Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture has existed for at least 50,000 years and is the oldest living culture in the world.
The Koorie (or Koori) community in Victoria comprises 38 languages and 11 language families that have lived on these lands for thousands of years. They are typically connected by a related language and through cultural and mutual interests, totems, trading initiatives and marriage ties¹.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 15,211 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Victoria as of 2016. This number has almost doubled in the previous ten years. Barriers experienced by Indigenous learners² can include
- a lack of teaching materials in languages other than English
- unrelatable or inappropriate context for the subject matter being taught, with little to no Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history being covered in the classroom, and
- a lack of cultural awareness or Indigenous representation in the teaching materials.
Professional learning
Professional learning undertaken for teaching learners from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds should meet descriptors 1.4 and 2.4 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), however it may meet other descriptor(s) of the APST depending on the type of professional learning undertaken.
Visit the Teacher resources page to find out how to log professional learning activities in MyPD.
Teachers should consider the modifications to the curriculum and/or practice they will need to make for Indigenous learners to access learning.
It's not always possible to know if you have an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learner in your group, as you might not have all the information. All teachers should assume that that they have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaners in their groups, as whether people chose to identify can be complex.
Teachers should consider
- How their teaching pedagogy is appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners
- How they can link their activities and approaches to strategies that are known to be appropriate for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learners
How would I design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners?
Click here to see some videos about professional learning for teaching learners from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Resources
The VIT has compiled the following list of professional learning resources for teaching learners from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Please note that some of these resources may include names and/or images of deceased individuals.
¹ ANTaR Victoria, Local nations language groups, <https://antarvictoria.org.au/local-nations>, retrieved 22 March 2021
² Korff, J 2021, Barriers to Aboriginal education, <https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/barriers-to-aboriginal-education>, retrieved 22 March 2021
Last updated: 12 May 2025