Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education

EDUC 2061
Kellie Crogan ID110198555

Critical Review

Introduction
This review will critically assess myself as an educator and white Australian
and the new insights and understandings I have now attained through reading the
two articles; Childhood, Life-hood and Relatedness: Aboriginal ways of Being,
Knowing and Doing by Karen Martin and Starting out as a Teacher in Aboriginal
education by Neil Harrison. As an Australian educator in a position of influence I
must have an understanding and awareness of the inequalities, intergenerational
trauma and discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This being due to the invading and taking of land, the loss rights, culture, traditions,
languages, the taking of children and countless massacres and other tragedies by
the European settlement and over the course of everyday since (Williams-Mozley
2012). In this way I hope to diminish discourses, educate myself upon the part I need
to play as a teacher to support the healing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples and have a better understanding of the traditions, culture and
connectedness Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with this land,
spirits, animals and each other (Foley 2008). This will improve my teaching to
provide support for the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
student’s identities and success as they continue through life-hood (Martin 2008;
Harrison 2011).

Who I am and the new insights I know have into the privilege of White Australians
In respect to the traditional owners of this land I would like to begin by drawing
upon Martin (2008) who stated that when first greeting each other, unlike white
people, Aboriginal peoples are more likely to ask ‘who are you?’ and ‘where do you
come from’ as it affirms the relatedness and connectedness that Aboriginal peoples
have with each other spiritually and culturally (Martin 2008, p. 29).

Therefore, I would like to explain who I am and where I come from. Firstly, I
am a white Australian with ancestors who are European; English (father’s side) and
Italian (mother’s side). My dad grew up in New South Wales with his three brothers
and one sister. His family later moved to Adelaide and he went on to Port Lincoln

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EDUC 2061
Kellie Crogan ID110198555
due to work in his late twenties and decided to call it home, where he met my mum.
She was born in Adelaide and had 4 brothers, when she was 10 she moved to Port
Lincoln. Both my mum and dad’s family are spread out over Australia which is typical
of a white Australian family, however, may seem strange to an Indigenous family
which traditionally tend to stay together as it relates to their culture, traditions and
relatedness with each other; their family is a significant part of their Aboriginal
identity (Harrison 2011, p. 9). Whereas in western society it is more likely that
children will travel and move away from their families in order to ‘find themselves’.

I was born and raised in Port Lincoln with my older sister on some property
where we had horses, goats, chickens and dogs. My mum stayed home with us until
we reached school age when she went back to work. Both mum and dad had full
time jobs but ended their day when we finished school and had at least Sunday off.
When my sister and I played sport either mum or dad or both would always be there
supporting us. I always really enjoyed school and learning, and my parents always
had a good relationship with the teachers and helped out when they could. They
were always very supporting and encouraged us to do whatever we wanted to and
always made sure we took time out to all spend time together. Even though my sister
and myself have now left home we are all still very close and spend as much time in
Port Lincoln as we can and talk regularly. I was very lucky in my childhood and now
to have a family that I saw regularly and had work schedules that allowed this, which
enabled us to spend time together which supported my identity development
(Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, p. 116). I was always ready to learn at school, and never
had problems with the teachers as I knew they had a good relationship with my
family and therefore, me. I was always supported to finish high school and go to
university and I never felt like this wasn’t achievable.

I now have learned that this childhood, is due to being privileged as a white
Australian. My mum and dad were able to obtain employment with reasonable pay
which allowed for time to spend with family as well as a substantial amount to afford
bills and relieve stress. This is not as obtainable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples living in Australia as Davis (2015) states that the annual income for
Aboriginal peoples is considerably lower than for non-Aboriginal people, Aboriginal
peoples are less likely to obtain full time employment and are more likely to work

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EDUC 2061
Kellie Crogan ID110198555
undesirable hours. This means less time at home with family and more stress due to
low income and low job satisfaction (Davis 2015).

I did not have any real knowledge of the privilege white people deem as
‘normal living’ until university and reading about the injustices and the disadvantages
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are living with. Education was targeted
and relevant to my life and understandings; I was able to focus on my studies due to
both my parents being employed. I was always ready to learn as I felt included and
part of the classroom. My family or I was not subjected to intergenerational trauma,
rascism and had health care (Martin 2008). I knew who I was and who my family was
and I did not feel judged on whom my family was (Martin 2008; Harrison 2011). I was
and still am free to display my culture and speak my language; I am not looked upon
as being deficient or lacking (Price 2012). I have always felt safe in my own home,
town, in my own school and classroom and I have always been encouraged to go to
university. These are all things I took for granted and saw as my right as a human
being to have and feel, It opened my eyes to learn that these rights are not had by
the Indigenous peoples of Australia.

New understanding of Aboriginal Education and my role as a teacher

The above story about my family explains a lot about how I have developed
my identity; I wouldn’t have deemed the connections with my parent’s lives as
significant until I read the article by Martin (2008). Martin states that for Aboriginal
peoples, it is not only about the individual, but how they relate to others and are
written into their stories that completes’ their identity; referred to as the circle of
relatedness (2008, p. 28). This resonated for me as it is not how ‘white people’ see
identity development; it is theirs and theirs only. However, I think this way of thinking
lacks the significance of having connections in life and how these shape your reality
and identity. My mother and father guided me to who I am today and even though I
am my own self and can make my own decisions, I cannot ignore that my passion for
teaching is without influence from my parents. I believe this thinking is a major part of
why we do not and can never fully understand how the Aboriginal peoples of
Australia have a connection to their people, culture, traditions, land, spirit and past
(Martin 2008). This, I believe is a huge downfall in western society and why

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education has lacked depth and relevance for so long for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students.

