Stephanie Noble

18929245
INED3001
Assignment 2

Acknowledgement of Country & Warning

I would like to respectfully acknowledge the past, present and future custodians of
this land that I learn, live and love on. I am privileged to be living on beautiful Noogar
Whadjuk country. I would like to pay my respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander elders past, and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that some of the websites,
articles or books listed in the reference list could contain sensitive content.

Essay

When it comes to teaching, every single classroom will have a variety of children that
come from different backgrounds, socio-economic status, and have different health
and wellbeing. There are many factors that need to be taken into account when it
comes to teaching students of an Aboriginal background. Whilst there are things that
can set back Indigenous students there are ways that schools, teachers and the
community can help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students get the most of
their education.

The Stolen Generation is not a thing of the past, children are still being taken from
their families in the present (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016). Displacement refers to
people being forced out of their environment or homes, that results in a change of
culture, due to a variety of factors including natural disasters, famine or economical
changes (Bonney, 2018a). According to Craven & Wilson-Miller (2011), the removal
of children continues today and Indigenous children are more likely to be removed
for child welfare. Tens of thousands of people were affected by children being taken
away from families and created an immense amount of trauma based on being
removed from their family and their culture (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016). This
ongoing trauma is going to impact not just their lives but their health, wellbeing,
connection to culture and their education. These children are growing up in an
environment that they are not familiar or connected to (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).
In Bush School (2005), the children live with their elders rather than in town with their
parents so that they can learn about their culture, language, and Aboriginal history
whilst still attending school. The removal and displacement of Indigenous students
can affect their ability to learn and attend school. The Department of Education WA
(2013a) has a video about teaching Aboriginal students and they have discussed
that it is important for schools to interact and understand the individual students
home life to gain an understanding of their current development.

A child’s upbringing will have an effect of their ability to learn inside and outside the
classroom. It will impact the support that they receive on outside the classroom and
the resources that they will have access to. In Bush School (2005), the children lived
with their elders and the school would provide them with a hot meal every day, the
washing of their clothes and regular health checks of the children. Not all children
can go to a school that provides these kinds of resources and help. Children that
come from a low socio-economic back ground may not have access to any of these
things unless provided by a school. According to ABS (2009), the socioeconomic
disadvantage is when someone has a lack of resources that are needed to be able
to fully participate in society. This socio-economic disadvantage leads to children
being excluded from social settings, and lack of access to health checks and
transport (ABS, 2009). In Bush School (2005), most of the children in attendance
had not regularly been going to school and lived with their elders to keep them out of
the town which they would steal from. The ABS (2006) states that socio-economic
disadvantages stop people from being able to participate in society, which could be
why these children were stealing, to try and fit in with the social norms of that
society. According to Bonney (2018b), low socio-economic households can result in
children learn slower, have lack of resources to support their learning, more health
issues including mental health, overcrowded houses, lack of transport and lack of
technology. Overall a low socio-economic house hold can have many disadvantages
to learning.

In order to teach students, they have to be healthy and at school every day. This is
not always the case for Aboriginal children. Indigenous students have a high chance
of developing health issues and they are usually long term problems (Bonney,
2018c). According to Thomson, Burns & McLoughlin (2012), Indigenous students
commonly have problems with infections especially with their ears, eyes, skin, and
respiratory system that can have effects on their ability to learn and is linked to the
absences from schooling. Not only is it their physical health but their mental health.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face greater challenges and are more
likely to experience disability and poor mental health (Dobia & O’Rourke, 2011).
Indigenous student’s mental health can be influenced by behavioural problems,
social disadvantage, and the ongoing history related to Aboriginal people in
Australian Society (Dobia & O’Rourke, 2011). In Bush School (2005), these students
were able to receive help for their medical issues such as their hearing and eye sight
but were also looked after efficiently by their teachers and elders. Low socio-
econmoic status can play a role in the poor health of Indigenous students by
resulting in poor living conditions or not being able to afford sufficient care resulting
in neglect (Bonney, 2018c).

