Subject description

Aboriginal Studies is a 10-credit subject or a 20-credit subject at Stage 1.

In Aboriginal Studies, students learn from and with Aboriginal peoples, communities, and other sources of Aboriginal voice. Learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities is integral to students developing and extending respectful ways of thinking, communicating, understanding, and acting. Through their learning in this subject, students draw on elements of history, sociology, politics, arts, and literature.

Students acknowledge and extend their understanding of the narratives and accomplishments as told by Aboriginal peoples, and reflect on the impact of past events on the present. They develop respect for what narratives and accomplishments mean to different Aboriginal peoples and communities.

Students analyse the historical and contemporary experiences that are of significance to Aboriginal peoples and communities. They examine the intergenerational influence and impact of government policies, past and present, on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal peoples and communities today. Students investigate experiences of ongoing resistance and survival, and learn about initiatives and accomplishments developed in response to these experiences.

Diversity is at the heart of learning in Aboriginal Studies. Students develop their understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal peoples’ identities and experiences, including cultural, political, linguistic, and contextual diversity. They acknowledge and extend their understanding of the diversity and the historical, social, and political importance of Aboriginal cultural expressions, and learn from a wide range of cultural expressions including painting, music, performance, literature, and oral traditions.

Students engage in learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities to develop respect for and awareness of the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and communities. They develop and extend their respect for, and understanding of cultural protocols, and reflect on the diversity of cultures. They develop respectful ways of thinking, listening, communicating, and acting.

In this subject, ‘Aboriginal peoples’ refers to all Indigenous peoples of Australia.

Capabilities

The capabilities connect student learning within and across subjects in a range of contexts.

The SACE identifies seven capabilities.

Literacy

In this subject students extend and apply their literacy capability by, for example:

• learning from Aboriginal voices in a range of sources including written text, media, film, radio and television programs, cultural organisations, art galleries, museums, and digital sources such as websites and social media
• exploring Aboriginal language initiatives such as maintenance, reclamation, revitalisation, and renewal
• communicating informed attitudes and ideas through persuasive written argument, interpretation, discussion, and/or social action
• understanding narratives as told by Aboriginal peoples in oral, written, and/or audiovisual form
• analysing sources and identifying concepts such as context, purpose, intent, relevance, inference, bias, and reliability
• developing and extending respectful ways of communicating
• appropriately acknowledging interactions, collaboration, and learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities.

Numeracy

In this subject students extend and apply their numeracy capability by, for example:

• developing spatial awareness through the use of maps representing Aboriginal language groups
• sequencing events and creating timelines
• interpreting and analysing data from a variety of sources
• appreciating symbolism in cultural expressions such as paintings. 

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

In this subject students extend and apply their ICT capability by, for example:

• researching and accessing information using a variety of technologies
• learning from Aboriginal voices through digital, audiovisual, and multimedia sources
• accessing Aboriginal voices beyond the local geographical area
• collecting, representing, and analysing primary and secondary data electronically
• collaborating in a digital environment; for example, using social media
• creatively presenting findings using multimodal formats.

Critical and creative thinking

In this subject students extend and apply their critical and creative thinking capability by, for example:

• deconstructing and analysing the historical, political, social, and economic influence and impact of government policies on geographical locations and languages
• investigating and analysing experiences of ongoing resistance and survival
• deconstructing and analysing the influence and impact of historical events on Aboriginal peoples and communities
• deconstructing and analysing experiences that are of significance to Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
• synthesising learning from Aboriginal peoples, communities, and other sources of Aboriginal voice. 

Personal and social capability 

In this subject students extend and apply their personal and social capability by, for example:

• reflecting on learning from and with Aboriginal peoples, communities, and other sources of Aboriginal voice
• developing and extending respect for and awareness of the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
• gaining confidence and developing respectful ways of thinking, communicating, and acting
• evaluating and reflecting on learning about equality and social justice
• working effectively with others and respecting the opinions of others
• evaluating personal growth in confidence, respect, responsibility, and progression in learning
• demonstrating collaboration and initiative
• being receptive to changes in thinking based on learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities. 

