Culturally Inclusive Study

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

We reckon that it is worthwhile to advocate family-based education due to the fact that child’s education hinges on their parents. As we all know that, education begins with parents is an asset to possess the self-confidence and especially the self-discipline and work ethics that are at the heart of success in school and success in life. Second, We believe that state-funded early childhood education that focuses on the cultural needs of Aboriginal children and their families will help alleviate their disadvantaged position in society while simultaneously restoring Aboriginal identity and self-worth. Third, we would also like to recommend policies such as increasing financial support for affected municipalities and accelerating international efforts to secure a fair, transparent and coherent government policy to deal with the cultural

Bat and Fasoli describe the adoption of a complex “both ways “approach to training early childhood educators, by means of incorporating action and research to educational framework. The article refers to the “Learning at workbook project” (LaWB), a system which is designed to strengthen indigenous cultural identity and self-determination whilst providing indigenous early childhood educators with mainstream qualifications. The success of the trial training program relies heavily on support from legislators, funding and direct community involvement. The authors highlight the necessity of a work based program due to the geographical and cultural isolation of Northern Territory indigenous communities. The article reports that there is an urgency

Indigenous education is utmost challenging to incorporate throughout the holistic approach in schools. This is why educators need to incorporate Indigenous perspectives in all units of work to build a safe, positive, yet constructive learning environment for students, families and the community. By undertaking this all students can learn in different ways to build an understanding of the history, beliefs, and Australian heritage.

By engaging collaboratively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, educators, and Indigenous Education Consultative Bodies, ACARA has identified three key concepts; connection to country, diversity of culture and diversity of societies. These themes provide a broad framework on which educators and schools build and elaborate in applying this priority. The consultation process which ACARA undertook in establishing this priority is an identifiable strength of the National Curriculum. Another strength of ACARA framework is that it intended to be national - consistent across all educational institutions in Australia, such that “students now have access to the same content” (ACARA 2016d), irrespective of which school they

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.

The key issues teachers need to consider to work successfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are to know cultural behaviours, relatedness, identity, history, community spirit, and to be aware of a great sense of autonomy. They are referred to as

By taking into account First Nations epistemology, both in methods and content, learning can become a process that builds on First Australians culture and identity, which in turn, will also enrich the educational experiences of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Hughes et al., 2004; Yunkaporta, 2009). Furthermore, in order for there to be effective incorporation of First Nations learning styles into school practice, it is of vital importance that school communities, both in and outside of the teaching and learning environment, come together to plan, outline and ultimately implement a curriculum and school ethos that supports First Nations learning styles, culture and identity on a daily basis. Working closely with local community members or elders, school liaison officers and other fellow First Nation teachers is crucial to the success of this process. Santoro, Reid, Crawford, and Simpson (2011) provide further clarification suggesting the time has come that all education professionals listened to, and learned from First Nations teachers. Only then, can the bridges of social injustice, inequality and uninformed assumptions be rebuilt with new found enthusiasm and

(Sarra, 2014 p. 8) In other words, teachers should learn their students’ differing socio-cultural and historical backgrounds to create authentic programs and advise their instruction (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016) I/ATR also highlights the importance of understanding socio-cultural and historical backgrounds, as I/ATR principles emphasise the importance of ensuring ‘Indigenous world views’ are upheld when Indigenous people are the stakeholders. (Bonney, 2017) I plan to take time to learn the dynamics of the community where I teach, as it will help integrate local cultural knowledge into the classroom (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016) I plan to use resources such as Oxenhams’ ‘Aboriginal domain’ Model (1999) and Yunkaportas’ ‘8 ways of Aboriginal learning’ (2009) to learn the dimensions of all my students, this will help me design culturally safe and inclusive programs and adhere to the Australian Professional Standard 1.4 ‘Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’

Furthermore, it is the duty of these teachers to provide culturally responsive practices enabling each student the ability to relate course content to his or her cultural context (Hertzberg, 2012). This means embedding all cultural diversity and perspectives into the classroom. There are many teacher resources available to help with the inclusion of students with sever disabilities to moderate and for students with language or learning disadvantages. There are also teacher resources for teaching Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students however; I feel this is not

The Department currently is planning to support programs that develop culturally-relevant curricula and evidence-based activities that work for Indigenous students and is committed to improving education infrastructure in First Nations communities. While elementary and secondary education are a provincial or territorial responsibility, the Department funds elementary and secondary education for Indigenous students residing on reserve. There is funding support for post-secondary education for eligible students. The role of the Department in this area is to work with willing partners to advance the work on education for Indigenous students and help improve educational outcomes. It also aims to build the capacity of First Nations to provide educational services and improve education service delivery.

It is important to recognize that Australian history is not just about the arrival of Captain James Cook, but has an inclusive view of the Aboriginal history. Understanding the history of Land rights in particular acknowledges Indigenous struggle which includes the White Australia Policy and also the Stolen Generations. Aboriginal culture is inseparable from the land to which Aboriginal title is attached, and has been a continual struggle of Aboriginal people to be acknowledged as prior owners of the land and for recognition of all rights and obligations that flow from this association. Teaching Aboriginal students requires sensitivity for their special needs and knowledge about Aboriginal cultural protocols. Incorporating a program that relates to current day life for an Indigenous child that also works around Aboriginal parents limitations. (CreativeSpirits, 2015 ) There are plenty of barriers that effect education to an Indigenous Aboriginal, include inappropriate teaching materials and a lack of Aboriginal role models. Aboriginal education requires connection to communities, understanding issues of land rights such as ‘Welcome to Country’ is recognition that Aboriginal people are the original owners of the land. This enables the wider community to pay respect to Aboriginal people, share in Aboriginal culture and build better relationships.

Castagno and Brayboy (2008) said, “Culturally responsive schooling (CRS) for Indigenous youth has been widely viewed as a promising strategy for improving the education and increasing the academic achievement of American Indians and Alaskan Natives student’s in U.S. schools”

There is a height of significance when it comes to embedding Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum and in schools. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, their students thrive in educational environments where staff respect and promote strong Indigenous culture and identity, build collaborative relationships and set high expectations (Kerley, 2015). Abiding by this principle would see students thriving for higher education, recognizing this has made it quite common for schools to introduce indigenous programs or units. These are put in place for the purpose of being extra support to not only Indigenous students but for everyone at school serving as a source of information and guidance. By incorporating these Units, cross-curriculum

I am not aware of any attending Aboriginal children in the Centre that I am planning on doing my placement. While I understand the importance of the Aboriginal culture in Australia, I believe that if an Aboriginal child starts attending the Centre then their cultural direction should be managed as it would be with any other child from a certain culture – in close liaison with their parents. From experience I know that some (urban-assimilated) Aboriginal families are embarrassed about their recent culture (ie after colonisation) and in particular the issues around, for example, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and petrol sniffing and how their culture is viewed by white man. It should not be assumed that just because a child is Aboriginal they should be treated in any way