Aboriginal and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies

Option 2:

Understanding the various factors that contribute to a student’s behaviour within and beyond

school grounds allows for educators to develop strategies and practices that will not only

promote a positive environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to learn but

decrease the use of punishments and suspensions. The knowledge of how to approach certain

students with behavioural problems begins by seeking the underlying issues of social inequity

and exclusion that result in their behaviour and approaching these issues in a certain manner.

The following articles: “Respect for Culture - Social and Emotional Learning with

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth” by Brenda Dobia and Sue Roffey, “Promoting

the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous children in Australian primary schools” by

Brenda Dobia and Virginia O’Rourke, “Aboriginal Girls Circle enhancing connectedness

and promoting resilience for Aboriginal girl” by Brenda Dobia, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews,

Roberto Parada, Virginia O’Rourke, Shirley Gilbert, Annie Daley and Sue Roffey and the

Literature Review “The Benefits Associated with Caring for Country” by Dr Jessica K Weir,

Ms Claire Stacey and Dr Kara Youngetob are a handful of literature that discusses the effects

and benefits of certain disciplinary practices and raises awareness to the reasons that

contribute to behavioural issues due to inequity and lack of inclusion.

There are various influences within a schooling environment that can either aid or hinder a

young person’s education. The lack of consideration for external factors such as family

circumstances, cultural and individual identity issues, events or life situations and the society

and/or community they’re a part of are evidently impacting young youth and their behaviour.

It is crucial for schools to investigate the competencies of their SEL approaches regarding

their practices and the improvements that are necessary to take place in order for
development amongst Aboriginal youth. In the article “Respect for Culture - Social and

Emotional Learning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth”, Brenda Dobia and

Sue Roffey they draw upon their own experiences working in schools, highlighting the

“crucial role of culture and identity in mediating self-awareness and social development”

regarding Aboriginal youth. The implementation of support systems that raise awareness such

as ‘Closing the Gap’, ‘AGC – Aboriginal Girls Circle’ and ‘COAG – The Council of

Australian Governments’ provides educators and students with deeper knowledge of the

issues at hand.

Integrating self-awareness, cultural-awareness and responsible decision-making for students

through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) promotes a management for their behavioural

issues ( Brenda Dobia and Sue Roffey, 2017). This approach creates “skills for emotional

regulation” ( Brenda Dobia and Sue Roffey, 2017) which goes beyond a theoretical method

of educating. Nonetheless these SEL approaches do not connect students to their broken

heritage or assist the underlying issues of their behaviour; a negative, complex complication

with their personal and cultural identity. It is important to note that these programs that raise

emotional awareness are not enough regardless of how well students may master these skills,

but it is the connection and relationships that they build and form with their history; example

connecting with Aboriginal Elders.

Closing the Gap is a government strategy that has been developed to reduce the

disadvantages among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people regarding their health, life

expectancy, educational achievements and employment outcomes (Council of Australian

Governments, 2009; Department of Families Housing Community Services and Indigenous

Affairs, 2009). This strategy brings forward awareness that causes of behavioural issues.

These social, health and behavioural problems all contribute to a “cumulative effect of stress”

on Aboriginal people, increasing their “vulnerability to health and wellbeing risks” (Carson,
Dunbar, Chenhall & Bailie, 2007; Kelly, Dudgeon, Graham & Glaskin, 2010). The Australian

government policies focused on reducing health inequality (Council of Australian

Governments, COAG, 2008) and educating students on the importance of health. The focus

on school attendance has been reinforced by the government’s emphasis on education as one

of their ‘National Indigenous Reform Agreement’ targets. The emphasis on education is in

order to achieve social equity and improve the outcomes of Aboriginal people (COAG,

2012). These schooling outcomes proves to have shown enhancement not only in mental and

emotional health but academic success (Dix, Slee, Lawson & Keeves, 2012; Durlak,

Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor & Schellinger, 2011). Unfortunately, many schools, regardless

of their ‘assimilation’ approaches still expect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

to adopt the standards of white Australian society (Beresford, 2012), hence the high number

of Aboriginal students that are categorised as deviant and “in need of remediation” ( Brenda

Dobia and Sue Roffey, 2017).

Educational and disciplinary goals are still depicted through a ‘white lens’, impacting

Aboriginal students’ social and emotional wellbeing thus their education. Padbury (2011)

highlights the “the vicious cycle of attitudes and expectations, experiences and practices that

have affected and still affect the education of Aboriginal students in Australian schools” (p.

