Ngarrngga’s Methodology for Resource Creation

Embedding Indigenous Knowledge into educational resources requires intentionality, collaboration, and respect for the relational nature of knowledge systems.

This blog piece explains how Ngarrngga’s methodology for educational resource creation informs and shapes our approach and framework for bringing Indigenous and Western worldviews into conversation.

By openly detailing the planning, design, and consultation processes inherent to our methodology, we hope to instil confidence in the integrity and capacity of our educational resources to support educators navigating the Australian Curriculum.

The Ngarrngga Methodology for resource creation: A Tapestry of Knowledge Systems

At the core of Ngarrngga’s resource development process is the metaphor of a tapestry.

Indigenous Knowledge is not fragmented or linear but is instead a living, interconnected system comprising distinctive ways of knowing, being, and doing (Bunda & Phillips, 2023).

This tapestry metaphor acknowledges the dynamic and relational nature of Indigenous Knowledge systems. It also guides our conversations relating to the integration of these systems in our creation of education resources.

Distinctive aspects of how this metaphor feeds into our methodology are visualised across this blog via renderings of figures.

These renderings emerge from our interpretation and enactment of Ngarrngga’s guiding principles, as contextualised within our Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) Declaration (Ngarrngga, 2024).

Ngarrngga’s methodology consists of three intertwined components—theoretical (foundation), conceptual (blueprint), and practical (enactment)—that work together to ensure the authenticity and cultural integrity of the resources. These components are not isolated but overlap, reverberating with the interwoven nature of Indigenous Knowledge.

Unpacking the Framework: From Intent to Action

The Ngarrngga methodology for resource creation is iterative and relational by design. For clarity, we illustrate the process as a scaffolded framework, acknowledging that in practice, it is a dynamic process, involving ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing among the team. This accommodates the reality of non-linear planning practices that require dynamic, ongoing dialogue among team members.

Figure 1: Entwined conceptual framework for Ngarrngga module planning

1. Identifying Intended Learning

Central to Ngarrngga’s methodology is the process of identifying the Indigenous Knowledge or Indigenous Focus to be showcased in a module. By ensuring Indigenous leadership determines what knowledge features in the resources being developed, our work emphasises the importance of respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination (Ngarrngga, 2024); grounding the work with a clear purpose.

The focus might include examples such as, but not limited to, navigating Country, Country as teacher, or cultural narratives. These broader foci help us situate knowledge in scenes and contexts that give careful consideration to the holistic worldview inherent to Indigenous Knowledge systems. This approach of starting with the Indigenous Knowledge resonates with Wiggins and McTighe’s (2011) "Understanding by Design" framework, which prioritises backward mapping to ensure that every learning activity contributes meaningfully to the intended outcomes.

2. Identifying Scenes for Learning

Once the intended learning is defined, the next step involves selecting or developing specific case studies and examples that serve as scenes for coming to know, hear and understand. For instance, a case study on fire management practices could explore ecological stewardship, sustainability and intergenerational knowledge transfer. These scenes function as tangible entry points into the broader tapestry of Indigenous Knowledge and curriculum.

This step reflects Nakata’s (2011) emphasis on the careful selection and curation of Indigenous content into educational resources to ensure depth and continuity. It also asks us to carefully attend to a common challenge for interpreting and enacting curriculum in our context; this being to avoid inappropriate and superficial representations of Indigenous Knowledge (Bishop et al., 2021).

3. Identifying Learning Experiences and Resources

Finally, Ngarrngga’s methodology for educational resource creation focuses on crafting engaging and contextually relevant learning experiences.

These experiences might include explorations of content, multimedia resources, and teacher guides, all designed to bring the identified knowledge and curriculum together and into life in the classroom.

Ethical considerations, including respecting and upholding the integrity and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as primary custodians and interpreters of their Intellectual and Cultural Property (ICIP), guide the design and development of these experiences (Ngarrngga, 2024).

As reflected in the accompanying diagram, these three processes—intended learning, scenes for learning, and learning experiences—intersect and inform one another through ongoing dialogue rather than progressing in a linear fashion.

Planning involves iteration, where ideas are revisited, adjusted, and strengthened as shared understanding grows among the team of collaborators engaged in resource creation.

This interconnected approach ensures that the creation and content of every resource is firmly anchored in the Ngarrngga Principles and sets the scene for classroom implementation through pedagogies that are culturally inclusive and responsive.

Bridging Theory, Practice and Perspectives: Working with Ngarrngga’s guiding principles

We make and mobilise this methodology as a team of largely non-Indigenous educators who are committed to work with genuine respect and in close collaboration with Indigenous Knowledge and Education experts.

