Timothy

Henderson
18804209

Assignment 1: Essay
Option 1

Price (2009) states that pre-service teachers must develop a culturally competence and
awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to benefit their educational
outcomes. Amos (2011, p. 491) explicitly states how to be culturally competent as a teacher,
one must have the knowledge and skills in teaching racially/ethnically different students a
strong sense of social justice teaching contributes to societys advancement. Therefore,
through this statement, graduate teachers must understand critical issues that contribute to
Aboriginal students learning, engagement and success. These include key factors that
instigate to disengagement in these students and steps that teachers can take to support
Aboriginal students success. Critical issues for Aboriginal students learning are
demonstrated through various aspects. These are attendances, attitudes of students,
teachers, and community, and finally, their sense of identity. Furthermore, in addition to the
critical issues, key factors that could lead to disengagement in Indigenous students need to
be considered. Areas that need to be considered are deficit conversations, low expectations,
and teacher racism. Therefore, teachers need to develop steps to assist in the steps to benefit
Indigenous students and their overall educational outcomes. This essay, will discuss the issues
stated above and how, as a teacher, steps can be taken to benefit the overall educational
outcomes of Indigenous students.

Aboriginal students learning, engagement and success can be linked to the critical issue of
attendance. Mission Australia (2015, as cited in The Australian Government, 2017 p.35)
illustrates that school attendance is affected by a range of issues, including and not limited
to, housing, health care, mental health issues, family violence, and intergenerational
unemployment. A further discussion from the Aboriginal Students in NSW Public Schools
Annual Report (2015) considers similar factors such as health, socio-economic status (SES),
and remoteness affecting their performance and participation. However, even though these
issues are being considered, the push for a massive increase in attendance is still being
targeted. To assist the success and engagement of Aboriginal students, in terms of
attendance, in rural and remote areas, the Education Department has developed the Rural

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and Remote strategy (Aboriginal Students in NSW Public Schools Annual Report, 2015).
However, through the closing the gap report, it is notable that no significant improvements
have been made in the attendance of Indigenous students through this strategy or others.

The lack of attendance, and possibility for engagement or success for Aboriginal students, is
due to the lack of preparation for pre-service teachers. As stated before, the need to be
culturally competent in pre-service teachers demonstrates teachers being adequately
prepared to educate Indigenous students. Skills needed for pre-service teachers to be
prepared are: an understanding of the history and culture; teaching in cross-cultural and
bilingual situations; and a great understanding of Indigenous students linguistic background
(Bourke & Rigby, 2000). Pre-service or qualified teachers need to have the ability to challenge
Aboriginal students poor behaviour, including attendance, to allow for a more successful
environment (Sarra, 2012). Allowing this poor behaviour, shown through low expectations for
the Aboriginal students, can influence attendance and provide a negative image to identity
(Sarra, 2012). Therefore, providing further preparation to pre-service teachers, tackling poor
behaviour, and having high expectations can affect the success, learning and engagement of
Aboriginal students positively in schools.

Attitudes from students, teachers, and the wider community can hinder or enhance
Aboriginal students learning, engagement and success. Price (2015) discusses the fact that
new settlers developed a myth about Indigenous people, stating that they were uneducable.
This myth grew into such a state that it was seen that Indigenous people can only learn how
to sew, launder, cook, clean, garden, build fences, and tend livestock (Price, 2015 p. 4).
Unemployment is seen as a major factor for Aboriginal working age men (Reynolds, 2005).
Therefore, Reynolds (2005) further establishes that Aboriginal children feel there are very few
models of successful employment; this in turn, makes them feel like education is seen as a
waste of time and not beneficial. Originally when western education was developed, it
created an area of stage learning and enforced participation, which in turn, led to negative
words such as failure, truancy and non-attendance linked with Indigenous children (Price,
2015). Furthermore, the education system only focuses on Indigenous students gaining the

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bare minimum amount of knowledge, this leads to being an unskilled worker or used for
cheap labour (Price, 2015).

Developments have been made towards the attitudes of the student, teacher, and the wider
community, that contribute to positive learning, engagement and success for Indigenous
students. Through Steinberg, Burridge, and Whalans (2013) project, they were able to
deepen the knowledge of teachers in the area in understanding and inclusiveness of
Aboriginal cultural knowledge. With this understanding, it was noted that Aboriginal students
felt they had a crucial role in the education system, therefore, benefiting to positive learning
and their education outcomes (Steinberg, Burridge & Whalan, 2013). The Personalised
Learning Pathways (PLP), a partnership between teachers, parents, carers, and students,
focuses on high expectations and building on the students unique strengths and talents
(Aboriginal Students in NSW Public Schools Annual Report, 2015). Therefore, it is noted that
there are attitudes that arise and evidently hinder Aboriginal students learning, engagement
and success. However, developments to improve these attitudes allowed for a more positive
environment and benefited their overall educational outcomes.