Martin (2008) acknowledges the fact that one size does not fit all, that this
model is disrespectful to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (p. 28).
This statement has been reiterated many times at university in a sometimes
hypercritical manner as we discuss Aboriginal students having different needs to
non-Aboriginal students but Aboriginal students are talked about as one culture and
people rather than many different peoples, cultures and traditions (Martin 2008). I
have only recently begun to understand the disrespect of assuming that Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be grouped, which has supported my
understandings and development as an educator.

Harrison (2011) reiterates Martin’s (2008) statement, as he explains that

teachers need to get to know their students, families and communities they live in
(Harrison 2011, p. 12). However, he fails to acknowledge that teachers should get
know their students for the purpose of building relationships, not for the purpose of
excusing themselves from teaching them. I have seen many teachers talking about
Aboriginal students and their families and background to only excuse themselves as
having any blame as to why they have not been able to teach them. Too often this
occurs in schools and like Harrison (2011) states, we cannot become frustrated and
stop attempting to teach Aboriginal students we instead need to wait, notice and
learn from them, the community and other teachers (p. 6). According to Harrison
(2011) the best advice that he received when starting out teaching an Aboriginal
class was to take time to watch how they learn and what they need (p. 6). I think this
advice should not only be used when teaching Aboriginal students I think it is a life
lesson in itself and relates to the ways Aboriginal peoples of Australia live and view
children (Martin 2008, p. 28).

Martin states that the Aboriginal peoples take their time to watch, notice,
understand and guide their children through their developmental phases noting each
child’s strengths and uniqueness as a powerful guide to who they will become (2008,
p. 29). Unlike Western schooling and development where every child must meet the
norm by a certain age not in order to understand their development but to judge it
and point out weaknesses that need fixing (Cannella, Viruru & Ebrary 2004). As an

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EDUC 2061
Kellie Crogan ID110198555
early childhood pre service teacher, it is important to acknowledge the need for an
understanding of child development through the eyes of the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples. They see development as a child-centred reality and the
child is viewed as capable and active in their own development; caregivers are only
there to guide them rather than judge and examine (Martin 2008).

Harrison (2011) acknowledged that when teaching Aboriginal students it is

important to be aware of your portrayal of information and the body language you are
displaying to the students (p. 12). It is not enough to be aware of the privilege of
white Australians and an understanding of the discourses surrounding Aboriginal
Education. Harrison (2011) states you must be critical of your own views and beliefs
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as it can be portrayed non-verbally,
which Aboriginal students and families will pick up on (p. 12). Therefore, growing up
in Port Lincoln which has a large population of Indigenous Australians and sadly
racist white Australians where the gap is undeniably evident. I must be aware that I
have grown up with racial stereotyping of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples and surrounded by the discourses throughout my schooling. Therefore, I
need to be critical of the language I use and the discourses I may unknowingly
possess by being from a small country town. By reading these and many other
articles I am becoming aware of the discourses present in my community and
developing an understanding of the beliefs I used to have an the ones I do know.
Which Harrison (2011) states can also be a part of university due to teaching through
hypothetical situations where some stereotypes are fed, but we must take time to
notice and learn about the Aboriginal students in my classrooms and to not rush to
conclusions (p.1).

Conclusion
To conclude as an educator it is my role to support children and young people
to develop and thrive physically, cognitively, emotionally, academically, culturally and
in respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, spiritually. In order to
support young Australians I must acknowledge the traditional owners of this land
past and present and educate myself of the injustices and trauma Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people are experiencing to teach others about it in order to
diminish stereotypes and racial injustices and to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait

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Kellie Crogan ID110198555
Islander students to grow and heal. To do this I must be aware of my own privilege,
beliefs and discourses I may be unknowingly feeding. The two articles, one by Neil
Harrison and the other by Karen Martin have supported my understanding of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, my role as a teacher and to critically
assess myself as a white Australian.

Word Count: 2 150

Reference List

Cannella, GS, Viruru, R & Ebrary, I 2004, Childhood and Postcolonization: Power,
Education, and Contemporary Practice, Routledge, New York.

Davis, M 2015, ‘Closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage: a trajectory of

Indigenous inequality in Australia’, Journal of International Affairs, vol. 16, no. 1, pp.
34-44.

Foley, D 2008, ‘An Indigenous standpoint theory’, A Gunstone (eds.), History, politics
& knowledge: essays in Australian indigenous studies, Australian Scholarly
Publishing, North Melbourne, Victoria.

Harrison, N 2011, Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education, 2nd edn, Oxford
University Press, South Melbourne.

Martin, K 2008, ‘Childhood, lifehood and relatedness: Aboriginal ways of being,

knowing and doing’, J Phillips & J Lambert (eds.), Education and Diversity in
Australia, Pearson Education Australia, New South Wales, Frenchs Forest, pp. 127-
148.

Price, K 2012, ‘A brief history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in
Australia’, K Price (eds.), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: an
introduction for the teaching profession, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp.
1-20.

Williams-Mozley, J 2012, ‘The Stolen generations: what does this mean for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people today?’, K Price

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(eds.), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education : an introduction for the
teaching profession, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 21–34.

Woolfolk, A and Margetts, K 2013, Educational Psychology, 3rd edn, Pearson

Education Australia, New South Wales, Frenchs Forest.