Amy Griffiths 110144437

Critical Review

Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education

Education around the world is comprised of various programs, policies, and projects to

guide teaching and improve educational outcomes among students. Aboriginal education in

Australia is no different. However, the numbers of policies, programs, and projects relating

to Aboriginal education have not necessarily been met with positive outcomes and

achievements. This critical review will provide a brief outline of Indigenous Australia history

and the effect it has had on Aboriginal people before discussing the educational needs of

Aboriginal children today. This review will also examine the common goals of policies,

programs, and projects for Aboriginal education. Furthermore, personal experience and

reflection will contribute to recommendations on what could be done at the school and

university levels to meet the needs of Aboriginal children and goals of Aboriginal education

to ensure positive educational outcomes and achievement.

Aboriginal people are well known for having strong attachments and connections to their

traditional and ancestral lands. It is believed that “land gives life” and attachment to their

land is expressed through song, art, dance, and painting (Behrendt 1995, p. 15). Aboriginal

people inherited stories of their traditional and ancestral lands through these mediums,

which taught them how to care for, take responsibility for, and honour the land and its

resources (Behrendt 1995, p. 15). Following the European invasion of 1788, Aboriginal

people began losing their traditional and ancestral land to economic development

(Behrendt 1995, p. 23). This was a crippling, significant event for Aboriginal communities

and Aboriginal culture.

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Following the takeover of traditional and ancestral Aboriginal land, state and territory

governments then institutionalised Aboriginal people. By the early 1900s, reserves and

missions were set up and created by the government and religious organisations as a way to

take responsibility for the “Aboriginal problem” (Martin 2008, p. 32). Institutionalisation

came with the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, with between one

in three and one in ten children forcibly removed in the years 1910 to 1970 (Williams-

Mozley 2012, p. 27). Institutionalisation and forced removal has caused significant trauma

for Aboriginal people who survived these dire times. Aboriginal people today are faced with

the reality of shorter lifespans, overrepresentation in custodial, corrective, and mental

institutions, lack of income, drug and alcohol addiction, and family violence (Martin 2008, p.

34). Many Aboriginal people facing such realities feel shame in admitting there is a problem

and find it difficult to get help (Martin 2008, p. 34). When examining the key events in

Indigenous Australia history, it is not surprising that Aboriginal people find it hard to seek

assistance. Services and individuals who are available to help are generally from a western

culture and can hold negative perceptions of Aboriginal people, which do not generally work

in their favour.

Loss of traditional and ancestral land, reserve and mission institutionalisation, and forced

removal resulted in Aboriginal people losing a sense of identity. As an Aboriginal child, you

are guided through the various stages of life hood, “fulfilling the expectations and

conditions, the roles, rites, and responsibilities of relatedness” (Martin 2008, p. 28).

Relatedness is about the experiences and realities of being with ones self, others, and the
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environment (Martin 2008, p. 28). It is from relatedness that an individual’s identity is

formed.

Aboriginal families who have been separated from their traditional and ancestral land and

from each other, and Aboriginal children, who were forcibly removed, have lived and grown

up without a sense of relatedness or identity. In Aboriginal culture, children are viewed as

capable beings and grow up with responsibility for “regulating their own behaviour, filling

their own needs and building and reciprocating relatedness to others” (Martin 2008, p. 30).

These ideas of relatedness and identity are similar to the development of identity within the

western culture. The formation of my own identity came from my self, those who

surrounded me, and my connections to various environments. Perhaps the biggest

difference in Aboriginal children’s and western children’s upbringing is the amount of

responsibility given. Aboriginal children are viewed as equals and not as helpless, useless, or

powerless (Martin 2008, p. 30). As a child, my parents held what seemed like much power

over me, especially in terms of decision-making, and I required a lot of assistance as a young

child.

It is believed that attending formal schooling can have a negative effect on the relatedness

and identity of Aboriginal children. School as a whole is not considered natural in Aboriginal

culture and assumes that children begin at the same point with the same histories,

lifestyles, experiences, and worldviews (Martin 2008, p. 37). Furthermore, as a child growing

up in western society, you are expected to meet a number of development milestones in

the areas of physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language. Martin (2008, p. 38) states,

“Aboriginal children will invariably never ‘measure up’ to western theories and milestones
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of child […] development”. While these points may be true, it does not mean that school has

to be a negative experience for Aboriginal children, or any children for that matter. It

appears that Aboriginal people feel they do not meet western educational standards and

are viewed as deficient and in need of extra assistance, which has a negative effect on their

relatedness and identity (Martin 2008, p. 38). As educators, there are many ways we can

remove these negative feelings and replace them with positive feelings of achievement,

pride, and inclusion.

