Option 1
Through a deep and thorough analysis of Aboriginal histories and cultures, one will aim to
highlight and reinforce numerous components that work to build positive and respectful
relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It will become apparent how
these teaching and learning strategies also work to improve retention rates among Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander students. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students remain
among the most educationally disadvantaged minority in Australia (Craven, 2011), and this
mistreatment has resulted in a major gap between Aboriginal students and non-Aboriginal
student’s achievement and retention rates. There are a range of educational practices which
act as barriers for school completion among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
such as particular teaching practices, forms of assessment as well wider social issues including
poverty and poor health (Jones & Harris-Roxas, 2009). By analysing key documents such as
the Close the Gap Policy, the Aboriginal Education Policy and engaging in research; effective,
efficient and inclusive strategies to support Aboriginal student learning and retention will be
outlined. Developing positive and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students and improving retention is crucial to closing the gap in other areas of life,
‘as the ability to successfully complete high school is fundamental to continued success and
Supporting Aboriginal students learning, success and retention stems from developing a
sense of cultural competency to learn the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultures and histories. ‘Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with
Communities, 2008, p.5), and understand the importance of social and cultural influences on
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
the ‘knowledge and skills that are required to engage respectfully with Aboriginal peoples in
all settings to build and maintain relationships and continually improve service delivery’ (NSW
Education and Communities, 2008, p.5). This may include becoming acquainted with
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and languages and showing a willingness to
attend community events outside school hours, to explicitly show Elders and the community
that as an educator you value their input and are willing to learn from the community
(Harrison & Sellwood, 2016). Immersing oneself in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
appropriate communication… and how people interact with one another’ (Harrison &
Sellwood, 2016, p.75). According to Harrison and Sellwood (2016) it is essential to have a clear
understanding of student’s community values and to not view this through the lens of a
cultural deficit. Developing a sense of cultural competency by valuing ‘and acknowledging the
Policy, 2017) will assist teaching and learning, as teachers will have the ability to embed and
make meaningful links to Aboriginal heritage; and therefore build strong student-teacher and
community relationships based on trust and mutual respect that support their culture,
It is a legal requirement that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge is embedded
into the curriculum. Building a learning partnership and including Aboriginal communities in
curriculum decisions is a mutually beneficial process ‘that gives credibility and integrity to the
teaching of Aboriginal students and syllabus content related to Aboriginal issues’ (NSW Board
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
of Studies, 2008, p.2). Including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and community
members in this process not only assists with meeting the requirements of the Australian
Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers in a meaningful way, but also reinforces that their ‘knowledge is valued as living
knowledge and not something that belongs to the past’ (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016, p.75). As
a future educator, it is apparent that including members of the community in the planning
and promotion of school practices that support the ‘cognitive, emotional, social and physical
wellbeing of students’ (NSW Education and Communities, 2008, p.7) is crucial, as it provides
teachers with the ability and opportunity to contextualise teaching and learning strategies
and to conduct learning that is relevant to the reality of the contemporary Aboriginal
experience and their everyday life (Craven, 2011). It also highlights the importance of identity
and extended family connections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. I will
attempt to include the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the planning of my
curriculum, and teaching and learning strategies to assist in developing positive and
The ‘Close the Gap’ (2018) policy discusses, that the quality of teaching is recognised as the
largest in-school influence on student achievement, stating that ‘well-trained, skilled and
knowledgeable teachers who…engage with their students and the community are essential
to lifting the outcomes’ (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2018). By utilising
cultural competency and including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in
curriculum development, I will have the knowledge to effectively support the learning,
success and subsequent retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. There are
a range of teaching and learning activities I wish to employ in the classroom to support the
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
culturally responsive pedagogical framework that has been successful in Western NSW.
benefit all students, the framework compromises eight interconnected pedagogies that view
learning as a connection between all things (Yunkaporta, 2009). The framework draws on
knowledge and protocols from communities, Elders, land, language, ancestors and spirit
(Yunkaporta, 2009) to highlight the importance of cultural integrity and provide students with
the opportunity of learning through culture, rather than about culture. The framework
successfully brings Aboriginal ways knowing and being into the classroom (Yunkaporta, 2009).
