Celebrating our commitment to reconciliation
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ESA is proud to join more than 1000 organisations across Australia in developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Our RAP was endorsed by Reconciliation Australia earlier this month.
Reconciliation involves building stronger relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. Our RAP is our commitment to be active in this space.
The RAP’s cover artwork, ‘Growing and learning’ pictured below, was created by Keisha Leon, an Aboriginal graphic designer and digital artist, and a proud Waanyi-Kalkadoon (Mount Isa, Queensland) and Chinese woman. Keisha has created a visual story representing growth and working together to create the future of education.
Coinciding with National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June), this edition of ESA News celebrates our commitment to reconciliation by highlighting resources and important work in this area.
Image: Keisha Leon, creator of 'Growing and learning'
Endeavour 250 | Free teaching resources
2020 marks the 20th year of National Reconciliation Week and the 250th anniversary of the voyage of HMB Endeavour along the east coast of Australia. This year has provided an opportunity to review the history and impact of the arrival of the Endeavour and to share the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
On behalf of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, ESA has written eight inquiry-based learning sequences for Years F–10, examining the complex histories, perspectives and legacy of the voyage. These can be found via the Endeavour 250 website.
Areas of the curriculum covered include Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Education, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, The Arts, Critical and Creative Thinking, History, and Ethical Understandings.
myfuture | Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
myfuture has gathered three articles on its Assist others page for teachers and career practitioners working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. These articles – on valuing diversity, career conversations, and role models – aim to help increase the effectiveness of those providing career development services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Digital Technologies Hub | Marlee Hutton, Protector of the Kimberley Marine Environment
Career profile: Marlee Hutton, CSIRO research scientist
Inspire your students to consider a career in STEM and meet Marlee Hutton, an Aboriginal research scientist working for CSIRO. Discover more about her background and interests, see a snapshot of her current role and find out about the pathway she took to enter her profession.
The Girls in STEM Toolkit website features a poster of Marlee Hutton. You can also find eight other posters of incredible women working in a variety of STEM careers.
Lesson ideas for National Reconciliation Week
Years 3–4
Create a language-learning program
Create a computer program to learn an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.
Years 5–6
Design a flag with Pencil Code
Design your own Australian flag by examining common elements of flags and creating an algorithm to program your design.
Years 9–10
Seven seasons
Use this lesson to investigate the CSIRO Indigenous seasons calendars and produce a searchable database that will capture data using two data sources.
ECRH | It’s never too early to learn about Indigenous cultures
While interaction and face-to-face workshops are great ways to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures, the Early Childhood Resource Hub has three free online professional learning modules. These will help you to build your understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures, identities and perspectives.
The modules, designed for use in early years settings, include:
- Personal cultural competency
- Embedding culture in teaching practice
- Building a culturally competent and responsive service.
You can use these resources as individuals or in a team as the basis for discussion.
SCIS | Improving literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is an Australian organisation that works to reduce low literacy rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by supplying libraries of culturally appropriate books to remote Indigenous communities. Connections school library magazine explores how the ILF is improving literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities.
Student Wellbeing Hub | Enriching learning environments through knowledge and wellbeing
The Australian Student Wellbeing Framework encourages schools to find ways to ensure a ‘two-way reciprocal exchange of knowledge and wellbeing’. Learning about the cultures, histories and languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a powerful way to enrich learning environments.
Discover how different communities are putting their own stamp on this topic in schools via the Student Wellbeing Hub topic.
We’ve also supplied a free web-based app written in Kimberley Kriol that offers visual images related to relationships and sexuality education.
What's new from ESA?
New | Wellbeing course for principals and teachers
A new course is now available on the Student Wellbeing Hub aimed at principal and teacher wellbeing.
Schools are complex and often challenging environments with a variety of stressors impacting the health and wellbeing of educators as they respond to the needs of students and their families.
This three-module course gives educators strategies for building personal and professional wellbeing to enable them to support whole-school social and emotional health and deliver the best learning outcomes for all.
Discover what’s new in Scootle
Did you know that every time a resource is added, or an existing resource is updated, it is given a new publish date?
How do you discover these new and updated resources? It’s easier than you might think and only takes two steps.
- Select the green search button (leaving the keyword section blank) from the Scootle home page.
- Sort by ‘Recently updated’ – a list of the latest resources in order from most recently updated will appear.
From here you can filter your results further or add a resource to your favourites. You can also save your search and refer back to it later by selecting ‘Save this search’.
See what’s new this month.
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We wish to acknowledge the Kulin Nation, Traditional Custodians of the land on which ESA’s offices are located, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and future. We also acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia, their Elders, Ancestors, cultures and heritage.