Aboriginal students personal identity is another critical issue that can affect the learning,
engagement and success. The Stronger Smarter Module (2017) illustrates that schools need
to nurture and embrace students identities to improve on their self-esteem and learning
capacity. Sarra (2012, p.167) further states that challenging negative perceptions so that
Aboriginal children can reflect a more positive Aboriginal identity. Success towards
Aboriginal students engagement and learning is by tackling racism, researching what it
means to be Aboriginal, and provide positive role models on a day-to-day basis (Sarra, 2012).
The author further discusses, that positive identity is developed through Aboriginals if you
allow them the chance to explore their own sense of being, articulating a positive sense of
Aboriginal identity, and developing a whole school Aboriginal Studies Programme (Sarra,
2012). This in turn, allows Aboriginals to have their personal identities flourishing in a positive
light that can affect their learning, engagement, and success.

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When Aboriginal identity is not in a positive light, it can lead to negative issues towards
learning, engagement and success. Craven (2011) illustrates a case study of a time where an
Aboriginal students identity was not explored, labelling the child as a troublesome student.
Through the incorporation of an Indigenous unit, the student developed a sense of identity
and engaged with the content. The student engaged with the community to assist the non-
Indigenous students in learning how to throw a boomerang (Craven, 2011). Overall in this
case study, the incorporation of an Indigenous unit provided a positive outlook on the
Aboriginal students identity, illustrating the skills that they had develop depends on their
learning environments, just like non-Indigenous students (Craven, 2011). Thus, affects the
Aboriginal students success, learning and engagement as they found a connection to the unit,
through the sense of their own identity.

There are other significant factors that further affect Indigenous students learning,
engagement and success. These factors and issues can evidently contribute to the overall
disengagement of Aboriginal students. The factors include; deficit conversations and negative
stereotypes, low expectations, and racism. Deficit conversations illustrate how discourses can
provide a negative outlook on Indigenous students or even schooling (Stronger Smarter,
2017). These conversations lead to teachers having negative views of students, evidently
leading Indigenous students not wanting to go to school and being disengaged. The
conversations that are being had also lead to the use of negative stereotyping, further adding
to the disengagement of these students. Lawrence (2008, pp. 13-14 as cited in Gorringe,
2011) considers this fact by stating that when people think or say that they (Aboriginal
Australians) are sick, lazy and unproductivethey internalise these opinions and become
convinced of their own unfitness. Therefore, negative stereotyping can lead to Indigenous
people to actually think they are either unproductive or lazy. Overall, it is seen that the use of
deficit conversations and negative stereotypes can lead to Indigenous students being
disengaged to schooling. This is through their own perceived views of schooling and the
attitudes of others towards these students.

Furthermore, disengagement can be developed through low expectations or blatant racism
from teachers, schools, and the wider community. Low expectations provide an outlet for

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students to be disengaged, leading to attendance, behavioural and performance problems.
The Stronger Smarter Module (2017) illustrates that all Aboriginal students are capable of
learning and can achieve as well as any other student. DeBacker and Routon (2017, p. 43)
state, expectations do matter and expectations about educational outcomes have effects
on opportunities for the student. Therefore, with the teachers or schools having low
expectations for the students, attendance, performance and behaviour can drop. This will
evidently lead to the disengagement of Aboriginal students. Racism is another factor that can
affect an Aboriginal students engagement towards schooling. Racism, also known as
discrimination, affects the overall academic development of Aboriginal students (Bodkin-
Andrews, Denson, & Bansel, 2012). Bodkin-Andrews, Denson and Bansel (2012) further
elaborate on this information, demonstrating that the increasing levels of racism, specifically
from teachers, can lead to the risk of self-sabotaging behaviours in their learning. Therefore,
through the culturally awareness and removal of racism, self-sabotaging behaviours,
including disengagement displayed by Indigenous students can be removed.

As a teacher, I can develop strategies/steps that can help support and remove this
disengagement for Aboriginal students, evidently improving their success. The National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy, empowering teachers to empower
students, and the What Works project are significant examples of strategies that I can use to
help Aboriginal students. Through the Education Councils (2015) strategy, I need to have
eight main principles to assist Aboriginal Students in education. These are:
Achieve Potential: high expectations for Aboriginal students;
Equity: access to the same educational opportunities as other Australians;
Accountability: being accountable, transparent, and responsive;
Cultural Recognition: histories, values, languages and cultures are respected;
Relationships: demonstrating trust and respect whilst valuing the communitys
cultural knowledge;
Partnerships, Indigenous people engaged in process for early childhood, schooling and
higher education;
Local Approaches: educational outcomes for Indigenous students are accelerated
through local approaches;

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Quality: policies, practices and programs are inclusive for Indigenous students
(The Education Councils, 2015, p.3)
By implementing these principles into my teaching, Indigenous students will have equal
opportunities with non-Indigenous students, and have an overall improvement in their
outcomes.

