Assessment Task 1: Written assessment (essay)
(This assessment task comprises up to 50% of the overall grade for this unit)
Focus statement
Statistics show that despite substantial government spending on Indigenous education, there are still serious differences in the educational outcomes achieved by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (Gray & Beresford, 2008). Many writers claim that policies that aim to close this gap for Australian Indigenous students will only achieve successful educational outcomes if schools and teachers acknowledge and address the impact that the past has had on the present for these students (Gray & Beresford, 2008; Vass, 2012; Ford, 2012).
Structure and expectations for your written response
Use an essay format and structure to write a response of no more than 1500 words (excluding the List of References) that clearly establishes your position in response to the statement provided above. In doing so, please be guided by the following:
Your response will be informed by the material covered in the unit, including readings provided or linked to on the Moodle site, and by other relevant sources obtained through independent searches.The use and relevance of the literature used should be demonstrated by in-text citations and a list of references.
Your paper will aim to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the impact of past and present representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and government policy on race relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This may be achieved through a discussion of a selection of past and current events, policy approaches and their effects, perspectives and interpretations of the effects of colonisation, racism and dispossession, and other such topical aspects introduced and covered in the unit. The topical points to be included in the discussion need to be selected so that they support your response to the focus statement while being sufficiently diverse to demonstrate your understanding of the broader range of topics covered in the unit.
Your paper will include a section that outlines your own personal reections on the impact of a shared Australian history, and also of your own cultural background on the attitudes and views you have formed of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as students and learners. In doing so, you should make reference to your participation in at least three (3) learning experiences from the unit activities that have,
shaped your perspectives on the importance of teachers acknowledgement, recognition and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures;
show how the identity needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students might be supported; and,
how teaching can promote reconciliation within classroom contexts and the broader school community.
Your paper will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (especially Standards 1.4 and 2.4) by making a direct comparison and referencing them when relevant to your response and reflections. Your paper will also demonstrate a practical understanding of the use of appropriate terminology by employing acceptable and respectful terminology when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families, communities and students.
