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Option 1

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education has been of great concern to the government.

Creative Spirits state that ‘sixty percent of Aboriginal children are significantly behind non-

Aboriginal children by the time they start year one’. In 2014-2015 around sixty two percent

of Aboriginal students finished year 12 compared to eighty six percent of non-Aboriginal

Australians (Australians Together). According to Closing the Gap (2008), in ‘2017 the

overall attendance rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students nationally was

83.1per cent compared with 93.0 percent for non-Aboriginal students’. There is still a lot of

work to be done in order for the numbers to come up. Creative Spirits highlights that ‘literacy

rates amongst Aboriginal students are lowest in remote communities’ attributing this to low

literacy of parents and poor school attendance. Training and higher education plays a crucial

role in improving socioeconomic position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,

their families and communities (Review of Higher Education).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face a lot of challenges when it comes to

engaging in schools. There are many reasons like ‘past negative schooling experiences,

poverty, unemployment and poor job prospects, inadequate housing, poor physical and

mental health, racism and the legacy of cultural dislocation’ (ACT Government). The NSW

Department of Education’s Aboriginal Education Policy affirms its ‘commitment to improve

educational outcomes and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’. To

close the gap in education outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-

Indigenous students, the government has implemented the above policy. The Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Education Plan focuses on six important aspect. One of them being

attendance.

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The government has implemented policies to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students in overcoming these barriers. A commitment by the Australian government known

as Closing the Gap focuses on the improvement of the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people across six areas relating to health, infant mortality, early childhood

development, education and economic participation and year 12 attainment (Review of

Higher Education).

One essential component to build a positive and respectful relationship with Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students can include a culturally inclusive school. The school as a

whole must take the approach to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

to ‘support parental engagement’ (ACT Government) for a ‘wider, structured and holistic

approach to culturally respectful practice’ in the school. Schools with Reconciliation Action

Plans can assist in ‘building strong and respectful relationships between Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal staff, students, parents, families and carers’ (ACT Government). A partnership

approach is another way students can benefit and make connections. Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander families can be active participants ‘working in partnership with teachers to

share their culture and support their child’s learning’ (ACT Government). Taking on a

community focused component would involve ‘increasing local community involvement in

innovations that support retention outcomes at a local level’ (Closing the Gap) and it would

‘connect young people with their communities more effectively by facilitating youth

development and youth participation’ hence ‘promoting and recognising community based

learning’ (Closing the Gap). Involving the community would increase student retention.

As teachers it is imperative to create a warm and friendly environment not only for students

but for their families as well.

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The government of Australia is committed in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people to develop an ‘agenda that reflects their diverse need, strengths and

aspirations’ (Closing the Gap). The wellbeing of students is highly crucial. According to

Schleicher (2017), ‘student wellbeing goes far beyond education, but is influenced by the

school environment, such as whether students feel safe and included in school life’. Student

wellbeing ‘provides a foundation for participation and engagement in education which

supports student achievement’ (Schleicher). Students wellbeing is vitally as important as

their academic performance.

Strategic plans can be utilised by the school in ‘improving educational outcomes for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ (Closing the Gap). These plans are

significant because they have been ‘developed in conjunction with the Aboriginal educators

and in consultations with the communities’ (Closing the Gap). Getting the parents and the

community involved helps with the implementation of the plan. School based approaches

can be helpful to students. The school as a whole comes together to achieve the outcomes.

Closing the Gap talks of the Wiltja program. The program has been ongoing for twenty

years. The school approach focused on literacy, numeracy, retention and attendance. It

worked in collaboration with the community to achieve the outcomes. The school provided

an after school tutorial program to support its school based learning. As future teachers, this

approach can be incorporated by the school to tackle attendance issues.

As teachers it is important to remember to approach materials with sensitivity. Familiarising

oneself with the area and attending local functions can be helpful. Teachers should be

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provided with ‘professional development training’ as to raise awareness and ‘sensitivity to

history, culture, contemporary lifestyle and enduring characteristics of their Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students’ (Closing the Gap). Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Perspective in School (EATSIPS) acts as a guide for schools to ‘help them build

long lasting, meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to

improve Indigenous student learning outcomes’ and to provide ‘all students with an

understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and

contemporary cultures’ (EATSIPS). As teachers, this is easily embedded with cross

curriculum. According to EATSIPS, ‘community engagement is essential for embedding

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives’. Getting the community involved

increases the chances of success with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Engagement within local communities provides a partnership and engagement between

school and local Indigenous communities by providing teachers with ‘opportunities to form

personal relationships based on trust’ and also ‘empower community members to engage with

schools from their own perspective’ (EATSIPS). Partnerships like these are key to

‘developing and implementing’ (embedding) strategies successfully (EATSIPS). Price (2015)

highlights the ‘critical need to establish community based relationships’ stating that such

‘relationships are essential to building the respect and trust needed for quality engagement

that will encourage and increase Indigenous educational success’ (Price p.g. 43).The

importance of a community based relationship has been emphasised again and again making

it a fundamental core need for educational success.

As future teachers, one great way to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is by

adapting the stronger smarter philosophy. The Stronger Smarter approach states that it is

‘about building relationships, genuinely expecting more of ourselves, our communities and

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our children, and building places of learning where these expectations exist and grow’.

Educators need to set the standards high and emphasising on those to students will ensure

success. It is important to reflect back on one’s school culture. The environment needs to be a

positive environment which promotes positive practices. Teachers with stereo typical view

and bias can adversely affect a classroom environment. Teachers need to have intercultural

understanding in order to understand and better connect with students from different cultures.

