Indigenous Early Childhood Educators’ Narratives: Relationships,not Activities

Abstract

This article discusses some outcomes of an inter-cultural, participative research study that used a narrative inquiry approach with Aboriginal early childhood educators. A common approach within early childhood programs attempting to incorporate Aboriginal perspectives has been to include of a range of activities perceived to be ‘Aboriginal’, such as dot painting or ‘doing’ corroborees (Stephenson, 1996). Rather than focus on specific kinds of activities in Aboriginal early childhood settings, the Aboriginal participants in this study emphasised the critical importance of the relationships between children, and between staff and children. Some of these relationships are discussed, using examples of specific incidents, and implications for non-Aboriginal early childhood educators are presented.