First of all, it is clear that educators need to be aware of each individual child’s needs and

implement strategies to help that child achieve positive educational outcomes. Martin

(2008, p. 38) discusses the idea that “teachers often feel they are compelled by curriculum

guidelines and thus believe the must teach to these in order to achieve certain student

outcomes”. As a pre-service teacher and through my own experiences on placement and in

lesson planning, although I was required to stick to curriculum guidelines, I had to tailor my

approach for a number of children. Once you are in a classroom it is quite obvious that no

one child is the same, therefore my plan would not be effective or create feelings of

achievement if I did not consider classroom diversity. It should be noted that classroom

diversity is not about a child’s culture, but about their learning ability and development.

Additionally, there is a plethora of resources available to educators today, including

technology, books, and support officers. I strongly believe that if classroom diversity is

considered and resources are used effectively, all students will achieve positive feelings of

achievement, pride, and inclusion, which will improve their sense of relatedness and

identity.
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Throughout teaching, educators may unconsciously make decisions regarding curriculum

guidelines from personal knowledge and worldview. Martin (2008, p. 38) states “there is

always scope for teachers to make choices within their own teaching spaces (classrooms)”

and argues that such decisions come from personal knowledge and worldview before

professional philosophy. This can affect Aboriginal students and result in negative

educational outcomes. Additionally, Martin (2008, p. 38) states, “can schools and teachers

earnestly say they value Aboriginal people?” This discussion made me consider my

professional teaching philosophy and whether I value Aboriginal people and their culture.

In 2015, while completing Professional Experience One, I noted what I would do to make a

difference when teaching students in my classroom. My response was to provide a creative

environment where students would see that not everything is black and white, so to say,

and to learn through a variety of methods. I also responded with the envision that my

classroom would be a welcoming, comforting, and safe place, as well as reflective of my

students so they would have somewhere to come and feel happy and proud about. I believe

my philosophy as such remains the same as I want children in my care to feel that my

classroom is a safe place for them. Although I have not had experience working with

Aboriginal children as of yet, I believe they would feel valued in my classroom. I believe

teaching the Aboriginal culture, along with international cultures, is important, so that all

students feel they have a place and belonging in my classroom.

Although it was once considered unnatural for Aboriginal people to attend formal schooling,

it has since become accepted and valued. Following the Australian Referendum of 1967,

many policies, programs, and projects were proposed relating to Aboriginal education. A
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number of government officials believed that the proposals would create equal educational

outcomes for Indigenous Australian people and non-Indigenous Australian people (Price

2012, p. 7). Overall, the proposals had similar goals for Aboriginal education including;

school readiness, higher attendance rates, improved achievement, literacy and numeracy

standards, higher education pathways, and family and community involvement (Price 2012,

pp. 10-16). Although there have been a number of policies, programs, and projects

implemented, there has unfortunately been little change in Aboriginal educational

outcomes. One reason is the “lack of negotiation with Aboriginal communities on the

educational needs of their young people” (Beresford 2012, p. 115). Another reason is the

lack of evidence showing that schools reach out to Aboriginal families and is ready to teach

Aboriginal children (Price 2012, p. 16). It is obvious that education departments need to

rethink their strategies and goals for Aboriginal education.

When considering the past failures in relation to Aboriginal education, it is interesting to see

what strategies schools plan to implement to turn past failures into future successes. For a

number of years, I attended Elizabeth Park Primary School. Although I never realised while

attending as a student, it is clear today that the school had a passion for both western and

Aboriginal education. Looking back, I can say I am proud to have attended a school with

such a passion for education and will never forget the celebrations of Aboriginal culture. I

strongly recall trying kangaroo for the first time during Reconciliation Week as well as

completing Aboriginal dot paintings in art class. I searched for information on their website

and found their Aboriginal Education Strategy for 2015. Their focus areas were engagement

and connections and readiness for school, attendance, literacy and numeracy, and culturally

appropriate curriculum (Elizabeth Park Primary School 2014). Elizabeth Park Primary School
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has employed an Aboriginal Community Education Officer (ACEO) and an Aboriginal

Education Teacher (AET) to work within the school community and oversee the

implementation of the strategy (Elizabeth Park School 2014). The Elizabeth Park Primary

School Aboriginal Education Strategy for 2015 aligns with the Department for Education and

Child Development’s Aboriginal Strategy for 2013 – 2016 (Department for Education and

Child Development 2013).