Teachers, schools and the community are important when it comes to tackling these
issues that Aboriginal students face. In Bush School (2005), the teachers had
developed a strong bond with their students and the elders which helped improve
attendance. Developing a respectful relationship between teacher, student, and their
parents will encourage students to engage in the classroom and want to be coming
to school (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).
In Bush School (2005), students were provided food during the day, had their
clothes washed and were driven to and from school. Not all students will have these
same resources. According to Harrison and Sellwood (2016), uniforms, their
homelife, and transport can be some of the reasons that students are absent from
school or are late to class. The best way to tackle this issue is to prepare a lesson at
the beginning of class that is easy for late students to transition into, and structure
lessons that are repeated throughout the week will help them maintain a routine and
engagement (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).
In Bush School (2005), the had medical care onsite to assess and treat their eye
and ear issues, in particular, and any other health problems that they came to school
with. Acute articulation when it comes to learning words and visual actions will help
students with hearing problems understand what letters make certain sounds
(Department of Education, 2013a). A way to help this particular issue includes
having Indigenous health workers as staff at the school, making sure there are
regular health checks, community health campaigns and promoting healthy
behaviours such as washing hands to help prevent the spread of illness amongst
students (Bonney, 2018c). The classroom can also be modified to benefit students
that have earing problems such as minimizing noise, changing seating to improve
their listening or even developing a buddy system to help provide eachother with
support (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).

There are multiple resources and practices that teachers can implement into the
classroom to help teach Indigenous students. According to the Department of
Education WA (2013a), developing a strong relationship with teachers and students
will help encourage students to want to attend school. Speaking to the Aboriginal
community and elders is an important way to see what they want to see their child
achieving at school (Department of Education WA, 2013b). Another strategy would
be teaching students based off of what level they are at rather than what they should
be at (Department of Education WA, 2013a). Schools having Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander workers working with Indigenous students can help show support and
familiarity in the classroom and to show them a different perspective to learning
(Harrison & Sellwood, 2016).
Providing a space for Aboriginal children to learn in that is accepting and allows for
extra help and support for families will improve their schooling and sense of
community (Department of Education WA, 2013b). Developing programs that help
support Aboriginal families at school will help promote engagement and encourage
students to attend school and get involved (Department of Education WA, 2013b).
Kids Matter provides teachers with resources about the education of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanders. They have articles and resources about helping kids with
trauma, learning videos, programs that are designed to support Indigenous students
and their families, and guides to help implement effective learning strategies into the
classroom (Kids Matter, n.d).

Whilst they may be things that can be set backs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander’s learning, there are always things that can be put in place in the classroom
that can help them reach their full potential. Schools are continuously finding new
ways to support and help Indigenous families in the community so that their children
can make the most out of school regardless of their background, socio-economic
status and health.
Reference List

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Perspectives on Education and Training:

Social Inclusion (No. 4250.0.55.001). Retrieved from:
http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4250.0.55.001Main+Features3200
9

Bonney, L. (2018a). Topic 5 Placement & Displacement powerpoint [PowerPoint

Slides]. Retrieved from:
https://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?
course_id=_85079_1&content_id=_6012946_1&mode=reset

Bonney, L. (2018b). The Impact of Socio-Economics on Indigenous Students

[PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from:
https://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?
course_id=_85079_1&content_id=_6012947_1&mode=reset

Bonney, L. (2018c). Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous Students [PowerPoint

Slides]. Retrieved from:
https://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?
course_id=_85079_1&content_id=_6012948_1&mode=reset

Bush School. (2005). Bush School [Video file]. Retrieved from:

https://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?
content_id=_6013016_1&displayName=Unit+viewings&course_id=_85079_1&
navItem=content&href=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Fblti
%2FlaunchPlacement%3Fblti_placement_id%3D_39_1%26content_id
%3D_6013016_1%26course_id%3D_85079_1

Department of Education WA. (2013a). East Kalgoorlie Primary School – Aboriginal

 Innovation School [Video File]. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPHywEHY7U

Department of Education WA. (2013b). Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School – Aboriginal

Innovation School [Video File]. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLKRifELAYU

Dobia, B. & O’Rourke, V. (2011). Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of
Indigenous children in Australian primary schools. Retrieved from:
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/promoting-mental-
health-wellbeing-indigenous-children.pdf

Harrison, N.,& Sellwood, J. (2016). Learning and Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander Education. Victoria: Oxford University Press. 3rd Ed. 

Kids Matter. (n.d). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Resources. Retrieved from:
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/atsi-resources

Thomson, N., Burns, J. & Mcloughlin, N. (2012). The impact of health on the
education of indigenous children. Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal
Education. Crawley, WA: UWA Publishing.

Wilson-Miller, J. of chapter (2011). A History of Special Treatment: The Impact of

Government Policies. In Craven, R (Ed.), Teaching Aboriginal Studies (90-109).
Retrieved from: https://link.library.curtin.edu.au/ereserve/DC60271861/0?
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