Ethical understanding

In this subject students extend and apply their ethical understanding capability by, for example:

• acknowledging and respecting the diversity of Aboriginal peoples’ viewpoints
• following cultural protocols by appropriately acknowledging collaboration and learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
• respecting the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
• acknowledging the contribution of Aboriginal peoples and/or communities to student learning and sharing this contribution with participating Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
• understanding the concepts of social justice and reconciliation
• respecting narratives as told by Aboriginal peoples, past and present. 

Intercultural understanding

In this subject students extend and apply their intercultural understanding capability by, for example:

• developing and extending understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal peoples’ identities and experiences
• exploring Aboriginal peoples’ ongoing resistance and survival to understand the impact on diversity, identities, and achievements
• appreciating and understanding the diversity and importance of Aboriginal cultural expressions, including language, literature, painting, music, performance, and oral traditions
• communicating the significance of Aboriginal cultural expressions
• respecting and understanding cultural protocols including intellectual and cultural property rights
• establishing informed attitudes about how the past influences the present
• acknowledging and applying understanding of narratives and accomplishments as told by Aboriginal peoples
• participating in a range of community activities such as festivals and events.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, cultures, and perspectives

In partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and schools and school sectors, the SACE Board of South Australia supports the development of high-quality learning and assessment design that respects the diverse knowledge, cultures, and perspectives of Indigenous Australians.

The SACE Board encourages teachers to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives in the design, delivery, and assessment of teaching and learning programs by:

• providing opportunities in SACE subjects for students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contemporary experiences
• recognising and respecting the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society
• drawing students’ attention to the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives from the past and the present
• promoting the use of culturally appropriate protocols when engaging with and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.  

Learning requirements

The learning requirements summarise the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through their learning in Stage 1 Aboriginal Studies.

In this subject, students are expected to:

1. reflect on learning from and with Aboriginal peoples, communities, and other sources of Aboriginal voice
2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of narratives as told by Aboriginal peoples
3. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how the past influences the present
4. deconstruct and analyse experiences that are of significance to Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
5. evaluate and reflect on own respectful understandings.

Content

Learning from and with Aboriginal peoples, communities, and other sources of Aboriginal voice underpins the learning in this subject. It enables students to access a range of Aboriginal viewpoints and develop respect for and awareness of the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and communities.

Students develop their understanding of Aboriginal narratives and accomplishments as told by Aboriginal peoples. Through their understanding of the connections between past and present, students deconstruct and analyse experiences that are of significance to Aboriginal peoples and communities.

Students learn from Aboriginal peoples and communities about enterprises developed in response to significant past and/or contemporary experiences.

Through their learning in this subject, students gain confidence and develop respectful ways of thinking, listening, communicating, and understanding. As they develop respectful understanding, students connect with, reflect on, and evaluate their own learning. Students progressively challenge their own thinking and ideas as they develop and extend their understanding of Aboriginal peoples’ identities and experiences.

Stage 1 Aboriginal Studies is a 10-credit subject or a 20-credit subject.

Aboriginal Studies is underpinned by three integrated learning strands that are studied through two contexts. The learning strands provide the conceptual framework for the knowledge, understandings, skills, and capabilities that students develop through each of the contexts, as illustrated in the following diagram

Learning strands

• Learning strand 1: Learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities
• Learning strand 2: Narratives
• Learning strand 3: Respect and responsibility

Learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities

Aboriginal voices are integral to the learning that students undertake in this subject. Students learn from and with Aboriginal people, including individuals, communities, and/or community organisations. They develop and extend their understanding of the diversity in individual and community histories, cultures, and identities. They analyse and evaluate the experiences that are of significance to Aboriginal peoples and/or communities, and the responses to these experiences.

Other opportunities for learning from Aboriginal voices may be accessed through a range of different sources including art galleries, museums, cultural organisations, radio and television programs, film, media, written text, digital sources such as websites and social media, and community activities such as festivals and events.

Narratives

Students develop and extend their understanding of and respect for Aboriginal narratives and accomplishments and what these mean to different Aboriginal peoples, past and present. They acknowledge the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and communities across location and time.

