Teaching

 &  Learning  in  Aboriginal  Education     Amy  Sloan  

Assignment  2     110171602  
“What  are  some  of  the  key  issues  teachers  need  to  consider  for  working  successfully  
with  Indigenous  students?”  
Introduction  
The  following  essay  will  discuss  the  various  key  issues  that  teachers  must  consider  for  working  successfully  
with  Indigenous  students.    Due  to  the  many  events  and  happenings  that  have  occurred  in  Australian  history,  
Indigenous  students  may  feel  unwelcome  or  uncomfortable  in  a  school  setting  and  as  an  educator,  such  
emotions  of  students  must  be  acknowledged  and  taken  into  consideration  throughout  their  teaching  
pedagogy.  The  first  issue;  using  correct  terminology  and  language  when  working  with  Indigenous  students  
may  come  as  common  sense  to  many  educators,  yet  the  importance  of  this  practice  can  be  emphasised  
enough.  Getting  to  know  students  and  how  they  learn  best  is  the  second  issue  and  although  all  Australian  
educators  must  follow  the  guidelines  of  the  Australian  curriculum,  educators  must  understand  how  each  of  
their  students  learn  best  and  therefore  meet  the  needs  of  their  students.  Although  the  act  of  showing  and  
doing  things  with  respect  is  a  strict  policy  throughout  many  schools,  developing  positive  relationships  
between  educator  and  Indigenous  student  and  between  Indigenous  student  and  non-­‐Indigenous  student  
cannot  be  emphasised  enough.  Educators  must  ensure  that  positive  relationships  are  being  built  amongst  
their  students  to  help  with  their  own  relationships  with  their  students.  Lastly,  the  significant  impact  teaching  
Indigenous  Studies  can  have  towards  Indigenous  students  and  embracing  different  cultures  in  the  classroom.  
Such  issues  will  be  discussed  with  support  from  numerous  governing  frameworks  and  past  research  papers  by  
both  Indigenous  and  non-­‐Indigenous  researchers.  Although  some  key  issues  will  come  as  common  sense  to  
educators,  educators  must  be  aware  at  how  crucial  the  following  issues  are  when  wanting  to  work  
successfully  with  Indigenous  students  specifically.  
 
Correct  Terminology  
The  first  and  foremost  important  issue  to  consider  when  working  with  Indigenous  students  is  to  ensure  the  
educator  is  using  correct  terms  and  terminology  to  ensure  Indigenous  students  feel  safe  and  welcome  
(Harrison  2011).  Although  this  is  a  common  practice  for  all  educators,  this  issue  cannot  be  emphasised  
enough  in  the  classroom  when  working  with  Indigenous  students.  The  use  of  correct  terminology  acts  as  a  
sign  of  respect  between  Indigenous  and  non-­‐Indigenous  Australians  and  therefore  acts  as  the  building  blocks  
for  a  relationship  between  an  educator  and  their  Indigenous  students.  Educators  must  also  be  attentive  to  the  
body  language  and  images  they  chose  to  use  when  teaching  Indigenous  Studies  or  referring  to  Indigenous  
Australians  to  ensure  their  Indigenous  students  feel  comfortable  and  welcomed.  Although  respect  is  taught  
widely  throughout  schools  in  regards  to  students  respecting  their  teachers  and  their  classrooms  and  
equipment,  it  is  crucial  that  educators  are  reinforcing  respect  between  their  students,  especially  between  
Indigenous  and  non-­‐Indigenous  students.  A  key  factor  to  building  respectful  relationships  between  students  is  
Teaching  &  Learning  in  Aboriginal  Education     Amy  Sloan  
Assignment  2     110171602  
ensuring  that  students  are  using  correct  language,  regardless,  but  more  specifically  correct  terminology  when  
referring  to  Indigenous  Australians  (NSW  Department  of  Health  2004).  Just  as  students  are  taught  that  
swearing  is  inappropriate,  they  must  be  educated  what  the  right  terminology  is  compared  to  the  wrong  when  
communicating  with  or  about  Indigenous  Australians.  
 
