Yanna Jannawi – Walk with Me. Centering Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Early Education and Care Services
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2020
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The ππ¦ππ£π°πΆπ³π―π¦ ππ¦π€ππ’π³π’π΅πͺπ°π― π°π― ππ₯πΆπ€π’π΅πͺπ°π―π’π ππ°π’ππ΄ π§π°π³ π π°πΆπ―π¨ ππΆπ΄π΅π³π’ππͺπ’π―π΄ (2008) and the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2009) (DEEWR) prescribe that Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives be included in the curricula of early education and care services (EECS), to effectively value and support Indigenous families. However, the literature suggests there are substantial gaps in non-Indigenous teacher educator understandings and engagement with Indigenous Peoples and cultures. As a result, early childhood education too often includes stereotypically defined curricula interpreted from the dominant Western standpoint, which fails to value the complexity and diversity of Indigenous Knowledges. Using Indigenous research methodology, in a qualitative inquiry, this study sought to privilege the voices of Indigenous Peoples in identifying and exploring successful inclusion of Indigenous Knowledges in formal early learning settings. The study included thirteen Indigenous educators and parents/carers of Indigenous children, and eight non-Indigenous educators, who shared their views and experiences of Indigenous inclusion in the EECS with which they were engaged. Indigenous educators and parents/carers of Indigenous children identified and acknowledged positive approaches and examples of inclusion as well as sharing their views on additional needs and requirements to improve on the efforts of inclusion. Non-Indigenous educators demonstrated commitment to effective inclusion; however, the dominant positioning of Western worldviews over Indigenous epistemologies remained evident. In response, a relational model of inclusion grounded in Indigenous Knowledges is proposed. The model illustrates the diversity, complexity and value of Indigenous Peoples and our Knowledges. Critically, the model relieves the burden on non-Indigenous educators to be the authorities on Indigenous inclusion by positioning Indigenous Peoples as the experts and owners of Indigenous Knowledges, and the custodians of the lives and interests of the Indigenous children. Finally, the model champions ongoing respectful and meaningful collaboration between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous educators as paramount to attaining genuine inclusion of Indigenous Knowledges in Western-based EECS.
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