Aboriginal perspectives in Physical Education (PE) – traditional ways of new doing

Pedagogy and content knowledge in PE should include Aboriginal perspectives for all students. In the Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education, Aboriginal perspectives are acknowledged in several of the Key Ideas or Propositions, where students are invited to acknowledge the social and cultural significance of participation in movement, to question the movement knowledge that is seen to ‘count’ in PE and to recognise that Western culture is not the ‘custodian’ of movement. These ideas are reflected in more specific directives within this curriculum and similarly in other state curricula. Aboriginal knowledge of perspectives in PE particularly aligns with Teacher Standards 1.4 and 2.4 but have relevance across the standards more broadly. In recent years, there has been a burgeoning of research on Aboriginal perspectives in PE. This research has been about introducing Torres Strait Island dance; racialisation of Aboriginal students; actual and perceived obstacles teachers face in teaching Aboriginal content; the significance of Rugby League and Australian Football to Aboriginal students and culturally aligned pedagogy.