Deep Dive: Australian Curriculum - History 7-10

Dot points and elaborations - how we doing?

I’m spending some time checking up on our curriculum documentation, as I explore Indigenous content that exists and is suggested by them. Looking at the 8.4 version of the Australian Curriculum, with a focus on the History curriculum.

This graph from Hradsky (2022) piqued my interest and opened my eyes to what was possibly missing within the Australian Curriculum. But looking over it I’m rather confused by how the average number of CCP dot points is generated. CCP means Cross-curricular priorities, but to my eyes, and knowledge, the CCPs doesn’t really have dot-points, so I’m intrigued. 

She notes: As she notes, “The Australian and Victorian Curricula include content descriptions (content that is expected to be taught) and elaborations (non-mandatory advice). As Figure 1 shows, First Nations content in the secondary-level Victorian Curriculum is mainly elaborations, or non-mandatory. Only four learning areas (the Humanities, the Arts, English, and Languages) include mandated First Nations content.” (Hradsky, 2022, P. 153-154).

I started with Humanities, the clearest winner in this regard, keeping in mind the 7-10 proviso. Within the History Year 7-10 Curriculum by my count I get to 5 dot-points that pop up when searching for ‘Aboriginal’ as a search term. 

Year 7

The importance of conserving the remains of the ancient past, including the heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACDSEH148 - Scootle )

Year 9

The extension of settlement, including the effects of contact (intended and unintended) between European settlers in Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACDSEH020 - Scootle )

Year 10

Background to the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for rights and freedoms before 1965, including the 1938 Day of Mourning and the Stolen Generations (ACDSEH104 - Scootle )

The significance of the following for the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: 1962 right to vote federally; 1967 Referendum; Reconciliation; Mabo decision; Bringing Them Home Report (the Stolen Generations), the Apology (ACDSEH106 - Scootle )

Methods used by civil rights activists to achieve change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and the role of ONE individual or group in the struggle (ACDSEH134 - Scootle )

Among the elaborations I found: 7 elaborations 

Elaborations

Year 9

describing the impact of this group on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of the region

explaining the effects of contact (for example, the massacres of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; their killing of sheep; the spread of European diseases) and categorising these effects as either intended or unintended

investigating the forcible removal of children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the late nineteenth century/early twentieth century (leading to the Stolen Generations), such as the motivations for the removal of children, the practices and laws that were in place, and experiences of separation.

Year 10

describing accounts of the past experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families

outlining the Freedom Rides in the US, how they inspired civil rights campaigners in Australia, and how they became a turning point in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' struggle for rights and freedoms

describing the aims, tactics and outcomes of a particular event in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' struggle for rights and freedoms

identifying areas (for example, education, health, work) that are the focus for continued civil rights action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

All this to say that the numbers are not pretty and the History curriculum certainly doesn’t seem to make an especially strong point of including Indigenous perspectives. 

What I am not clear on, is exactly what is a reasonable amount of inclusion, and what is not, in a previous post I quoted poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) who envisioned Australian education valuing First Nations stories, knowledges and ways of life as equal to Europeans. So the imagination of what an equally weighted interpretation of Western and Indigenous perspectives would look like still isn’t fully clear to me. But one thing is for sure, looking at the numerical, raw numbers, having:

5 dot points 

+

7 elaborations 

Across four years of secondary schooling’s History content is, well, rather underwhelming. Further exploration of other curriculum documents and thinking seems important here.

References

Carter, J., & Hollinsworth, D. (2017). Teaching Indigenous geography in a neo-colonial world. Journal of GeoGraphy in hiGher education, 41(2), 182-197.

Hradsky, D. (2022). Education for reconciliation? Understanding and acknowledging the history of teaching First Nations content in Victoria, Australia. History of Education, 51(1), 135-155.

Stewart, G. T., Hogarth, M., Sturm, S., & Martin, B. (2022). Colonization of all forms. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 1-5.

Running Word Count (the second 100,000): 24,681