Reflection James La [1800 3723]

Throughout the unit Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies, I have challenged and

also learnt various ideas explored in this unit which will be covered in this reflection. Key

points I wish to address include the challenges I have faced during this unit, the things I have

learnt, and also how the challenges and learning experiences will impact me in the future as

an educator.

The challenges that I have faced coming into this unit could be summarised into the

perspective of where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stand. As a pre-service teacher

and also one that did not grow up around Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders, it is hard for

me to understand the terms which may be rude or offensive to them. Without proper

experience, I had to rely on the theory provided by research papers and/or other teachers to

teach me proper etiquette and protocols when interacting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islanders (Harrison and Murray, 2013). Found in the first tutorial, terms such as “Indigenous”

or abbreviations such as “ATSI” when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are

seen to be very offensive terminology and best to avoid at all costs. I was not aware of the

fact that Aboriginal people took offence to the word “Indigenous” and has left a big note to

remember going on in the future.

Another challenge in which I have found myself in is the method required when having to

teach Aboriginal students. As Aboriginal students primarily learn through linking concepts

and ideas through land links (8 ways, n.d.), I believe it makes some lessons rather difficult to

cater for them as it is just not possible to demonstrate a live example for Aboriginal students

to physically see, thus making it a challenge to engage students to an acceptable level. In the

case of my KLA, it would be difficult to teach Aboriginal students probability in

Mathematics or perhaps language grammar in Japanese as they do not have a fixed form

which I am able to refer to. This ties into another challenge which is being able to

differentiate content to be taught in class. As teachers, we are required to teach all students
 Reflection James La [1800 3723]

compulsory modules on the history of Aboriginal people due to the Bringing them Home

report (Mozley, 2012). Due to this, certain topics such as the Stolen Generation may be quite

sensitive with the Aboriginal students in the classroom and they may feel uncomfortable

being there (Working with Aboriginal Communities, 2008). Without the adequate experience

and knowledge, it makes me worried about what the correct course of action is and the best

approach.

What I have learnt is the 8 ways of learning an important factor and differentiation steps

required when having to teach Aboriginal students. As requirements have changed, graduate

teachers are now required to work closely with parents and communities to improve student

teacher relations and also student learning (Harrison and Murray, 2013). This is seen as a

very effective method of teaching for the Aboriginal community as it will allow for teachers

to learn about how students learn best in different environments (Harrison and Murray,

2013). This will enable teachers to be able to work with the Aboriginal community and

potentially having elders as guest speakers or teachers to assist in Aboriginal student learning

(Working with Aboriginal Communities, 2008). The guest speaker, Mrs Fulton had also

mentioned the impact elders had among the Aboriginal community and engagement of

Aboriginal students. This was also backed up by a study conducted by Maher and Bellen

(2015) where schools that have approached elders to work in schools or communities saw an

increase in Aboriginal student engagement and also a sense of belonging for them. I also

believe that being able to have at least one Aboriginal staff member or at least a relationship

with the surrounding Aboriginal community will greatly benefit all Aboriginal students and

also those that are curious in learning more about the Aboriginal history and culture.

The above points will impact me as an educator as it has widened my perspectives about

understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Previously, I did not believe in

differentiation between students of different races. I believed that no matter where students
 Reflection James La [1800 3723]

were raised, they would all have the same learning methods once in school as that is how I

was raised and taught. My high school did not have many or if at all any Aboriginal students

and only briefly touched the Aboriginal history and culture. This as a result, ensued in me

unknowingly assuming all students learn the same way. With the addition of the 8 ways of

learning model, it created many new opportunities and teaching strategies to cater toward the

Aboriginal community and also other students who may be struggling. This will prove to

become effective in teaching other students as the more teaching strategies you have, the

better equipped you will be when dealing with various scenarios teaching has to offer.

In conclusion, this unit had allowed myself and other students undertaking Aboriginal and

Culturally Responsive Pedagogies to develop a deeper understanding about the Aboriginal

values and beliefs. The unit did challenge a couple of ideas prior to enrolling which still

linger but once I have the opportunity to teach Aboriginal students first hand, this unit will

definitely become of use and I will be able to utilise the various pedagogical approaches this

unit had to offer.

 Reflection James La [1800 3723]

References
About — 8 Ways. Retrieved 1 October 2020, from https://www.8ways.online/about

Harrison, N., & Murray, B. (2012). Reflective Teaching Practice in a Darug Classroom: How

Teachers can Build Relationships With an Aboriginal Community Outside the

School. The Australian Journal Of Indigenous Education, 41(2), 139-145. doi:

10.1017/jie.2012.14

Maher, M., & Bellen, L. (2014). Smoothing Children’s Transition into Formal Schooling:

Addressing Complexities in an Early Literacy Initiative in Remote Aboriginal

Communities, Northern Territory, Australia. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43(1),

9-17. doi: 10.1007/s10643-013-0630-5

Williams-Mozley, J (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 (pp.21-34). Cambridge University Press.

Working with Aboriginal Communities. Retrieved 1 October 2020, from

https://ab-ed.nesa.nsw.edu.au/files/working-with-aboriginal-communities.pdf