Indigenous Australian Schools

It is appropriate to acknowledge that this essay was written on the ancestral lands of many traditional owners in Australia and incorporates material from Indigenous Communities and from Indigenous Australians past and present.

Introduction

This essay looks at how teachers and schools can use the best practices to support teaching Indigenous students. It reviews innovative schools from Western Australia and how they have made changes and tried new ideas to best educate Indigenous Australians. It provides ways to best support Indigenous Australian students and families and offers resources for teachers, students, families and schools to use to support them in developing their skills and knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Three schools in particular have made remarkable progress in the ensuring Indigenous Australian history is part of their everyday experience. Yule Brook College in Perth, Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School in Bunbury and Derby District High School in Derby, Western Australia all have created an environment within their school community that invites families, students, communities and service agencies to be part of the school. The have asked the Elders of their communities to be a big part of the school, sharing their knowledge and experiences with the students so they are able to develop a strong identity and connect with their family history. Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, learning about the displacement of their ancestors that took place for more than 70 years, the traumatic experiences and the long term consequences

Craven (2012) confirms that scaffolding involves clearly articulated goals and learning activities which are structured in ways that enable learners to extend their existing levels of understanding (p.264). Using the Eight Ways of Learning gives teachers a tool to teach Indigenous pedagogy, when teachers use this pedagogy and other approaches appropriate to their students backgound and cultural sensitivity, they become effective teachers and provide a supportive classroom (Craven, 2012). Getting to know the students, learning about their backgrounds, families, needs and learning abilities allows teachers to provide students and families with a diverse supportive classroom and school (Devlin, et.al.