Educator Awareness
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What does culturally competent mean?
The EYLF (p. 16) defines cultural competence as:
"… much more than awareness of cultural differences. It is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact
with people across cultures."
It involves:
The EYLF (p. 16) defines cultural competence as:
"… much more than awareness of cultural differences. It is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact
with people across cultures."
It involves:
- Being aware of your personal view of the world
- Develop a positive disposition towards cultural differences
- Learn about different cultural practices and world views
- Develop cross cultural communication skills
Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EYLFPLP_E-Newsletter_No7.pdf
The Cultural Needs Diagram
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To begin to understand Indigenous culture and be mindful of this when teaching, educators can learn a lot from the Cultural Needs Diagram. There are several important aspects to the diagram:
These six items ensures educators cater for Indigenous children's needs and helps to establish a cultural connection between Indigenous children and the unique culture they belong to.
- Where you come from- family and cultural history
- Who you are- personal identity
- Who do you belong to- family and community
- Where you belong- land and water
- What you do- participation, cultural expression
- What you believe- beliefs, values and practice
These six items ensures educators cater for Indigenous children's needs and helps to establish a cultural connection between Indigenous children and the unique culture they belong to.
Reference: SNAICC. (2012) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Childrens Cultural needs. Retrieved from http://www.snaicc.org.au/_uploads/rsfil/02932.pdf
What do teachers need to be aware of?
When teachers are incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into their classroom,
they need to ensure it is conducted in a culturally competent or culturally
proficient way. Many things need to be considered before integrating Aboriginal
perspectives into lessons including (but not limited to):
Retrieved from http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/brighterfutures_
enagaging_aboriginal.pdf
When teachers are incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into their classroom,
they need to ensure it is conducted in a culturally competent or culturally
proficient way. Many things need to be considered before integrating Aboriginal
perspectives into lessons including (but not limited to):
- The culture of the school
- The content you intend on teaching
- The language you use
- Have the children been exposed to both the negative and positive sides of Aboriginal history?
- Who is sitting in your classroom? Are your students mostly Indigenous or non-Indigenous?
- Will parents resist what you are teaching? Do you need to prepare families before the commencement of a unit or topic?
Retrieved from http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/brighterfutures_
enagaging_aboriginal.pdf