Affective Response as a Catalyst for Reimagining Curriculum and Pedagogy for Teaching of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross-Curriculum Priority in Christian Education

Abstract

In 2018, Australians Together commissioned research on a trial program designed to improve teachers' confidence in relation to teaching the Australian Curriculum's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority. The research, led by the Bachelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, was designed to engage staff at two peri-urban independent schools who had participated in the professional learning, several months after they had taken part in an Australians Together 2-day workshop. Teachers described a strong affective response to the professional learning, which prompted them to engage more deeply with the cross-curriculum priority and adapt new teaching resources and approaches to their classrooms. In this article we explore these outcomes but pose the question: Is affective response sufficient? Based on the research, we suggest additional steps that could be taken to further extend the impact beyond classroom actions.