One of the most significant pedagogical strategies that Yunkaporta (2009) discusses from the
framework that I will implement in my Key Learning Areas of English and Drama is story-
telling. Drawing from the first symbol depicting a Boomerang, this strategy encourages
teaching through narrative and song (Yunkaporta, 2009). Yunkaporta (2009) suggests building
units of work around stories that draw on culture, vocabulary and grammar from the story
itself rather than teaching isolated cultural lessons (Yunkaporta, 2009). As a teacher, sharing
your stories and allowing students to share theirs, draws on everybody’s home culture and
highlights how students learn through culture (Yunkaporta, 2009). Story sharing works to
build a positive rapport with all students and provides them with the opportunity to ‘celebrate
and acknowledge Aboriginal cultures and histories’ (NSW Education and Communities, 2008,
p.7). The framework also aligns with the AITSL (2011) standards of 1.4 ‘strategies for teaching
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ and 2.4 ‘understand and respect Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
An additional strategy for supporting Aboriginal learning and retention includes providing ‘a
supportive and culturally inclusive learning environment for Aboriginal students’ (NSW DoE,
2017, 1.5.2), as a positive learning environment plays a significant part in determining the
extent to which Indigenous students participate in school (Purdie and Buckley, 2010). I wish
Aboriginal student’s cultures, histories and languages are encouraged and embraced.
situations through observation and imitation rather than through verbal instructions and
written texts’ (Craven, 2011, p.267). Therefore, I will employ culturally responsive teaching
and learning strategies by firstly attempting to link lessons to the students own world and
secondly, following the structure of: modelling, demonstrating and reflecting on the task to
support the learning of all students (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016). According to Harrison and
Sellwood (2016), a recent 2015 study with Aboriginal parents and students indicated that
Aboriginal students believed efficient teaching and learning occurred when the learning
intentions were made clear, the teacher modelled and demonstrated the task and then
provided students with the time to repeat and master the task (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).
The goal of this teaching and learning strategy is to incorporate the Aboriginal tradition of
As a teacher, it is important to recognise that standard English is not the mother tongue of
many Indigenous students (Purdie & Buckley, 2010). Therefore, I will respect the validity of
Aboriginal English which many students bring to the classroom (Purdie & Buckley, 2010).
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
identity, spirituality and connection to country (NSW DoE, 2018). According to Green (2010,
as cited in Troy, 2015) by supporting students use of Aboriginal English, and implementing
language programs at Chifley College in Western Sydney, the school has improved their
attendance rates and the support for Aboriginal languages in Sydney. Students can connect
with the language of the country in which the school is located and highlights the success and
importance of place-based learning (Green, as cited in Troy, 2015). The program begins by
highlighting that many of the street signs in their area are Dhurug. This normalises and
ensures the language is relevant by reinforcing that the language still exists even if dormant
(Green, as cited in Troy, 2015). This strategy has positively changed students attitudes
towards education, is an act of reconciliation that aligns with the NSW Aboriginal Education
Policy and helps ensure the curriculum is relevant for all students (Green, as cited in Troy,
2015). The effective use of Aboriginal language in the classroom may involve collaborating
expertise and skills (Craven, 2011). I wish to immerse myself in a school environment where
such programs are implemented and supported at a whole school level. However, at the very
least at a classroom level I will support their languages and embrace their cultural customs
such as referring to those they are not biologically related to as ‘aunty,’ uncle,’ or ‘miss aunty.’
Normalising these cultural norms in the classroom provides Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
(NSW DoE, 2018). It also reduces cultural confusion and is a holistic approach to learning
(Green, as cited in Troy, 2015) that can occur in both my Key Learning Areas of English and
Drama.
