Georgia Duncan
EDUC 2061
Teaching and Learning Aboriginal Education
Assignment 2: Essay
What are some of the key issues teachers need to consider for working successfully
with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students?
In Australia, there is a major gap educationally between Aboriginals and Torres Strait
Islander people and non-Aboriginals, and it is evident that there is an unequal power
relationship between them. The aim of this paper is to address the importance of
contemporary issues when teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, to help
teachers in understanding the requirements for teaching successfully. One of the first
issues that is going to be discussed is student diversity within a classroom and the
variety of learning styles, equity and communication there is. This will be followed by
discussing Australian Government schools and their support they have on the
education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, the learning gap on
school attendance and educational achievement. Thirdly, Australian Curriculum,
Assessment and Reporting Authority is going to be explored in relation to inclusive
classrooms and teaching resources. The final issue that is going to be discussed is
relationship building in themes of student-teacher relationships and community
involvement in order to build a positive learning environment that is inclusive.
Student diversity
Learning styles
We have all experienced the world in a variety of unique and different ways.
Therefore, our knowledge and understanding of the world is different. It is important
as teachers to understand the diversity of students and how their learning styles and
abilities may differ in order to be successful when working with Aboriginal and Torres
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Strait Islander students. Understanding these differences can impact the way teachers
handle their students, when students learning styles have not been found it can
Impact the students learning. Gollan and Mallon (2012) discusses how over half of
school teachers that work at schools over 10 percent of Aboriginal students have not
had the training and professional development that is crucial within the last 3 years.
Professional development is vital as educators gather knowledge and understanding
about how to be culturally Inclusive and responsive, It offers the basic knowledge and
understanding needed to teach the different learning styles. This links with
professional standard 1.2, relating to understanding students and how they learn
(AITSL 2011). There are three basic styles to learning: visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic
are used to cater all students needs within the classroom. However due to the
language barrier within a classroom, it is best to focus on visual resources and
storytelling as it follows tradition and culture.
Equity
Equity and Equality also contributes to student diversity and it is important to
understand the difference between the two terms. Throughout Harrison’s reading,
equity is described as treating students the same and supporting students when they
need it in order to provide them with what they need to be productive and successful
(Harrison 2011). Equality however, is described as providing all students with the
same opportunities and treated equally no matter their gender or learning abilities
(Harrison 2011). Australian classrooms actually do not provide equal incentives for
young people to achieve positive learning outcomes, therefore equitable strategies
need to be implemented to create learning spaces for positive outcomes.
Communication
There are a number of Aboriginal students that speak English as their second
language or dialect which can cause a number of problems within the classroom. The
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linguistic challenges that Aboriginal people have faced since the invasion has
become apparent in a school environment where Aboriginals and Torres Strait
Islander students face victimisation and hardship, simply for speaking an Aboriginal
variation of standard English. For Example, Troy (2012, p. 133) reveals in her article
that her school daughter often named her friends parents ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’, because
these are words used in Aboriginal communities that are valued and respected.
However, because these do not comply with the conventional definitions of standard
English terms, she was teased by her classmates and met with cultural uncertainty. In
order to include EAL/D students in schooling, requires the use of differentiating
teaching, so that it meets the specific learning needs of all students (AITSL 2017,
Standard 1.5). This also Includes using effective classroom communication such as
verbal and non-verbal ways to improve student engagement (AITSL 2017, Standard
3.5). Unfortunately, when students have a lack of social skills, it can create
communication barriers within classrooms. It is important to consider and Identify
students level of fluency and understand the barriers and factors that may impact the
teaching. Planning adaptable lessons that caters for this diversity, will make learning
for fun.
Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
School Attendance
Attendance with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is associated to a
number of interrelated and complex factors, such as students parents educational
level, occupation and employment status (Hancock et al. 2013). It also includes where
the students live, their socio-economic status and mobility/transience. The council of
Australian Government implemented a strategy called, ‘closing the Gap’ which aims
to reduce disadvantages among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in regards to
education, employment, and access to early childhood education (Closing the Gap
2020). Throughout this report it was also evident in the low attendance status that
