Overview
This course follows a learning pathway that engages participants in understanding Indigenous artmaking as knowledge sharing, informed by praxial concepts such as place, people, story, community, and diplomacy.
Focused on Indigenous knowledge sharing through creative works, predominantly from northern Australia, the course aims to develop participants' understanding of Australian Indigenous arts and their role in communicating knowledge, with a focus on applications in the education sector.
Australian Indigenous creative and cultural practices are presented as holistic ways of teaching and knowing about place and environment, people and community, language and communication, flora and fauna. The course gives primacy to Indigenous voices, exploring the creative works of First Nations' artists, designers, musicians, performers, and storytellers, with case studies from the Northern Territory.
The course is designed to empower educators in any discipline and level to enhance the learning of their students by broadening strategies and incorporating Indigenous perspectives into teaching practices. It addresses the national Australian curriculum's call for teachers to embed First Nations' perspectives, offering ways for teachers to connect with Indigenous materials and collaborate with Indigenous community stakeholders.
Educators will gain strategies to teach students in innovative ways, improving engagement and retention. Overall, the course provides an immersive experience for educators, researchers, teaching artists, and professionals interested in integrating Indigenous knowledge and creative practices into their work.
The course is suitable for educators seeking professional development at various educational levels, from pre-school to tertiary. A digital-badged certificate is provided on successful completion. Participants can use the course as credit towards postgraduate study in Education, Indigenous Studies, the Arts and Humanities.
Learning outcomes
- Apply reflective and culturally aware processes and thinking to enhance creative and professional practice.
- Critically evaluate Indigenous art as an experiential learning and teaching tool.
- Engage effectively with Indigenous stakeholders to inform the design of curriculum and knowledge sharing through the arts.
- Design learning pathways and activities to engage learners with Indigenous knowledge sharing and making in innovative ways.
- Identify, evaluate and synthesise strategies to facilitate the expression of Indigenous knowledge through creative and cultural practices within educational and community contexts.
Assessment overview
| Assessment task | Value (of total mark) | Related learning outcome/s |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction: introducing Me and My Place - an exercise in noticing, making and sharing knowledge through art. (300 words or equivalent in any media). | 10% |
|
| Written evaluation: evaluate one Indigenous artwork (from suggested list) as the key stimulus in a learning context relevant to you, reflecting on critical considerations (600 words). | 10% |
|
| Written response to Creative Case Studies:analyse two creative case studies to embed Indigenous perspectives in a learning context relevant to you (1,000 words). | 20% |
|
| Research Exercise:find out about the place/country where you live and work. Develop a Creative Case Study or Teaching Artefact informed by Indigenous materials, stakeholders and pedagogies that will be relevant in your educational context (1,200 words or equivalent in any media). | 25% |
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| Research Project:research and design a Learning Pathway (relevant to your educational/community context) which facilitates the expression of Indigenous knowledge through creative and cultural practices (2,000 words or equivalent in any media). | 35% |
|
Availability options
OLR: Internet access is required for this unit as students are required to access study materials provided on-line through Learnline. Please log into Learnline on the first day of each teaching period. For more information about Learnline, please click here.