EDUC5429 Aboriginal Education

Assignment 2 Major Essay Aithne Dell 20539099

I ncorporating supporting evidence from a range of relevant literature, discuss how your
understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the
education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait I slander backgrounds will inform
your practices as a teacher.

Education within Australia is not equal for all children. Student engagement in formal
educational settings and school retention rates for Aboriginal children remain significantly lower
than those for non-Indigenous students. There are a number of factors which may contribute to
this disparity. Language difficulties can arise within the classroom, with differences in dialect
not being well understood by those within the education system. Aboriginal English is spoken by
many Indigenous children, and while it bears a strong similarity to Standard Australian English,
there are differences which are often considered in a negative manner when they used in the
classroom. Stigmatising these differences without an acknowledgement of the validity of the
dialect shows a lack of understanding and respect for Aboriginal culture, which can be highly
detrimental to a students sense of identity (Eades, as cited in Sharifian, 2005). This underlying,
covert racism is also often present throughout Australias political policies, historically relating
to education policy as well. This has caused ongoing issues, with previous generations now
unable to help those who are currently receiving education. Cultural issues caused by
intergenerational trauma and mistreatment are often reflected in childrens thinking and
ideologies, which can affect classroom learning. Additionally, there are a number of cultural
factors which can contribute to family mobility, causing students to be absent from, or itinerant
in, their schooling. As an ongoing factor, this can cause students to miss considerable periods of
their education, causing gaps in their understanding and making it difficult for them to continue
into the higher levels. Through factors of culture and cultural identity not being accepted or
understood by the Australian schooling system, many Aboriginal students are being denied an
appropriate and adequate education.
One key factor which can inhibit a childs ability to succeed in the classroom is language
barriers. In many cases, Aboriginal children in the classroom speak a different dialect of English,
Aboriginal English. This dialect has been documented in widely separated parts of Australia
and, despite some stylistic and regional variation, is remarkably consistent across the continent
(Malcom, 2013, p.267) While the use of Aboriginal English may not inhibit communication,
there are instances where understanding can be affected. In particular, children who are not yet
competent in the art of code-switching (Taylor, 2010) between Aboriginal English and a more
formal variation of Australian English may struggle to produce work which is considered
acceptable in school. A survey of Aboriginal children within Western Australia found that those
who spoke Aboriginal English were three times more likely to perform at a low academic level
(Zubrick et al., 2006). While children need to develop an understanding of Standard Australian
English, it remains important for the teachers to acknowledge the validity of Aboriginal English
as a dialect spoken widely throughout Australia. Malcom (2013) states that it, as a language,
provides a vehicle for the common expression of Aboriginal identity (p.267), and Oliver,
Rochecouste, Vanderford and Grote (2011) comment that the ability to speak the dialect may be
necessary for ongoing acceptance within their own communities (p.62). Direct and repeated
condemnation of the dialect, or constant correction without acknowledgement of the need to
code-switch may be detrimental to Aboriginal students identity (Malcom, 2003). It is also noted
that the maintenance of a students first language is fundamental to their success in learning a
second language (Oliver et al., 2011, p.61). Effort must be taken, therefore, to avoid the
dismissal of different dialects such as Aboriginal English. An alternative approach is provided
through the ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning Capacity Building Project (as cited in
McHugh & Konigsberg, 2004). The initial step here is to accept Aboriginal English in the
classroom, before bridging to Standard Australian English (McHugh & Kinigsberg, 2004, p.9).
Rather than promoting the teaching of Aboriginal English, this project aims to engage students
and seeks to improve self-esteem, attention, desire to learn, sense of place in learning
environment, and retention among non-standard dialect speakers by utilising the home dialect
(McHugh & Konigsberg, 2004, p.10). Additionally, making the differences between the different
dialects explicit and encouraging the children in the class to know when and how to use each can
help students to learn to code-switch between Aboriginal English and Standard Australian
English. Furthermore, it is important to contact and consult with those who have local knowledge
about the area and the languages and dialects used, so as to help students build their bi-
dialectalism (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013). Through approaches such as these, teachers can
support each Aboriginal childs cultural identity, both within the classroom and the community,
while also allowing them opportunities to develop their understanding of Standard Australian
English.
Australias history of racism towards Aboriginal people continues to impact education policy and