Educators  must  also  be  aware  that  their  opinions  and  expectations  of  their  students  are  reflected  in  their  
teaching  and  consequently  will  be  taken  on  by  their  students.  Such  factor  is  visible  through  the  terms  they  
chose  to  use  and  therefore  if  they  chose  to  use  inappropriate  terminology,  their  students  will  as  well.  This  is  
also  visible  through  the  way  they  speak  to  and  about  their  Indigenous  students.  As  stated  by  Harrison  (2011,  
p.  13),  students  are  easily  “influenced  by  your  decisions”  so  it  is  crucial  that  educators  be  mindful  when  
discussing  Indigenous  Australians  and  ensure  correct  language  is  used.  If  a  teacher  has  low  expectations  of  
their  Indigenous  students  and  makes  this  known  in  front  of  their  class,  their  students,  again,  will  take  this  
expectation  on.  As  stated  earlier,  educators  want  their  Indigenous  and  non-­‐Indigenous  students  to  build  
respectful  relationships,  not  relationships  where  Indigenous  Australians  are  made  to  feel  excluded  or  
unwanted.    
 
Getting  to  Know  Them  &  The  Way  They  Learn    
Due  to  a  different  culture,  history  and  upbringing,  it  is  common  for  Indigenous  students  to  learn  at  a  different  
pace  to  non-­‐Indigenous  Australian  students  (Harrison  2011).  Indigenous  students  are  not  brought  up  
developing  literacy  and  numeracy  skills,  as  most  children  are  still  being  taught  their  native  language  outside  of  
school  and  therefore  they  will  be  academically-­‐behind  non-­‐Indigenous  students  due  to  this  reason.  As  well  as  
being  taught  a  native  language  outside  of  school,  most  Indigenous  children  are  taught  survival  schools  as  
these  skills,  again,  are  well-­‐known  to  their  culture.  Previously,  Indigenous  children  have  been  brought  up  with  
the  understanding  that  they  have  strong  responsibly  for  the  land  and  in  most  cases,  they  are  given  names  that  
recognise  their  relatedness  to  their  land  and  the  responsibility  they  must  take  on  and  this  in  some  cases,  is  
still  taught  to  some  Indigenous  students  (Martin  2008).  
 
A  common  mistake  made  by  many  educators  is  that  they  expect  Indigenous  students  to  learn  and  understand  
the  same  way  as  non-­‐Indigenous  students  and  this  is  therefore  an  issue  that  must  be  considered  when  
working  with  Indigenous  students.  Standard  1  of  the  Australian  Professional  Standards  for  Teachers  (2011)  
underpins  that  graduates  must  ‘understand  students  and  how  they  learn’.  This  standard  must  be  fulfilled  
throughout  the  classroom,  with  every  student  yet  most  importantly  with  Indigenous  students  as  they  will  
develop  at  a  different  rate  to  non-­‐Indigenous  students.  Educators  must  therefore  spend  time  with  their  
Indigenous  students,  getting  to  know  them  and  how  they  learn  in  the  classroom  and  what  ways  they  can  help  
Teaching  &  Learning  in  Aboriginal  Education     Amy  Sloan  
Assignment  2     110171602  
these  students  achieve  their  goals.  As  well  as  the  Australian  Professional  Standards  for  Teachers,  The  Teaching  
for  Effective  Learning  Framework  (2010)  is  another  framework  which  cannot  stress  the  importance  enough  of  
understanding  how  students  learn  and  therefore  being  able  to  develop  specific  strategies  to  help  each  
learner,  which  is  reflected  throughout  domain  two,  three  and  four.    
 
To  conquer  this  issue  in  an  educational  setting  and  to  ensure  Indigenous  students  are  still  learning  at  a  
somewhat  similar  pace  to  non-­‐Indigenous  students,  educators  must  build  on  what  their  Indigenous  students  
already  know,  such  as  topics  like  survival  skills  and  speaking  a  different  language.  The  Teaching  for  Effective  
Learning  framework  (2010)  underpins  the  importance  of  educators  building  on  their  student’s  prior  
knowledge  and  having  this  is  as  their  starting  point  for  a  lesson  (Domain  4.1).  Domain  4.2  furthers  this  point  
by  highlighting  the  importance  of  connecting  to  the  interests  and  lives  of  students  outside  of  school  as  a  way  
of  getting  to  know  their  students  and  to  assess  their  progress.  As  stated  above,  Indigenous  students  will  learn  
at  a  different  pace  to  non-­‐Indigenous  students  but  not  necessarily  in  every  way.    Educators  may  find  that  their  
Indigenous  students  may  not  be  good  at  maths,  yet  may  be  excellent  in  building  things  with  natural  resources  
and  this  may  act  as  a  way  of  assessing  them  rather  than  labelling  them  as  deficient  because  they  do  not  
understand  the  same  skills  as  their  non-­‐Indigenous  students  (Harrison  2011).  Again,  this  may  place  stress  on  
an  educator’s  teaching  pedagogy,  yet  it  is  crucial  that  they  are  looking  at  what  is  best  for  their  students.    
 
