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Indigenous Education
Reflection on culturally responsive teaching
Indigenous Education
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Victorian Early Years Development Framework (VEYLDF) practice principle ‘Equity and Diversity’ suggests that early childhood professionals promote “cultural awareness in all children, including greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander ways of knowing and being” (Victoria. Department of Education and Training, 2016, p. 12). These recommendations make it clear that there is a need for early childhood educators to work towards embedding indigenous perspectives to help children become aware of different cultural practices and develop skills for cross-cultural communication and interaction.
Although educators in our service make attempts to embed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in their practices, it has
From the time the British first settled the continent to the present, the Aboriginal people of Australia and the English-speaking Australian government have had a rocky relationship. For many years, aboriginal Australians experienced much discrimination and racism. Like Native Americans in the United States, the Aborigines were displaced from their tribal lands and forced into designated settlements. This was all part of an attempt on the part of the government and the European settlers to eradicate Aboriginal culture. Though overtly racist policies have now been done away with and formal apologies given, much of Aboriginal culture has been lost. Efforts to revive it are now underway, and at the forefront of these are efforts to revitalize and recognize the importance of the many Aboriginal languages and their variants. Unfortunately the more current policies of the Australian government have failed to be consistent. Though they may appear to support bilingual education efforts, policies are often poorly implemented and underfunded. In addition, Australian bilingual education policies tend to be inherently flawed due to a focus on greater English literacy, rather than displaying recognition of the value in preserving Aboriginal languages.
This essay will discuss the Aboriginal Education policies in Victoria and Federally and how these policies impacted upon the children of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This essay will further analyse the impact these past policies had on the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders’ families and children’s education and how current policies were put in place to assist indigenous students’ access to education. Further to this an analysis of how teachers can implement these changes in the curriculum and classroom.
This strategy of developing a relationship with Aboriginal communities can be seen as one of the most important strategies in the regards to the realisation of meeting 1.1.2 (NSW DET 2008). These learning partnerships have been proven to be beneficial to the community on the whole, not only “giving credibility and integrity to the teaching of Aboriginal students and syllabus content related to Aboriginal issues” (NSW BOS 2008, p. 2) but also builds pride and confidence within the Indigenous parents and therefore their community. The NSW BOS (2008, p. 2) goes on to say that for a school to provide authentic experiences, skills and knowledge in context to Aboriginal studies; they must consult Aboriginal people. The AETP (NSW DET 2008) believe that consultation with Aboriginal communities will provide the support and knowledge teachers need to develop engaging and motivating learning environments and scenarios, demonstrate high expectations and work with Aboriginal students in their pursuit of ‘personal
The inequality in Australian education can be attributed to a history of low expectations and discrimination placed on Indigenous people by the government and society. Aboriginal children were denied the right to education until the 1970s due to the discrimitory views of the government and society. The Indigenous population were the sub-standard race of humanity with little to no chance of succeeding in life and these attitudes affected the educational choices offered to them (Ray & Poonwassie, 1992). As the superior race, the Anglo-Celtic Australians, considered themselves both intellectually and socio-culturally more advanced than their inferior Aboriginal neighbours (Foley, 2013). As a consequence of these racially and culturally motivated preconceptions, children of Aboriginal descent were considered unskilled outside of their own and were deemed incapable of excelling in ‘civilised’ white society (Foley, 2013). As a result, the Australian Government, in an effort to civilise and nurture politeness within the Aboriginal people, constructed “structured” (p 139) education training institutions in 1814. However, these problems only provided sufficient schooling for menial work: Aboriginal male children were prepared for agricultural employment, while girls were trained for domesticated services (Foley, 2013). Thus, as a direct consequence of low expectation for life success, Aboriginal children were offered minimal schooling ‘consistent with the perception about the limitations inherent in their race and their expected station in life at the lowest rung of white society’ (Beresford & Partington, 2003, p43). According to Foley (2013) this combination of low expectations and poor academic grounding meant that Indigenous children we...
For First Nations youngsters, relevant education should include education about their heritage. Where Aboriginal children are in school with other Canadians, this part of the curriculum needs to be shared generally, as self-esteem grows when an appreciation of one’s background is shared by others.
To what extent have the views of the Indigenous population impacted on the educational outcomes for Australian aboriginal teenagers.
These areas are the main focus of initial training. The introduction of this has encouraged greater multi-agency working and closer collaboration with other settings.
To the indigenous community, country and story creates a strong cultural identity and is the starting point to their education. The second outcome; connected with and contribute to their world, is shown through the experience and learning of the indigenous culture and the history of the country and land they live in. Outcome three; strong sense of wellbeing is shown through enhancing indigenous children’s wellbeing socially, culturally, mentally and emotionally through learning about their heritage, country and history through the stories passed down through generations and gaining a sense of belonging and self identity. Both outcome four and five; confident and involved learners and effective communicators are important as they show a unity and understanding between the indigenous culture through learning about the country and stories together about the indigenous
(Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2016). As a Pre-Service Teacher specialising in Early Childhood Education, it is imperative to understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were treated in the past and the impact that this may have on Indigenous families in the
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
While walking through the front gates of County elementary school, you see children of all ages playing while they wait for the school bell to ring. Walking to the classroom that I will be observing you see students with their parent’s line up waiting to get signed in. The students are to be signed in by a parent or guardian for safety precautions, and shows that the child was signed into school. As a visitor, I am to sign myself in, this shows I was in the classroom, at what time was I there, and reason for visiting the classroom.
Traditional education of Aboriginal children encompasses all aspects of life (Neeganagwedgin, 2013, p. 18). Learning how they are connected to other human beings and to nature is an important part of the traditional teachings (Doige, 2003, p. 146). Traditional teachings help Aboriginal people know that their identity is based on their values, their intentions and motivations, and their spirituality (Doige, 2003, p. 148). Doige (2003) states that ‘one’s spirituality is the inner resource that facilitates knowing oneself, one’s surroundings, and finding meaning for oneself in connection or relation to those surroundings’ (146-147). An Aboriginal student’s spirituality must be encouraged and respected in their education if successful learning is to occur (Doige, 2003, p. 148).
CAFCA. (2011). Working with Indigenous children, families and communities Lessons from. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family
Families and early childhood education services are jointly involved in the socialisation, care, and learning of children. Early childhood education services are committed to ensuring that learning opportunities are not restricted by gender, locality, or economic constraints. There is a growing understanding of the links between culture, language, and learning, and an increasing commitment to addressing the issues faced by children growing up in a society with more than one cultural heritage.
There are many documented theories about early childhood development, contemporary research still concurs with some of these theories. It suggests, however, that we should be thinking more holistically, taking into consideration; respect for diversity, the wider community and equity, play based curriculums, intentional teaching and ongoing reflective practices when planning for optimal educational experiences for children (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). I acknowledge that ongoing professional learning and reflective practices are a key element of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009). I accredit working and collaborating with other teachers, families and local communities collectively contribute