procedures today. Intergenerational trauma and disadvantage, resulting from racist policies of
discrimination, neglect or forced assimilation, throughout Aboriginal populations causes ongoing
issues which can be difficult to overcome. Historically, Australias record of denying civil rights,
including all but basic education, to Aboriginal people has a continuing impact today, with older
generations unable to help or support those currently receiving an education. 70 years ago, it was
estimated that fewer than 10 per cent of Indigenous children throughout Australia were
attending state schools, a further 25 per cent were in church-based missions and the remainder
that is nearly two-thirds of Indigenous children received no education whatsoever (Neville, as
cited in Gray & Beresford, 2008, p.205). Gray and Beresford (2008) claim that many of the
attempts to rectify the educational disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal people have been
embedded in racism, deficit theory and assimilation (p.207). Programmes of assimilation and
integration which were embedded into the curriculum following the Second World War,
however, served to reject Aboriginal culture, and continuing the issues with childrens
disengagement from formal schooling (Gray & Beresford, 2008). Furthermore, despite recent
and ongoing attempts at reconciliation, the Australian political system has been reluctant to
empower Indigenous people to be self-determining (Gray & Beresford, 2008, p.214). The
education system for all is therefore still developed predominately from a white, Euro-centric
background, which can leave some Aboriginal children at a disadvantage. Winch (1998)
describes how [f]rom the childrens perspective all the rules have changed so that they become
confused by the different cultural approaches and fall behind in their school workWhite
Australian school children have almost always been reared in a similar system to the teacher
(p.23). This initial imbalance shapes childrens enduring experiences of the schooling system.
Approaches, such as actively supporting Indigenous culture within the classroom and working
with local Aboriginal communities and knowledge can help to bridge this gap between students.
By incorporating Aboriginal perspectives through local knowledge and works created by
Aboriginal authors, artists and experts, the schooling of all children in the classroom can be
benefitted.
Student mobility has vast impacts on education. Learning is considered to be in many ways
sequential, and [m]uch of the school syllabus is built on fundamental concepts where each is a
link in a chain of learning. The underlying premise is that the student attends school on a regular
basis (de Plevitz, 2007, p. 57). However, for students who do not attend school regularly, this
can cause difficulties when attempting to catch up on missing days and especially when moving
on to higher level topics before the basics are covered. Studies conducted in Yamatji country in
Western Australia show that vast numbers of students are regularly moving. Examples from Cue
and Mt Magnet suggest that between 60 and 100 per cent of the school population was
itinerant, and in nearby Meekatharra administrators suggested that at least 40 per cent of the
school population were not in regular attendance (Prout, 2009, p.44). These imply that vast
numbers of Indigenous students within this area, and within Western Australia in general, are
affected by familial mobility or spatiality both long-term and temporary movement (Prout,
2009). A number of factors can be considered when accounting for this movement, with Prout
(2009) citing factors of sociocultural obligations to be the cause of such mobility, such as
attendance at ceremonies or visiting families, familial or legal conflicts. De Plevitz (2007) raises
the issues of students needing to attend funerals of family members, leading to absence from
school. A failure to account for student mobility and to develop means to combat the issues
arising from children not receiving a consistent education likely contributes to the low rate of
completion of secondary schooling amongst Aboriginal populations. While statistics for student
retention from Year 8 through to 12 are slowly increasing, the numbers are still far below those
of non-Indigenous students within Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012; Milroy,
2011; Schwab, 1999). By being aware of Aboriginal cultural factors while lead to mobility,
schools, both at the administrative and teacher levels, can begin to develop ways to work around
this movement, so that it is not to the detriment of the students education.
One of the key factors listed by the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, is the
importance of knowing your students and how they learn (Australian Institute for Teaching
and School Leadership, 2014). Incorporated in this, is the need to develop strategies specific to
addressing the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in order to assist in them
to develop their own abilities and talents throughout school. By acknowledging issues of
language diversity within Australia, and the presence of different dialects, as well as cultural
factors which can lead to school absence due to mobility or stress in the classroom as a result of
a Western education system, teachers can begin to adapt to the needs of their learners. Through a
range of approaches, and especially through incorporating local Aboriginal perspectives into
their teaching and learning, the needs of Aboriginal students in the classroom can be supported.




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