Impact Of Social Differences On Australian Schooling

This essay will analyse the contested concepts of social inclusion and exclusion in education. While there are numerous social groups whom experience the impact of educational inclusion and exclusion the essay will particularly focus on what these concepts entail for indigenous students within the Australian schooling system. The essay will examine the multifaceted nature of social inclusion and exclusion in education by utilising the contested grounds, which substantiate debate surrounding these concepts. Relying on a number of academic literature and evidence to explore discourse surrounding how policy which governs institutions, pedagogy and curriculum, has constituted social inclusion and exclusion within Indigenous contexts. As well as how intergenerational experiences and issues have disadvantaged the outcomes of Indigenous students in engaging in a ‘Eurocentric’ education environment. Concluding the essay will discuss practical suggestions, which would in theory enhance the effectiveness of the current education policy and teacher practice towards including indigenous cultures and learners within the classroom. Considering mechanisms to increase the potential to include and engage a broader scope of indigenous learners across the board.

Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them

In the article “Identity as an Analytical Lens for Research in Education” James Paul Gee builds up his thesis based on the idea of a person ‘being’ identified in a certain setting, can change at every instant, and in every context, and is controversial and never static. Gee is trying to infer the idea that the dynamicity of one’s identity is very dependent on the reaction to a certain encounter in a particular circumstance.

According to Salmon, 1985 (Salmon 1985, p171), development and change are not limited to childhood but continue throughout our lives. It is however argued that personal identities are similar to social identities, and include group or collective identities.

“’Identity has been increasingly used to refer to the social and historical make-up of a person, personality as a construct. Sometimes such identities are conceived narrowly psychological, individualist terms, as the cumulative result of personal experience and family history”

The curriculum in Australian schools is a highly contentious and political issue. For remote indigenous communities this is even more so. School curriculums in Australia are western culturally based and thus this effects the learning capabilities of indigenous students in remote communities. “Most indigenous Australians living in the Northern Territory want their children to go to school and get an education. They also want their children to learn the ways of their ancestors, to be strong in the knowledge of their indigenous laws and beliefs.”(Linkson, M. 1999, pp. 41-48) School curriculums are for the majority of students, which in Australia is mainly western. The cultural bias in our school curriculums is inextricably linked to the

A person’s identity is one’s own unique set of qualities and beliefs, that makes them different from others. Identity is influenced by many factors in a person’s life and is developed over many years. Identity is formed by an important combination of one’s culture and one’s action. This is seen best through parental influence in our lives, the type of environment we were brought up in, and our own personal choices that will ultimately define who we are. Parents have a huge impact in their children’s lives and can either positively or negatively influence their children’s identity formation.

Who are you? Who am I? These are questions that we all ponder at some point or another in our lives. As human beings we are seemingly inundated with the desire to classify and categorise. We are constantly defining and analysing the differences that we observe in the world, it seems only natural that we would apply this method of classification to our position within our society. More specifically, we want to understand our social identities and this can be achieved by acknowledging which groups we identify most with.

There are various kinds of identity (individualized or shared) that people are expected to possess. (Hollinger, 2004) namely; personal identity which is known as a

Identity in a sociological sense is more than individual genetics or individuality. Self identity is made up by many characteristics including; our personal experiences, beliefs, socio-economic status and other factors. Society plays a huge role in determining identity, although true identity generally isn’t a true reflection of an individual’s self identity. Over the generations there have been

Though identity suggests to an aspect of individuality it is really a result of socialization. Identity is how we see

In general we differentiate between two “kinds” of identity. On the one hand there is the so called social identity, which stresses self-interpretation as a member of a certain social group and on the other hand there is the personal identity, which puts it´s emphasis on individuality and distinctiveness. This distinction is widely known as “patchwork-identity”. Both identities are only a subgroup of many different subjectively interpreted identities that everyone of us has innate.

One’s identity is who or what a person is and how they are perceived by themselves and others. Your identity defines who you are and where you fit in. It is a self-representation of your interests, relationship, social activity and much more. Some believe our sense of identity and belonging is shaped by various factors, including our experiences, relationships, and our environments. Conversely, others believe that personality is shaped by nature, and that one is defined by their biological characteristics and hereditary traits passed down from previous generations. Nevertheless a combination of both nature and nurture shapes us throughout life. For a majority of the population their journey to find their identity and belonging can often

Identity is what evolves us, it is what makes us think the way we do, and act the way we act, in essence, a person’s identity is their everything. Identity separates us from everyone else, and while one may be very similar to another, there is no one who is exactly like you; someone who has experienced exactly what you have, feels the way you do about subjects, and reacts the same to the events and experiences you have had. This became prevalent to me as I read through many books, that everyone goes through the process of finding who they are. A prevalent theme throughout literature is the idea that over time one develops their identity through life over time, in contrast to being born with one identity and having the same

An identity toolbox features a person’s identity that he or she chooses to emphasize in constructing a social self. Identity is assumed to exist within individuals. Though anthropologist typically study culture and relationships, identity has helped to connect understanding with cultures. Identity can be associated with many different things including: kinship, gender, occupation, race, religion, and language. An important aspect of social identity comes from an ascribed or achieved status. An ascribed status is a social position in which one receives at birth like being a Mexican American; likewise, an achieved status is a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects personal ability and effort like being an honors student.