Melbourne Graduate School of Education and Laynhapuy Homelands School: A Critical Friendship Approach to Documenting Yolŋu Pedagogy

Title: Melbourne Graduate School of Education and Laynhapuy Homelands School: A Critical Friendship Approach to Documenting Yolŋu Pedagogy

Summary: 

This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and the Faculty of Science, working in collaboration with Laynhapuy Homelands School (LHS) in North East Arnhem Land.

Keeping kids on Country to complete their secondary schooling needs to be a valid option for the many Yolŋu families living in one of nine homelands in the Laynhapuy region. Secondary schooling in the Homelands has declined since the opening of a boarding facility in the Nhulunbuy township in 2015. However, many Yolŋu families have long called for a valid choice for their children to complete a quality secondary education on Country. The newly named Makarraṯa program at LHS allows students from surrounding homelands to attend school during the week to gain an education. The staff at LHS have worked collaboratively for many years and now have the opportunity to further develop their program.

The project will:

1. Support LHS to document and collate existing strengths in pedagogy and curriculum into research-informed and culturally responsive policies and frameworks through a ‘critical friendship’ approach.
2. Help articulate what Yolŋu pedagogy means in the context of Learning on Country and contribute to the sustainability of current practices at LHS.
3. Provide an evidence base that has the potential to support the homelands education movement in other Australian contexts.