Helen Asokan, 18042085

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies – Assignment One

Describe the essential components that can build positive, respectful relationships with Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander students and improve retention. Assess how you as a future secondary teacher will
support Aboriginal student learning, success and retention. Use key policy documents to support your
argument.
 


As higher education becomes increasingly diverse, there is a significant need to emphasize student
engagement and motivation within the classroom (Quaye & Harper, 2014). Although Australia has been
regarded as one of the greatest provider of quality education in the world, there are questions to suggest that
it is low equity performer when it comes to (Lloyd, Lewthwaite, Osborne & Boon, 2015). There has been a
growing national focus on improving the quality of teaching and suggestion on various key initiatives that
might help to close the gap between Indigenous and Non- Indigenous students (Leigh & Gong, 2009). There
is a strong push towards culturally relevant and strengths based approaches to school readiness for
Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students as they transition to formal learning (Armstrong, Buckley,
Lonsdale, Milgate, Kneebone, Cook & Skelton, 2012). There are several crucial components that are
deemed important to build a positive and respectful relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Straight
Islander students and the rest of the classroom. As according to the ‘Closing the Gap’ report (Department of
Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2018), and the Aboriginal Education Policy, meaningful relationships between
student and teacher, formed through various pedagogies with high levels of community involvement
presents to be successful methods to build and maintain engagement and retention. This paper will highlight
the importance of social and intellectual factors, in terms of community involvement and various
pedagogical approaches to help retention for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander kids in the classroom.
Using policies such as the Closing the Gap report and The Aboriginal Education policy, this paper will also
express of other methods that I, as a teacher will include within my own approach to cater for the needs of
Indigenous students in my own classroom.

Reaching an understanding and respect for Australia’s Indigenous people, their history, languages,
values and beliefs is an importance aspect of improving relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Straight
Islander students (Department of the PM and Cabinet, 2018). The benefits of social and emotional wellbeing
of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students remains pertinent for their development and engagement
within the classroom. The students must be emotionally and cognitively engaged to maintain positive
understanding between the teacher and student (Dobia & Roffey, 2017). According to Leigh and Gong
(2009), Indigenous Australians who have completed their schooling have cores significantly lower than non-
Indigenous students. The ‘Closing the Gap’ report (Department of the PM and Cabinet, 2018), expresses
that teachers with skills and knowledge that develop meaningful understanding, effectively engage students
within the classroom. Speaking in a kind, calm and slow voice and showing sensitivity towards Aboriginal
 Helen Asokan, 18042085
and Torres Straight Islander students has proven to build positive relationships between student and teacher
(Lloyd et al. 2015). The inclusion of Aboriginal perspectives within the Australian curriculum has been an
agent in equitable practice within our schools. The implementation of such perspectives however, remains in
the capable hands of the classroom teacher. For a teacher to successfully apply such perspectives to a lesson,
they must be culturally sensitive and willing to experiment with various teaching pedagogies. Yunkaporta
(2009), has identified the ‘eight- way’ framework of Aboriginal pedagogy that brings Indigenous ways of
knowing into the classroom. It consists of eight interrelated pedagogies that sees the teaching and learning
environment as a more holistic and fundamentally contextualised approach. This framework is seen
advantageous as it allows for deeper understanding and growing respect for culture. Increased contribution
to discussion from Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students allows for the development of higher
order thinking skills and deeper understanding (Yunkaporta 2009). The participation of Aboriginal and
Torres Straight Islander students in the classroom can empower them to participate in class discussions,
contributing to the changes in our society (Lloyd et. al (2015).

