Simone Brock

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Major Assignment

As a future educator, I hold the power and responsibility to contribute to a future society
which is equitable and fair to all. Within my teaching, I strive to incorporate teaching
strategies which are responsive to the needs of the Indigenous students in my classroom, as
well as practices which encourage reconciliation and challenge the racisms which are
embedded into our society. The following essay will discuss my critical Indigenous
Pedagogical Practice (CIPP), and contextualise this within the theoretical frameworks of
Creative Body Based Learning (CBL) and Critical Race Theory (CRT). I will then be
translating theory into practice by discussing specific teaching and learning activities which I
will include in the drama classroom. In doing so, I will be upholding my responsibility to
implement focus areas 1.4 ‘strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students’ and 2.4, ‘understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to
promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’ from the
Australian Professional Standards for teachers (APST, 2017).

It is certain that due to Australia’s colonial history and racist policies such as assimilation and
segregation, there has been a ‘tragic legacy to the educational opportunities for Aboriginal
young people’ (Beresford, 2012, p. 119). This legacy can be seen in the lived experiences of
Indigenous peoples. Elder Uncle Lewis O’Brien, tells of the low educational expectations of
him and the racism he faced by his teachers, as well as the fact that during his childhood it
‘was unusual for an Aboriginal kid’ to go far in school and ‘unusual for an Aboriginal kid to
be in high school at all’ (O’Brien & Gale, 2007, p. 113). Moreover, Narungga man Peter
Buckskin speaks of the ‘cultural isolation’, ‘lack of respect’ and ‘racism’ he experienced in
his schooling (2012, p. 165). Indeed, Indigenous students continue to show higher levels of
non-attendance, early exits and disengagement from school in comparison to their non-
Indigenous peers (Rahman, 2010). Blanch explains that school ‘continues to be viewed by
Indigenous members of the community as a site for assimilation, colonisation, and
racialisation’ (2017, p. 26). I see myself in a privileged space to create necessary change, and
I strive towards being able to engage Indigenous students for greater educational outcomes in
my subject of drama. Indigenous artist and lecturer Mayrah Dreise believes that in drama
education, Indigenous perspectives are often omitted from the curriculum due to a fear of
working in insensitive ways with Indigenous drama (Davis, Lubbers, Ryan & Dreise, 2009).
Although non-Indigenous teachers may feel underprepared or ‘inadequate’ to teach
Indigenous knowledges and perspectives in an authentic way, the drama classroom ‘has much
to offer as a medium’ for working in this area (Hradsky, 2017, p. 106). The CIPP will allow
me to start to decolonise education and ‘unpack racism’ (Tannoch-Bland, 1998, p. 38).

There is a strong need to implement culturally responsive pedagogies which promote

engagement for Indigenous students and students from different cultural backgrounds
(Rigney, Garrett, Curry & MacGill, 2020). A culturally responsive pedagogy can be enacted
through Creative Body Based Learning (CBL), which is a constructivist approach that sees
the body as essential to learning (2020). CBL involves creativity and the body as ‘tools of
knowledge, creation and understanding’, and has the potential to engage and make learning
accessible for students who may be disconnected from learning in a traditional classroom
(Garret & MacGill, 2019, p. 5). It involves a combination of ‘narrative, artistic and embodied
endeavours to access and understand curriculum materials’ (2019, p. 5). CBL promotes a
collaborative sharing and developing of ideas, games to ‘develop fluency and recall’ and
image work to make physical representations of curriculum ideas (2019, p. 5). Moreover, role

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playing techniques are utilised to connect the learning to situations and issues that go beyond
the classroom, and allow students to act in scenarios which require problem solving (Rigney,
Garrett, Curry & MacGill, 2020). At the heart of CBL is a ‘process of dialogic meaning
making’ which involves being able to ‘describe actions, analyze learning, and relate to life-
worlds’ (2020, p. 1164). This encourages deeper thinking, allows students to share their
perspectives, connect to their experiences, and contributes to a building of collective
understandings (2020, p. 1164).

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is another framework which underpins my CIPP. CRT posits that
‘race is socially constructed, racism is normal’ and ‘marginalised perspectives help us to ‘see’
covert racism’ (Schulz, 2020, slide, 34). The framework encourages me to examine the place
of power that I hold as being an educator who is part of the dominant ‘white’ group. Indeed,
CRT empowers me to include the perspectives of marginalised groups and use the power of
counter-stories as a basis for the resources and learning experiences I use and create in my
classroom. CRT helps me to develop my practice by implementing storytelling pedagogy and
counter stories. According to Phillips and Bunda, story is ‘the communication of what it
means to be human, that tells of emplaced, relational tragedies, challenges and joys of living’
(2018, p. 3). Moreover, Tur explains that storytelling is a means of teaching Indigenous
histories and cultures in an engaging and ‘liberating’ way (2020, slide 14). The drama
classroom provides an excellent opportunity for storytelling, as stories can be ‘gestured,
danced, dramatised’, and ‘filmed’ (2018, p. 3). I value the power of counter stories to bring
Indigenous perspectives into the classroom, as through storytelling, ‘Aboriginal ways of
knowing, being and doing in the contemporary everyday can be heard’ (2018, p. 8).

