Includes resources for Welcome to Country acknowledgements, links to various multimedia resources, and information about other organisations associated with teaching and supporting Aboriginal culture in Victoria. Information about protocols for teaching about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is available on associated pages.

Koorie Teaching Resources

State Government of Victoria Department of Education and Training, November 2020.

When evaluating potential resources, it is important to consider the currency: how up-to-date is the resource and how important is that to the topic? Material for a curriculum needs to be current, accurate, and reflect best practices. Historical material does not need to be as current, although with Indigenous content it is important to consider how attitudes and behaviour have changed in recent decades.

Narragunnawali, a program of Reconciliation Australia (RA), provides resources to support students’ learning and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. Curriculum resources can be sorted by subject area or year and align to the cross-curriculum priorities. Professional learning resources are also available.

Curriculum Resources

Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education, Reconciliation Australia.

This book provides an illustrated and accessible introduction to Aboriginal history and culture. It includes key concepts such as the Dreaming, significance of Country, activism, and reconciliation, as well as highlighting the significant contribution Aboriginal peoples and culture have made to Australia.

The Little Red Yellow Black Book

Bruce Pascoe, Aboriginal Studies Press, 4th edition, 2018.

AIATSIS has developed a suite of curriculum guides as resources to complement The Little Red Yellow Black Book. The resources have been specifically developed for secondary educators and link to the cross-curriculum priorities. Each resource includes worksheets, activities, instructions for the teacher, and suggestions for assessment.

The Little Red Yellow Black Book Resources

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

When searching for additional information, it can be helpful to check if relevant resources provide recommendations for further reading. Checking the reference section in a journal article, the bibliography in a book, or the further reading section on a website can lead to new sources.

This article discusses the importance of incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the classroom. It addresses some of the concerns teachers may have around tokenism and cross-cultural understanding, offers practical advice for incorporating different perspectives into the curriculum, and contains information about further resources.

Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives into the Classroom: Why and How

Cara Shipp, Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 21(3), 24–29. 2013.

Reputable academic journal articles are peer-reviewed, an important indicator of authority and scholarship. Look for information about whether or not the journal is peer-reviewed (or refereed). Journals may contain other types of content such as editorials, book reviews, or opinion pieces; although useful, this content is not as authoritative as a peer-reviewed article.

This journal article argues for the importance of basing the history curriculum upon Indigenous perspectives and acknowledging the role of white Australia in our shared history. These actions, along with improved education for teachers, will lead to an improvement in Indigenous educational achievement and social outcomes through improved cultural safety facilitated by these educational processes.

Indigenous Perspectives: Controversy in the History Classroom?

Aleryk Fricker, Agora, v.52, n.4, 4-12. 2017.