Country as Teacher

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Country as Teacher

21/07/2024 | Faculty of Education

For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal children did much of their learning directly from Country and Earthkin (non-human beings). Aboriginal peoples incorporated practical and spiritual knowledge of their environments into the daily cultural practices of ‘relating with Country’. These country-centric knowledge systems recognise Country as alive and part of a mutual give-take relationship with shared knowledge, gratitude and care.

The practice of ‘relating with Country’, involving sensory experiences of stilling the mind, looking at, listening to and feeling Country, was passed from generation to generation through Aboriginal teaching and learning approaches. This approach maintained social and ecological wellness and balance.

Country as Teacher educational practices honour Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing, through the practice of ‘relating with Country’.

Through the Affiliated Schools program, a partnership between the ACT Education Directorate and the Faculty of Education at the University of Canberra, UC Researchers from the Centre for Sustainable Communities have worked with ACT schools to explore the Country as Teacher approach in classrooms. The primary focus of the research is to develop alternative educational practices which honour Indigenous and non-Eurocentric ways of being, knowing and doing. Engagement with Indigenous learning and teaching aims to shift to more sustainable human-nature relationships where humans are conceived as part of, and connected to, nature.

The Country as Teacher program of research aims to:

Reinvigorate sustainable communities through enabling people to know, understand and care for their Country: This involves exploring the capacity of all people to know, understand and care for the places where they live. This requires us to relearn the capabilities and practices to relate with, and learn from, Country.
Deeply connecting with Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing: Listening to and learning from the traditional knowledge systems of Australia is a way of honouring the knowledge carried for thousands of years that works to care for the places we live, in ways that are sustainable for all Earth-kin.
Building upon experiential, rather than abstract, learning: This theme explores the educational importance of building hands-on experiences of Country and place, rebalancing the theory-focussed teaching and learning most often found in classrooms.
Rebalancing multiple ways of being, knowing and doing: Caring and listening require the capacity to engage with the world through more than a rational analytic mindset. Whilst rational analytic knowing is important, a theme in the program is bringing it back into balance with affective, embodied, intuitive and spiritual ways of knowing the world.

Body of work continues

The Country as Teacher research program extends to delivery of Teaching for Country within UC’s Bachelor of Education and post graduate units as well as the Graduate Certificate: Country as Teacher, delivered over 18 months to qualified teachers and Indigenous Knowledge Holders. This contributes to a broader educational vision of Country as Teacher: preparing teachers to support schools in the ACT to rebalance their curriculum, and facilitate teaching and learning centered on children learn about the places they live and care for these places.

UC researchers continue to explore the impacts of Country as Teacher and their translation into classrooms through teachers’ personal experiences, the impacts on student learning, engagement, wellness and the whole school community culture.

Connecting with Country

Teachers, students and families are being impacted by the integration of Country as Teacher in classrooms in the ACT:

“Country as Teacher is an opportunity for a failing schooling system to take the lead in necessary societal change. Country as commodity, resource, background and humans as consumers, developers and owners, has an impending expiry. Country as teacher, kin, foreground and humans as custodians, shines a glimmer of hope into the future.”

Jordan Harrison – teacher at Ainslie Primary School

“Country as Teacher has transformed how I approach everything in my life. In a way, it has woken me up. I’ve developed new senses, intuitions and awareness of Earth-kin. I have a stronger understanding of my obligations to Country and all living things. Consequently, this has strengthened my understanding of my responsibilities to my students and our environment when teaching. It’s taught me the importance of slowing down with the students, finding opportunities to extend and connect learning to Country and developing their respect for Mother Earth. I have also remembered the importance of delivering a balanced teaching program that considers all the senses.”

Teacher

“Country as Teacher has helped me guide children’s innate affinity and curiosity through stories, exploration and reflection. I’m aware now of other ways of knowing, being and doing and am reminded that we learn from our surroundings if we’re open to it.”

Teacher and parent

“For myself and my community, Country as Teacher means to slow down and allow country to guide our ways of knowing. Appreciating the different reciprocal relationships of all living things including our own relationship with country.”

Teacher

“It’s fun and it’s the only time we're outside and not running around, sitting and observing country makes you focus a lot, you can picture stuff a lot easier once you've been on country and calmed down.”

Student

“As a teacher the Country as Teacher pedagogy has changed the way I design and teach lessons in the classroom and on Country. Seeing students develop their connection with Country is a real privilege.”

Indigenous teacher

“It means a lot to watch my child grow and learn on Country. I am grateful that he is safe and free to find his own way of being in this world. Free from the expectations. Free to grow up strong in mind and spirit."

Parent of a student participant

Research team

This research is led by researchers from University of Canberra’s Faculty of Education and Centre for Sustainable Communities:

Learn more

‘I am Country, and Country is me!’ Indigenous ways of teaching could be beneficial for all children, The Conversation 2022

More details about the Country as Teacher program of research.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and wellbeing Education

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