By sharing our methodology for resource creation, we seek to be transparent about the motivations, positions, intentions and considerations being brought to our work (MacDonald & Beasy, 2024).

Importantly, our application of Ngarrngga’s guiding principles extends beyond bringing a critical lens to existing practice.

As discoveries are made, we address and amend these (where necessary) in alignment with our iterative approach for working together to create resources.

This active participation in critical learning is necessary for coming to know, hear and understand the intentions, purposes and understandings we bring to our engagement with Indigenous Knowledge (Hogarth, 2024).

In illuminating our approaches for bridging theory, practice and perspectives, our methodology provides pathways for moving beyond tokenistic inclusion toward meaningful and sustained engagement with Indigenous Knowledge.

By focusing on the "why," "how," and "what," we strive to equip teachers with tools to navigate the complexities of showcasing Indigenous Knowledge with confidence and integrity.

Ngarrngga’s guiding principles enable us to navigate and mediate the Eurocentric presence we bring, as well as those that permeate the curriculum framings we work with. These principles guide our collective approach and professional practice for working with Indigenous Knowledge and paradigms in the creation of educational resources.

Through our bespoke methodology for working with Indigenous Knowledge in relation to and context of curriculum, Ngarrngga’s resources are created in ways that seek to empower Australian educators and students to reflect on their roles as active participants in a continuous and evolving learning journey.

Ngarrngga’s methodology for resource creation: A Transformative Vision for Education

As culture lives and continues to evolve, we recognise that coming to know, hear and understand in culturally responsive ways means this methodology and our practice and process for working with it will also continue to evolve.

Ngarrngga’s methodology for resource creation foregrounds a variety of approaches taken up by educators, with educators and for educators.

By prioritising relationality, intentionality, and collaboration in our methodology, we create a foundation to design and develop educational resources that can instil confidence in educators’ ability to showcase Indigenous Knowledge into their ‘toolkit’, enriching the learning experiences of all students.

Beyond a methodology for resource creation, we also see potential for broader applications. For example, the underlying principles, processes, and practices of this methodology can be taken up by educators to scrutinise the veracity of educational resources they might decide to use in their teaching and learning.

Further, the methodology foregrounds a variety of approaches for nurturing and sustaining collaborative relationships, building intercultural understanding, critically reflecting upon one’s own worldview, and making informed decisions in respect to how Indigenous Knowledge is situated and engaged within education settings.

As we continue this journey, Ngarrngga invites educators, policymakers, and the broader community to reflect on their roles in shaping an educational system that honours the world’s oldest continuous living culture.

Through its methodology for resource creation, Ngarrngga sets a distinctive standard and imperative for resource development—one that is relational, dynamic, and deeply respectful.

References

• Bishop, M., Vass, G., & Thompson, K. (2021). Decolonising schooling practices through relationality and reciprocity: Embedding local Aboriginal perspectives in the classroom. Pedagogy, culture & society, 29(2), 193-211.

• Bunda, T., & Phillips, L. G. (2023). Storying: The vitality of social movements. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

• Hogarth, M. (2024). Australian teacher shouldn’t be afraid to teach Indigenous Knowledge. https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/australian-teachers-shouldn-t-be-afraid-to-teach-indigenous-knowledge

• Janke, T. (2021). True tracks: Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and culture. UNSW Press. Kimmerer, R. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions.

• MacDonald, A., & Beasy, K. (2024). A water [shed] moment for articulating a professional practice of education resource creation. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 40(2), 305-321.

• Maher, K. (2022). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures cross curriculum priority: Pedagogical questions of Country, colonialism and whose knowledge counts. The Social Educator, 40(2), 3-17.

• McLaughlin, J. M., & Whatman, S. L. (2015). Beyond social justice agendas: Indigenous Knowledges in preservice teacher education and practice in Australia, in D. B Napier (Ed), International perspectives on race (and racism): Historical and contemporary considerations in education and society, Nova Science Publishers Incorporated, pp. 101-120.

• McLeod, K., Thakchoe, S., Hunter, M. A., Vincent, K., Baltra-Ulloa, A. J., & MacDonald, A. (2020). Principles for a pedagogy of unlearning. Reflective Practice, 21(2), 183-197.

• Nakata, M. (2011). Pathways for Indigenous education in the Australian curriculum framework. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 40(1), 1–8.

• Ngarrngga (2024). The vision: Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Declaration. https://www.ngarrngga.org/the-vision

• Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating high-quality units. ASCD.