The sense of community is a fundamental component within the Aboriginal community. So much so,
research has proven that the inclusion of community interactions among the school life will make the home
to school transition easier got Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students (Harrison & Greenfield,
2011). The NSW Department of Education (2017), has emphasised that the ‘Aboriginal Education Policy’
was reviewed and developed as a collaboration within Aboriginal communities. Furthermore, the policy
states that there will be continuous efforts in collaboration with the community to strengthen and improve
retention in Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Students (Lloyd et. al 2015). Some recommendations
suggested and now re-emphasised in the Closing the Gap Report, 2018’, were to use Elders to teach some
Aboriginal perspectives relevant to the content. For example, the 7-10 Science curriculum requires students
to learn about Aboriginal ways of conservation and protection of the land (NESA, 2018). An excellent
approach to this is to invite an Elder of the community to deliver the lesson and according to Harrison and
Greenfield (2011), the Aboriginal and non-Indigenous students will receive accurate and culturally
appropriate information to further their understanding. Corresponding with Leigh and Gong (2009), the
inclusion of community and the use of Elders in the classroom is a respectable and vital when it comes to
improving Quality teaching in NSW. Schools have predominantly agreed that quality teaching in Aboriginal
Education is about ‘respecting Aboriginal people as the traditional knowledge holders’ (Harrison &
Greenfield, 2011).

Paralysis of integrity is a fairly common challenge among teachers, especially in today’s society as
education becomes more and more diverse in nature. As a beginning teacher, there are several unbalanced
professional and personal feeling that must develop further to make the approach to teaching easier and
fluent (Pillen, Beijaard & den Brok, 2013). In my experience as a pre-service teacher and a day to day
 Helen Asokan, 18042085
casual, I have only had minimal exposure to Aboriginal education. Although Aboriginal Education is
provided for all staff, through professional development days and in universities, there is still a hesitant
nature within me that thinks “if I say this, would it be considered culturally appropriate?” or “would I be
offending any student or staff if I include this within my lesson plan?”. Becoming a teacher means that you
decide how you want to express yourself in the classroom, while being respectful and adjust to personal and
professional demands of the students and the school, respectively (Pillen, Beijaard & den Brok, 2013). There
is ample evidence to suggest that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have difficulties making the
transition between home and school environment (DiGregorio, Farrington & Page, 2000). As a teacher, I
would strive to make the classroom atmosphere as welcoming as possible. The first thing that I would do
before I begin my classes is ‘acknowledgement of Country’, whenever appropriate. Acknowledgement of
country officially recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional owners of the the
land and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and future. It is a decent way to show awareness and
respect for Aboriginal culture and relations (McKenna, 2014). Making myself be available at all times as
possible, becoming a mentor and providing the guidance needed for Indigenous students can make the
transition into classroom seem more fluid. This cultural integration is an important step in developing an
inclusive classroom for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students, and it show that we, as teachers,
recognize their values and practices (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016).

The knowledge of Aboriginal practices, traditions and values has increasingly become acknowledged
and accepted in Australian education systems. The effectiveness of traditional ways of teaching and the
inclusion of community, as emphasized by Bodkin- Andrews and Carlson (2016) has encouraged me to
change some methods in teaching some topics. On my professional experience at Tamworth, I was asked to
plan and deliver a lesson on firestick farming and hunting on for the topic of ecology and conservation.
While I had plenty of videos and worksheets at hand, I felt as though it may not interest the students as
much. Realising that the school had an Elder present on some days, I went to ask him if he would like to
come in and talk to the students about their ways of conservation and hunting. The students remained
engaged throughout the entire lesson, even asking question in between. I also noticed that the students who
usually would disengage had paid attentively listened and even asked some questions. The Aboriginal
students in class also participated and even shared some of their story when the Elder asked. This
collaboration and involvement of community members has shown a positive impact on all the students. The
students received an authentic and culturally responsive perspective, relevant to their lesson. Bodkin-
Andrews and Carlson (2016) further emphasizes that the involvement of community can continuously
develop the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students’ ways of knowing, as Indigenous knowledge
systems will keep evolving as generations pass. The celebration of cultural recognition, identity and
knowledge is believed to enhance the relationship between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
and their teachers (Lloyd et. al, 2015).
 Helen Asokan, 18042085

