Emma Issac Student Number: 18003707

“There is no place in any educational jurisdiction for educators with stifled

perceptions of who Indigenous students are, or what they can achieve.” –

Dr Chris Sarra (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2017)

According to The Australian Human Rights Commission (2012), everyone has the right to

education regardless of their financial stability, cultural views, religious ideologies and

political beliefs. However, Dr Chris Sarra’s statement puts the Australian education system not

meeting to those rights amongst Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students. Australia is not

achieving the right to education for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students’ due to the

lack of professional development. Educators and governing bodies are not developing effective

cultural awareness skills regarding understanding their perceptions of Indigenous and Torres

Strait Islander identity as well as improving the strategies to overcome biased perceptions on

Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students’ ability to succeed in a school setting.

Unfortunately, the lack of professional development has depleted the many opportunities for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can obtain in the academic and employment

fields as they are treated as second-class citizens due to the lack of support and understanding

within their schooling community.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are developed and identified through

kinship ties. Kinships are used to educate, communicate and collaborate about beliefs and

community issues (Yamanouchi, 2010). Kinship is a community relationship system where a

person’s role in their community is determined by their relationship with other people in their

community and contributing to their land and people through their specialist skills established

through the guidance of mentors also known as elders within their community (Australians

Together, 2017). Kinship plays a significant role in the education of Aboriginal and Torres

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Strait Islander peoples as the identity of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples is all

initiated by staged education within their communities where children were taught skills when

they were ready. This style of education is central to the identity of the Indigenous and Torres

Strait Islander peoples. Their educational system starts from teaching individuals from their

first day on land as they are watched as children and guided by community elders to a speciality

to contribute to their community whether they are hunters because they have a quick eye or an

astrologer yearning to learn about the stars (Price, 2015).

However, the 1967 Referendum was initiated to regulate education for all Australians created

significant challenges to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples community as their

cultural identity and beliefs on education was dismissed by non-indigenous governing bodies.

The referendum impacted the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through the

same negative perceptions Dr Chris Sarra is emphasising in Australian education at the

moment. It is shocking to believe that the same prejudices are portrayed in our schools 50 years

on; the referendum impacted the education system of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students through western educational ideologies where students lose the right to know and learn

their community responsibilities (Price, 2015). Education shifted to Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander students from being leaders and contributors to their communities to followers;

they were not taught to hunt, preserve their land and know their history. They were instead

taught maths, home economics and to follow the laws of school instead of the lore of their land.

Such regulations led to the perceptions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were

failures amongst educators and academics as their beliefs on education were projected as

incorrect and ineffective for prosperous futures within the Australian community.

This perception led to significant rates of low student expectations within schools. I believe the

impact of low expectations plays an integral part in the schooling system for Aboriginal and

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Torres Strait Islander students. Unfortunately, low expectations dramatically impact academic

results due to such perceptions and expectations (Dandy, Durkin, Barber & Houghton, 2015).

According to Dockett, Mason & Perry (2006), this attitude is likely initiated through the school

principal’s beliefs on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student’s academic abilities. If the

principal has low expectations of students, it, unfortunately, transcends to teacher perception

as they are working for the institution and consistently hearing statements such as “The

Aboriginal kids are always going to be behind no matter what pedagogies the school puts in

place”. A negative comment like the one mentioned above also impacts student self-perception

as the negative statements become a reality for them. The low expectations of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students have detrimental effects on their academic engagement through

high rates of suspensions and absences this is due to low expectations leading to low

opportunity perspectives amongst students. There is approximately a significant 30%

difference in attendance rates amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students vs Non-

Indigenous (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2017).

Using strategies like the cultural competence framework allows for the numerous campaigns

and policies that have been put in place from governing bodies to tackle the challenges that

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face such as the “Closing the Gap” campaign

and “The Aboriginal Education and Training Policy” to be applied in schooling settings.

The Closing the Gap campaign is a strategy plan set out by national and federal governments

alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and organisations to close the gap on

health and educational inequalities amongst the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

and Non-Indigenous population. In the 2017 report, the campaign found that school attendance

has an up to a 30% difference between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and Non-

Indigenous students depending on the remoteness of the school. It is found that the dominant

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cause of the lack of attendance is due to issues with housing, health care, mental health and

family issues (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2017).

