RESOURCE COLLECTION ASSIGNMENT (ABORIGINAL EDUCATION) KAREN CHOI PUI LING 21080301 MASTER OF TEACHING - MATHEMATICS, SPECIAL EDUCATION

Resource 1: Cruttenden, K., Gibb, B., Huston, J., Nottle, J., & Wallace, K. (1996). Exploring woodlands with Nyoongars: Teaching activities for upper primary school. Como, W.A.: Dept. of Conservation and Land Management. This book contains a set of teaching activities centered around exploring the relationship between Nyoongars and the environment. It was created through the contributions of many Nyoongars individuals which were acknowledged in the beginning of the book as well as throughout the text. The worldview and language of Aboriginal peoples in the south-west of WA is presented through stories, pictures, and texts in the book. Although written for use in primary school, resources could be adapted to teach various topics in Mathematics. For example, the section on Nyoongar seasons could be used in a lesson on time, bush food recipes could be used in a lesson on measurement, and the Dreaming Trail or Aboriginal Language maps could be used in lessons on distance and scales. Lesson outlines for other subjects such as Art, SOSE, English, and Health are also contained within the book, making it a good general resource for all subject areas.

Resource 2: Catholic Education Office of Western Australia. (2000). Nidja Noongar boodjar noonook nyininy =: This is Noongar country you are sitting in : a resource package for schools. Perth, W.A.: Catholic Office of Education. Created in Perth, this resource pack contains materials and lessons which embeds the development of literacy and numeracy skills in the culture, languages, and stories of Nyoongar people. The perspectives and experiences of Aboriginal peoples in the south-west of WA is presented though various texts such as brief explanations about traditional ceremonies as well as stories and pictures of Nyoongar children in contemporary times. Although intended for primary classrooms, the materials in this resource pack could be adapted for use in secondary Mathematics. For example, numeracy tasks such as the Tommy Windich lesson could be used in a lesson on distance and estimation. Additional information contained within the lesson such as the explorers skills in water finding provides context and encourages appreciation of alternative knowledge. Games and maps could also be used for lessons on chance and understanding symbols in pictographs. Resources for literacy development could also be useful for supporting literacy in Special Education classes.

Resource 3: Matthews, C., Cooper, T. J., & Baturo, A. R. (2007). Creating your own symbols: Beginning algebraic thinking with Indigenous students. In Woo, J., Lew, H., Park, K., & Seo, D. (Eds.), 31st Annual Conference of the International group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, July 8 - July 13, 2007. Seoul: Korea. This paper focuses on contextualising the teaching and learning of algebra through representing mathematical equations as stories. It describes how the Maths as story telling (MAST) approach can be incorporated in the Mathematics lesson in five steps. This approach allows students to create and use their own symbols, drawn from their sociocultural background, to describe their mathematical stories. The authors of this paper have been involved in efforts to improve Indigenous mathematics performance for many years. Professor Barturo has been involved in projects such as Discovery Indigenous and supervised Indigenous postgraduate students. Professor Cooper is the Director of the YuMi Deadly Centre in Queensland. The first author of the paper, Dr Chris Matthews, is the first Indigenous Australian with a PhD in Applied Mathematics. Reflections on his personal education experiences are included in the paper. The MAST approach would be useful in secondary Mathematics algebra lessons as results of the study showed an increase in students levels of engagement and achievement. It could be used in all regions since students create their own symbols, thereby making it relevant for them individually and as a community. Resource 4: Pattersen, C. (2007). Koodjal-koodjal djookan =: Four Sisters : Legend of the Southern Cross. Batchelor, N.T: Batchelor Press. This picture book tells the Nyoongar legend of the Southern Cross in both Noongar language and English language. The author, Carol Patterson, is a Minung-Gnudju woman of the Nyoongar nation who was born at Gnowangerup mission and has lived in Albany most of her life. Nyoongar stories have been passed down in her family through the generations as bedtime stories. This picture book was created in a collaborative effort with her grandchildren who drew the illustrations. This book may be useful for supporting literacy in a Special Education in secondary schools. It could also be used to for Science as an introduction to constellations or in Art for lessons on illustrations. Additional information such as key words and pronunciation in English and Nyoongar is included at the back, providing support for teachers when sounding words as well as an appreciation of cultural diversity.

Resource 5: Barnes, G., Evans, P., Jager, C. (Producers), & Williams, T. (Director). (1997). Bobtales [DVD]. W.A.: Gripping Films and Graphics & The Western Australia Aboriginal Media Association. Bobtales contains 13 animated tales which are presented by Aboriginal storytellers. These illustrated stories are made using computer animations based on drawings by Aboriginal children in Western Australia. These stories are Aboriginal Dreamtime stories from Western Australia and are contributed by various Aboriginal individuals. The main presenter of Bobtales is Stephen Baamba Albert, an Indigenous Australian actor and singer who was born in Broome and starred in musicals. This DVD might be useful for supporting literacy in Special Education. The stories can be used to help students develop their listening and comprehension skills. As a supporting text to improve students reading and text comprehension skills, relevant books such as the Carol Pettersens Koodjal-koodjal djookan =: Four Sisters : Legend of the Southern Cross and Ethel Hassells My dusky friends may be read either before or after watching the associated animation. This resource could also be useful in ICT lessons on computer animations and in Art lessons on illustration.