Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies Essay

The Melbourne declaration (MYCEETA, 2008) views the education of indigenous students

and the integration of their cultures, languages, identities, knowledge and understandings as one of

the most important priorities of the current Australian Curriculum. This is because it is imperative

that schools and teachers are providing an equitable playing field for all young Australians to succeed

and flourish in our perpetually changing global society. Teachers need to recognise the impact that

they have on the life outcomes of their students. John Hattie (2003) argues that the effect size of a

teacher on a student’s learning success is immense, second only to the students themselves. Hattie

found that students who had teachers who imposed higher expectations, better quality teaching

practices and developed meaningful relationships and rapports with their students had a much

greater impact on their lives and life outcomes (2003). Thus it is enormously important for teachers

to have a well rounded and firm understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures,

identities and pedagogies to assist their students in achieving success. Throughout this essay it will

become increasingly apparent that these three components are interwoven and necessary parts of

making aboriginal education meaningful and relevant. This essay will look at what actions and

strategies teachers, schools and communities can take to build positive and lasting relationships not

only with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students but also with local indigenous communities.

This essay will also look at the strategies and approaches teachers can implement to improve

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ educational outcomes and retention rates. Further, I

will demonstrate how I as a future history and English teacher can provide my students with the

skills, support systems and knowledge to achieve their life goals and outcomes.

The Australian Curriculum set by ACARA provides Australian teachers with a set of consistent

standards to ensure that all Australian students improve their learning and academic outcomes.

ACARA through the Australian curriculum recognises two key needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander students that it aims to address. These are to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 1

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

students with a curriculum and content that allows them to understand and appreciate themselves,

their identities their cultures and histories. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

are addressed as a cross-curriculum priority (CCP) for all students indigenous and non-indigenous

alike. This allows students to engage in the process of reconciliation and understand its significance

and develop a respect and recognition of indigenous cultures ensuring that it isn’t just a tokenistic

experience and that students engage in deep understanding. This is so that students via the

curriculum develop the perspective that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are

“Strong, resilient, rich and diverse” (ACARA, n.d.). This CCP is developed through a conceptual

framework that consists of three interconnected components; these are; living communities,

identity, and the concepts of country/place, culture and people. This framework is a clear path for

creating an engaging and relevant curriculum for all students but also a positive and effective way of

maintaining and reinforcing indigenous attendance levels.

Bodkin-Andrews and Carlson (2016) argue that traditionally indigenous Australians have

been viewed as lesser within the greater Australian community, that even into our contemporary

contexts indigenous Australians are known to experience higher levels of unemployment, contact

with the justice system, and experience a higher level of negative physical health and mental health

impacts. Furthermore, it is evident that the historical and recent colonial experiences of Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander people impacts on their educational experience. As Bodkin-Andrews and

Carlson (2016) point out; the experiences of indigenous Australians have lead to a climate of distrust

and fear when it comes to institutional and social systems, particularly educational settings. This is a

crucial concern recognised by ACARA and as such they have designed the curriculum to

accommodate indigenous cultures in a way that ensures the next generation develops an

appreciation and understanding of the knowledge, experiences, culture, and identities of Aboriginal

people. Bodkin-Andrews and Carlson (2016) also highlight the fact that there are still a multitude of

negative attitudes and ideologies directed towards indigenous peoples, cultures, and values in

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 2

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

today’s society. This is generally acknowledged through the resistance of key stakeholders within the

educational community. This has been reverberated in indigenous education and polices over the

past few centuries as a reflection of the political climate and agendas of the eras in which they were

enacted. These are considered to be categorised into four main eras “colonial, missionary,

protectionist and assimilative” (Bodkin-Andrews and Carlson, p. 787, 2016). Each aimed at the

removal and destruction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures, identity, languages and

knowledge. Keeping this in mind I feel that this cross curriculum priority is a vital way to ensure that

indigenous knowledge and identities are respected and promoted in my classroom. It is however,

imperative that this isn’t approached from a tokenistic or condescending view of aboriginal culture

and looks to incorporate aboriginal perspectives and teachings in a suitable and acceptable way. The

best way to do this is through the involvement of local Aboriginal communities and elders.