Through campaigns like the closing the gap allows federal governing bodies to come together

and create policies such as The Aboriginal Education Policy to change inequalities faced by

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. The strategy aims to have a strong commitment

to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and prioritises to Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander training to educators across the NSW sector. The policy is implemented through

reflective and effective practices by teachers and principals while working with Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander elders and leaders. The reflective and effective planning practices of

teachers and principals is guided through the Reflect, Plan, Act Guide where a scaffold planner

is set out to reflect, plan and act upon excellence in learning, teaching, learning and effective

community partnerships (New South Wales Department of Education and Communities,

2008).

To ensure that policies such as the Aboriginal Training Education Policy are followed through,

I stand strongly with Dr Chris Sarra’s beliefs and that the discrimination and negative

perceptions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in education. Studies such as Bodkin-

Andrews and Carlson (2014) found that the dismissal and alienation of Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander peoples’ identity, beliefs and history is purely an assimilative approach, it is

impacting students and their families through cultural conflict leading to double the rates of

suicide and mental health issues within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in

comparison to Non-Indigenous communities.

As a future teacher, I strongly feel that such a significant gap in education for Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students is a part of my responsibility as a professional educator. Stated

by Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (2017), elements of standards 1, 2, 3 and 7

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can be applied to my crucial learning area of PDHPE to reduce the gap in education for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through various approaches such as the Stronger

Smarter Approach created by Dr Chris Sarra.

The Stronger Smarter Approach is centralised to benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students through teachers, parents and communities working together to develop positive

classrooms across the country. The development is generated through the recognition of school

cultures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and using effective strategies for

change (Sarra, 2017).

I believe recognition of school cultures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students remove

the negative perceptions set up by the 1967 referendum; this can be done through creating and

positive and safe classroom settings where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can

express their identification with the indigenous community.

As a future teacher, I believe this can be done in PDHPE by incorporating the Stronger Smarter

program in my lessons through embracing high-expectation outcomes and removing deficit

conversations amongst students and teachers. This, in turn, will promote positive Indigenous

identity amongst students which can be done through a two-stage process. The two-stage

process involves appreciating the visual symbols of Indigenous culture and secondly, the

meanings behind them.

From the outside looking in the Stronger Smarter approach may look fantastic but it does come

with a significant limitation which is the challenge of enforcement and replication of the

approach by supervising leadership roles such as being an Aboriginal Education Trained

principals. According to recent data, only 3.9% of principals across the nation identify as

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and are Trained in Aboriginal education (Department of

Education, 2015). What about that 96.1% of principals across the country? Are they effectively

trained? The issue is that we need more Aboriginal Education Trained principals in schools to

show students what they can achieve and what they are capable of. This will highlight that

principals can be a part of their communities too and they are listening to their needs (Osborne,

2014).

The lack of initiative of educators is what is setting back Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students hence it is essential as a competent professional teacher to take incentive in self-

learning and professional practice training throughout your career. The occurrences of

educators setting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students up with low expectations is

dominantly caused by poor professional knowledge where educators are not taught about the

benefits of the cultural competency framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

students. Apart of being culturally competent involves getting to know a students’ cultural

needs through symbolic, history, cultural expression and events, Extended family clan/

community, language, cultural values, lore, beliefs and practices (Bamblett, 2012). The act of

getting know students gives students the sense of inclusion and appreciation; this action will

put educators at cultural competence standard on the cultural framework continuum. Cultural

competence is achieved through the acceptance and respect for cultural diversity within the

classroom with various cultures (Victorian Government Department of Human Services,

2008).

