When educators first begin their journey of embedding Aboriginal perspectives, the starting point is almost always reflection and relationship, not pedagogy.
At Koori Curriculum, we encourage services to begin with a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This process helps teams develop a shared understanding of why this work matters, identify their goals, and map the relationships and connections they’ll need to build with community.
Once that foundation is in place, educators can then begin exploring frameworks such as the 8 Ways of Learning, a Wiradjuri pedagogy that helps them think about inclusion, intercultural practice, and how Aboriginal children learn within cultural contexts.
What Is the 8 Ways of Learning?
The 8 Ways of Learning is a pedagogical framework developed through collaboration with Wiradjuri knowledge holders and educators. It’s been endorsed for use in Queensland, making it a powerful, culturally responsive tool that aligns beautifully with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and My Time, Our Place (MTOP).
Each of the eight interconnected pedagogies represents a principle of Aboriginal learning:
- Story Sharing: Learning through narrative, connection, and lived experience.
- Learning Maps: Seeing the big picture; visualising pathways of learning.
- Non-verbal Learning: Observing, modelling, and learning through doing.
- Symbols and Images: Communicating through pattern, sign, and art.
- Land Links: Connecting learning to place, Country, and environment.
- Non-linear Learning: Thinking in cycles and layers, rather than lines.
- Deconstruct/Reconstruct: Breaking ideas apart and rebuilding them for deeper understanding.
- Community Links: Embedding learning in relationships and community life.
These eight ways aren’t prescriptive, they are cultural signposts that help educators consider how they teach, observe, and plan through an Aboriginal lens.
When and Why to Explore the 8 Ways of Learning
Educators may turn to the 8 Ways of Learning for different reasons:
- To develop an intercultural program, where multiple perspectives and ways of knowing are valued.
- To understand Aboriginal children’s learning styles, seeing how knowledge is shared, observed, and applied in cultural contexts.
- To rethink inclusive programming, ensuring that all children, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, are seen, valued, and reflected in daily practice.
The 8 Ways helps educators make these connections in a grounded, culturally safe way, not by teaching culture, but by shifting how they think about teaching and learning.
From Framework to Practice
At Koori Curriculum, I use the 8 Ways to help educators connect theory to action. Together, we explore how Aboriginal pedagogies align with existing curriculum outcomes and how they can enrich learning environments, interactions, and documentation.
Once educators understand the framework, they often describe it as a lightbulb moment, it validates what they already do well while offering new pathways to deepen reflection and meaning.
Honouring Wiradjuri Knowledge While Strengthening Local Practice
Although the 8 Ways of Learning originated on Wiradjuri Country, it’s not about replacing local voices, it’s about providing a thinking framework that supports educators to approach local knowledge with greater awareness, empathy, and respect.
When used with integrity, the 8 Ways helps educators engage confidently with community, knowing the questions to ask and the protocols to follow. It’s a bridge between cultural understanding and daily practice.
A Pathway Forward
Embedding Aboriginal perspectives is a journey that begins with reflection and grows through relationship. Once those foundations are strong, pedagogies like the 8 Ways of Learning help educators translate that understanding into action — supporting inclusive, intercultural programs that honour both Aboriginal and Western ways of knowing.
Because when we learn through story, connection, and Country, we don’t just create better programs — we nurture children who understand that learning is shared, cyclical, and deeply relational.
Ready to explore how the 8 Ways of Learning can strengthen your team’s programming and inclusive practice? Register for our Programming, Planning and Pedagogy course.
