Luke Ranieri 17698506 Assessment 1: Option 2

Option 2:

This essay will assess the school and social factors that contribute to social inequity
and behavioural problems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This includes
examining the styles of practices that I will utilise as a future secondary school teacher to
foster positive and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students,
involving the reduction of punishment and suspension used in the process. From here on,
within this essay, the term ‘Indigenous students’ will refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students. Teachers must provide an engaging educational setting for Indigenous
students, for facilitating and building respectful and positive relationships with students
(Ockenden, 2014). Indigenous students must be engaged in their learning in order to achieve
their educational aptitude, and attendance is not the key to this, learning must be cognitively,
emotionally, and behaviourally engaging. Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris (2004) outline
cognitive engagement as the effort and self-regulation students have in their own learning,
emotional engagement is the sense of connectedness or belonging to the school students
have and their emotional reactions, while behavioural engagement is a student’s
participation and effort in tasks and activities. At each of these three aspects of engaged
learning, there is a great resource by which teachers can engage Indigenous students; the
eights ways learning framework of interconnected pedagogies.

Yunkaporta (2009) expresses the eight ways framework as a non-linear, holistic, visual
and a contextualised approach to learning. One of the eight ways is story sharing, which is
about teaching and learning through narrative, provides teachers and Indigenous students a
method to better understand each other through intercultural communication. As a
Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) teacher story sharing is very useful, one such use
case is in Design & Technology, I used this method to help my class understand the concept
of ‘skill building’. I told a story about myself growing up, how I loved to build things, I started
with paper for a few years, moved onto Lego, then my grandfather taught me woods and
glues, then I was taught metals and fasteners by my father, then my uncles showed me
welding, and finally my teachers showed me 3D printing. Students were then overheard
talking about the same stories of how they made things and learnt new skills through their
childhood, such as sowing, cooking and drawing. This was followed by identifying skill building
and refinement in computer 3D modelling, and how these skills are applicable to real life

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outside the classroom as well. This method helps teachers and students build meaningful and
positive relationships, engaging students behaviourally as they contribute in collaborative
discussion, and giving them a greater sense of belonging. Like the activities of story sharing
by Yunkaporta & Kirby (2011), activities such as these mirror the Indigenous way of education,
acquiring and forwarding knowledge to amongst each person and generation. Some of the
other facets the eight ways framework include are deconstruct reconstruct, working from
wholes to parts, reducing the workload into minor, manageable pieces, and non-linear
concepts which involves lateral thinking, working with holistic knowledge and adaptation of
knowledge, supporting students in becoming critical thinkers (Bessarab, Green, Jones,
Stratton, Young & Zubrzycki, 2014; Yunkaporta, 2009). This is also supported by the Australian
Professional Standards for Teaching, which states that knowing your students and how they
learn is important in building a strong relationship, thus enhancing their engagement,
wellbeing and academic support (AITSL, 2018).

However, if students are disengaged with education, volatile behavioural issues by

students can arise, which is believed to be the cause for Indigenous and non-indigenous
students to become punished or even suspended (Salkind & Rasmussen, 2008). Vass (2017)
suggests that punishment and suspension within Australian schools, specifically secondary, is
disproportionally exercised, targeting students who are falling under the classification of
minority groups and low socio-economic backgrounds. The Australian Government (2010)
published the statistics for the annual number of suspensions of year seven to year ten
students in Australian public secondary schools, which showed that more than three times as
many Indigenous students were suspended than non-Indigenous students. This number is
alarming, however, what is also disturbing is the wording used by the Australian Government
(2010) in the report:

Suspension is an indication that something has gone grievously wrong. It is a process

of exclusion directly at odds with the philosophy of inclusion which appears

consistently in national and Departmental statements of policy and intent. Generally,

it has two purposes. One is to remove threats to the safety and well-being of the

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school community. The other is to punish the offender, commonly in the hope of

remediation and more consistently acceptable behaviour.

The use of the word ‘punishment’ poses a problem, as this word is associated with
pain and suffering for an individual, however within education, the appropriate terminology
required for this would be ‘behavioural consequences’ (Bieling, Israeli, Smith & Antony, 2003).
The fundamentals to modern teaching is the inclusion and engagement of students, yet to
exclude students, is to have disengaged students within a non-performing educational
system. As a teacher I do believe that suspension and ‘behavioural consequences’ are
necessary in extreme circumstances, however, these numbers are heavily skewed against
Indigenous students, and goes against the teaching practice of inclusive education. The NSW
Department of Education expresses that for schools, suspension is an approach preferred
over student punishment, as this allows teachers the time to review and plan suitable learning
and behaviour support for students (NSW Department of Education, 2019). This can be seen
more as a buffer, allowing teachers time to come up with something to fix the issue, while
the student remains without an education in the meantime. While the definition of
‘suspension’ sees it as not being a punishment, it is instead seen as a practice of exclusion
and is challenging when it comes to students’ engagement, wellbeing and student-teacher
relationships (Australian Government, 2010). A possible way around this is in-school
suspension, requiring students to come to their school, and have one-on-one lessons with
just the teacher, as this still aids in students’ engagement, wellbeing and building of student-
teacher relationships. Most parents and teachers would prefer students serving their
suspension in school where it's possible that a teaching moment can occur, as in the case of
an in-school suspension, opportunities for the teacher to determine the cause of the student’s
behaviour is provided, allowing for the possibility to help the student makes alterations which
will lead to a successful experience in education, and is a demonstration of high quality
teaching (Mills & McGregor, 2010).

