Reflective Journal
How has your view or perspective changed on the impact of Aboriginal beliefs and culture on scientific understanding?
- Anthony Angel
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My perspective hasn't changed. I've always wanted to really take the students and give them the practical sense. What I wanted to do was change the beliefs and the understanding of other staff members and other Science teachers and get them to really have a look at the scientific concepts behind Aboriginal [culture], especially with the tools and what [the] concepts were, and that was just the avenue I took, so I wanted to change their perspective of what was happening.
- Carol Thurston
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I don't think my perspective has changed at all very much but what I think we need to do is change the perspective of the teenagers, because I think most teenagers in schools have very limited understanding of Aboriginal culture and the benefits that it has for life today, so I think it's very important for us to include Aboriginal perspective into the Science syllabus so we can illustrate to students just how we can use this ancient knowledge to provide very modern remedies.
- Glenn Yates
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I think that I've got a greater respect for the knowledge held by the Aboriginals. It was easy to design lessons around specific aspects of the Aboriginal perspective, which fitted into our program structure, as there was obviously a deep understanding of these areas of scientific endeavour which were important to their survival. It's worth noting that this depth of knowledge could be stored and shared without the aid of the written word. Perhaps the most important lesson is that there is more than one way to explain what we see around us.
- Kerry Whalley
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After completing the unit, 'The Kangaroo that Lives inside Nobby's', my view changed by observing the interweaving of historical scientific data with moral teaching. It illustrated the value of the holistic approach in Aboriginal culture.