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
In 2017, the attendance rate for Aboriginal students was 83.2%, compared with 93.0% for
students in schools’ (NSW DoE, 2017, 1.3.1). Schools and the Australian government are
attempting to close this gap by encouraging diversity and flexibility, as well as promoting
culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum (NSW Education and Communities, 2008).
However, I will also aim to close this gap by organising extra-curricular activities that ‘appeal
to and engage students at risk of absenteeism’ (Purdie & Buckley, 2010, p.20). Blacktown Girls
High School (BGHS) located in Western Sydney has achieved real institutional change and
improved retention through the creation of a yarn circle which draws on the ‘storytelling’
component of the ‘8 ways of Aboriginal Learning.’ The yarn circle has given students the
opportunity to share their culture, language, food, experiences, discuss women’s business
and listen to the stories of their Aboriginal aunties. According to the teachers at BGHS, since
the development of the yarn circle ‘the girls have gained a stronger sense of their personal
Aboriginal identity and become a defined group within the school’ (Harrison & Sellwood,
2016, p.72). The yarn circle has improved attendance rates and has played a major role in
Aboriginal girls becoming leaders within the school, developing a sense of school pride and
& Sellwood, 2016, p.73). The yarn circle highlights an extra-curricular activity that aligns with
the Aboriginal Education policy (2017) as it ‘provides all students with opportunity to
develop deeper understandings of Aboriginal histories, cultures and languages’ (NSW DoE,
2017, 1.6.6) and ‘assists Aboriginal students to access educational opportunities in a range
of settings (NSW DoE, 2017, 1.5.3). I wish to draw upon resources such as this to assist in
building positive and respectful relationships with Aboriginal students, which will in turn
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
improve their attendance and retention by valuing their cultural backgrounds, and the
experiences and skills they bring to the school (Purdie & Buckley, 2010).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will match or better the outcomes of the
broader student population’ (NSW DoE, 2018). Institutional policies such as the Aboriginal
Education Policy and the Close the Gap Policy provide a vehicle for schools in Australia to
support the teaching and learning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. I wish
to build positive and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students that support their achievement and retention. This will occur through engaging with
the community to assist in developing curriculum and displaying a continued sense of cultural
competency. These relationships will strengthen and improve retention rates through
Aboriginal Learning, embracing their cultures and languages and providing them with the
education.
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Hannah Rose 18215452 – Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
Reference
Australian Institute For Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian Professional
Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards
Betancourt, J, R., Green, A, R., Carillo, E., & Ananeh-Firempong, O. (2003). Defining Cultural
Competence: A Practical Framework for Addressing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in
Health and Health Care. Public Health Reports, 118(4), 292-302.
Craven, R. (2011). Teaching Aboriginal Studies 2nd Edition: A practical resources for primary
and secondary teaching. Australia. Allen & Unwin.
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2018). Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s
Report 2018.
Harrison, L., &Sellwoor., J. (2016). Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students. Learning and teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
education. Melbourne Victoria. Oxford University Press.
Jones, A., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2009). The Impact of School Retention and Educational
Outcomes on the Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous Students. A literature review,
Sydney: Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation.
NSW Department of Education (DoE). (2017). Aboriginal Education Policy. Retrieved from
https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/aboriginal-education-and-
training-policy. (Accessed, 19/08/2018).
NSW Education and Communities (2008). Aboriginal Education and Training Policy. Turning
Policy into Action. Retrieved from. https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-
library/associated- documents/aetp_turning.pdf (Accessed, 19/08/2018).
Purdie, N., & Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian
Students. Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Welfare, Australian
Institute of Family Studies, 1, 1-25.
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Troy, J. (2015). Language and Literacy. In Price, K (Ed.), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Education – An introduction to the teaching profession (pp.140-158). Port
Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
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