EDUC 2061 Assignment 2: Essay (name removed for TPA)

What are some of the key issues teachers need to consider for working
successfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students?
Word Count: 2301
Education in Indigenous communities was not always accessible. It was not until in the year of 1814, when

Governor Macquarie established the first school for Indigenous children in Parramatta, Sydney (Beresford,

Q 2012 p.85) that Indigenous Australians were able to gain an education through a school based setting.

This school however, known as the ‘native institution’ (Price 2012, p. 5), was unsuccessful after the practice

of forcible removal of children became about for the purpose of Christianity in Indigenous education and

therefore beginning the aggression of many Indigenous parents against schools and organisations run by

non-Indigenous Australians (Beresford, Q 2012 p. 86). Before the time of schooling education for

Indigenous Australian students and Torres Strait Islander students, they were taught life lessons through

their culture, the way in which they are raised and throughout everyday activities.

For the purpose of this essay, there will be a main focus on the key issues that teachers and pre-service

teachers need to consider for working successfully with Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islander

students. This essay topic has been selected because it coincides with the teaching and learning in a

classroom setting, in how it allows the pre-service teacher and teacher to consider their way of thinking

both in and out of the classroom in relation to Indigenous education. There are four key issues that were

selected and that will be discussed within this essay. They are; the critical knowledge of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander history and education for educators and pre-service teachers, building secure and

professional teaching relationships with students and parents/ caregivers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander history in education and English as a second language within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander community.
EDUC 2061 Assignment 2: Essay (name removed for TPA)

Critical knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and education for educators and pre-service

teachers

Throughout university education, it is imperative that pre-service teachers are taught the importance of

the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and how to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

education. The reason for this is because teacher education is first and foremost one of the most critical

steps to achieving the goals of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy (Australia

Department of Employment, Education and Training [DEET], cited in Price 2012, p. 153), as well as the

National Professional Standards for Teaching (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership

Limited [AITSL]. It is also widely seen as being a positive step towards reconciliation (Price 2012, p.153).

Furthermore, the Australian Curriculum for Assessment and Reporting [ACARA] (2016), states that

‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures will allow all young Australian’s the opportunity

to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their

significance for Australia’, meaning that by teaching this throughout the curriculum, educators are giving

children a larger chance of understanding the history and culture of their own lands.

If educators are not familiar with or educated on matters like Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait

Islander education, Australia is unable to continue their progressiveness and therefore it will put a halt on

reconciliation because students will not be learning it and then knowledge is not being shared and

awareness is not being spread. As a whole, Australia values the role that education plays in building an

equitable, cohesive and culturally diverse society (Price 2012, p.154). Without including Indigenous

Australian culture and education amongst the curriculum, Australia is failing in connecting to these ever

important values.

To overcome such issue, there have been a number of teacher resources created to assist in developing

educator’s knowledge of Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander history, culture, and how to teach
EDUC 2061 Assignment 2: Essay (name removed for TPA)

education in said areas. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies [NAATSIS] project

produced two documents in order to help educators and their knowledge and understanding (Price 2012,

p. 153). These are, ‘National principles and guidelines for Aboriginal Studies and Torres Strait Islander

studies’, and ‘Resource guide for Aboriginal studies and Torres Strait Islander studies’ (Price 2012, p.153).

Additionally, there is also a video called ‘Aboriginal studies and Torres Strait Islander studies: you can do it

too’ that comes with teachers notes that was released by the Curriculum Corporation in 1996 (Price 2012,

p.153). Educators can use these tools as a guide to help them in their teaching and learning in Indigenous

Australian cultures and histories, as well as use them as a refresher through current teaching. As well as

this, pre-service teachers complete a university course throughout their time studying that engages them

with content that teaches them about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and how to teach for them, as

well as how to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.

Building secure and professional teaching relationships with students and parents/ caregivers

The job of an educator or pre-service teacher is to make each and every student in their class feel warm,

welcome, settled and safe. Students should feel as though their learning space is a place they can be

themselves, regardless of who they are and where they come from. Unfortunately, mainstream schools

and classrooms within Australia have failed to provide adequate support and professional development for

educators of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (Buckskin 2012, p. 166). As a result of this,

parents and caregivers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are very cautious of mainstream

education, classrooms and teachers as a whole (Buckskin 2012, p. 166). Just as any parent would, parents

and caregivers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children endeavor to help their child succeed in both

their education and everyday life (Buckskin 2012, p. 166). Unfortunately, however, due to the lack of

education in mainstream schools they are unable to achieve the success that is so well deserved (Buckskin

2012, p. 166).
EDUC 2061 Assignment 2: Essay (name removed for TPA)

This issue, unfortunately is not one that can be overcome overnight, nor is it a quick fix issue. It takes

dedication, personal and professional development, leadership, education and adequate resources. In April

of 2007, then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd stated that resources will be provided to Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander children if we are to have any chance to lessen the number of students failing to meet the

literacy and numeracy benchmarks (Buckskin 2012, p. 167). To this day, there are still classrooms without

said resources and therefore the gap is still evident to this day.

In order to close this gap within education and schooling for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children,

educators and pre-service teachers need to be informed and aware of each and every child’s personal

details. This includes- their culture, family history and their identity which has been formed from the way

in which a child has been raised. By having these understandings, teachers are able to offer a foundation

for building trusting and effective learning relationships with their students (Buckskin 2012, p. 168). This

also goes for an educator’s relationship with the parents and caregivers of all students. By forming strong,

professional relationships with parents, educators are able to go above and therefore go the extra mile to

help those whom may need it more than others.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history in education

Islander children were forcibly removed from their homes, their families and their life (Williams- Mozley

2012, p. 27). Those children that were removed faced some of their darkest days throughout this time of

horror. Some were racially discriminated against, deprived of liberty, suffered pains both physical and

mentally, suffered from excruciating abuse, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse, loss of family

life, culture and identity, labour exploitation, economical loss and loss of opportunities (Williams- Mozley

2012, p. 28). This type of trauma can leave a person with both long term and short term effects mentally,

physically, socially and emotionally.

A document was formed in 1997 by the Australian Human Rights Commission, called Bringing Them Home,

amongst this document there was a recommendation that educators in both primary and secondary

schools be provided with school curricular include compulsory education on the history and continuing

effects of forcible removal (Williams- Mozley 2012, p. 27). Furthermore, the National Sorry Day committee

strongly agrees with the Bringing Them Home document and recommends that the history of forcible

removal should be a mandated and compulsory section of the Australian Curriculum for Assessment and

Reporting (Williams- Mozley 2012, p. 29). They also agree that every year on National Apology Day it should

be compulsory that educators use the Australian Curriculum and the day to serve as a beginning guide for

discussion about the history of forcible removal, the effects it had on children, parents, family, friends and

life, and how it resulted in the Stolen Generations (Williams- Mozley 2012, p. 29). Throughout the teaching

and learning of the history of the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and

families, and the Stolen Generations, educators should be using respectful language, be familiar with the

language, terminology and stories of members of the Stolen Generation in order to teach content that is

true, respectful and holistic (Williams- Mozley 2012, p. 33).

It is however, vital that when an educator is discussing the history of the forcible removal of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander children and families, and the Stolen Generations that they are speaking with respect

to all those around them and are treating the subject with sensitivity and care (Williams- Mozley 2012, p.

32). It could also be an option to include family members, other teachers and the community into classroom

learning when it comes to teaching and learning the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The

content that is taught will depend on the age of the class, however it is always great to include the

community and perhaps have someone who experienced the Stolen Generations (who is comfortable

discussing it) talk with the children and allow them to ask questions, discuss and take note of what actually

happened from someone whom experienced it first hand. This would be a great tool for an educator who

is not 100% confident having to teach it alone.

English as a second language

Indigenous language being their first language. With little to no understanding of Indigenous language, it is

difficult for educators to adapt their teaching to this and therefore creates some issue within the classroom.

Language is the first point of a cultural expression (Troy 2012, p. 134). If educators did not give opportunity

to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to either speak their language and use their language

throughout their learning or use their language and knowledge to help teach their peers they would lose

their cultural transmission (Troy 2012, p. 143).

Many people, including some educators assume that English is the native language for Australia. This is in

fact incorrect, but a common misconception- one that is easily made since majority of Australians speak

English. The Australian native language is rather, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages (Troy

2012, p. 134). By allowing students to have a right to their own language within the classroom, educators

are meeting the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (Australian Human Rights

Commission 2007, p.7), therefore successfully giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students access

to their basic rights.

In conclusion, educators, parents, children, and students face many struggles on a day to day basis. Those

of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s face even more, with an unfortunate dismay that their peers simply

do not have a strong understanding of the culture, language, land and life that they lead. This can cause

some disruption amongst the classroom, specifically if an educator is also unfamiliar with or does not

understand these things. In order to create a safe, happy, welcoming, culturally diverse classroom, it is vital

that educators are clear on their students backgrounds, cultural and heritage beliefs, and family life. This

allows educators to build relationships with students and families and therefore breaking a gap that may

otherwise be formed amongst one another.

Reference list
Australian Human Rights Commision, 2007, ‘United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous

Peoples’, Human Rights Quaterly, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 909-921.

Education Council, 2011, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, Australian Institute for Teaching

and School Leadership Limited [AITSL], viewed 06 March 2018, < https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-

source/general/australian-professional-standands-for-teachers-20171006.pdf?sfvrsn=399ae83c_12>.

Beresford, Q 2012, Separate and unequal: An outline of Aboriginal Education 1990-1996, Reform and

Resistance in Aboriginal Education, UWA Publishing, Western Australia.

Buckskin, P 2012, Engaging indigenous students: the important relationship between Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students and their teachers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: An

introduction for the teaching profession, Cambridge University Press, Victoria, pp. 164- 180.

Department of Employment, Education and Training [DEET], 1989, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Education Policy, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, viewed 06 March 2018, <

http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/81579.>.

Price, K 2012, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: An introduction for the teaching profession,

Cambridge University Press, Victoria.

Troy, J 2012, Language and literacy, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: An introduction for

the teaching profession, Cambridge University Press, Victoria, pp. 164- 180.

Williams- Mozely, J 2012, The Stolen Generations: What does this mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander children and young people today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education: An introduction

for the teaching profession, Cambridge University Press, Victoria, pp. 164- 180.