I will now be translating the theory discussed into practice, discussing activities which will be
implemented in the drama classroom as part of my CIPP. The arts provides ample
opportunity for Indigenous perspectives to be privileged and included. According to
ACARA, in year eight drama, ‘students explore the drama and influences of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples’ (2017). I will implement CRT and CBL in the space of the
drama classroom in a variety of ways. A series of examples and activities will be discussed
and links will be drawn to the APST focus areas 1.4 and 2.4, and the theoretical frameworks
of CBL and CRT. The activities are intended to be implemented over the course of a term and
align with the Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

 ‘Develop and refine expressive skills in voice and movement to communicate ideas

and dramatic action in different performance styles and conventions, including
contemporary Australian drama styles developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander dramatists’ (ACADRM043 - Scootle)
 ‘Combine the elements of drama in devised and scripted drama to explore and
develop issues, ideas and themes’ (ACADRM040 - Scootle)
 ‘Identify and connect specific features and purposes of drama from contemporary and
past times to explore viewpoints and enrich their drama making, starting with drama
in Australia and including drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples’ (ACADRR046 - Scootle)

I will implement strategies derived from CBL to assist with learning and consolidating key
concepts and vocabulary within drama, for example, the language of movement in regards to
theatre practitioner Rudolf Laban. I will use the strategies of games and image work to
‘activate dialogue’ to promote the learning of this vocabulary (Garret & MacGill, 2019). This

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aligns with focus area 1.4 as according to Blanch and MacGill, Indigenous students are able
to make their knowledge visible in an alternate way, through an active and embodied
experience (2020). Students will move around the space to music and I will hold up a card
with a Laban effort action and its qualities (Wring: indirect, heavy, sustained and bound).
Students will need to personify this effort action with their bodies as they continue to move
around the space. Students will then be asked to think of an animal which embodies the effort
action, and create an image of this animal using their bodies as the action is called out, and
then proceed to move around the space as this animal. By using CBL and bringing the
vocabulary of the learning area to life in this way, an inclusive classroom environment is
fostered where students are more likely to take risks in their learning, persevere, lessen their
anxiety and increase their confidence, as learning is ‘collective and failure not demonised’
(Garret & MacGill, 2019, p. 9). Moreover, learning becomes more personalised as students
have a multitude of ways to represent their knowledge (Garret, Dawson, Meiners & Wrench,
2018). I would then implement the ‘describe-analyse-relate’ reflection process through a
think/pair/share activity by asking students how they felt during the activity, what they saw
from their peers, what was successful, and how they could relate and apply what they had
learned in this activity to a future character or performance. In this way, students ‘embodied
feelings and perspectives’ can be shared collectively (Garret & MacGill, 2019, p. 5).

Furthermore, when developing movement and improvisational skills, I will bring the
theoretical frameworks of CRT and CBL in the drama classroom by introducing students to
contemporary Indigenous theatre groups. I will be implementing APST focus area 1.4 as I
will be engaging Indigenous students by utilising teaching resources which are relevant and
culturally familiar to them such as productions by Aboriginal companies (Craven, 2011). As
a class, students will watch an excerpt of Indigenous dance company Bangarra’s ‘Brolga’
from ‘Corboree’ on YouTube, which ‘illustrates the concepts of ceremony, connection and
transformation between a human spirit and the spirit of a creature’, deals with themes
surrounding rites of passage, and uses the movement sequences inspired from the movement
of a brolga bird (Bangarra Dance Theatre Australia, 2020). A class discussion will be
facilitated surrounding the themes and story they saw communicated in the dance and stage
elements, and how the dance made them feel. Students will relate this to the improvisational
skills and ideas on movement that they have been learning in relation to theatre practitioner
Rudolf Laban and in groups, create their own movement sequence inspired by a chosen
animal which conveys a story or theme. Students will perform this to their peers who will
need to unpack the ideas represented. Following this, students will be asked to research one
contemporary Indigenous theatre group such as Yellaka, Bangarra or BlakDance and write a
short review on a chosen performance by this group. Students will be asked to consider the
cultural context that the drama was created within, the historical and cultural influences
evident in the work and how it varies from drama found in other worldly traditions. Here I am
enacting CRT as this is a counter story which works to combat ‘stereotypical representations
of Aboriginal people’ and ‘excessive generalisations’ surrounding Indigenous peoples and
cultures in the classroom by bringing their culture into the present (Harrison & Greenfield,
2011, p. 69).

