Questions to Ask When Selecting Culturally Inclusive Resources
What are they? Why do we need them? Where can we find them?
As educators and teachers, it is critical to understand the context from which educational disadvantage impacts on First Nations children and students. Statistically, this gap starts in early childhood and continues through all levels of schooling. This disadvantage is one of the target areas being addressed by governments under Closing the Gap.
While there are many contributing factors to this disadvantage, one of the factors connected to this is related to the racism that students experience at school. One of the ways that schools as whole and educators and teachers as individuals, can address this racism, is by the provision of culturally inclusive resources in their schooling environments.
A culturally inclusive curriculum reflects the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of society. When making choices around the inclusion of resources to use in your classroom, Education NSW lists some questions to consider:
Do the resources present accurate and contemporary information?
Do they reflect the cultural diversity of Australian society?
Do they help students understand and respect people from cultures different from their own?
Do they make generalisations or over-simplifications which may lead to stereotyping?
Are there indications of racial bias or stereotyping?
Are appropriate or biased messages conveyed by illustrations and photographs?
Do the resources reflect a wide range of perspectives?
Is there a focus on the exotic or extreme?
Is there an over-emphasis on problems?Is there a focus on the exotic or extreme?
Is there an over-emphasis on problems?
Do they create a feeling of pride in cultural heritage?
Is the portrayal of minority cultures tokenistic?
Are different points of view presented or is any one point of view more prominent or more favourably represented than others?
Does the language used reinforce stereotypes?
Does the language used in resources foster biased interpretations and views?
Another aspect to consider is, are you purchasing from an Indigenous business or an ethical non-Indigenous business? Do they pay royalties to the artist / creator? With cultural appropriation rampant in the education resource space, this is critical to consider. Supply Nation is Australia’s largest database of verified Indigenous businesses. They are a great resource to explore when searching for Indigenous educational businesses. There are also many Indigenous educators and teachers operating in this space who provide a diverse range of culturally inclusive content you can use in your classroom. Some of our favourites include:
