Kamil James 16525694

Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive

Dr. Chris Sarra founder of the Stronger Smarter Institute Limited (SSIL) suggests, teachers

with negative perceptions of Indigenous students have no place in education (Australian

Government, 2017). Policies throughout Australian history have negatively influenced how

non-Indigenous Australia perceives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Indigenous

Australians), unfortunately, this deficit thinking has also influenced teacher perceptions of

Indigenous communities and students (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2014; Blair, 2015; Sarra,

2007b; SSIL, 2014; Dandy, Durkin, Barer & Houghton, 2015). This paper will seek to

address key topics from SSI that may be impacted by teacher perceptions these include

building strong Indigenous identity and working with Indigenous community. Additionally,

as a non-Indigenous teacher the limitations of the SSIL approach will be compared with

recent literature with reference to identity and community and the Australian Institute for

Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) professional standard 2.4. Lastly, this paper will

seek to address the need for Science teachers to incorporate the SSIL philosophy in their

practice so that professional standards 1.4 can be achieved.

Non-Indigenous Australia has created a deficit discourse within education that has caused

detriment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Blair, 2015). Policies throughout

Australian history such as the, Child Removal Policy and Assimilation 1961 (Cwlth) policies

(Blair, 2015), have fractured a proud people. The Child Removal Policy, commonly known

as the Stolen Generation, involved the forced removal of Indigenous children before the

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Second World War. The process specifically targeted indigenous girls to make fathers

redundant and remove motherhood (Haskins, 2003). Similarly, Assimilation was an

exclusionary policy that placed the expectation on all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

to live as part of the Australian community and enjoy the same rights and privileges as

non-Indigenous. Assimilation promoted racial vilification over Indigenous Australia,

requesting nations to throw away their identity and adopt Western ideals. These policies

influenced attitudes and beliefs of Westernised Australia, whilst creating negative stereotypes

that have adversely affected the education of Indigenous students (Blair, 2015; Sarra, 2007a;

Sarra, 2007b; Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2014). Stifled perceptions create disabling

practices for Indigenous students and there is no place for these practices in education.

The Closing The Gap (2008) policy developed by the Australian Government, is the

acknowledgement of failing Indigenous Australians. Within this policy there is a national

focus on improving education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

with a focus on attendance, literacy and numeracy. SSIL (2014), promotes the use of a high

expectation framework that challenges deficit thinking, engaging with Indigenous community

and promoting strong student identity as a positive framework. The Closing the Gap Report

(2017) highlights additional frameworks in place to support Indigenous students, the National

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy and the Framework for Aboriginal

Languages and Torres Islander Languages. These frameworks are commitments made

throughout this policy document to help support all schools, teachers and communities

building inclusive school environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

(Australian Government, pp. 35, 2017). To close the gap teachers will need to reassess the

way in which deficit thinking may impact their role as a teacher of Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander students.

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As a non-Indigenous teacher, the SSI provides useful insightful knowledge for creating high

performing learning environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. SSI

promotes a framework for teachers to enhance Indigenous student outcomes by promoting

strong sense of Indigenous identity, engaging with Indigenous community and promoting

high expectations. This framework directly challenges the deficit model and negative policy

that has created negative teacher perceptions. This philosophy requires teachers to take a

proactive approach and first reflect on their own ideals surrounding Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander students. Blair (2015), suggests a need for critical self-reflection for the

approach of embedding aboriginal perspective in education. Similarly, the SSI enabled this

deep self-reflection using an e-journal, upon completion of the SSI module an important

discovery was the continued reflection of personal teaching practice to help challenge the

deficit model (James, 2017). If teachers hold a negative view of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people they will not create enabling classrooms, it is the role of the teacher to create

safe learning environments for all students.

Promoting and nurturing a strong identity for Indigenous students is an important factor in

student engagement in Australia (Mooney, Seaton, Kaur, Marsh & Yeung, 2016; Sarra,

2011a; Shay & Wickes, 2017), due to past policy this is not easy. The SSI challenges teachers

understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture (SSIL, 2014). Donna Bridge

(SSIL, 2014), states some of the issues Indigenous students are facing are due to past policy,

and that teachers need to enable their students to be proud of who they are and that they can

be strong Indigenous students. Similarly, Buckskin (2015) suggests the education revolution

must embrace Indigenous culture and further suggests, that pre-service teachers need to

develop skills with Indigenous culture. These suggestions align with current government

policy which seeks to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and

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realign teacher perceptions. Teachers with stifled perceptions will not be fulfilling the current

requirements of policy and Indigenous students.

However, the need to nurture a strong identity for Indigenous students is not always

straightforward that non-Indigenous educators may not be aware of. Yamanouchi (2010),

highlights the difficulty of identifying as an Aboriginal in Australia, due to the Child

Removal Policy also known as the Stolen Generation. Government policies have fragmented

Indigenous communities and culture to a point that some children do not know which

Indigenous nation they belong to. Yamanouchi (2010) reveals the identification process

conducted for those seeking their Aboriginality is followed out by a practice known as family

identification. Shay & Wickes (2017) adds, you must be of Aboriginal and or Torres strait

Islander decent, identify and be accepted within the community you live. The SSIL does not

inform teachers of these important issues of Indigenous identity. Sarra (2011b) & SSIL

(2014) put forward the importance for a strong Indigenous identity and the link with

engagement and success but does not equip pre-service and in-service teachers with the

knowledge through the SSIL modules. Furthermore, the identity of one Aboriginal or Torres

Strait Islander nation is not the same as another, therefore, the identity of an Indigenous

Australian as an Aboriginal and not their specific nation continues to keep our Indigenous

communities fragmented. Lowe (2015) refers to this as identifying as pan-Aboriginal, which

is problematic for identity as Indigenous community is bound to place, kin and deep spiritual

connection. For Indigenous students, identity is strongly linked with engagement (Sarra,

2011b; SSIL, 2014) and engagement is linked with achievement (SSIL, 2014). The issues

raised are daunting for a non-Indigenous teacher and the SSIL does not address these

limitations.

Language acts as a reflection of cultural identity and self-esteem for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students (Buckskin, 2015). Whilst, SSIL does not provide additional methods

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for building strong identity within students, Buckskin (2015), suggests culturally competent
teachers will understand that Indigenous students may speak many languages with Standard
Australian English (SAE) not being the first. Price (2015), suggests some Indigenous students
may need to be classified as Language Other Than English (LOTE) learners. If the teacher
does not have knowledge of their Indigenous students they may not be able to assist with
achievement in class, understanding that further support is necessary to building language
skills and supporting use of local Indigenous dialects will benefit student identity. Mooney et
al. (2016), notes that teachers should teach their students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people, culture, history, and that these factors have a positive influence on identity
and educational outcomes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Teachers need to
be aware of their own perceptions to enhance learning but this cannot be solely achieved by
the teacher and external support can enhance student achievement.

Embracing Indigenous community support is highly recommended for improving student

achievement and engagement (SSIL, 2014; Mooney et al., 2016; Sarra, 2007a). The SSIL

philosophy cannot be achieved without local Indigenous community, there is an ongoing

issue of teachers not engaging in which Yunkaporta & McGinty (2009), suggest this issue

with teachers not being able to connect with students and community is based on teacher

perceptions of Indigenous people. This finding aligns with Sarras concerns surrounding

teachers with stifled perceptions and adds an additional layer to the complexity of applying

the SSIL philosophy, including community and creating engagement for Indigenous students.

The reflections from the SSIL (James, 2017) revealed the same understanding, Indigenous

communities should not be treated as separate from education and should be deeply involved

in the process. SSIL (2014), provides strategies that include, but should not be limited to,

Elders parade showcasing student work, engagement with wider community, allocating a

dedicated room for community, Elders-in-residence and involving the community in

decision-making. These strategies are suggested to improve the relationship between the

school community and Indigenous community which is important for student achievement.

Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson (2016) and Mooney et al. (2016) identify Indigenous community

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support in the school as promoting positive identity, resilience and success for Indigenous

students in school. However, the SSIL (2014) does not provide a framework of how to

approach Indigenous community, this may be increasingly difficult for teachers who are non-

Indigenous and more so for those with stifled perceptions of Indigenous students.

Teachers need to be proactive in their approach to closing the gap, it is their professional

duty to provide high quality education (AITSL, 2017) to Indigenous students, as such,

connecting with Indigenous community is highly important. AITSL standard 2.4 Understand

and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between

Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians will be addressed through community

engagement. Bennet & Moriarty (2016) suggest pre-service teachers should undergo

placements in schools that provide learning about Indigenous communities, Healthy Culture

Healthy Country (HCHC) is one such programme in NSW. HCHC is a programme developed

by Dr Shayne Williams for the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)

(Bennet & Moriarty, 2016). The AECG is an organisation that represents the viewpoint of

Aboriginal community with a strong local, regional and state network (AECG, 2017). This

programme embeds teachers with Indigenous knowledge, provides contact with Indigenous

community through the AECG network and instils confidence to teachers who may have held

negative perceptions. The HCHC programme enabled pre-service teachers to develop

relationships with Aboriginal community (Bennet & Moriarty, 2016). Bennet & Moriarty

(2016) also noted the positive change of teacher perceptions through developing relationships

with Indigenous community. Buckskin (pp. 177, 2015) advocates the need for relationships

between teacher, students and community, you cant have a relationship without

conversation. The NSW Department of Education (2015) also recognises the need for public

schools to build genuine partnerships with Indigenous communities and the AECG. Standard

2.4 at a graduate level requires teachers to demonstrate broad knowledge surrounding

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Indigenous knowledge (AITSL, 2017), through interacting with community pre-service

teachers will gain important knowledge first hand from Indigenous communities. Whilst the

HCHC programme may not be accessible to every pre-service or in-service teacher,

contacting the local AECG is available to all teachers and will assist in incorporating the

SSIL philosophy and connecting with Indigenous community.

Science Teachers must utilise the knowledge available to them surrounding Indigenous

education, there is policy in place and professional standards requiring teachers to improve

success for Indigenous students (Australian Government, 2017; AITSL, 2017). The SSIL

provides a useful philosophy to guide teachers to promote success in the classroom, however,

most examples provided are from the primary school setting (SSIL, 2014; Sarra 2007b).

Science education from a Western perspective frames Indigenous knowledge as inferior,

there is an underrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the field of

science (Ball, 2015) which may stem from negative perceptions. Teachers stereotyping

students based on societal constructs sets negative implications for students, Dandy et al.

(2015) found this to be true. Negative teacher perceptions of Indigenous students, leads to

poor academic outcomes (Dandy et al., 2015), it is the role of the teacher to address these

shortcomings and create meaningful content for Indigenous students in Science.

AITSL requires teachers to meet professional standards and provide evidence for meeting the

criteria of each, as a Science teacher creating engaging content that is culturally respectful is

essential (AITSL, 2017). Standard 1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander students is directly addressed in the SSIL, as mentioned above there is limited

knowledge given for Science educators. The SSIL approach will be applied to a stage 4

Science content descriptor from the Living World (LW), LW5 (a) (Board of Studies, 2012) to

address standard 1.4. Standard 1.4 requires graduate teachers to demonstrate broad

knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, identity and language backgrounds of

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The LW5 content descriptors (a) surrounds

food webs in Australia, the overarching concept being sustainability. Typically, a science

lesson may incorporate an ecosystem that may not be location based for example living in

Western Sydney and teaching students about the Daintree Forest. Blair (2015) suggests

Indigenous knowledge as being localised, as such developing localised content will be more

engaging. The lesson may be modified to teach students about a local ecosystem. Provide

students with specific examples and compare these examples with an Indigenous perspective

including local language to replace Western names of flora and fauna. This may be done by

contacting the local AECG to ensure content is culturally appropriate and accurate. Harrison

(2011), suggests the creating of school bush gardens, these could be created early in the year

and visited as a local ecosystem for LW5 (a) (Board of Studies, 2012). Compare food web of

Western origin with one of Indigenous origin, compare the sustainability of both and educate

all students in the successful ways in which Indigenous society maintain world leading

sustainability methods (Willis-Johnson, 2010). Teachers are responsible for their own

perceptions of students, to successfully address AITSL teaching standards teachers need to be

aware and culturally responsive.

Sarra (2017) has it right, teachers with stifled perceptions of Indigenous students have no

place as educators. Government policy and AITSL require teachers to change their mindsets

(Australian Government, 2017; AITSL, 2017) toward Indigenous education. There are still

educators not trained in Indigenous education, blame should not be placed on teachers alone.

Policy should not just be for compliance but genuine change (Blair, 2015). The SSIL (2014)

philosophy provides a broad understanding of strategies that teachers may use to promote

success for Indigenous students, however, adopting these strategies alone will not be enough

Seeking out additional knowledge such as HCHC styled programmes may further benefit

teachers. As a science educator, there is not enough support or guidance provided to embed

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Indigenous knowledge and further support should be provided through policy or the

education sector. A recommendation for future policy could be embedding Indigenous

Knowledge and the implementation of well-developed supporting material to supplement

teachers. A change of teacher perceptions is a step in the right direction for closing the gap

but more change is necessary to Indigenous student success.

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Ball, R. (2015). Science Is Not Just Whitefella Business. Australasian Science, 36(3), 38.
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