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Indigenous perspectives
Wurundjeri elder, Murrundindi, works directly with students, sharing stories and firsthand experiences. Here, he is leading students through the annual Smoking Ceremony.
Indigenous perspectives in learning
At MLC, Year 7 Geography students explore the economic, cultural and spiritual value of water to Victoria’s Wurundjeri and Koorie People. Year 8 Science students investigate traditional fire-starting methods used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, while Year 10 History students examine the experiences of Indigenous Australians during World War II.
These are just a few examples of how teachers embed Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into the College curriculum.
“MLC’s Indigenous Program Strategy provides a platform for teachers and students to engage with Indigenous culture, people and issues, and reflects ACARA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History and Cultures cross curriculum priority,” explains Indigenous Programs Co-ordinator, Lucy Amon. In her role, Lucy works closely with MLC teachers at all levels. Collaboratively, they identify ways to include Indigenous perspectives in the classroom and to design engaging, discipline-relevant learning. “We also aim to engage, where possible, with Indigenous people to teach their own history, culture and ways of knowing and doing,” Lucy says. Wurundjeri elder, Murrundindi, works directly with students in MLC Kindle, Junior School and Junior Secondary School, sharing stories and firsthand experiences. “In Year 7 History for example, Murrundindi shares family artefacts from the Coranderrk Aboriginal Mission as part of students’ exploration of Ancient Australia and their learning about the discovery of Mungo Lady.” Larrakia/Tiwi woman Aunty Tarina Fanning works with Year 10 History students to explore Australian race relations from an Indigenous perspective by looking at the Bringing them Home report and The Apology by former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. She also runs a Q&A session with Year 11 IB English students as part of their study of Chloe Hooper’s The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island.
“MLC’s wonderful community of teachers are constantly looking at ways to make the curriculum more inclusive. Our Indigenous Program Strategy is helping us include more content about our First Nations Peoples and to nurture MLC’s culture of diversity.”
Variety to inspire
What makes the learning experience rich and magical in MLC Kindle? According to Director, Rebecca Drysdale, it’s a special combination of variety and inquiry in the curriculum.
How do you design the MLC Kindle curriculum?
As we follow the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, research and inquiry are key components. Teachers collaborate to come up with one meaningful, overarching question that all classrooms investigate. Each group then goes on its own learning trajectory, listening to the opinions and perspectives of others, finding answers and generating further questions.
What is your current research focus?
MLC Kindle’s current research focus is on the importance of community. Teachers and children are being challenged to consider how conventional views on community might be transformed by including more than the human world. Wurundjeri Elder Murrundindi has been integral to Kindle’s research on this topic and has enabled us to include an Indigenous perspective.
What are some recent learning highlights?
Children under three have enjoyed encounters with birds and thinking of ways to befriend birds. Some of the 4-year-old kindergarten students visited a beautiful oak tree on the College grounds to explore kinship and connection with nature.
The 3-year-old kindergarten children enjoyed developing their relationship with water by attuning to its different sounds and sensations.
Images and footage of visiting birds are digitally projected into the classroom. Matilda, Abigail and Xavier are overjoyed and dance with the birds.
