Culture, Curriculum, Performing Arts
It has been a privilege to work collaboratively with you on the development and delivery of our Indigenous Learnings Unit, incorporating your Storyteller program and the performance of Coranderrk, for our Aspire students.
This five-week module has been a resounding success in effectively delivering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges to over 100 high achieving students from under represented schools in the Geelong/BeIlarine region.
This program increased awareness, knowledge and understandings of indigenous history and culture within our student groups. Additionally, you have also succeeded in developing strong competencies of our pre-service teachers, which supports their skill development to meet the ATSIL Australian Professional Teacher Standard requirements.
More specifically pre-service teachers have learned:
Standard 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Standard 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Thank you for your wonderful support of our Aspire program and we look forward to welcoming you back to deliver the Storyteller program again next year.
Yours sincerely,
Kellie Tobin
Course Director- Master of Applied Learning and Teaching
Anna Darcey
ASPIRE Coordinator
24 May 2019
Through the alignment of Glenn Shea’s, The STORYTELLER, school students, pre-service teachers, academics and in-service teachers are provided with an opportunity to explore and understand histories, cultures and contexts facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This unique and innovative program is delivered by Glenn Shea using an approach that engages students using applied learning pedagogies.
Glenn’s program is designed to engage participants in knowledges and understandings of Aboriginal people, society and culture from a generic an Indigenous standpoint perspective through active learning pathways. Students are encouraged to explore a specific theme from a cultural, performing arts approach and are mentored to develop a deeper understanding through a journey of the student’s self-discovery. These learnings are then aligned with the Victorian and Australian curriculum.
The Storyteller has been so successful that it is now embedded as a core unit in our Deakin University Aspire Program. The Aspire program is a partnership between Deakin University, Northern Bay College, Newcomb Secondary College and Bellarine Secondary College. Aspire aims to increase the aspirations of high achieving students using experiential learning.
Glenn co-developed with academics and teachers The STORYTELLER Aspire module. This has introduced and engaged 510 school students in Indigenous learnings since 2016. The success of this module with our school partners has now seen some 20 in-service teachers and 32 pre-service teachers align this with their own professional learning plans.
‘The experience intentionally shifts participants from standard forms of Western learning – hierarchical and print based – to oral interactions and personal explorations. To be fully appreciated, this needs to be experienced, so to consider the relevance of The STORYTELLER, an exploratory experience is offered.’ (G. Shea 2000)
Opportunities like this have been rare in our teaching and learning and we highly value the role The STORYTELLER plays in our Deakin Aspire program.
Yours faithfully,
Ms. Kellie Tobin and Anna Darcey.
Master of Applied Learning and Teaching Course Director
Director of Aspire / Coordinator of Aspire