I will further enact CRT by bringing counter stories into the drama classroom in the form of a
video and poetry to incorporate Indigenous perspectives and decolonise education. Indeed,
decolonising the curriculum and education should ‘acknowledge the impact of colonisation’
and work to transform ‘values and perspectives’ (McNair et al., 2012, p. 22). Students will
watch Aboriginal People Respond to ‘Australia Day’ (AS/IS, 2016), on YouTube, a powerful
counter story to what is commonly seen on mainstream media surrounding celebrating

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Australia Day, which provides multiple perspectives on what Australia day means for
different Aboriginal people. In this way, I am not speaking on the behalf of Indigenous
people, and I am promoting an understanding that different Indigenous people have various
opinions and perspectives (Davis et al., 2009). To further unpack and facilitate discussion on
the impact of invasion on Aboriginal people and the meaning of Australia Day, students will
undertake the CBL strategy, vote with your feet (Blanch & MacGill, 2020). Students will be
presented with statements such as ‘Australia day promotes unity for all’, ‘Australia Day
should be acknowledged as a difficult day for many Indigenous people’, ‘I can learn more
about Indigenous perspectives on Australia day through looking up Indigenous led media
such as NITV’. The vote with your feet activity involves students standing up if they entirely
agree with the statement, staying seated if they disagree or staying half way if they are not
sure (2020). The strategy is a simple but powerful way to enact focus area 1.4, and is
effective for students to feel safe in showing their point of view as there is collective
participation, and will ‘transform the space’ and get people moving (2020). Indeed, creating a
safe space with trusting relationships is especially important in the drama classroom when
engaging with challenging subject matter (Hradsky, 2017). This CBL strategy is an effective
entry point to generate further discussion and hear different perspectives on the issue,
including those of Indigenous students. I am further meeting focus area 2.4 as in a safe space,
I am facilitating a respectful discussion on the impact of invasion from this CBL activity,
where questions could be raised around how we can show solidarity with Indigenous people
on Australia Day to promote reconciliation.

Following the vote with your feet activity, I will use the drama techniques of improvisation
and tableaux to continue unpacking the impact of invasion and Australia Day. Students will
be given several poems by Indigenous authors to read surrounding Australia Day which deal
with themes of belonging, invasion and identity. These will include, ‘Our Survival Day’ by
Raylene Campion, ‘Always was always will be’ by Michael “Mickey” Hetherington and
‘Australia Day 2014’ by Sandra Gaal Hayman (Creative Spirits, n.d). In groups, students will
be asked to use their improvisation skills to create a tableau which builds on the ideas of the
poem and focus on concepts such as belonging, place and dispossession. A discussion will
then unfold on identity and place as students explore what they saw represented in the
tableaux that were created. At this time students will also be invited to share their own stories
surrounding their cultural identities and connection to place through a one minute
monologue, placing diversity at the centre of the classroom. Through enacting CRT by
introducing stories which counter mainstream views of Australia Day, I am decolonising
education by giving voice to the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, and
challenging the ‘white fantasy national identity’ that can be seen to dominate Australia (Vass,
p. 194). I am meeting focus area 2.4 by understanding and promoting awareness of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and allowing a space for their voices and
perspectives to be heard. Moreover, I am providing a space for students to explore their own
cultural identities and relationship to place through story telling in the form of a monologue.

To conclude, my CIPP, underpinned by the theoretical frameworks of CBL and CRT, has the
purpose of making learning accessible and engaging for all, including those from Indigenous
backgrounds. CBL provides an alternate way of demonstrating knowledge, and allows
students to open their minds, think in creative ways, experiment, learn collaboratively and
engage with the subject material physically. Through working under the framework of CRT, I
ensure to include Indigenous perspectives in my classroom through using counter stories. In
drama, when looking at developing and refining skills in movement and improvisation, I will
explore the impact of invasion on Indigenous peoples through bringing counter stories into

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the classroom in video and written forms. Diversity will be celebrated and concepts of
cultural identity and belonging will be explored through the dramatic technique of tableaux
and monologues. Furthermore, I will bring Indigenous culture into the 21st century through
looking at and analysing drama works by contemporary Indigenous theatre groups. Through
the developing of my Critical Indigenous Pedagogical Practice (CIPP) within the frameworks
of CRT and CBL, I can begin to decolonise the curriculum by privileging Indigenous
knowledges and ways of doing in the classroom.