However, if the stronger smarter approach, policies, professional practices are used in your

advantage it can result in an engaging class lessons for example, in a Year 8 lesson about family

structures and relationships covering syllabus point 4.3. As the lesson starts, I would set the

learning goal as understanding how kinship family structures work. Using the basis of kinship

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families as a learning tool, applying collaborative approach which will incite class discussions

by having various images of symbols to represent elements of kinship and deconstruct those

symbols to discuss how kinship works and its vital importance to the Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander community. In turn, the use of a collaborative approach raises the elements of

high expectation practices with all children leading to authentic human interactions to involve

removing deficit conversations. This method allows for high expectations within classrooms

as high expectation leadership amongst all students is highly beneficial as they are taught

mindfulness and the effects of perceptions.

This approach also links to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers as an educator I am

meeting standard 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.4 and 3.1 through using the basis of setting achievable goals

and educating all students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and symbols.

This efficiently teaches students how different family structures work and their benefits. this

allows students with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background to feel recognised

and respected for their socio-cultural beliefs leading to higher retention rates (Sarra, 2017).

Also, before implementing the lesson, I would communicate with caregivers and the Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander community about the lesson and revise my information as well as

retain any ideas on how to approach the lesson in a more culturally competent way. The act of

engaging with carers and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community allows me to

meet standards 7.3 and 7.4 as I am trying to understand strategies for working effectively,

sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers and understand the role of external

professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge

and practice.

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To overcome the challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students due to

stifled perceptions will take a significantly journey as obstacles based on identity and low

expectations are still being faced. But as a future educator, I feel that I have the responsibility

to benefit all young lives through the work of education regardless of their socio-cultural

identity. I can achieve my closing the gap in my classroom which will hopefully create a

domino effect through school, regional, state and national sectors regardless of my position in

the school. I will build a professional relationship with leadership staff and communities to

help teachers understand the importance of by getting to know who your students are, setting

achievable goals, understanding government policies and standards, working with

communities and continually be involved in professional development to further enhance

understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

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References

Australian Human Rights Commission. (2012). Right to education. Humanrights.gov.au.

Retrieved 12 December 2017, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/right-education

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. (2017). Australian Professional Standards

for Teachers(pp. 8-19). Melbourne: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Australians Together. (2017). Indigenous kinship. Australianstogether.org.au. Retrieved 12

December 2017, from https://www.australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-

culture/kinship/

Bamblett, M. (2012). Not one size fits all (1st ed., pp. 60-70). Bundoora, Vic.: La Trobe

University.

Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B. (2014). The legacy of racism and Indigenous Australian

identity within education. Race Ethnicity And Education, 19(4), 784-807.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2014.969224

Dandy, J., Durkin, K., Barber, B., & Houghton, S. (2015). Academic Expectations of

Australian Students from Aboriginal, Asian and Anglo Backgrounds: Perspectives of

Teachers, Trainee-teachers and Students. International Journal Of Disability,

Development And Education, 62(1), 60-82.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1034912x.2014.984591

Department of Education. (2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher Workforce

Analysis (p. 19). Melbourne: Australian Government.

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2017). Closing the Gap Report (pp. 34-52).

Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

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Dockett, S., Mason, T., & Perry, B. (2006). Successful Transition to School for Australian

Aboriginal Children. Childhood Education, 82(3), 139-144.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2006.10521365

New South Wales Department of Education and Communities. (2008). Aboriginal Education

Policy- Turning Policy into Action (pp. 1-14). Canberra: New South Wales Government.

Price, K. (2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education (2nd ed., pp. 1-20, 35-50,

140-157). Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Sarra, C. (2017). Stronger Smarter Approaches to Indigenous Leadership in Australia. In I.

Snyder & J. Nieuwenhuysen, Closing the Gap in Education? (1st ed.). Melbourne:

Monash University.

Victorian Government Department of Human Services. (2008). Aboriginal Cultural

Competence Framework (pp. 19, 24). Melbourne: Victorian Government Department of

Human Services.

Yamanouchi, Y. (2010). Exploring Ambiguity: Aboriginal Identity Negotiation in

Southwestern Sydney. Environment And Planning A, 42(2), 285-299.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/a41324.

Osborne, S. (2014). At the Heart of Learning (Series: Paper 1 of 4): Putuna Kulini: The

trouble with “Hearing”. Alter Native: An International Journal of Indigenous

Peoples, 10(1), 3-14.

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