Bodkin-Andrews and Carlson (2016) suggest that it is important for indigenous students to

be given the respect and inclusion of their cultures in the curriculum. There are many ways I as a

teacher in a history classroom setting can implement this kind of adjustment. This can be

implemented through exploring the indigenous connections to country and place by looking at its

economic, spiritual, and cultural value; ideas of custodianship in relation to the country and the

impacts aboriginals had in shaping the environmental characteristics of the Australian landscape

(ACARA, n.d.). An example of this may be exploring the role of firestick farming. In the history

curriculum there is also a responsibility to Explore the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people before, during and after colonisation. This is in fact imbedded in the curriculum and

is explored throughout a student’s schooling to varying degrees. However, as a secondary teacher I

will be teaching stage 5 students this explicitly through the unit ‘Rights and Freedoms’ (NESA, n.d.).

Looking at the pivotal moments of change and the fight towards recognition and equality. This will be

explored through primary and secondary sources, oral histories, various indigenous and non-

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 3

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

indigenous perspectives, as well as exploring significant sites and the ethics of preservation and

conservation (ACARA, n.d.).

The closing the gap Prime ministers report (CTGR) (2017) identifies school attendance as a

major contributing factor to the success of indigenous people and is effected by many factors

including mental health housing, health care, family violence and intergenerational unemployment.

There is a whole plethora of disadvantages associated with lower school attendance. The closing the

gap report states that poorer indigenous literacy and numeracy results are inextricably linked with

higher truancy rates. From the report it is clear that regular school attendance translates to far more

positive educational outcomes for indigenous students. It is therefore upon teachers to foster a

positive school environment that will inspire a leap in attendance rates. student attendance rates can

be improved through the use of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pedagogies like eight ways,

yarning circles and indigenous histories.

It is evident that indigenous students in remote and rural areas are at higher risk of having a

deficiency in literacy or numeracy and this is typically linked to the statistics surrounding attendance

rates which tend to be much poorer in remote and rural areas (the closing the gap report, 2017).

Gore, Griffiths and Ladwig (2004) argue that one of the most common and effective ways to ensure

aboriginal education is applied in appropriate, meaningful and respectful ways is through teacher

education, they argue that this will lead to teachers creating more responsive and inclusive

environments. Gore et.al. (2004) highlights the notion of the positive pedagogies framework to guide

teacher education in schools, this program is multifaceted in the sense that it involves four key

principles to guide teacher practice, these being Intellectual quality, relevance, supportive

environment and recognition of difference. These are all key aspects of aboriginal education and

align with key aspects of classroom strategies and environments that teachers need to address. An

example program is ‘The Follow the Dream’ program conducted in multiple schools across western

Australia. This program ensures that students are given tutors to assist them with their homework,

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 4

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

establish goals and design an individual education plan, and meetings with mentors to manage their

progress. The aim of this program is to provide indigenous students with the tools to achieve their

goals and further the education into tertiary study (What works, 2017).

Dobia and Roffey (2017) argue that the ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative although focused on

improving the social equity and life outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people does not

incorporate social emotional learning in their program. The consequence-driven model used to

target indigenous students and their school attendance is an excellent example of this. Policies like

these are viewed by Dobia and Roffey as assimilationist and suggest that they are deficit orientated.

Deficit thinking leads to the entrenchment of low expectations, motivation, self-worth and self-

efficacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (2017). Although there have been many

positive impacts of the closing the gap framework there are still extremely high rates of indigenous

incarceration and youth self-harm. To combat this the 2015 closing the gap committee called for a

new priority focus on the mental health and suicide prevention of indigenous students through Social

Emotional Learning. There is evidence to suggest that cultural differences play a role in social and

emotional development, as such they are generally evident through the structures, functions and

processes that culture usually manifests. For example, this can be viewed through the idea of the self

as more than just the separation of the individual from the collective. As many indigenous

communities view the notion of the self as inexplicably embedded and inseparable from family and

the community. Dobia and Roffey (2017) argue that these factors need to be considered when

creating an SEL program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. According to Dobia and

Roffey the most effective programs were the ones that incorporated flexibility and engaged active

involvement of Aboriginal facilitators. It is also evident that these programs took on culturally

significant processes (2017). One of these is known as the ‘right to pass’. Which identifies the role of

shame within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and how providing Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students with the ability to overcome their sense of shame and encourage

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 5

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

student ownership. They also found that SEL is more effective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students when it incorporates their heritage and strengthens their knowledge of their language and

culture.