References:

AS/IS. (2016). Aboriginal People Respond To “Australia Day”. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8czHlPYXew

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (n.d). Spanish.

Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/languages/spanish/

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). (2017). Professional Standards for
Teachers. Retrieved from: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Bangarra Dance Theatre. (2020). Brolga 2001. Retrieved from

https://www.bangarra.com.au/learning/resources/eresources/brolga/excerpt/

Beresford, Q. (2012). Separate and unequal: An outline of Aboriginal Education 1900-1996.

In Q. Beresford, G. Partington & G. Gower (Eds.), Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal
Education (pp. 85 – 119). Western Australia: UWA Publishing.

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Blanch & MacGill. (2020). Creative Body-Based Learning. [Lecture PowerPoint Slides].
Retrieved from
https://flo.flinders.edu.au/pluginfile.php/4271901/mod_resource/content/2/EDUC2420%20an
d%209400%20Lecture%20Seven_Creative%20body-based%20learning.pdf

Blanch, F.R. (2017). Indigenous Australian youth, identity, rap/hip hop: A tool for wellbeing
and ethical care. In P.T. Slee, G Skrzypiec & C Cefai (Eds.), Child and adolescent wellbeing
and violence prevention in schools (pp. 26-33). London: Routledge.

Buckskin, P. (2012). Engaging Indigenous students: The important relationship between

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their teachers. In K. Price (Ed.),
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: an introduction for the teaching profession
(pp. 164-180). Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Craven, R. (Ed.). (2011). Teaching Aboriginal studies : A practical resource for primary and
secondary teaching. Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-
com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au

Creative Spirits. (n.d). Aboriginal Poems. Retrieved from

https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/arts/poems/aboriginal-poems

Davis, Sue, Lubbers, Sean, Ryan, Shay, & Dreise, Mayrah Yarraga. (2009). Taking time -
finding the tools to teach Indigenous drama and theatre. Lowdown, 31(2), 14-15

Garrett, R., Dawson, K., Meiners, J., & Wrench, A. (2018). Creative and Body-based
Learning: Redesigning Pedagogies in Mathematics. Journal for Learning through the Arts,
14(1), 36.

Garrett. R., & MacGill. B. (2019). Fostering inclusion in school through creative and body-
based learning, International Journal of Inclusive Education. DOI:
10.1080/13603116.2019.1606349

Hradsky, D. (2017). A personal reflection on using embodied drama to explore Indigenous

perspectives in the classroom. NJ : Drama Australia Journal, 41(2), 106-116.

McNair, Melissa, Owens, Kay, Bennet, Maria, Logan, Patricia, Murray, Libbey, O'Sullivan,
Dominic, . . . Nolan. (2012). Continuities in education: Pedagogical perspectives and the role
of elders in education for indigenous students. Journal of Australian Indigenous
Issues, 15(1), 20-39.

O’Brien, L. Y., & Gale, M. A. (2007). My difficult childhood. In M. A. Gale & L. Y.

O’Brien (Eds), And the clock struck thirteen: the life and thoughts of Kaurna elder Uncle
Lewis Yerloburka O’Brien (1st ed) (pp. 102 – 122). Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield
Press.

Phillips, G.L., & Bunda, T (2018). Research through, with and as storying. London and New
York: Routledge.

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Harrison, N., & Greenfield, M. (2011). Relationship to place: Positioning Aboriginal

knowledge and perspectives in classroom pedagogies. Critical Studies in Education, 52(1),
65-76.

Rahman, Kiara. (2010). Addressing the Foundations for Improved Indigenous Secondary
Student Outcomes: A South Australian Qualitative Study. Australian Journal of Indigenous
Education, The, 39(1), 65-76.

Rigney, L., Garrett, R., Curry, M., & MacGill, B. (2020). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
and Mathematics Through Creative and Body-Based Learning: Urban Aboriginal Schooling.
Education and Urban Society, 52(8), 1159-1180.

Schulz, S. (2020). Critical race theory (CRT) and critical whiteness studies (CWS) [Lecture
PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://flo.flinders.edu.au/course/view.php?id=63681.

Tannoch-Bland, J. (1998). Identifying white race privilege. In J. Tannoch-Bland (Ed.),

Bringing Australia together: The structure and experience of racism in Australia (pp. 33-38).
Woollongabba, Queensland: Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action.

Tur, S.U. (2020). Storytelling pedagogy [Lecture PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
https://flo.flinders.edu.au/pluginfile.php/4270354/mod_resource/content/1/EDUC2420%2094
00%20Lecture%20Four_CRT%20and%20CWS_2020.pdf.

Vass, G. (2014). The racialised educational landscape in Australia: Listening to the

whispering elephant. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 17(2), 176-201.