Professional Knowledge
Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

A work sample from a mixed ability multicultural Kindergarten class, comparing Aboriginal kids’ fun activities with their own, after being introduced to the book Ernie Dances to Didgeridoo in an English lesson as part of the discipline-specific approach to Indigenous pedagogy recommended by Moodi and Patrick (2017, p.449). This was planned during NAIDOC Week to promote Aboriginal cultural awareness for all students and support the skill of empathy.  
I engaged students with Aboriginal culture by introducing a carefully selected text for an English lesson comparing Aboriginal kids’ activities for fun with their own. I focused on accepting and appreciating the differences between cultures and practices, taking the nuanced approach recommended by Moodi and Patrick (2017, p.443). This approach guided me to initiate discussion and create awareness about Aboriginal culture as part of a broader sociological approach to Aboriginal pedagogy. It provided the opportunity to create awareness about Aboriginal culture and identify similarities and differences between entertainment in different cultures. Consequently, a culturally responsive pedagogy enabled all students to reflect on their own position and normalise Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum without creating a ‘culturally different subject’, as highlighted by Nakata (2007, p.10, cited in Moodi & Patrick, 2017). For Indigenous students specifically, such strategies develop a ‘sense of belonging’ so they learn at their full potential.