The Stronger Smarter approach aims to create a ‘classrooms where students strive for high

quality outcomes because they want and expect to succeed’ (Stronger Smarter). Educators

can make contributions by understanding that ‘teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students requires sensitivity for their special needs and knowledge about Aboriginal cultural

protocols’ (Creative Spirits). In the classroom, teachers need to relate the context back to

examples to the community and their country. Whilst teaching students, there needs to be a

conveyed relatedness ‘which is a key feature of Aboriginal world views’ (Creative Spirits). It

branches from the ‘connectedness to every living thing, which is the foundation of Aboriginal

tradition, culture and spirituality’ (Creative Spirits).

The implementation of the new Australian Curriculum and the development of the National

Professional Standards for Teachers ‘enables pre service teachers the opportunity to reflect

upon the equity in educational outcomes around the country’ (Price, 2015 p.g. 37). Price

refers to the Behrendt Review (2012) and how it highlights the importance of ‘embedding

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and understanding within curriculum

documents, building cultural competence of non-Indigenous staff and students, ensuring

relevance and value of courses across all disciplines areas’. Teachers need to reflect back on

their classroom practices and modify and alter whatever is needed to achieve the outcomes.

By doing so, they ensure success.

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Teachers need to show commitment to a respectful learning engagement with Indigenous

students and by doing so will deliver on the policy passed by the government on Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander education. Future teachers need to be culturally competent and by

doing so they ‘will foster engagement with and participation by local Indigenous

communities and will build positive learning relationships with their students’ (Price p.g.

177). Teachers that respect different cultures and show empathy towards students will

understand their students far better than those that do not show any respect or are not

culturally competent. As a teacher it is important to understand the connection Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students have with their country. It is wise to include this in the lesson.

The yarning circle for example is a great way to take the lesson outdoors. Including

Aboriginal stories and achievements helps students feel ‘valued and accepted and boosts their

sense of identity’ (Creative Spirits).

Teachers need to create lesson that are relevant to the students and applicable to daily

activities and by doing so ‘results can improve significantly’ (Creative Spirits). As teachers it

is important to realise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are more autonomous

than non-Indigenous students because they have been raised that way and at times this gets

them in trouble in the classroom. Having knowledge of their culture will ensure the

understanding required to deal with it. In order for Aboriginal students to have a productive

life, they need ‘an education that enhances and promotes their Aboriginality’ (Creative

Spirits). Teachers must encourage ‘cultural pride through music and dance’ (Creative Spirits).

Teachers must be willing to listen to understand students. Teachers must know their students

and their circumstances and build trust with the students, their parents and the community. As

educators it is important to start the lesson with acknowledgment of country by

acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land. Teachers must embrace diversity and

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promote it as much as possible. Teachers must also make it a point to meet with the

community elders and by liaising with them, run the curriculum ideas by them. Community

elders might be able to help by pointing the teacher in the right direction. Another important

initiative by the teacher could be to invite the community in the classroom. The community

could share their stories or have like a yarning circle which the students would easily relate

to. Consulting the community might also be beneficial in getting a role model from the

community to encourage students. By consulting the community and getting them involved,

student retention can increase drastically. Teachers must promote calmness and never lose

their temper. Teachers must understand that students at times come from broken homes and

they carry that baggage into the classroom with them. It is important to be understanding of

students’ circumstances. For most students, English is not their first language. They have

their own mother tongue. Teachers or the school could offer after school classes or

homework classes to assist students.

Jean Illingworth (Creative Spirits) states that a ‘good teacher views the kids as people and not

as artefacts or objects of cultural disposition’. Teachers need to understand that for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, their culture is their identity. As future

teachers, it is important to know how to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

to get the maximum success outcome. Educators need to understand what it means to be

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and they also need to understand the challenges an

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island students faces in the classroom.

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References

Aboriginal education strategy and policy | Aboriginal education and communities. (n.d.).

Retrieved August 19, 2018, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-

learning/aec/policy-strategy-and-business-systems

ACT Government. (n.d.). Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian

families. Retrieved August 19, 2018, from

https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/807432/150897-

Engaging-with-Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Families.pdf

Australian Government. (n.d.). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian

students. Retrieved August 19, 2018, from

https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&context=indigenous_e

ducation

Australian Government. (2012, July). Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Final Report. Retrieved August 19, 2018,

from https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/31122/1/2013003561OK.pdf

Chapter Three Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/education

Closing the Gap. (n.d.). Retrieved August 20, 2018, from https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/

Department of Education and Training. (n.d.). Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Perspectives in schools. Retrieved August 19, 2018, from

http://indigenous.education.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/eatsips-

docs/eatsips_2011.pdf

Indigenous disadvantage in Australia. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19, 2018, from

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https://www.australianstogether.org.au/discover/the-wound/indigenous-disadvantage-

in-australia/

Korff, J. (n.d.). Aboriginal education in Australia. Retrieved August 19, 2018, from

https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/

Price, K. (2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: An introduction for the

teaching profession. Port Melbourne, Vic.: Cambridge University Press.

Schleicher, A. (2017, September 18). Better education outcomes for Indigenous students.

Retrieved August 19, 2018, from https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/better-

education-outcomes-for-indigenous-students

Stronger Smarter. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.strongersmarterplm.edu.au/content/index/part-2