On Country curriculum a key to learning

Remote area students are going bush to learn their ancient culture and understand its relevance to modern Australia.

Charlie Klein with students from the Tjuntjuntjara school. Picture: James Croucher

Six months ago, Charlie Klein had the idea to build on Tjuntjuntjara Remote Community School’s Learning on Country program, where students go bush to immerse themselves in their ­ancient culture and understand its relevance to modern Australia.

“For us, it’s about having that focus on spinifex country — this is where the strength is, and this strengthens kids. Our country, our culture, our knowledge is very, very good and it can be shared,’’ Mr Klein said.

The West Australian principal, who runs one of Australia’s most remote schools more than 600km from Kalgoorlie in the Great Victoria Desert, received one of 12 inaugural fellowships in the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards earlier this year.

The awards, run in partnership with the non-for-profit Schools Plus organisation, are worth $45,000 and include a study tour to Singapore. Nominations for next year have opened.

Mr Klein used the $30,000 project funding to develop the school’s two-way science program, which builds on Learning on Country with the traditional owners and indigenous rangers.

Chris Deslandes, a retired principal who has worked to support the development of the Punmu Junior Ranger program, is lending Tjuntjuntjara a hand to realise the school’s dream.

The school is piggy­backing its two-way science Learning on Country activities on a CSIRO’s Science Pathways project, sponsored by the BHP Billiton Foundation, which has been operating in six Western Desert communities.

“We know we’ve got all the ingredients of something really strong for our kids and community and we know are doing some good things but we need to put it all together and give it some perspective,’’ Mr Klein told The Australian.

Tjuntjuntjara’s structure has been tweaked. Students still do Learning on Country on Fridays where they get outside the classroom and on to their lands with traditional owners and rangers but it now has the added dimension of two-way or indigenous science.

“The other day, we did traditional uses of fire. We go out and come back as a group. On Friday afternoon, the kids go home, and we post plan,’’ Mr Klein said.

Teachers record the activity and the learning and then plan lessons for the next three weeks to build on the knowledge.

“It will be a significant driver of learning across the curriculum and with that is the recognition of local knowledge and local expertise … It is learning two ways. You need to learn the Pitjantjatjara way and the Western way.’’