102085 Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies

Assessment 1: Essay
Aboriginal Education & Policy

Question:

The National Education Agreement states that schooling should promote the social
inclusion and reduce the educational disadvantage of children, especially Indigenous
children. Yet in New South Wales the rate of suspension of Aboriginal students
continues to increase. (Council of Australian Governments, 2009)

Indigenous students are continually overrepresented in almost all negative indicators

related with schooling this includes, suspensions, exclusions and performance. This
overrepresentation continues to exist despite all the targeted interventions used to
reduce Indigenous disadvantage in education and increase educational outcomes.
This essay will explore the effects of school disciplinary practices on the behaviour,
well-being and inclusion of indigenous students and the social factors that contribute
to the behavioural issues and social inequity that indigenous students face. This will
be accomplished through the critical analyse of the Stronger Smarter Institute (2014)
(SSI), ‘The closing the gap’ report and the Aboriginal Education Policy (2008), that aim
to address indigenous inclusion, well-being and behavioural problems. In order to
successfully dismantle this question, the historical events associated with this topic
will also be assessed within this paper in order to understand the barriers between
Indigenous people and non-indigenous Australians. Lastly, this essay will also discuss
the positive practices that teachers including myself, can use focusing on the
Australian Institute for Teaching and School leadership (AITSL) standards 1.4 and 2.4.
In order to ensure indigenous students are provided with respectful, safe and positive
learning environments that promote positive behaviour without the use of punishment
and suspension as the first response.

It is first important to acknowledge the history of Indigenous students in order to

understand the reasons as to why Indigenous students demonstrate behavioural
problems and face social inequity within schools. The problem stems back to the
discriminatory policies that Indigenous students faced the most popular being the child
removal policy commonly referred to as ‘Stolen Generations’ (Western Sydney
University, 2019). This also couples with the impact of the English settlers during the

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18th century, the colonial expansion in Australia that took place destroyed the homes
of indigenous people forcing them to lose their land, language, culture and families
(Jalata, 2013). The English colonisers used the doctrine of Terra Nullius to condone
their acts of terror on Indigenous people through stating that the land ‘belonged to no
one’ and that Indigenous people had no right by law to the ownership of the land
(Kiernan, 2007). Thus, it was through this doctrine that the English settlers used
violence to try and wipe the race of Indigenous people, through stating that Indigenous
people were backwards and inferior (Prum, 2007). Understanding the mistreatment of
Indigenous people and their history is an important component of education as it
allows teachers to understand some reasons as to why indigenous students
demonstrate aspects of behavioural problems. It is through these injustices that have
contributed to the present educational barrier between indigenous and non-indigenous
Australians. This barrier has negatively influenced the perspectives of indigenous
people on Australia’s education system and as a result indigenous students
demonstrate signs of misbehaviour, disengagement with their education and face
social inequity within their schools (Prum, 2007).

Although these historical events have scarred the lives of many indigenous people,
alternative educational policies, disciplines and practices have been created and
reformed in order to encourage for the well-being and inclusion of indigenous students.
In 2005, the Closing the gap report was introduced, this initiative was designed in order
to help regain the rights of equality for indigenous people and close the gap between
indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (The Closing the gap report, 2019). The
Closing the gap report focuses on six main targets and among those is the education
and the well-being of indigenous people (The Closing the gap report, 2019). The report
states goals such as lifting student outcomes in order to enhance the equity and
inclusion of indigenous students and integrating Indigenous perspectives into
classroom practices such as using Astronomy in Science to present students with the
history and cultures of Indigenous people (The Closing the gap report, 2019).
Moreover, in 2008 the Council of Australian Government (COAG) pledged to address
key disadvantages that indigenous people face educationally and within their day to
day lives. COAG identified multiple building blocks in order to ensure that the Closing
the gap targets are achieved, some of these included schooling, health, safe
communities and healthy homes (Council of Australian Government, 2008).