Acknowledging and understanding Aboriginal narratives and accomplishments supports students to deconstruct past and present experiences to consider how these experiences influence the present. This deconstruction enables students to develop respectful understandings of how these experiences influence and impact current generations.

Students deconstruct Aboriginal narratives as told by Aboriginal peoples in oral, written, and/or audiovisual form including songs, paintings, and performances.

Respect and responsibility

Students develop respect for the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and communities. They reflect on their learning from Aboriginal peoples, communities, and other sources of Aboriginal voice, and develop and extend respectful ways of thinking, listening, communicating, and understanding through their learning in this subject. Students evaluate their own respectful and ethical understandings as they learn about themselves in this subject.

Students follow cultural protocols by appropriately acknowledging their interactions and learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities, and respecting intellectual and cultural property rights.

Contexts

The learning strands provide the conceptual framework for the knowledge, understandings, skills, and capabilities that students develop through the following contexts:

• Context 1: Community experiences
• Context 2: Community enterprise.

Students study both contexts for a 10-credit subject or a 20-credit subject.

Community experiences

Students investigate and analyse community experiences as told by Aboriginal peoples themselves and through other sources of Aboriginal voice. They develop and extend awareness and knowledge of the diversity of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and communities, which guides the development of respectful understanding. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal narratives and how the past influences the present including the intergenerational influence and impact of government policies.

Community experiences may include but are not limited to:

• language initiatives such as maintenance, reclamation, revitalisation, and renewal
• cultural expressions such as dance, theatre, literature, music, visual art
• media representations such as television, social media, radio, newspaper
• activism such as native title, Indigenous land rights, Uluru Statement of the Heart, Voice, Treaty, Truth
• the influence and impact of government policies on communities
• community-driven programs and initiatives such as night patrol, Clean Slate without Prejudice, translators, park rangers, Kurruru Youth Performing Arts, the Ara Irititja Project, Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation (WYDAC), Mӓpuru Homeland Community, Tangentyere Council, and the Healthy Minds team at Galiwin’ku.

Community enterprise

Students learn from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities about initiatives and accomplishments developed in response to significant past and/or contemporary experiences. They develop their respect for and understanding of what narratives and accomplishments mean to different Aboriginal peoples and communities, and of the importance of enterprise in, for example, cultural expressions and reclaiming identity and power.

Community enterprise may include but is not limited to:

• language enterprises such as Kaurna language reclamation and dual naming of sites
• cultural tourism such as Camp Coorong and Mutitjulu 
• creative arts projects such as Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Kurruru Youth Performing Arts, cultural dance groups, Spirit Festival, Barunga Festival, Garma, the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA), and the work of Aboriginal authors and/or publishers
• land management such as park rangers on country, co-management of national parks, and government partnerships
• media such as National Indigenous Television (NITV), Koori Mail newspaper, Blackfella Films, Papulu Aparr-Kari Aboriginal Corporation (Pak Media), and Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association (TEABBA)
• community organisations and initiatives such as Kura Yerlo, Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc. (including Link-Up), Marra Dreaming Indigenous Arts and Crafts Cultural Centre, Aboriginal Legal Service, Aboriginal Heritage Project, Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA), and Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Corporation
• research and science
• Aboriginal businesses.
   

Protocols for teaching and learning

Protocols for teaching and learning in this subject include, but are not restricted to:

• acknowledging and respecting the intellectual and cultural property rights of Aboriginal peoples and communities
• learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and communities
• acknowledging the contribution of Aboriginal peoples and/or communities to student learning and sharing this contribution with participating Aboriginal peoples and/or communities
• where appropriate, providing opportunities for students to link traditional knowledge with contemporary contexts
• accessing local resources and embedding these in the learning
• accessing Aboriginal authored and produced materials; for example, documentaries, films, and books produced by Aboriginal peoples
• collaborating with a site Aboriginal education team
• creating opportunities for communicating, reinforcing, and celebrating student learning through informed social action.

Evidence of learning

Assessment at Stage 1 is school based.

The following assessment types enable students to demonstrate their learning in Stage 1 Aboriginal Studies:

• Assessment Type 1: Learning Journey
• Assessment Type 2: Creative Presentation.

