Miss Shires's Classroom

Following on from our focus on pre-federation history and the writing of the Australian Constitution, in this lesson we will be looking at post-federation history and relationships between Government and Indigenous Australians. By looking at how Indigenous Australians were treated under the original wording of the Australian Constitution (specifically s.51 and s.127) and how it may have felt for them to be treated that way. In this lesson we will be discussing how the government intervened in the human rights of Indigenous Australians, and at the Stolen Generation. By talking about some of the more sensitive topics of Australian history, it may be confronting for some students, but it is important that they understand that this happened and that the effects of this are still felt today by members of the Indigenous community. Gardiner-Garden, J. (2007). The 1967 Referendum—history and myths. Retrieved from: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/JTZM6/uploa...

In this lesson, building upon the knowledge of Aboriginal and European History and the points raised in Babakiueria, we will discuss why the constitution may have been written the way that it was and what the attitudes towards Indigenous Australians might have been in the past. In previous lessons we looked at what was changed by the referendum and early encounters between Aboriginal people and European settlers, so by discussing the possible reasons that the constitution was written the way that it was. By having an open class discussion, it allows students to demonstrate an understanding of different points of view of historical events. MacNaughton, G. & Davis, K. (2001). Beyond ‘Othering’: rethinking approaches to teaching young Anglo-Australian children about indigenous Australians, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. 2 (1). 83-93.

In this lesson we look at the first encounters between Indigenous Australians and European Settlers. We are exploring this aspect of Australian history to gain a deeper understanding of why Indigenous Australians were treated the way that they were. This is not being taught for students to feel intergenerational guilt, but for students to understand what happened so that they then understand the context of other events that have occurred in Australian history. Upon completion of this lesson students will as a an entire class investigate a number of early historical events involving contact between Indigenous Australians and European Settlers. Ship, C. (2013). Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the classroom: Why and how. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 21 (3), 24-29.

The 1967 Referendum was the culmination of years of fighting for the rights of Indigenous Australians. It is important that our students understand the significance of this event in Australian history, and what it meant for the Indigenous Australian population. By unpacking the importance of this event and considering the feelings of those involved in the vote, students will look at this from a different point of view, being that of an Indigenous Australian, fighting for their human rights. In future lessons, we will unpack why the constitution was written the way it was and how Aboriginal Australians were treated before the constitution change. It is important that students learn about different points of view so that they can learn that history is not one sided. Ladson-Billings,G.,(2014). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0: a.k.a. the remix. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), pp. 74-84.