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Moreover, additional policies such as the Aboriginal Education Policy 2008 was
designed in order to implement school policies that can help encourage for the
inclusion and equity of indigenous students. The policy includes objectives such as
1.2 Aboriginal education involves continuous, lifelong learning, focusing on integrating
Indigenous culture into school practices, classrooms and programs (Department of
Education, 2018). This attempt of integration can be seen in a variety of subjects in
schools through cross curriculum priorities. For example, in Science, teachers explain
methods used by Indigenous people to transform toxic plants into eatable food sources
in order to teach stage 5 year 10 students about the various types of chemical
reactions used to generate a variety of products (Australian Curriculum, Assessment
and Reporting Authority, 2019). However, although the Policy focuses on trying to
improve the inclusion and equality of indigenous students, suspension and non-
attendance rates of Indigenous students are still increasing. Many research papers
argue that the main problems associated with these polices and innovations is that
there from the perspective of the government and not so much the voice of Indigenous
people. It is argued that governmental authoritative figures create the goals and
strategies to go within the current Indigenous education policy, it is also suggested
that the government also measures the success of these goals. This can be seen in
the objective 4.5.1 of the Aboriginal Education Policy, stating that the reporting and
monitoring of the policy is directed by the Deputy Secretary of Schools Operations and
Performance (Department of Education, 2018). Thus, it is important to address the
disparities, but in doing this it is also important to include the opinions and perspectives
of indigenous people in order to help strengthen the impact of these initiatives.

Although these policies and disciplines are in place in order to enhance the education
of indigenous students, suspension rates among indigenous students are still high.
According to the Department of Education the rates of suspension of indigenous
students have increased from 2009 occupying 5.60% to 2013 occupying 6.20% of long
suspensions (Department of Education and communities, 2014). There are a variety
of social factors that contribute to behavioural problems encountered by indigenous
students that may also contribute to the increase of suspension rates. As
aforementioned, due to the exposure of traumatic historical events, indigenous
students are at more heightened risk of experiencing Mental health problems due to
impacts of for example ongoing racism (Western Sydney University, 2019). Thus, such

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exposure has revealed according to West Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey,
that ‘24% of Aboriginal 4-17 y.o.s showed signs of serious emotional or behavioural
difficulties’ (WAACHS, Zubrick et al, 2005). Furthermore, other social factors that
contribute to behavioural problems in indigenous students may include, exposure to
several life stressors, access to mental health services, poor quality of family life, being
in the care of a single parent and/or speech impairment (Walker, Robinson, Adermann
and Campbell, 2014). A recent study by Blair et al. (2005) shows in a research of 5000
indigenous students in Western Australia that one in five indigenous students have
experienced seven or more major life stressors in the last twelve months. This portion
was found to be 1000 times more than that of non-indigenous Australians. Although,
the Aboriginal Education Policy states in its 1.1.1 objective that it aims to improve the
education and well-being of indigenous student’s, problems like this are still occurring
(Department of Education, 2018). This is because less attention is directed to actually
addressing the fundamental issues that indigenous students face that are contributing
to their ongoing behavioural problems.

Additionally, school social inequities can also contribute to behavioural problems that
indigenous students face. Many schools within Australia try to integrate aspects of
indigenous studies into the curriculum, as objective 1.5.4 of the Aboriginal Education
Policy aims to implement Indigenous programs and cross curriculum content.
However, according to Campbell (2000), national agendas have a higher chance of
failing because they lack in meeting the diverse expectations of Indigenous students.
Griffith (2011) consolidates this theory as he states that, “Indigenous education
programs in Australia are overwhelmingly designed with good intentions and with
laudable goals, but with little reference to the evidence base or to the ‘big picture’ of
competing programs and the actual needs of Indigenous people” (p. 69). Furthermore,
Biddle et al. (2004), also states that student’s reasons for non-attendance is usually
due to reasons such as they lack the recognition by schools of their Indigenous culture
and history. Thus, is it evident that after the European invasion, indigenous culture,
language, customs and history was inherently lost within the education system.
Despite the ongoing attempts to incorporate it into mainstream education, indigenous
students still feel a sense of disconnection and inequality within the quality of their
education. This has not only led to an increase in the suspensions and non-
attendances of Indigenous students but has also created a divergence between the

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communities of indigenous people and non-indigenous Australians. Thus, it is evident

that much reformation of the integration of indigenous culture and history into the
curriculum needs to take place in order to try and combat these ongoing issues.

