A new UNSW Sydney study highlights the benefits of taking teachers out of the classroom and on to Country, fostering connections and confidence to incorporate cultural knowledge and community understandings into classrooms.
The Culturally Nourishing Schooling project (CNS) involves teachers, school leaders, Aboriginal Cultural Mentors, and community members in order to enhance teacher confidence and boost educational involvement of Aboriginal students.
Lead Investigator on the CNS project, Associate Professor Kevin Lowe, highlighted the importance of the need for strong local connections, trust, and cultural awareness.
"This holistic, community-wide approach to education is enabling our CNS schools to boost local connections, build trust between teachers and students, and increase cultural understanding," he said.
After four years of the project, educators have noticed a boost in their ability to interact more confidently and genuinely with their Indigenous students, incorporate Aboriginal viewpoints into their teaching, and establish connections with families and community members.
"These changes are transforming students' learning experiences, with teachers reporting increased class attendance rates," said Professor Lowe, who is a Scientia Indigenous Fellow at the School of Education - UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture.
"Noticeably improved student engagement and eagerness to learn, a renewed sense of cultural pride and a heightened sense of belonging."
The CNS project, including Learning from Country, promotes a shift in teachers' perspectives towards Aboriginal students and their cultural backgrounds. The Australian Educational Researcher recently highlighted the positive effects of this approach on educators' perceptions of place and community.
Lead author of the study, Dr David Coombs from the School of Education, said Studying Country involves understanding the local histories, socio-historical events, and cultural knowledge.
"Learning from Country is about deepening understanding of Country and the local contexts of each community's schooling experiences, its histories and lived experiences, important socio-historical events and cultural knowledge," Dr Coombs said.
"It creates a sense of belonging and inclusivity and positions Aboriginal people as knowledge holders."
Based on prior studies, educators may exhibit reluctance or choose to refrain from incorporating Aboriginal material into their curriculum due to various factors, such as their own educational gaps.
Tweed River High School cultural mentor Tracey King said in order to establish a strong bond between your school and the community it's essential to ensure that students feel valued.
"It's vital to have a strong relationship within your school and your community so that students feel valued," she said.
"When we get people coming in from the community, the kids see that and they get a real sense that it's part of their identity.
"They see someone in the school that they know – the Aunties, the Uncles – and that sort of builds their confidence to be able to engage with their education."
The CNS team collaborates with eight schools situated in urban, rural, and remote areas throughout NSW. Every year, a group of educators engages in professional development initiatives, commencing with a two-day Learning from Country program facilitated by local Elders and CNS Cultural Mentors.
CNS educators have noted a heightened comprehension of and bond with the community, as well as the essential role of Country in the educational process.
"Teachers described greater appreciation of the diversity within Aboriginal communities and cultures and developed a more nuanced and localised understanding of place, community and knowledge," said Dr Coombs.
Matraville Sports High School teacher Julia Dimitriadis said the project has greatly helped to build strong connections with the local community.
"The Culturally Nourishing Schooling project has been invaluable for building a connection with the local community, which I think has been helpful not just as an early career teacher, but for all teachers – especially teaching within a new community," she said.
"You really do need to build those local connections and Culturally Nourishing Schooling has been fantastic for helping me do that."
The CNS model's first trial is set to end in 2024. Should the program obtain extra funding, there are plans to extend the trial to include new schools from New South Wales, along with researchers and schools from Victoria and South Australia.
