Part B

Issue 1

Many beginning teachers find that catering for the particular characteristics and

learning needs of students with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds to

be a real challenge.

Summary

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students present a challenge to beginning teachers as

their history, culture and language is different from what the teacher is familiar with. Racism

and pre-determined beliefs about the Indigenous community can cause beginning teachers

to mis-read situations and act inappropriately when attempting to cater for the student

(Connell, et al., 2013).

In the past Indigenous children were denied the opportunities for quality education. Since

before 1950 Indigenous children were educated as gestures by missionaries, where the half-

caste children were expected to assimilate into the culture of the dominant society. A lot of

these children were taken away from their families and suffered sexual and physical abuse

in these training schools (Connell, et al., 2013). Commented [SC1]: Knowledge of Aboriginal history

In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a public apology in an attempt to reconcile with

the Indigenous people for the wrongdoings of the past. Today, health is a significant problem

for the Indigenous people with chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes

presenting as a serious problem which can affect school attendance (Connell, et al., 2013). 3

in 5 Indigenous students do not complete their schooling, and their grades are 2.5 years

behind others of the same age. Many Indigenous people live in rural areas which can affect

their ability to access quality education (TLG, 2018).

An important aspect of Aboriginal life is kinship, this determines the roles of everyone in the Commented [SC2]: Understanding of Aboriginal culture

community and how they are treated, some relatives are given gifts, while others play tricks

on each other, and others don’t talk to each other at all (McConvell, Kelly, & Lacrampe,
2018). In some Indigenous communities speaking the name or seeing a photo of a person

who has died is not allowed and can cause distress (Prentis, 2009).

The different cultures of the Indigenous people and the western society discourage the

students from attending school as they feel that the school does not appreciate or

understand their way of life. Understanding how Indigenous people interact with each other

can be difficult for beginning teachers as it is different from their own knowledge and

cultures. Gaining knowledge of the students’ culture would be needed to create a welcoming

environment for the Indigenous students. Commented [SC3]: Gain respect for Aboriginal culture

Concepts and Principles

Some of the human development theories that relate to the education of the Indigenous

people are individualism and collectivism (Duchesne & McMaugh, 2016). Individualism and

collectivism can be used to describe different cultural orientations. Individualist orientations

value independence and taking responsibility for themselves which is common in Western

Anglo cultures. Whereas, collectivist orientations value social relationships and strive to be

interdependent, this is common in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Understanding this helps beginning teachers to recognise how others see and value the

world, and helps them to understand that having different orientations can cause conflict

(Duchesne & McMaugh, 2016).

Having different orientations can cause some families may feel uncomfortable if the school

follows an individualist view rather than a collectivist one. For instance, if the teacher praises

individual achievement rather than the group, the family may believe that the achievement

should be earned through helping each other and working together and that the individual

praise is not appropriate. A lot of Indigenous knowledge is passed on by word rather than

written, it could be seen as unnatural to give written information rather than verbal for some

Indigenous families. Also, collectivist cultures tend to value social relations and knowledge

rather than decontextualized object knowledge which shows the different perspectives of

how the students understand knowledge and meaning. Some collectivist cultures could also
 find it disrespectful if a student questions a teacher, whereas the assertiveness is

encouraged in western civilization (Duchesne & McMaugh, 2016)

Implications for Beginning Teachers

If the beginning teacher begins teaching by not having the knowledge of their students’

cultures, or assuming knowledge that is not correct, it will cause the Indigenous students to

feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Beginning teachers should make sure that they are well

educated on the cultures of Indigenous students in their classes and know how to behave in

a way that is respectful and helps the student to want to return. The teacher should also

come into the classroom without having prior beliefs about Indigenous people which may

come across as racist.

Being patient and letting the students teach you their own culture is one way that the

beginning teacher could make progress in the classroom, trying to force a different way of

learning onto the students is not effective and they will not make progress if they are being

taught in a way that they don’t understand (Harrison, 2012).

Indigenous students have their own cultural beliefs and systems which are different to

western society and the way that school is traditionally run. Because of this, beginning

teachers should be aware of the cultures of the students that they are teaching and have

knowledge on how to be respectful and help the student to feel included and welcome in the

classroom.

References
Connell, R., Welch, A., Vickers, M., Foley, D., Bagnall, N., Hayes, D., . . . Campbell, C. (2013).
Education, Change and Society (3 ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Duchesne, S., & McMaugh, A. (2016). Education Psychology (5 ed.). South Melbourne:
Cengage Learning Australia.
Harrison, N. (2012). Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education. South Melbourne:
Oxford University Press.
McConvell, P., Kelly, P., & Lacrampe, S. (2018). Skin, Kin and Clan. ACT: ANU Press. Retrieved
from Indigenous Australia.
Prentis, M. (2009). Consise Companion to Aboriginal History. NSW: Rosenberg Publishing.
TLG. (2018). Educational Disadvantage exists in Australia. Retrieved from TLG.