Critical Reflection and Philosophy of Critical Practice in Indigenous Education EDU4032

Part A: Self reflection

Introduction

Indigenous education plays a significant role in terms of shaping the educators while understanding the approach towards teaching students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. As an educator, it is imperative to engage with Indigenous viewpoints in order to address the historical and current struggles that Indigenous people experience, as well as to create an inclusive learning environment. My understanding of myself and my work as an educator has been greatly impacted by the insights I've gotten from the lectures, tutorials, and readings from weeks 1-4. This essay will critically examine how this knowledge has either confirmed or challenged my preconceived notions, how some knowledge has been missing from my life, and the changes brought about by this involvement.

Body

In terms of focusing on the initial weeks it has been identified the key concepts and the way to reshape my understanding of Indigenous Education. Cultural competency is beneficial in this current era. Cultural competency refers to the ability to understand and communicate with people in the different cultures. Within the framework of Indigenous Education, this entails acknowledging the distinct cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pupils and integrating their viewpoints into the course material (Joyce and Routley, 2020). This idea has strengthened my conviction that diversity and inclusivity are crucial in education. It has, however, also made me face to face with the possibility that, in spite of my dedication to inclusive practices, I may have previously failed to recognize or provide insufficient attention to the unique needs of Indigenous children in my instruction. Establish high standards for all students by becoming a role model and establishing difficult learning objectives (Week 1).

On the other hand, historical context and the parameters of the Indigenous Education have been identified it directly created an impact on the colonisation, the Stolen Generations and also within the systemic racism. It has been confronting and enlightening to learn about the intergenerational trauma that Indigenous people have faced and how it still affects students now. My previous education was primarily focused on broad pedagogical theories rather than the unique historical and cultural settings of Indigenous peoples, therefore I was entirely ignorant of this information. I have identified that The Labor Party, led by Rudd, ran on a platform of fundamental reforms to the education system in 2007, branding their approach as a "Education Revolution." Targets specifically centered on the attendance and retention of Indigenous students were set by the Closing the Gap: Education Strategy (DET 2009) strategy. As a warning story of "good" white people harassing "bad" white people in an effort to be perceived as "better" white people, the idea of being a "white ally" is problematic (Week 3).

The fact that I did not have this knowledge throughout my previous education has brought attention to a big knowledge gap that I now realise is essential to provide good support for Indigenous students. Through the weeks I have identified the detailed aspects of the racism in a detailed way. Because Foucault reminds us that the university is one site of power-knowledge production among others, we can set aside arguments about the applicability of "Theory" outside the ivory tower of the academy and instead focus on the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation as axes of privilege both inside and outside the university walls (week 3).

In the personal transformation aspect, I can be said that my perceptions related to my role as an educator have been changed accordingly. Before the course, I focused on the responsibility in an accurate way. I thought that my primary responsibility was to deliver the content and foster the critical thinking skills. After getting the course I have realised that I need to be an advocate for social justice and equality, particularly for the marginalised groups such as Indigenous students. An additional facet of my personal development has involved realizing the significance of incorporating Indigenous viewpoints within the curriculum as opposed to considering them as an optional or unique subject. The notion of "two-way learning," which values and integrates both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems, has had a significant impact (Ali et al., 2021). This methodology not only enhances the educational experience for every student but also validates the significance of Indigenous knowledge and culture. Changes in my teaching practice have been sparked by the understanding that I had previously considered Indigenous perspectives as supplemental rather than essential to the curriculum.