A  key  factor  which  can  be  seen  throughout  Harrisons’  Starting  out  as  a  teacher  in  Aboriginal  education  (2011)  
is  how  much  he  emphasises  to  educators  to  not  get  frustrated  nor  discouraged  with  a  lack  of  achievement  
amongst  their  Indigenous  students  when  compared  with  their  non-­‐Indigenous  students.  Although  
academically,  Indigenous  students  may  be  low,  schooling  is  teaching  them  “discipline,  respect  for  authority  
and  how  to  fit  in  with  mainstream  society”  (p.  13).  Such  factors  which  can  be  learnt  without  a  teacher  forcing  
them  on  the  student,  and  are  crucial  when  out  in  the  real  world.  
 
Understanding  Their  Culture  &  The  Importance  of  Respect    
Although  it  is  common  to  hear  an  acknowledgement  of  country  throughout  schools  and  official  meetings  or  
events,  many  students  are  unaware  at  the  importance  of  this  acknowledgement.  Kay  Price  (2012)  states  in  
Aboriginal  and  Torres  Strait  Islander  Studies  in  the  Classroom  that  if  we  live  in  this  country,  we  must  have  
good  knowledge  of  this  country’s  history.  It  is  an  educator’s  role  to  ensure  their  students  are  aware  of  the  
history  and  pasts  events  in  Australia’s  history  and  therefore  educators  must  have  sufficient  knowledge  in  such  
areas  which  can  be  passed  down  to  their  students.  Students  of  younger  ages  may  struggle  to  understand  that  
our  history  goes  back  well  before  they  were  born,  when  only  Indigenous  Australians  occupied  the  land,  but  
educators  cannot  stress  enough  the  importance  of  our  students  completing  school  and  having  a  strong  
Teaching  &  Learning  in  Aboriginal  Education     Amy  Sloan  
Assignment  2     110171602  
understanding  of  the  Indigenous  culture  and  history  and  the  events  that  have  occurred  between  Indigenous  
and  non-­‐Indigenous  Australians  since  the  two  have  occupied  this  land  together.  Although  events  such  as  The  
Stolen  Generations,  Sorry  Day  and  the  Constitutional  Amendment  Referendum  occurred  many  years  ago,  
educators  must  ensure  their  students  have  a  strong  understanding  of  how  important  these  events  are  for  
both  cultures  and  how  they  have  changed  our  Australian  culture.  Ensuring  all  students  understand  this  will  
help  bring  reconciliation  between  the  two  cultures  to  the  classroom.    
 
As  well  as  educating  their  students  of  such  events  that  have  affected  the  lives  of  both  Indigenous  and  non-­‐
Indigenous  Australians,  educators  cannot  ignore  the  significant  impact  the  Stolen  Generations  and  other  
events  have  had  on  the  current  generations  of  Indigenous  Australians.  Martin  (2008)  frequently  states  
throughout  Education  and  Diversity  in  Australia,  that  educators  cannot  expect  all  their  students  to  be  the  
same  and  must  acknowledge  that  they  have  all  come  from  different  backgrounds,  cultures  and  experiences  
and  will  therefore  learn  differently.  Similar  to  how  our  stereotypical  views  can  be  passed  down  from  one  
generation  to  the  next,  this  is  also  evident  in  Indigenous  cultures  where  resentfulness  towards  non-­‐
Indigenous  Australians  by  Indigenous  Australians  has  been  passed  down.  The  Stolen  Generations  era  had  a  
significant  impact  on  Indigenous  families  and  the  long-­‐term  effects  of  removing  children  from  their  homes  has  
proven  to  be  transgenerational  (Martin  2008),  where  these  effects  of  depression  and  damage  have  been  
passed  down  from  one  generation  to  the  next,  implying  that  not  all  Indigenous  students  are  going  to  feel  safe  
and  enthusiastic  towards  a  school  environment.  This  emphasises  again,  that  not  all  students  will  learn  the  
same  and  therefore  educators  must  embrace  the  different  cultures  and  backgrounds  of  their  students  and  
again,  teach  the  importance  of  their  student’s  culture  for  personal  identity  and  self-­‐esteem  across  all  their  
students.    
 