For a 10-credit subject, students should provide evidence of their learning through four assessments. Each assessment type should have a weighting of at least 20%. Students undertake:

• three responses for the learning journey
• one creative presentation.

For a 20-credit subject, students should provide evidence of their learning through eight assessments. Each assessment type should have a weighting of at least 20%. Students undertake:

• six responses for the learning journey
• two creative presentations.

Assessment design criteria

The assessment design criteria are based on the learning requirements and are used by teachers to:

• clarify for students what they need to learn
• design opportunities for students to provide evidence of their learning at the highest possible level of achievement.

The assessment design criteria consist of specific features that:

• students should demonstrate in their learning
• teachers look for as evidence that students have met the learning requirements.

For this subject the assessment design criteria are:

• knowledge and understanding
• deconstruction and analysis
• evaluation and reflection.

The specific features of these criteria are described below.

The set of assessments, as a whole, must give students opportunities to demonstrate each of the specific features by the completion of study of the subject.
 

Knowledge and Understanding 

The specific features are as follows:

Deconstruction and Analysis 

The specific features are as follows:

Evaluation and Reflection 

The specific features are as follows:

School assessment

The school assessment component for Stage 1 Aboriginal Studies consists of two assessment types:

• Assessment Type 1: Learning Journey
• Assessment Type 2: Creative Presentation.

Assessment Type 1: Learning Journey

For a 10-credit subject, students undertake three responses for the learning journey. For a 20-credit subject, students undertake six responses for the learning journey.

In the set of responses, students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal narratives and reflect on their learning from Aboriginal peoples, communities, and/or other sources of Aboriginal voice. Through self-assessment, students evaluate their learning and consider how their thinking in the subject has changed. They complete at least one response based on each of the learning contexts:

• community experiences
• community enterprise.

Students’ evidence for their learning journey may include, but is not restricted to:

• responses to texts such as literature, art, film, music, performance, and oral traditions
• a movie clip
• an avatar presentation
• a webpage or website
• a blog or vlog
• a multimedia presentation.

The learning journey may be presented in multimodal, oral, or written form. The learning journey responses should each be a maximum of 5 minutes if oral, 800 words if written, or the equivalent if multimodal.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• knowledge and understanding
• evaluation and reflection.

Assessment Type 2: Creative Presentation

For a 10-credit subject, students undertake one creative presentation. For a 20-credit subject, students undertake two creative presentations.

Students research and use their learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and/or communities to undertake their creative presentation(s). For a 10-credit subject, students select one context: either community experiences or community enterprise. For a 20-credit subject, students select either or both contexts. The context(s) enables students to demonstrate their learning from and with Aboriginal peoples and/or communities. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how the past influences the present, and deconstruct and analyse the experiences of Aboriginal peoples and/or communities.

They may present their evidence of learning in creative ways such as:

• a movie clip
• a music video
• a dance or theatre performance
• artwork including street art
• an avatar presentation 
• a book or anthology
• a comic strip or short story
• a technology product
• photographs with commentary.

Evidence in oral or visual form should be accompanied by a brief presenter’s statement explaining the intention of the creative presentation. This statement should be a maximum of 150 words.

The creative presentation may be in multimodal, oral, or written form. It should be a maximum of 5 minutes if oral, 800 words if written, or the equivalent if multimodal.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• knowledge and understanding 
• deconstruction and analysis.

Performance standards

The performance standards describe five levels of achievement, A to E.

Each level of achievement describes the knowledge, skills, and understanding that teachers refer to in deciding how well students have demonstrated their learning on the basis of the evidence provided.

During the teaching and learning program the teacher gives students feedback on their learning, with reference to the performance standards.

At the student’s completion of study of a subject, the teacher makes a decision about the quality of the student’s learning by:

• referring to the performance standards
• taking into account the weighting of each assessment type
• assigning a subject grade between A and E.

Performance standards

Stage 1 performance standards for Aboriginal Studies can be viewed below. You can also download in Word format [DOC 42KB].

To learn more about what performance standards are, how they are used, and other general information, see performance standards and grades. 

Subject changes

Any changes to this subject will be recorded here.