It is the role of teachers, as leaders to help guide and facilitate a positive, respectful
and safe learning environment for Indigenous students. Thus, through the process of
completing the Stronger Smarter Institute modules, I was disappointed as I realised
that I myself lack in actually understanding a lot about Indigenous culture and customs.
In blog 2 I wrote “I did not realise how little I know and understand about Indigenous
culture and history” (Rabia Deeb, Week 2, 2019). After reading this again it really
opened my eyes and allowed me to reflect, that as a future teacher I must strengthen
my understanding of Indigenous studies in order to ensure that I provide my students
with the best possible learning experiences. SSI states that the relationship that
students have with their teachers is an influential force in the student’s ability to
achieve in the classroom (Bishop & Berryman, 2006). Thus, as a future teacher I aim
to meet AITSL standards 1.4 and 2.4 (AITSL, 2019), by incorporating the 8 Indigenous
ways of learning through, ‘tell a story, make a plan, think and do, draw it, take it outside,
try a new way, watch first, then do and share it with others’ (Western Sydney
University, 2019). From a science KLA background I found this strategy to be very
useful as this framework can be incorporated into a year 7 stage 4 Living world
Science lesson. Whereby students can make connections to land through story telling
about Bush tucker through the traditional yarning method, making a learning map of
Indigenous Verse Western use of land, using symbols and images to make
identification cards for plants, making land links through stating what indigenous
people use the plants for and making community links through involving Indigenous
students’ families (Concord High School, 2014).

Thus, by incorporating these teaching strategies AITSL standards 1.4 and 2.4 can be
achieved as the 8 Indigenous ways of learning allows teachers to demonstrate
‘understanding of the impact of culture cultural identity and linguistic background on
the education of Indigenous people’ and ‘demonstrate broad knowledge of and
understanding of Indigenous people’s culture, history and language’ (AITSL, 2019).
Subsequently, this framework enables teachers to not only teach Indigenous content
but more importantly Indigenous processes and protocols. It promotes positive and

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respectful relationships with Indigenous students as it enables them to connect to the

content in ways their familiar with. Furthermore, The Closing the gap report states that
further development is required to improve the education of indigenous students and
among those is the teacher quality. Thus, the 8 ways of learning attempts to do this
as it strengthens aspects of Quality teaching as it links, background information,
narrative and cultural knowledge. Moreover, creating a High-Expectation Relationship
(H-ER) with Indigenous students also supports in creating positive and respectful
learning environments. Sarra (2011) states that H-ER is designed to strengthen
teacher student relationship as it allows teachers to try to understand student
misbehaviour and the circumstances that contribute to it. Instead of directly
suspending/punishing the students, they look at creating solutions and although
suspension is still an option the response might still consist of speaking to the student
and teaching them why that type of behaviour is not appropriate (Sarra, 2011). Thus,
incorporating such beliefs and practices into one’s teaching can help engage
indigenous students with their learning and provide them with positive and respectful
learning environments that aim to meet their needs and enhance the quality of their
learning.

In conclusion, the critical analyse of policies and practices have demonstrated that
although they are designed to help promote the inclusion and equality of indigenous
students much work still needs to be done. From this paper it is important to
understand, that policy makers need to include indigenous perspectives and opinions
when constructing policies and when measuring their results. Furthermore, it is not
enough to integrate Indigenous content if teacher understanding, acknowledgment
and appreciation of the culture and history is not present. As a future teacher, I believe
that teachers need to make effort to deepen and strengthen their understanding of
indigenous culture as this provides Indigenous students with positive fostering learning
environments.

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Bishop, R. & Berryman, M. (2006). Culture Speaks. Wellington, New Zealand: Huai
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