High quality teacher must support areas for improvement in students’ education and
support students’ strengths, while building on their weaknesses. For the engagement of
Indigenous students to occur, quality and diverse teaching pedagogies must have emphasis
on both the educational potential and students’ wellbeing. When suspension is overused,

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 Luke Ranieri 17698506 Assessment 1: Option 2

and misuse of suspension and punishment has the potential to be highly damaging to
Indigenous and non-Indigenous students’ learning engagement and mental health. Dobia &
O’Rourke (2011) states that for Indigenous students, there is higher health risks and
challenges compared to non-indigenous students, and mental health is the main factor of
extreme importance. Aboriginal student self-harm and suicide rates are much higher than
non-Indigenous students within secondary schools (Dobia & O’Rourke, 2011). For teachers,
the mental wellbeing and health of all students is essential in students engaging with their
abilities, in their learning and perform academically. Educators and teachers need to build
supportive and positive relationships with students to recognise when intervention or
medical referral is required (Munns, Sawyer & Cole, 2013). For Indigenous students to be
supported, a culturally responsive teaching and schooling model is required, and needs be
implemented for a holistic and inclusive approach concerning wellbeing and mental health
(Dobia & O’Rourke, 2011; Phuntsog, 1999).

Positive and supportive relationships with teachers, peers and the community has
been recognised as a vital protective aspect of wellbeing in Indigenous students (Dobia &
O’Rourke, 2011; Munns, Sawyer & Cole, 2013). As teachers, we must execute strategies and
programs within the classroom and school environment to support and maintain the
wellbeing of all students, involving the establishment of teacher-student and peer
relationships, allowing students the opportunity for communicating and sharing if they wish
(Stronger Smarter Institute, 2018). It is of vital importance that the punishment and
suspension rates of Indigenous students be slashed in order for these students to achieve
their potential in school and triumph beyond secondary school education. Such relationships
and engagement are key in bridging the gap in attendance for Indigenous students.
Indigenous student attendance is a major issue within education (Australian Government,
2017, 2019). The Australian Government (2017) showed that Indigenous students attendance
was above eighty percent, however, this number was based in city schools, and dropped
significantly when looking at attendance in remote area schools. Granted, the Australian
Government has implemented a program, which is government funded, called ‘Remote
School Attendance Strategy’ (RSAS), which devotes neighbouring Indigenous communities to
create programs in the aim to increase student attendance in remote area schools.

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 Luke Ranieri 17698506 Assessment 1: Option 2

Gilbert (2017) states that issues and concerns which can hinder Indigenous students’
school attendance, may result from a lack of transportation and family engagements. Teacher
low expectations and low student engagement will result in loss of student attendance over
time (Herbert, 2015). Sarra (2003) found that removing existing staff within a specific state
school and hiring newer teachers and staff with higher expectation and communication skills,
improved student engagement, which resulted in higher students attendance. Teacher high
expectations and pedagogical approach have substantial impacts on Indigenous students’
engagement in learning and is significant for the support and high-quality teaching of
Indigenous students. The Stronger Smarter Institute (SSI) methodology maintains that
teachers should have cultural proficiency as a means to alter low expectations by teachers,
transforming the cultures of schools (Stronger Smarter Institute, 2018). SSI recognizes that
background knowledge of Indigenous culture is needed by teachers, and as educators, must
understand and recognise Indigenous students’ particular needs, by have cross-cultural
sensitivity impeded in teachers’ pedagogy. The SSI philosophy is an effective and beneficial
tool for teachers, aiding in recognizing and understanding education and learning from an
Indigenous perspective. Non-Indigenous teachers should innovate their praxis by
concentrating on the needs of Indigenous students, through the integration of research, skill
and knowledge learnt in university and practical placement, while a culturally insightful
pedagogy is retained.

Within the national Aboriginal Education Policy (NSW Department of Education, 2018)
implemented in 2008, safe-guards were implemented to guarantee improvement of
Indigenous students’ outcomes in education through all states and territories in Australia.
This policy does not allow for teacher prejudice within education to go for a period of time
without being noticed, calling for ejection from employment. The Aboriginal Education Policy
sets forth the expectations and requirements of each responsible party within education in
order to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. The safeguards, as
stated previously, include the Australian curriculum and cross curriculum requirements
(ACARA, 2016) and the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching (AITSL, 2018), which
evaluates teachers individually every five years on compliance and quality. ACARA (2016)
states that ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures be embedded across
all subject areas, in a meaningful way’, while AITSL (2018) has standards stating that teachers

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need to ‘understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote
reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’, and ‘use strategies for
teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’. The make-up of these safeguards
means they are inescapable by teachers, both requiring regular examination, and teachers
who do not meet the compliance and standards would be stripped of occupation.

