Hooley, Neil (2005) Revelling In Cultural Diversity: Narrative learning For Indigenous Children. In: Biennial Conference of the Australian Curriculum Studies Association, 21 - 23 September 2005, University of Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. (Unpublished)

Abstract

It is of national concern that the capacity of the regular curriculum of Australian schools to meet the needs of Indigenous children seems to be severely limited, particularly at the secondary level. The expansion of secondary education after World War II has resulted in an overall retention rate to year 12 of 70-80 percent, whereas the retention rate of Indigenous students is about half that figure. In an attempt to address such systemic failure, this paper discusses curriculum features such as �two-way inquiry learning� as key design principles for a communicative and culturally-inclusive approach to learning for all children. The concept of narrative curriculum is suggested to extend across all subject areas including science and mathematics as an integrating mechanism. Narrative builds upon the direct experience and community lives of families, but extends this through systematic reflection to construct new ideas and practices for ongoing social action. Clearly radical curriculum change of this type that is more attuned to Indigenous ways of knowing is urgently required if Indigenous children are not to be discriminated against and excluded by the regular school curriculum.

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