While there is evidence that the range of policies, programs, and projects implemented for

Aboriginal education have not been met with positive outcomes, schools and teachers may

also be a reason why. Price (2012, p. 17) states that “teachers are key [as they are] aware of

the cultural and language backgrounds of their students” and are major influencers on

student achievement. However, schools lack specifically designed programs, which educate

teachers on how best to provide education to Aboriginal students (Price 2012, p. 17). Lack of

knowledge in this area can result in low educational outcomes for Aboriginal students. So

what can be done in the meantime to educate teachers in Aboriginal education? As a pre-

service teacher I believe it starts at university. More can be done at this level to better

prepare pre-service teachers for qualified teaching. I understand there is a course educating

students on the teaching and learning of Aboriginal education, but I do not believe this is

enough. My suggestion is that it be a requirement for pre-service teachers to complete a

placement at a school where the connection to Aboriginal culture and education is strong.

This would give pre-service teachers hands on, classroom experience, which could assist in

their future teaching careers.

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Overall, I recommend there be widespread general awareness of Aboriginal culture, as well

as international cultures, within our schools, universities, and country. I understand this is a

broad recommendation, but I found myself learning so much about Aboriginal culture these

last four weeks than I have before. I have no doubt there are millions of other non-

Indigenous Australians, like myself, who have little knowledge on what happened in the

1800s and 1900s to Australian land. As a teacher, I hope I can provide my students with an

education resulting in successful and high achievers, without compromising their cultural

knowledge or background (Price 2012, p. 17). I believe knowledge is power and I hope I can

help them understand and show them that there is much to learn about one another and a

big world to explore.

Aboriginal education has been explored throughout this critical review in regards to the

needs of Aboriginal children and the goals of educational policies, programs, and projects.

With knowledge of Indigenous Australia history, it is understood that Aboriginal people felt

a loss of relatedness and identity. Through formal schooling, Aboriginal people can feel a

sense of their relatedness and identity through specific learning plans, teacher

understanding, and curriculum decisions. In Australia, Aboriginal education has many

common goals, many of which have failed in the past. To succeed in providing positive

educational outcomes in the future, teachers need to be well trained in educating

Aboriginal students through specialised programs, and pre-service teachers will require

hands on experience in schools with a strong commitment to Aboriginal education. The

examples, experiences, and reflections provided throughout this review support the idea

that more can be done by schools and universities to improve educational outcomes for

Aboriginal people.
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References

Behrendt, L 1995, Aboriginal Dispute Resolution: A Step Towards Self-Determination and

Community Autonomy, Federation Press, Leichhardt, New South Wales, viewed 2
February 2016,
https://search.library.unisa.edu.au/media/readings/99189454801831/53788608200
01831

Beresford, Q 2012, ‘Separate and unequal: an outline of Aboriginal education 1900-1990s’,

in Q Beresford, G Partington & G Gower (eds), Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal
Education, UWA Publishing, Crawley, Western Australia, viewed 2 February 2016,
https://search.library.unisa.edu.au/media/readings/99189504801831/53860538500
01831

Department for Education and Child Development 2013, Aboriginal Strategy 2013 – 2016,
Department for Education and Child Development, viewed 12 February 2016,
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/AboriginalStrategy.pdf

Elizabeth Park Primary School 2014, Aboriginal Education, Department for Education and
Child Development, viewed 3 February 2016,
http://www.elizparkc7.sa.edu.au/aboriginal_education.htm

Martin, K 2008, ‘Childhood, lifehood and relatedness: Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and
doing’, in J Phillips & J Lambert (eds), Education and Diversity in Australia, Pearson
Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, viewed 2 February 2016,
https://search.library.unisa.edu.au/media/readings/99158876201831/53783306800
01831

Price, K 2012, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction for the
Teaching Profession, Cambridge University Press, viewed 2 February 2016,
http://ebooks.cambridge.org.access.library.unisa.edu.au/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO97811
39519403&cid=CBO9781139519403A007
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Williams-Mozely 2012, ‘The Stolen Generations: What does this mean for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander children and young people today?’, in K Price (ed), Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction for the Teaching Profession,
Cambridge University Press, viewed 10 February 2016,
http://ebooks.cambridge.org.access.library.unisa.edu.au/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO97811
39519403&cid=CBO9781139519403A008