Ensuring that I highlight the importance of Indigenous educational outcomes through
research will assist in the steps to benefit these students. The Department of Education (2012,
as cited in Price, 2015) illustrates that knowledge and understandings within curriculum
documents, building cultural competence, ensuring relevance, and establishing research
collaborations assist Indigenous students. By researching these areas, doing personal
reflective practices on my classroom activities through identifying strengths and weaknesses
can provide a more culturally responsive and transformational program in addressing racism
(Patton et al., 2012 as cited in Price, 2015). Adding to this research and reflections, giving
myself further knowledge through a strategy called the What Works program. Having my
school engaging with the What Works program to be able to assist all Indigenous students is
vital. Building awareness, forming partnerships, and working systematically will allow for my
school, and myself as a teacher, to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous students
(What Works, 2011). Therefore, by growing my understanding through research and
reflective processes, whilst also implementing the What Works program in my school, I can
further take the steps to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous students.

In summary, the closing of the gap for Indigenous students to non-Indigenous has had little
to no success. A further development to contribute to their success, learning and engagement
is needed. Overall, it is seen that attendance, attitudes of themselves and others, and identity
can affect Aboriginal students learning, engagement and success. Whilst also considering the
factors that link to the disengagement of Aboriginal students, teachers can develop strategies
to help enhance Aboriginal students success. By having high expectations, removal of deficit
conversations, implementing the Aboriginal community or an Indigenous unit, the
improvement of education for Indigenous students greatly increases. Also as a future teacher,
constantly reviewing research, reflecting my own work, and implementing programs into the

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school that I teach at, I can lead the steps of closing the gap for Aboriginal students. Therefore,
through the understanding of factors, critical issues and effective policies or programs, the
closing of the gap for Aboriginal students can be developed to ensure for success in their
educational outcomes.

Words: 2094

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References:

Aboriginal Students in NSW Public Schools Annual Report (2015). 2015 Aboriginal Students
in NSW Public Schools Annual Report. [online] Available at:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/aec/media/documents/Annual-Report-2015.pdf
[Accessed 2 Aug. 2017].

Amos, Y. (2011). Teacher Dispositions for Cultural Competence: How Should We Prepare
White Teacher Candidates for Moral Responsibility?. Action in Teacher Education,
33(5-6), pp.481-492.

Bodkin-Andrews, G., Denson, N., & Bansel, P. (2012). Teacher Racism, Academic Self-
Concept, and Multiculturation: Investigating Adaptive and Maladaptive Relations
With Academic Disengagement and Self-Sabotage for Indigenous and Non-
Indigenous Australian Students. Australian Psychologist, 48(3), 226-237.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9544.2012.00069.x

Bourke, C. and Rigby, K. (2000). Better practice in school attendance. Canberra: Department
of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.

Craven, R. (2011). Teaching Aboriginal Studies: A Practical Resource for Primary and
Secondary teaching. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

DeBacker, J., & Routon, W. (2017). Expectations, education, and opportunity. Journal Of
Economic Psychology, 59(1), 29-44.

Education Council. (2015). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy.
Retrieved from
http://www.scseec.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/ATSI%20docume
nts/DECD__NATSI_EducationStrategy.pdf


Gorringe, S. (2001). Honouring our strengthsmoving forward. Education in Rural Australia,
21(1), 21+. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.uws.edu.au/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw
=w&u=uwsydney&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA260495062&asid=4f6dea889d6d1b837
9e23de9da7281e9

Price, K. and Hughes, P. (2009). What works. The work program. Improving outcomes for
indigenous students. [Deakin, ACT]: National Curriculum Services and the Australian
Curriculum Studies Association.

Price, K. (2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An introduction for the
teaching profession. West Nyack: Cambridge University Press.

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Reynolds, R. (2005). The Education of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Students: Repair or Radical Change. Childhood Education, 82(1), 31-36.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2005.10521337

Sarra, C. (2012). Strong and Smart - Towards a Pedagogy for Emancipation: Education for
First Peoples (New Studies in Critical Realism and Education). London, UK: Routledge.

Steinberg, S., Burridge, N., & Whalan, F. (2013). Indigenous Education. Rotterdam: Sense
Publishers.

The Stronger Smarter Module(2017). Online Module - Introduction to Stronger Smarter |
Indigenous Education. [online] Indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
education and training. Available at:
http://strongersmarter.com.au/resources/onlinemodule/ [Accessed 10 Aug. 2017].

The Australian Government (2017). Closing the Gap Prime Minister's Report 2017. [online]
Available at: http://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/ctg-report-2017.pdf
[Accessed 2 Aug. 2017].

What Works. (2011). Successful practice: Improving outcomes for indigenous students.
Retrieved from
http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1300931817872_file_SuccessPrac2.pdf