Aboriginal Knowledge

The discourse of whiteness has severely impacted on the educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (herein referred to as Indigenous Peoples). The discourse is based on an ontology founded on overt racism, discrimination, prejudice, exclusion and dispossession and towards all Indigenous Peoples. Subsequently, the history of Indigenous Peoples experiences in relation to education is extremely negative. They have been denied the right to the same education as non-Indigenous students, frequently expelled and continually forced to deny their cultural identity. The discourse of whiteness has resulted in pedagogies and pedagogical practices that are overly racist and not inclusive of Indigenous Peoples culture. To improve future educational outcomes it is necessary to decolonise Australia and rewrite the curriculum so that it is inclusive for all students.

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

60% of aboriginal children are significantly behind non-indigenous Australians by the time they start years one. Only 40% of aboriginal children stay at school through to year twelve. Causes of this include language because English is their second language, inappropriate context; material being taught does not relate to the aboriginals lives. Over crowed house where aboriginal children cannot learn to do homework is a big factor in them being behind in education.

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.

The participation and full engagement of all students in education is a ‘key factor affecting the life chances of all Australians’ (Buckley & Armstrong, 2011, p. 62). It is clear from current statistical information, that participation and eventual success in educational studies is particularly vital for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who among us all have the lowest level of participation in education (Buckley & Armstrong, 2011). Ockenden (2014) notes that whilst more Indigenous students are completing Year 12 than ever before, there still exists a significant gap between educational achievement in literacy, numeracy

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.

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.

Education is fundamental to growth, the growth of the individual, and the growth of a nation. Anthropologically this can be seen from the earliest of developments of human societies where practices emerge to ensure the passing of accumulated knowledge from one generation to the next. In the centuries since the invasion and colonisation of Australia in 1788, colonist authorities and governments have dominated the making of policies regarding most major aspects of Australian life, including the lives of Indigenous Australians. The enactment of these policies and legislation, whether targeted at society as a whole or directly at education, has had significant and most often negative causal impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, resulting in not only poor educational outcomes, but the loss of cultural identity, the development of serious issues in health and wellbeing, and the restriction of growth of Aboriginal communities. Moreover, there has been an ongoing pattern of the adoption of ill-informed policies in Australia, resulting in these poor outcomes and cultural decimation. Aboriginal people have developed a wariness, a mistrust, and even an attitude of avoidance to engage with non-Indigenous officials and those who they associate as their representatives, i.e. personnel working within

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.

The structure of this paper will follow the Cultural Competency Framework as a means for exploring the above stated speeches. This framework moves through knowledge; informed practice/informed decision; and positive/effective learning and development. At the knowledge stage the content, importance and effect of the speeches will be explored, as well as their context. To address informed practice/informed decision the paper looks more closely at the issues which are raised in the speeches and their impact on Indigenous Australians. Finally positive/effective learning and development will be acknowledged through the exploration of the education implications that these issues can have in the classroom.

Throughout the last fifty years two diametrically opposed views have played out. H.C. Coombs argued that the priority was to use the curriculum and teaching methods to rebuild and sustain traditional Aboriginal culture destroyed by colonisation, racism and oppression. He supported Moira Kingston’s view that all Aborigines had a “world view derived from the Dreaming and irreconcilable with the demands of a modern industrialised market economy.” Sir Paul Hasluck represented the opposing assimiliationist view that schools should give priority to literacy, numeracy and technical and scientific knowledge to asssist integration in the workforce.Many theorists and practitioners have focused on the one third of students in Aboriginal schools with a specifically Aboriginal education rather than the majority attending the same schools as non-Indigenous children. In either case major problems were indentified with Aboriginal education by 2000.

For example the proportion of Indigenous children commencing primary school, as well as the proportion of Indigenous students completing secondary school and achieving year 12 certificates, is significantly lower than non-Indigenous students. Furthermore Indigenous students are more likely than non-Indigenous students to choose a pathway leading to a post-school low-level vocational qualifications rather than further academic qualifications. Indigenous Australians participating in years 7-12 are currently 32.1 per cent, less than half of the rate achieved by other Australians, which is currently 72.7 per cent. Numerous government inquiries and academic studies have suggested that Australia has the worst educational outcomes for its Indigenous population, when compared to similarly colonised countries such as the United States of America, Canada and New Zealand. (Beresford, 2008, pp.

However, since 2006 there has been a constant improvement in the enrolment of Indigenous students within Australian schools. Notably, there has been a 23.8% increase in enrolment between the period of 2006 and 2016 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). These vast improvements in Indigenous community’s enrolment rates are caused by policies and strategies such as the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander education policy 1989 and the Aboriginal education and training strategy 2009-2012. Nevertheless, there is still a large educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. In fact, only 26% of Indigenous peoples aged fifteen and over have completed year twelve or its equivalent. Whereas, 71% of Indigenous individuals had completed year 10 or similar (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). Therefore, this large percentage of Indigenous people not finishing year twelve has affected the overall job and further education opportunities for indigenous communities. Ultimately, Indigenous student are still affected by the persona of the Australian colonies. However, since the adaption of Indigenous training polices the Australian education system is becoming more culturally accepting. This is

Education plays an important role in one’s life. From a young age, one enters the education system and spends many years in it. Education shapes who one is. It teaches them about the world around them and society as a whole. Education is meant to be a positive experience, where one is opened to many new experiences. Furthermore, education prepares one to be successful in society. It is through education that one learns necessary skills. One is also influenced by their education. What they learn in school or do not has an impact on their lives. Aboriginal peoples have had a complex relationship with the Canadian education system. In fact, throughout the years, the education system has failed them in many ways. This essay will demonstrate Aboriginal peoples experiences with the education system in Canada and the impact it has had on their lives. It will also explore the notion of education as a human right and examine its role in Aboriginal education.

Poverty is the issue that many countries are facing and try to figure out a method for managing poverty in order to ensure the wellbeing of their citizens, Developed countries like Australia is also confronting a destitution issue in their citizen. Poverty can be characterized from various perspectives, which depend on each country’s standard. Here, poverty can be defined as an economic condition of lacking both money and basic necessities needed to successful in life, particularly for those who are socioeconomically and educationally disadvantaged. As a matter of fact, all around the world, indigenous people are the underprivileged groups in terms of economy, society and education compared to their counterparts on the range of social indicators. International research has been discovered that one of the most disadvantaged groups in the world is Indigenous Australians (Cooke, Mitrou, Lawrences, Guimond, & Bravoing, 2007; Hill, Barker, & Vos, 2007; Ring & Brown, 2003). For this situation, Australian governments are finding the solution to poverty by establishing many policies and programs. this essay will demonstrate that education is considered to be a long-term solution for poverty and current policies and programs for disadvantaged groups in Australia will be evaluated.