It is vital that the strengths of all the students are identified so that the teacher may find various ways
of teaching different concepts. Further research shows that teachers prefer to vocally explain concepts
instead of using other methods. (Lloyd et. al, 2015). The review of such literature by Lloyd et. al, (2015),
suggests using visual stimulus, or representation while explaining abstract concepts. It is known to reduce
the additional cognitive load on students and since Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students learn
English as a second language (Lloyd et. al, 2015). Furthermore, Harrison and Greenfield (2011), has
recommended that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students prefer to begin with the ‘big picture’ and
then work towards the details of the concept. This can be easily implemented in area of science, since it is a
field that looks at the broad picture and then explores the aspects behind the concept. Such lesson will also
incorporate group work, giving students an opportunity to explore many perspectives from various cultures.
This could be regarded as explicit instruction or scaffolding and can ultimately minimise learning risks and
help to structure their learning. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can greatly benefit form such
activities as they favour collaborative work rather than individual work (Lloyd et. al, 2015).

It should be empathized that these accommodations and suggestions are not simply because there
is an educational gap between the Indigenous and the non-Indigenous students. The ultimate goal is to
also respond to the needs of students that will support them in order to attain high levels of academic
achievement but also, be recognized and acknowledged as as future leaders in their preferred way (Quaye
& Harper, 2014). Lloyd et. al (2015) also state that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will
benefit form consistent mentoring from teachers as well. Providing assistance when they need it and when
they ask for it can help to create an understanding between the teacher and the student. As a teacher, I will
strive to be available for my students in and out of class times; providing extra help with after school
homework sessions or extra resources online to further their understanding. Based on ample research
suggestion for providing successful learning for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students, I will
strive for an inclusive and successful learning environment for my classroom.
 Helen Asokan, 18042085

References
Bodkin-Andrews, G. & Carlson, B. (2016). The legacy of racism and Indigenous Australian identity within education.
Race Ethnicity & Education, 19(4), 784-807. Doi: 10.1080/13613324.2014.969224

DiGregorio, K. D., Farrington, S. & Page, S. (2000). Listening to our students: understanding the factors that affect
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ academic success. Higher Education Research and
Development, 19(3), 297-309. Doi: 10.1080/758484344

Dobia, B. & Roffey, S. (2017). Respect for Culture- Social and Emotional Learning with Aboriginal and Torres
Straight Islander Youth. In: Frydenberg E., Martin, A. & Collie, R. (eds). Social and Emotional Learning in
Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore.

Harrison, N. & Greenfield, M. (2011). Relationship to place: positioning Aboriginal knowledge and perspectives in
classroom pedagogies. Critical Studies in Education, 52(1), 65-76.

Leigh, A. & Gong, X. (2009). Estimating cognitive gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Education Economics, 17(2), 239-261).

Lloyd, N. J., Lewthwaite, B., E., Osborne, B. & Boon, H., J. (2015). Effective Teaching practices for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Students: A review of the Literature. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(11).
Doi: 10.14221/ajte.2015v40n11.1

McKenna, M. (2014). Tokenism or belated recognition? Welcome to Country and the emergence of indigenous
protocol in Australia, 1991-2014. Journal of Australian Studies, 38(4), 476-489. Doi:
10.1080/14443058.2014.952765.

NSW Education Standards Authority (2018). Science K- 10 (Incorporating Science and Technology K-6), Retrieved
from https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/science/science-k10/

Pillen, M., Beijaard, D. & den Brok, P. (2013). Tensions in beginning teachers’ professional identity development,
accompanying feeling and coping strategies. European Journal of Teacher Education, 36(3), 240-260.

Quaye, S., J. & Harper, S. R. (2014). Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical Perspectives and
Practical Approaches for Diverse Populations. New York, NY: Routledge.

Yunkaporta, T. (2009). Aboriginal Pedagogies at the Cultural Interface. PhD thesis, James Cook University.