Harrison and Greenfield (2011) highlights that there is a lot of confusion in school about

what are aboriginal perspectives and what is aboriginal knowledge. It is an unfortunate fact that both

of these concepts are used interchangeably to teach syllabus concepts, content and aboriginal

knowledge. There is much concern about teachers being culturally competent enough to teach

aboriginal education. This can be combatted through the inclusion of aboriginal elders, Aboriginal

parents and Aboriginal education officers who are directly involved in student learning experiences

(Harrison and Greenfield, 2011). Furthermore, Harrison and Greenfield (2011) highlight the

significance of engaging with the local community. This is because it makes learning for indigenous

students as well as other non-indigenous students local and more relevant to their context and

connection to place. It aids in shaping indigenous students sense of identity and provides them with

a more significant connection to the skills and knowledge they are disseminating. This is also

highlighted in the document; Successful Practice as it emphasises the place of building relationships

not only with Aboriginal students, but also with indigenous parents, elders and other indigenous

community stakeholders (What works, 2011).

This essay has shown how imperative the education of indigenous students and the

integration of their cultures, languages, identities, knowledge and understandings are in guiding

students to reach their goals and the outcomes set by the Australian Curriculum. This essay has

provided a range of strategies and approaches teachers could implement to give their students an

equitable playing field to achieve their goals and have a positive impact on the world they live in. I

have demonstrated how impactful teachers can be in shaping their students’ lives. I believe that

teachers who care about their students and encourage them to strive and achieve the goals they set

for themselves, expect more from their students, and use appropriate and proven teaching practices

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 6

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

to build their skills and knowledge. I believe that in this essay I have demonstrated a positive and

educated understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, identities and pedagogies

that will help not only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students succeed but also aid non-

indigenous students in developing their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

cultures as well as their overall learning success. It is clear that these areas are interwoven and

necessary to make Aboriginal education meaningful and relevant. In This essay I have addressed the

specific actions and strategies that teachers, schools and communities can take to build meaningful

relationships with indigenous students and their local communities. As well as specific ways a

teacher and other stakeholders in the education community can assist their indigenous students to

reach their goals and outcomes and improve upon indigenous their retention rates.

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 7

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assessment Task 1

References
Australian Curriculum. (n.d.). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures . Retrieved
August 27th, 2018, from Australian Curriculum : https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-
10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-
cultures/

Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B., . (2016). The legacy of racism and Indigenous Australian identity
within education . Race Ethnicity and Education,, 19(4), 784-807.
doi:10.1080/13613324.2014.969224

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2017). CLOSING THE GAP PRIME MINISTER REPORT
2017. Retrieved August 26th, 2018

Dobia, B., & Roffey, S.,. (2017). Respect for Culture—Social and Emotional Learning with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Youth. In E. M. Frydenberg, Social and Emotional Learning in
Australia and the Asia-Pacific Perspectives, Programs and Approaches (pp. 313-334).
Singapore: Springer Singapore. Retrieved August 29th, 2018, from
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-981-10-3394-0

Gore, J.M., Griffiths, T., Ladwig, J.G. (2004). Towards better teaching: productive pedagogy as a
framework for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 375–387.
doi:10.1016/j.tate.2004.02.010

Harrison, N., & Greenfield, M.,. (2011). Relationship to place: positioning Aboriginal knowledge and
perspectives in classroom pedagogies. Critical Studies in Education, 52(1), 65-76.
doi:10.1080/17508487.2011.536513

Hattie, J. . (2003). Teachers Make a Difference, What is the research. Building Teacher Quality: What
does the research tell us?, 1-17. Retrieved August 28th, 2017, from
https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=http%253A%252F
%252Fwww.bing.com%252Fsearch%253Fq%253Djohn%2520hattie
%25202003&amp=&src=IE-
SearchBox&amp=&FORM=IENTSR&amp=&httpsredir=1&amp=&article=1003&amp=&contex
t=research_conference_2003&amp=&se

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne
Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. 1-20. Retrieved August 31st, 2018,
from
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational
_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2012). NSW History Syllabus K-10. Retrieved August 26th, 2018,
from http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/historyk10/downloads/historyk10_full.pdf

What Works - Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2011). Improving
outcomes for Indigenous students. Successful practice. 2nd revised edition. Retrieved August
28th, 2018, from
http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1300931817872_file_SuccessPrac2.pdf

ETHAN SAIS - 17974628 8