Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal Ways of Being Into Teaching Practice in Australia
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The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2020 Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia Lisa Buxton The University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Education Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Buxton, L. (2020). Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia (Doctor of Education). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/248 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia Lisa Maree Buxton MPhil, MA, GDip Secondary Ed, GDip Aboriginal Ed, BA. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Education School of Education Sydney Campus January, 2020 Acknowledgement of Country Protocols The protocol for introducing oneself to other Indigenous people is to provide information about one’s cultural location, so that connection can be made on political, cultural and social grounds and relations established. (Moreton-Robinson, 2000, pp. xv) I would like firstly to acknowledge with respect Country itself, as a knowledge holder, and the ancients and ancestors of the country in which this study was conducted, Gadigal, Bidjigal and Dharawal of Eora Country. I would also like to acknowledge my own ancestors of Bundjalung and Yugambeh Country. Taking this time to pay my respects to these peoples and countries through this acknowledgement is to locate myself firstly as an Aboriginal woman and then as the researcher of this study. This also allows other Aboriginal people to locate me and determine the relatedness that may exist. Further Acknowledgements To my family. I am truly grateful Mum, Dad, Lynda Michelle, Christopher Raymond, and Casey Michael, for your continuous and unparalleled love and support you have all given me opportunities and experiences that have made me who I am. I have received the benefit of guidance by Elders on and off Country. In particular, I would like to acknowledge two for their staunch support over more than twenty years: Aunty Doctor Elsie Heiss for her ongoing cultural and spiritual guidance; and Aunty Diat Marie Callope who is always up for a yarn, reminding me who I am and cheering me on, our spirits walk together. Oomera Edwards for her generous spirit and willingness to share her extensive knowledge, with whom it was a privilege to develop Guyunggu. With her gentle guidance we created a framework for learning that has continued to guide my professional practice decades later. Guyunggu would not have been possible without you and Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba would not have come into being. Leesa Watego for your friendship, honesty, and your unwavering support. Terrie Lowe, thank you for being my language ‘sat-nav’, getting me back in the right direction. Julieanne Manson for guiding me across the ‘cultural bridge’ and getting me out of my head. Ladies you kept me sane. ii The experience and knowledge I have gained over the past 25 years within education, has not been gained by myself. It has been hard fought and earned in partnership with my Goori, Koori and Murri colleagues, you are all strong and solid women who continue to provide me with personal and cultural support, and educational expertise. I have not taken this research journey alone. To my two supervisors, Professor Marguerite Maher and Professor Kevin Watson, it has been an honour and privilege to have you as my supervisors. Thank you for your tremendous amount of encouragement, patience, feedback and guidance in navigating this space. I thank each of the teachers who were participants in this study who gave thoughtful and insightful feedback during the interviews so that I was able to refine the professional learning and development framework and who continue, some three years later, to still continue to infuse Aboriginal ways of being into their teaching. iii Declaration The work contained herein is the candidate’s own work and contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other institution. To the best of the candidate’s knowledge, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. Signed, Lisa Maree Buxton, on the 10th November 2019 iv Table of Contents Contents Acknowledgement of Country ................................................................................................... ii Protocols ................................................................................................................................. ii Further Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... ii Declaration ................................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... v List of Figures and Appendices ................................................................................................. 1 Glossary of terms ....................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 1 Overview of the Thesis ............................................................................................. 5 1.1 Background: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers .................................... 5 1.2 Context and framing of the current study.................................................................... 7 1.3 Country ........................................................................................................................ 9 1.3.1 Country as first teacher ...................................................................................... 10 1.4 Terminology in the local context .............................................................................. 11 1.5 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 12 1.5.1 Overarching research questions ......................................................................... 12 1.5.2 Subsidiary questions: ......................................................................................... 12 1.6 Overview of methodologies ...................................................................................... 12 1.6.1 Phase 1 – Case study: Establishment of baseline data ....................................... 13 1.6.2 Phase 2 – Design-based methodology ............................................................... 13 1.6.3 Phase 3 – Evaluative research elements: Yarning circles via technology ......... 14 1.6.4 Research sample ...................................................................................................... 14 1.6.5 Design for data collection and analysis ................................................................... 15 1.7 Overview of theoretical frameworks ......................................................................... 16 1.7.1 Cultural interface theoretical framework ........................................................... 16 1.7.2 Adult education and teacher professional development theoretical framework 16 v 1.8 Significance of the study ........................................................................................... 17 1.9 Ethical considerations .................................................................................................... 18 1.10 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 18 1.11 Visual interpretation ..................................................................................................... 19 1.12 Outline of the thesis................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 2 Background to the study .......................................................................................... 23 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 23 2.2 Challenges from leading Aboriginal educators .............................................................. 24 2.3 History of approaches to Aboriginal education in Australia .......................................... 27 2.3.1 ‘Clean, clad and courteous’ and ‘exclusion on demand’ ......................................... 27 2.3.2 Aborigines Protection Act ....................................................................................... 27 2.3.3 Attempts to assimilate Aboriginal people ..............................................................