The only way to build a future of which we can all be proud is to acknowledge and address injustices pertaining to race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, culture, language, religion, and other issues structured along unfair global, national, regional, and local distributions of income and resources. But collaboration is required to get to this future (week 2).
The idea of reconciliation in education has fundamentally changed my teaching practice. Reconciliation includes recognition of history, reparation for harm and a shared vision toward justice. Thus it requires the creation of a learning environment in the classroom where Indigenous students have been recognized for their history and culture, and feel that education is something they are part of. This knowledge has dramatically transformed how I approach curricula development and the type of sources that are valuable to include in my teaching all consistent with the Ministry requirement for reconciliation-oriented materials.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that I can state that, in terms of the personal transformation component, my views of my work as an educator have evolved correspondingly. I had accurately focused on accountability before to the course. I believed that encouraging students' critical thinking abilities and delivering the material was my main duty. Upon enrolling in the course, I have come to the realisation that I must actively promote social justice and equality, especially for marginalized populations like Indigenous kids.

Part B: Philosophy of Critical Practice

Introduction

Philosophical Critical Practice in the Context of Indigenous Education entails a dedication to social justice and fairness as well as an understanding of the distinct cultural, historical, and social circumstances of pupils who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. By actively confronting the structural obstacles that Indigenous students encounter in the educational system, this ideology aims to do more than just comprehend and integrate Indigenous perspectives. Australian Professional Standards for Teacher Focus while analysing the strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Body

The foundation of my Critical Practice Philosophy is the idea that education ought to be a vehicle for social change and empowerment. For kids who are Indigenous, this entails establishing an inclusive learning environment that affirms their cultures, histories, and identities. Development and maintaining cultural competency is essential in my philosophy. Incorporating resources helps to reflect the Indigenous perceptions and create the opportunities for students while engaging with the perceptions in an accurate way.
Two way learning is the other major teaching practice that prioritises the perceptions. I'm determined to establish a two-way learning environment in my classroom where knowledge systems from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are respected and taught (Gorecki and Doyle-Jones, 2021). This method not only enhances the curriculum but also helps pupils respect and understand one another. My goal is to make learning more inclusive and comprehensive by integrating Indigenous viewpoints throughout all subject areas instead of limiting them to particular units or subjects. Academy is connected with a particular environment by using principle of Logos, knowledge, abstraction and so on (week 4).

Reconciliation is another key component in the aspects of my teaching philosophy. This translates into actually being aware of the resources I use, the language I use, and the connections I make with kids and their communities. Additionally, I will work to include Indigenous viewpoints in curriculums and policies for schools. Critical pedagogy is the other approach. In Indigenous education, it is especially crucial to dispel common myths and stereotypes that are perpetuated in mainstream education. Nonetheless, "changes in the propensity of persons to identify as being of Indigenous origin" are the cause of the ongoing "significant intercensal volatility in the Indigenous population census counts". Second, compared to the overall population, a larger percentage of Indigenous people belong to younger age groups (week 1).

There has been a significant shift in my comprehension. The most notable shift has been in how I view my position as an educator. I thought that teaching information and encouraging critical thinking were my main responsibilities before to this training. These are certainly vital, but I now realise that part of my job is also to advocate for fairness and social justice, especially for vulnerable populations like Indigenous students. This change has been fueled by a greater knowledge of the structural obstacles that Indigenous people must overcome and the part that education can play in either removing or strengthening these obstacles. I have identified that forcible removal persisted even after the overtly racist connotations of biological absorption subsided in the 1940s. Up until the 1970s, authorities took custody of tens of thousands of children on the grounds that their parents had not raised them in accordance with white standards (Week 2).

An additional facet of my personal development has involved realizing the significance of incorporating Indigenous viewpoints within the curriculum as opposed to considering them as an optional or unique subject. The notion of "two-way learning," which values and integrates both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems, has had a significant impact. This methodology not only enhances the educational experience for every student but also validates the significance of Indigenous knowledge and culture. Changes in my teaching practice have been sparked by the understanding that I had previously considered Indigenous perspectives as supplemental rather than essential to the curriculum.

Conclusion

It has been concluded that One important discovery that has caused me to change the way I teach is that my previous schooling did not provide me with specialized understanding about the histories and cultures of Indigenous people. This thinking has established the groundwork for the creation of my Philosophy of Critical Practice and has emphasized the significance of advocating for equality and social justice in education.

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