Courses meeting the needs of diverse groups (Australian Indigenous Languages and Aboriginal & Intercultural Studies)
Western Australia is one of the leading states in the provision of curriculum that meets the needs of diverse groups, particularly the needs of the Aboriginal population.
Two new courses — Aboriginal and Intercultural Studies and Australian Indigenous Languages — will be introduced into WA schools in Year 11 in 2008.
Curriculum officer Aileen Hawkes said both courses were open to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.
She was confident the courses would be successful because they have been developed in partnership with the relevant communities.
“Consultation has taken place across the State, including consultation with Aboriginal education institutions and councils, and custodians of the language and culture,” Ms Hawkes said.
Chairperson of the Aboriginal Education and Training Council, Carol Garlett, provides feedback on the new courses to Aileen Hawkes from the Curriculum Council.
“By the time the consultation process is complete, we will have consulted as far and wide as Halls Creek, Broome, Port Hedland, Karratha, Geraldton, Bunbury, Albany, Esperance and Kalgoorlie, she said.
“The Aboriginal Education and Training Council (AETC) has been particularly supportive of our consultation efforts and even provided funding to ensure that the Curriculum Council could consult in appropriate ways to seek the views of the community.”
Ms Hawkes said the new Aboriginal and Intercultural Studies course will build on the Aboriginal Studies course offered in lower secondary school, by enabling students to continue their learning within the global context of cultures.
The course is intended to equip students with the knowledge, skills and values to be active citizens at the local, national and global levels. Students will learn about the diversity of Aboriginal societies and cross-cultural interaction between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, past and present, using a process of social inquiry.
The skills and knowledge developed in the course will be vocationally relevant in a diverse and increasingly global workplace. These skills will be valued in a range of business contexts, such as the tourist industry, as well as conservation and land management, social services and health.
Through the course, students will develop analytical skills as they make comparisons between their own and other cultures, she said.
“For Aboriginal students, the course will empower them by providing an opportunity for them to explore their culture.
“For non-Aboriginal students, they will develop an understanding of other cultures and become more sensitive to cultural differences.”
Ms Hawkes said the Australian Indigenous Languages course was special because it would be taught by native speakers of the language. The particular language would be negotiated by the school and its local community and implemented as a partnership. A classroom teacher would take responsibility for the course’s accountability and moderation requirements.
It is estimated that of the 250 Indigenous languages spoken at the time of European settlement, only 90 languages are still surviving. Of those surviving languages, 70 are described as ‘threatened’ or ‘severely endangered’ and 20 as ‘strong’.
The Australian Indigenous Languages course will provide an opportunity for all students to gain an appreciation of the diversity of languages, the interdependence of language, land and cultural knowledge, and to explore associated issues such as linguistic and cultural identity.