Teaching  Indigenous  Studies      
As  well  as  acknowledging  the  various  cultures  of  students  amongst  the  classroom,  educators  must  be  aware  
of  the  diversity  of  the  Indigenous  culture  amongst  their  Indigenous  students  (AIATSIS  2012).  Principle  1  of  the  
Guidelines  for  Ethical  Research  in  Australian  Indigenous  Studies  (AIATSIS  2012)  highlights  the  importance  of  
recognising  the  different  languages,  cultures,  histories  and  perspectives  amongst  the  Indigenous  culture.  Due  
to  Indigenous  Studies  not  be  forced  as  a  subject  upon  students  in  every  school  across  Australia,  teachers  may  
have  limited  knowledge  of  the  diversity  across  Indigenous  culture,  yet  must  acknowledge  this  limiting  factor.  
This  may  be  done  with  personal  research  or  by  inviting  guest  speakers,  such  as  parents  of  Indigenous  students  
or  Elders  to  come  to  the  school  and  speak  to  the  class.  This  would  therefore  help  broaden  the  educator’s  
knowledge  of  Indigenous  Australians  and  their  students’  knowledge,  as  well  as  contributing  to  their  
Indigenous  students  by  making  them  feel  more  comfortable  in  the  class,  now  that  their  peers  have  further  
Teaching  &  Learning  in  Aboriginal  Education     Amy  Sloan  
Assignment  2     110171602  
understanding  of  their  culture.  Hearing  first-­‐hand  or  passed-­‐down  stories  from  Elders  about  the  Indigenous  
culture,  identity  and  their  connection  to  the  land  will  help  grasp  student’s  attention  and  will  provide  as  an  
alternative  to  reading  books  which  may  not  be  written  by  an  Indigenous  Australian  (Harrison  2011).    
 
As  well  as  recognising  the  significant  events  that  have  impacted  both  Indigenous  and  non-­‐Indigenous  
Australians,  educators  much  make  their  students  aware  that  Indigenous  Australians  lived  in  Australia  well  
before  the  European  settlement.  Nothing  will  make  Indigenous  students  feel  more  comfortable  then  teaching  
the  entire  class  about  Indigenous  Australian’s  history  and  culture.  Some  Indigenous  students  may  feel  
comfortable  discussing  their  own  family’s  background,  in  which  should  be  encouraged  in  the  classroom  and  if  
not,  as  stated  above,  invite  a  guest  speaker  to  speak  to  the  students.  Without  making  Indigenous  students  
feel  like  there  is  an  enormous  gap  between  them  and  non-­‐Indigenous  Australians,  educators  must  emphasise  
the  importance  of  their  students  being  aware  of  Indigenous  Australian’s  culture  and  understand  that  they  
were  the  first  to  occupy  the  land.  Many  students  learn  a  second  language  in  school,  such  as  Japanese  or  
French  or  German,  so  there  is  nothing  stopping  educators  from  inviting  an  Indigenous  Australian  into  the  
school  to  teach  their  students  the  basics  of  the  native  language.  If  educators  embrace  the  different  cultures  of  
their  students,  whether  it  be  English,  American,  German,  or  so  one,  within  the  school  and  classroom,  this  will  
help  contribute  to  the  comfort  levels  of  their  Indigenous  students  and  make  them  feel  like  they  are  included  
and  are  welcomed,  just  like  all  the  other  students  with  different  cultural  backgrounds.      
 
Conclusion  
Along  with  acknowledging  the  land  that  the  school  sits  upon,  the  Kaurna  land,  the  above  issues  are  crucial  to  
consider  when  wanting  to  work  successfully  with  Indigenous  students.  Although  appropriate  terminology  
used  in  schools  may  be  common  sense  to  educators,  educators  must  be  attentive  to  the  language  and  body  
language  used  when  working  with  Indigenous  students  to  ensure  they  feel  welcomed  and  safe.    Mentioned  
throughout  many  educational  frameworks  is  the  importance  of  getting  to  know  students  and  how  they  learn  
best,  which  again  may  be  common  sense  to  many  educators  but  may  not  be  for  some.  It  is  crucial  that  
educators  adapt  their  pedagogies  to  meet  the  needs  of  their  Indigenous  students,  as  this  will  contribute  to  
them  attending  school  for  frequently  and  therefore  being  able  to  build  strong  relationships  with  teachers  and  
peers.    
 
 
 
 
 
Teaching  &  Learning  in  Aboriginal  Education     Amy  Sloan  
Assignment  2     110171602  
Bibliography  
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