Teaching Non-Indigenous Students

In regards to the AITSL standard 1.4, it is essential to include a curriculum and teaching practices, which respects Indigenous peoples perspectives in order to build positive learning relationships between educators and their students in the classroom. Educators can incorporate various approaches in many ways; however, they must ensure that the curriculum is applicable and respectful towards Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander knowledge, ensure they continuously develop and release engaging and culturally inclusive curriculum in learning environments. As for literacy and numeracy accomplishments, it is essential to advance in teaching practices of valuing and respecting the knowledge of including Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander language.

The Australian Curriculum currently is struggling with incorporating indigenous perspectives as a key focus in the curriculum properly. It is lacking the ability to normalise indigenous knowledge and instead represents

The important relationship building teachers must conduct with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is another key issue teachers must keep in mind for working successfully with Indigenous students. Price (2012) argues that teachers hold a special place in the Indigenous community, especially with parents and caregivers. She states that by “mastering the craft” of teaching, you will be rewarded both personally and professionally over the years of your career (Price, 2012). Over the last 30 years, a number of prepositions have been put forward that will assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to become emotionally healthy, so they can live out their entitlement to becoming a dignified citizen of Australia and the world (Price, 2012).

As a future educator, it will be my job to continue acknowledging, valuing and teaching Indigenous origins, histories and cultures using the Australian Institute for Teaching and School (AITSL) standard 2.4 and the Australian Curriculum. This will give my future students a better understanding that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were the first custodians of our Australian land and of their origins. They lived in Australia 60,000 years before the British settled in 1788. I will teach an Australian historical time line prior to 1788.

In school systems, you don’t hear a lot about their past and ways of knowing, we just learn about how the Europeans took over and kicked them to the curb – this is not an accurate reflection of who they are. If we contributed more about their culture into our school systems, Aboriginal students may be more interested in what is taught since they will be hearing about the past and their

Education is a significant fundamental building block to create a healthy community and is a key pathway to more opportunities as well as the endurance of prosperity and wellbeing for all Australians (Abbott 2014, pp.2–10). Australia’s contemporary education is established by a cultural landscape, an environment that is demanding for those who do not share the frequent expectations and the fundamental requirements (McRae et al., 2000, p. 21). Indigenous young Australians are considered to be the most disadvantaged group in the education sector of Australia where upholding the strict requirements of schooling can be problematic (Ockenden, 2014, p. 4). There are many reasons why Indigenous students find it hard to perform well in schools; circumstances

The education system which has been operating in Australia and in New South Wales since the time of white settlement has failed to meet the minimal needs of Indigenous Australians. There is a long history of inadequacies in educational programs where Aboriginal Australians are concerned. Unfortunately, it has only been extremely recently (in approximately the last decade), that the importance of adapting the teaching styles in the classrooms to meet the needs of the Aboriginal children of New South Wales and Torres Straits Islanders has begun to be realised (Perry, 2006, 1-2). Part of this has been an acknowledgement that there are fundamental differences existing between the values of the Indigenous and the non-Indigenous Australian. To wit, Australian Aboriginal communities tend to make their focus the welfare of the group, while non-Indigenous Australians tend more to concern themselves with their own individual wellbeing (Harrison, 2004,

Teachers in Australia have the responsibility of catering to the learning needs and abilities of the students in their classroom. Additionally they are also responsible for catering to the unique cultural backgrounds of each student, in particular the cultures of Indigenous Australians. The teacher can cater to the diverse and complex Indigenous cultures by creating a learning environment that is based on effective student engagement for Aboriginal students. Studies have shown that Aboriginal students are currently not academically achieving as well as non-Aboriginal students (What Works: Core Issue 5). Closing the academic performance gap is considered a national priority. As a result, the Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework has been developed to ensure that schools are delivering the best possible education to all students, specifically those who identify as Aboriginal. During term 3, 2017, I completed my final practicum at Baler Primary School in a year 4 classroom. The students in my class came from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, many of which identified as Aboriginal. Throughout this essay I will use examples from my final practicum at Baler Primary School in South Hedland to discuss how to make learning engaging, accessible and culturally responsive for Aboriginal students.

It is vital for teachers to recognise indigenous literacies and aboriginal English in all classrooms as it builds a sense of equality and a non-discriminating environment. As a future teacher I believe that it is my role to create a classroom that mirrors these key factors, as it will build the foundations for a nourishing learning environment. This type of learning environment will aid in linking the students parents and the surrounding community together that encourages an equal society.

Through my life, I have seen several different approaches to Indigenous people’s rights and importance in Australia. I have been fortunate enough to visit Ayers Rock and undertake a tour which allowed me to see Aboriginal culture in art and drawings as well as hearing Dreamtime stories from guides. I have also witnessed family friends who have been severely racist and disrespectful of Indigenous heritage and history. I also was lucky to work with some Indigenous students who were in Reception during my Professional Experience 1, and I was able to see first-hand how a culture clash can affect a student’s behaviour. I feel that even before entering this course, I have had the privilege of being able to observe both positives and negatives

In this essay we will try to provide a brief overview of educational issues of Aboriginal communities in Australia and Victoria and the elements that influence the educational outcomes of young Aboriginal people, such as culture and contemporary challenges. In addition to this, the inclusion of Aboriginal content in the Victorian curriculum and classroom practices will be explored as well as contemporary government policies.

This report will investigate the importance of educating non-Indigenous Australians about Indigenous culture and epistemologies. There are many ways in which knowledge can be shared and the acquisition of this knowledge can greatly benefit society in many ways. The first advantage is that it has the potential to enhance interpersonal relationships which may help overcome prejudiced or racist attitudes within society. A lot of literature focuses on the importance of empathy; however, the need for this knowledge goes beyond just the benefits for interpersonal relationships, it also includes benefit for health of people, animals and land. It is important that this knowledge is taught by people with a lived experience to avoid

Present day schools are built to be a safe learning enviroment for students to gather the knowledge and experience that is neccesary for them to be successful members of their society. With the common saying of kids do not know any better as a common excuse or their action that are seen as inapropraite. The reality of this saying is that they should know better and it is the teachers and parents that should be advocting them equality. In public school Aborignal students are sucombed to racism as if it is in the games they play in the playground or in the social groups they are discluded from. The importance of the Aboriginal friendships in schools is crucial as is streches further them then just being friends but rather a support system. This

Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in the curriculum has now become a high priority amoungst schools across the nation. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2013), recognises “that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority is designed for all students to engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures”. By including this, the curriculum will continue to see Indigenous culture throughout school become part of the norm. Furthermore Indigenous Australian perspectives can and should be included in the classroom and any barriers that arise can be overcome.

An unfriendly, painful and troubling atmosphere could be created in class due to the taunting of their discussions on cultural issues. The seeming contemptuous attitudes of teachers towards Aboriginal sensitive issues and without recourse to the outcome of their remarks continues to be another source of concern. In the exact sense of the word, the students do not participate in Aboriginal issues within the context of normal and routine school activities. In some extent, the issue of labelling may come up unintentionally where Aboriginals may be viewed as inferior due to their social position. Conversely, Aboriginals students may be antagonistic towards other students who are not members of their community.