Education and Aboriginal Studies

Through learning about these topics and the many others included in Aboriginal Studies, students like myself are given the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the unique and inspiring Indigenous culture in Australia with a special focus on our own local community. It is this education that enables us to identify and disregard stereotypes that have existed for many years and assist in depicting and promoting a more accurate image of Indigenous Australia. Equipped with the knowledge of past treatment of Aboriginal peoples students can also balance this new knowledge with their understanding of the British viewpoint to reach their own conclusions regarding the history of our nation. I am currently in my second year at the university of Wollongong were I am studying to become a primary teacher. The knowledge I have gained through Aboriginal Studies has been most beneficial for me both as a student at uni with assignments and engaging in learning in different subjects and as a future educator. Last year I had to take HSIE (Human Society & Its Environment). .
             In this subject, we were taken through the content that we would be teaching students in regards to the history of our country and thus the aboriginal perspective was brought in. Also in this subject the importance of bringing in an Aboriginal perspective in all areas of learning was stressed. A large portion of the students in my degree are mature age and were not given an education that included Aboriginal perspectives. Thus it was difficult and challenging at times for some of these students to put aside the education they had been brought up with and the views they had developed as a result, and accept many new perspectives presented in the course. This was the same in my Aboriginal Studies elective. Aboriginal issues, rights and perspectives are a big part of today's society and especially in education, as people are asked to open their minds, accept and overcome differences and give recognition to the Indigenous people of Australia walking towards reconciliation.