Online Resource to Embed First Nations Perspectives

Jajoo Warrngara: The Culture Classroom, is an online resource created to help educators embed authentic First Nations perspectives in primary and secondary school classrooms.  

Created in collaboration with eleven First Nations partner communities and First Nations not-for-profit SharingStories, Jajoo Warrngara, provides teachers access to place-based, community-led teaching resources that have been co-created, co-designed and approved by communities sharing their knowledge, shifting how Australia’s historical and living cultural landscape is taught to all students and helping create culturally safe schools in which First Nations children can thrive.

Jajoo Warrngara: The Culture Classroom digital platform features Multi-touch Books full of stories and languages that have been designed to be interactive and engaging for students, allowing teachers to share knowledge seamlessly and in accordance with cultural protocols. Resources also provide guidance and pathways for teachers to connect with local First Nations communities and traditional owners of the lands on which schools reside.

Covering curriculum areas such as Mathematics, Humanities, Social Sciences, and English, the content is designed to deepen the understanding of and respect for First Nations cultures across all students, while enabling First Nations young people to see themselves reflected and valued in a western educational setting.

With just over 2% of educators identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, incorporating the nationally mandated curriculum continues to be a significant challenge for non-Indigenous educators. Research shows many teachers lack the resources to teach and deliver First Nations content and perspectives.

New research highlights the First-Nations knowledge gap in Australian households. The survey of 1000 Australian adults and educators found that 79% of respondents wanted schooling for future generations to place greater importance on First Nations history and culture.

Despite the progress the Australian education system has made in teaching First Nations history, the report found that 2 in 3 teachers (67%) believe their school should be doing more to support the development of First Nations focused curriculum and more than three quarters (76%) know they could increase the amount of time spent on embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures in their classroom. This is largely due to teachers not having access to authentic resources which support the safe sharing of First Nations history and cultures in their classrooms.

Pitta Pitta Woman, Sharon Williams, Co-CEO of SharingStories says, “For too long, authentic representation of our First Nations peoples, cultures and stories have been excluded from the Australian classroom, creating a lack of knowledge and minimal understanding of the diversity of our First Nations histories and cultures across the country. For me personally, I know I felt my culture wasn’t part of my education experience growing up. It wasn’t until I entered a First Nations inclusive university course, when a whole other world of representation and recognition of my culture and history came to the forefront.”

Carly Jia, Yidinji, Maluilgal, and Meriam Woman and Education Principal Policy Analyst/Indigenous Advisor at the Australian Education Research Organization says, "The Australian education system has been screaming out for quality and affordable resources to help give educators the confidence to teach First Nations history, culture, language and perspective in the classroom in a culturally appropriate manner.”

“Jajoo Warrngarra: The Culture Classroom helps to support student outcomes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. The content is designed to deepen understanding and respect of First Nations cultures for all students, while enabling First Nations young people to see themselves reflected and valued in a western educational environment. I hope to see it embedded in classrooms nationally.”  

Jajoo Warrngara: The Culture Classroom is at https://jajoowarrngara.org/.