Closing the gap: Using graduate attributes to improve Indigenous education

Peter J. Anderson and Bernadette Atkinson teach Indigenous andTraditionally Education in a Global World as a fourth year unit in theFaculty of Education at Monash University, Clayton. This paper is a selfreflectivepiece of work where we discuss the use of graduate attributesrelating to Indigenous Education, put forward by the Australian Instituteof Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). These standards havethe potential to improve pre-service teachers knowledge in relation toIndigenous education, therefore equipping them with the necessary skillsand tools required to teach effectively to Indigenous and non-Indigenousstudents. The focus of this paper pertains specifically to AITSL focusarea 2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians discussing how pre-service teachers can promotereconciliation and teach Indigenous subject matter in a respectful mannerto non-Indigenous students