Educator perspectives on embedding Acknowledgement to Country practices in early learning centres in Australia

Abstract

This article explores the practices of ‘Acknowledgement to Country’ in Australian early childhood education contexts. Acknowledgement is a process of seeking out and honouring local Aboriginal Country and knowledge and investing in local resources of language, art, stories, nature and songs. Twenty educators across six early learning centres participated in semi-structured interviews to explore the experience, processes and resources that supported the implementation of Acknowledgement practices. Acknowledgement practices were not limited to a daily protocol but embedded in each centre’s physical place and programming. Wanting to be respectful yet fearing offending Aboriginal people, most educators expressed feelings of uncertainty and under-confidence about what to do. Developing relationships with local Aboriginal people and identifying resources were also concerns. Acting from the heart with good intentions was regarded as a way forward together, with commitment, resources and a strong distributed pedagogical leadership culture, where educators felt supported to take small yet foundational steps.

‘We love sharing your land’: Children’s understandings of Acknowledgement to Country practices and Aboriginal knowledges in early learning centres

“…The revised EYLF requires educators to embed Indigenous perspectives in their philosophy and practices; this paper helps us understand how to do this. This journey requires confidence, reflection and strong pedagogical leadership to take each small step (Townley et al, 2023). Paying attention to children's engagement and understanding supports this journey.…”

“…Acknowledgement to Country is more than the daily protocol of reciting or singing an Acknowledgement to Country (Townley et al, 2023). Acknowledgement to Country includes facilitating children's imaginative engagement with Aboriginal knowledges and perspectives through songs, art, artefacts, games and routines.…”

“…There is an emerging body of work on Acknowledgement practices in ECEC (Kitson & Bowes, 2010;Locke, 2022). We use the term 'Acknowledgement to Country practices' to encompass not only a daily protocol of speaking or singing an Acknowledgment, but all opportunities for children to engage with Aboriginal knowledges embedded in the physical environment and programming in their service (Townley et al, 2023). The guiding framework for ECEC practitioners is the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0) (EYLF) (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022).…”

“…Whilst Indigenous educators are the most valuable, capable leaders in embedding Indigenous knowledges in ECEC (Locke, 2022), non-Indigenous educators must share responsibility for this work. However, educators often lack the confidence to do this well (Townley et al, 2023).…”

“…All centres have been exploring and introducing Indigenous knowledges into the curriculum for several years. Phase one of this project involved the interviewing of educators (Townley et al, 2023). This paper reports on our findings from phase 2, the child focus groups.…”