gloria 1998, ‘Just what is critical race theory and what’s it doing in a nice field like education?’,
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 7-24.

Schulz, S (2016). ‘Critical race theory and whiteness’ [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from
https://flo.flinders.edu.au/pluginfile.php/2041292/mod_resource/content/0/EDUC2420%209400%20Race%20White
ness%20Lecture%202016%20FLO.pdf

Tannoch-Bland, Jenny 1998, ‘Identifying white race privilege [extract from chapter 1: The experience of racism in
Australia]’, in Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action, Bringing Australia together: the structure and
experience of racism in Australia, Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action, Woollongabba, QLD., pp.
33-38.

Tur, Ngitji Ngitji 2010, 'Fringe to town dwellers - Oodnadatta: 1943-1950', in Tur, Ngitji Ngitji, Cicada dreaming, Hyde
Park Press, Adelaide, S. Aust., pp. 22-42.

Minor Assignment - Marking Rubric

CONTENT/STRUCTURE HD D C P F CONTENT/STRUCTURE

Discussion is logically developed √ Discussion lacks coherent

and coherent structure/disjointed

Excellent understanding of √ Lacks understanding of relations

relations between ‘race’, racism, between ‘race’, racism, whiteness,
whiteness, and education and education

Sophisticated application of √ Application of course content

course content absent or underdeveloped

Uses Indigenous voices and √ Indigenous voices absent; many

supports assertions well unsupported claims

Applies AITSL Standards √ Does not refer to AITSL Standards

Understanding supported by √ Submitted few or no questions/key

submission of questions/key ideas in class
ideas in class

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EDUC9400 Luke Smale ID: 2083755
STYLE STYLE

Ideas clearly expressed; Precise √ Unclear expression; Difficult to

use of language understand; Imprecise, Obscure use
of language

Applies summary and review √ Does not apply summary or review

conventions conventions

Free of grammatical errors √ Numerous grammatical errors

Harvard Reference Format √ Absence of Harvard referencing

adhered to

Overall Grade and Mark 21 CR

Luke, you demonstrate understanding of the importance of including the voices of Indigenous peoples within
curriculum as well as build relationships. Allowing self to be critically reflective is a great start to teaching enable
opportunity for the challenges and a process of deep learning, where race is understood as a social construct to
deconstruct this knowledge to inform all students. Well done.