Indigenous Voices in Research and Teaching

• In Event: 49.032 - Indigenous Issues in Education and Research

Abstract

Purpose
The Indigenous Online Cultural Teaching and Sharing (Kinship Project) was undertaken through an Office for Learning and Teaching Grant to develop an online cultural education teaching tool using Aboriginal voices. The Project was designed as an experiential learning environment, to strengthen Aboriginal knowledges and convey these knowledge systems to enhance mainstream teaching of education, humanities and social science.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
The Project adapts what Blodgett, Schinke, Smith, Peltier and Pheasant (2011) refer to as a ‘cultural praxis’ where design and delivery utilises complementary Indigenous, social constructionist and critical methodologies, and adopts inclusive ways of engaging Aboriginal people in research and development of teaching resources through research methodology and practice. We extended the cultural praxis to pedagogical practices underpinning the teaching resource.

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry
In our ‘cultural praxis’ we used five approaches, Social Constructionist Immersive Learning (Lester, Stone & Stelling, 1999); Narrative Teaching (Vygotsky, 1978; Egan, 1998; Diekelmann, 2009; Blakesley, 2010; & Andrews, Hull, De Meester, 2010); Aboriginal Standpoint Pedagogy (NAEC, 1985; Yunkaporta, 2009; Healy-Ingram, 2011); Critical Decolonising Methodologies (Battiste, 2002; McLaughlin & Whatman, 2007; Blodgett, et. al., 2011); and Blended Learning Environment (Frank, Kurtz & Levin, 2002; Garrison & Kanuka, 2004; Hughes, 2007).

Data sources, evidence, objects, or materials:
Qualitative interviews (N=51): Aboriginal students (n=10), Aboriginal academic staff (n=6), non-Aboriginal (n=5), focus group sessions with Aboriginal community (n=30), were used to collect the data, required prior to the project commencing and during the project – to ensure focus and direction of the project and to ensure validity of Aboriginal voices in the teaching tool being created.

Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view
The Project resulted in a cultural education program incorporating Aboriginal peoples’ narratives. The community engagement process is in the context of Indigenous methodological, epistemological and ethical considerations, juxtaposing Indigenous and western ways of teaching and research. From these narratives students gain Aboriginal information first hand. The validation is from an Aboriginal standpoint, of Aboriginal engagement and in the context of Western research processes; providing a model with a comparison between the Projects Aboriginal community approach and an exemplar Western research process.

Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work:
In adapting the ‘cultural praxis’ the Project addressed reciprocal relationships between academics and applied the work of ‘commitment toward creating positive social change’ (Blodgett, et. al., 2011, p. 523) demonstrating engagement with Indigenous community members as experts and enabling Indigenous voices in community-based research.

Authors

• Lynette Riley, The University of Sydney

• Deirdre Howard-Wagner, The University of Sydney

• Janet Mooney, Australian Catholic University