Building relationships with Indigenous students that are respectful and positive, is
crucial for positive student behaviour and engagement, resulting in reduced use practice of
suspension and punishments within schools. This reduction in suspension and punishment is
necessary to for Indigenous students to build healthy relationships with teachers and their
community. Indigenous students’ health and wellbeing requires appreciation and within all
aspects of learning, and high-quality teaching methods and expectations need to be exercised
by teachers to achieve emotional, cognitive and behavioural engagement within students’
learning. Indigenous students must also be supported and respected by government and
teaching policy documents and strategies. Removal of all racial barriers from Indigenous
students’ education can be achieved through culturally responsive community and teaching
engagements. By future teachers going through pre-service training, and current educators
continuing to engage and improve their praxis through culturally responsive policy and
strategies, challenging and overcoming the issues and limitations that Indigenous students
are confronted with can be achieved, bridging the gap for Indigenous students success in
schooling and beyond.

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References:

ACARA (2016). Curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum

Australian Government. (2010). What Works. The Work Program: core issue 2. Department

of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved from

http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1284012446636_file_2Suspensions.pdf

Australian Government. (2017). Closing the Gap: Prime Minister's Report 2017. Department

of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved from

https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/ctg-report-2017.pdf

Australian Government. (2019). School attendance target, literacy & numeracy target, year

12 attainment target. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved from

https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/reports/closing-the-gap-

2018/education.html

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2018). Australian

professional standards for teachers. AITSL. Retrieved from

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-

framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf?sfvrsn=5800f33c_64

Bessarab, D., Green, S., Jones, V., Stratton, K., Young, S., & Zubrzycki, J. (2014). Getting it

right: Creating partnerships for change: Integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander knowledges in social work education and practice: Teaching and Learning

Framework. Australian Government Office for Learning & Teaching. Retrieved from

http://www.indigenouspsyched.org.au/resource/getting-it-right-creating-

partnerships-change-integrating-aboriginal-and-torres-strait

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Bieling, P.J., Israeli, A.L., Smith, J., & Antony, M.M. (2003). Making the grade: the

behavioural consequences of perfectionism in the classroom. Retrieved from

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Making-the-grade%3A-the-behavioural-

consequences-of-Bieling-Israeli/b07d1b42609708867f31e8e31510bdbde3be299b

Dobia, B., & O'Rourke, V. (2011). Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous

children in Australian primary schools. Canberra, A.C.T.: Commonwealth of Australia.

Fredricks, J., Blumenfeld, P., & Paris, A. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept,

state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109.

Gilbert, S. (2017, Dec 13). Complexities and challenges for early career teachers. Lecture 3.

Kingswood: Western Sydney University.

Herbert, J. (2015). Delivering the promise: Empowering teachers to empower students. In K.

Price (Ed.), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction for the

Teaching Professional (2nd ed., pp. 35-51). Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Mills, M., & McGregor, G. (2010) Re-engaging students in education. Brisbane: Youth Affairs

Network.

Munns, G., Sawyer, W., Cole, B. (2013). Exemplary teachers of students in poverty. Milton

Park, New York: Routledge.

NSW Department of Education. (2018). Aboriginal Education Policy. Retrieved from

https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/aboriginal-education-and-

training-policy

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NSW Department of Education. (2019). Suspension and expulsion. NSW Government.

Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/attendance-

behaviour-and-engagement/suspension-and-expulsion

Ockenden, L. (2014). Positive learning environments for Indigenous children and young

people. Canberra: AIHW. Retrieved from

https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/107b2cd9-88f7-4e8e-8ab3-33718c966ff9/ctgc-

rs33.pdf.aspx?inline=true

Phuntsog, N. (1999). The magic of culturally responsive pedagogy: In search of the genie’s

lamp in multicultural education. Teacher Education Quarterly, 26(3), 97–111.

Salkind, N. & Rasmussen, K. (2008). Encyclopedia of educational psychology (1st ed.).

Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.

Sarra, C. (2003). Review of the Strong and Smart vision at Cherbourg state school. Retrieved

from http://strongersmarter.com.au/wp-

content/uploads/2013/01/CHERBOURGStrong-and-Smart-Review-2003.pdf

Stronger Smarter Institute. (2018). High-expectations relationships: a foundation for quality

learning environments in all Australian schools. Stronger Smarter Institute. Retrieved

from https://strongersmarter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/20180612-

SSI_position-Paper_High-Expectations-Relationships-2018.pdf

Vass, G. (2017). Preparing for Culturally Responsive Schooling: Initial Teacher Educators Into

the Fray. Journal of Teacher Education, 68(5), 451-462.

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Yunkaporta, T. (2009). Aboriginal pedagogies at the cultural interface (Doctor of Education

PhD thesis). James Cook University, Townsville, QLD. Retrived from

https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/10974/2/01thesis.pdf

Yunkaporta, T., & Kirby, M. (2011). Yarning up Aboriginal pedagogies: A dialogue about eight

Aboriginal ways of learning. In two-way teaching and learning: Toward culturally

reflective and relevant education (pp. 205-213). ACER Press.

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