140). This mindset that lacks cultural respect and inclusivity has been proven to affect

cognitive development and educational performance due to cultural deficit (Dudgeon,

Rickwood, Garvey & Gridley, 2014). The ignorance of Aboriginal issues in education from

practitioners creates an absence of engagement. Explicit classroom teaching that reinforces

“non-indigenous ways of thinking, feeling and behaving” (Hoffman, 2009; Humphrey, 2013)

contribute to low expectations, diminish self-worth, thus influencing their behaviour.

Suspension is a process of exclusion used for two purposes, one when the safety and

wellbeing of the school community is threatened and secondly as a form of punishment for
consistent unacceptable behaviour in hopes for remediation (NSW Review of Aboriginal

Education, 2004). Focusing on years 7 to 10, the New South Wales Review of Aboriginal

Education illustrates a comparative statistic record over a year per 1000 students of

Aboriginal male and female to Non-Aboriginal male and female. Short suspensions,

Aboriginal females scored 251 suspensions in comparison to Non-Aboriginal females whom

scored 62 suspensions. Aboriginal males scored 629 short suspensions in comparison to Non-

Aboriginal males whom scored 188 suspensions. Regarding long suspensions Aboriginal

females scored 37 suspensions whilst Non-Aboriginal females scored 11 suspensions.

Aboriginal males scored 168 long suspensions whilst Non-Aboriginal males scored 43 long

suspensions.

Although suspension is used for the two purposes of when there is threat or a consistency of

inappropriate behaviour there are methods of disciplinary tools that can be used prior to this

approach. Unfortunately, in most cases it depends on the school’s discipline policy and the

staff’s contribution and attitudes towards inappropriate behaviour. Depending on the

teacher’s beliefs and perceptions alongside the school’s administrative structure, the chances

of a student’s suspension is affected by institutional biases (NSW Review of Aboriginal

Education, 2004). Some schools tend to benefit from a zero-tolerance policy which may solve

short-term issues but cause long-term consequences. Students that continuously get

suspended lose a lot of face-to-face teaching and learning as well as opportunities of social

engagement. This then not only hinders the student’s education but their involvement with

their peers, teachers and the way they perceive themselves. Schools that have lower

suspension rates in relation to Aboriginal students tend to have strategies and procedures that

support both Aboriginal students and their families. They’re involved in the relevant

agencies like the Department of Community Services, they use Regional staff such as

Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers and Aboriginal Education Consultants to work with
families to help resolve issues, and are provided with relevant training by significant staff

members of Mind Matters (NSW Review of Aboriginal Education, 2004). Schools that tend

to have strong, flexible leaders guide students both academically and emotionally by

understanding the reasons for the students’ misbehaviour as well as being a great support

system to motivate students achieve their goals in a learning environment. Having strong and

effective relationships among students, teachers and staff creates a positive environment that

encourages students to learn and participate in class. These relationships provide an avenue

which motivates students through higher expectations to excel academically and socially.

There are various alternatives that provide opportunities for students to alter their behaviour

without removing them from school. Suspension can be seen by students as time away from

learning; a holiday or that they are being targeted due to their differences. These alternatives

such as problem solving/contracting, restitution (repairing what they have damaged, in a case

of vandalism), removal of privileges (exclusion from ‘fun’ activities like excursions),

reflection and decision-making opportunities (programs tailored to focus on why they have

behaved in that manner and how they modify their actions), and community service work,

can all be used to teach controlled behavioural strategies, keeping students involved and

engaged with their education and the schooling social environment.

It is essential to employ practices within the classroom that promote positive and respectful

relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as it creates a inclusive

learning environment. Implementing cultural awareness when educating Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students constructs a norm for their cultural beliefs within the

classroom. This builds upon their social and emotional development constricting the gap they

may feel among their peers and towards what they are learning. As future secondary

classroom teacher, within my personal KLA, English, the kind of practices I would develop

would be culturally inclusive for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. An example
of this would be, when assigning students to complete a creative writing piece I would

implement topics such as ‘exploring one’s identity’, ‘respect and unity’ and ‘people of the

land’ allowing all students to explore and understand the Aboriginal culture. Allowing all

students, not just Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to explore Aboriginal culture

creates a unity and inclusivity within the classroom. This then develops a cultural

perspective, motivating students to relate and engage with the work. When students feel a

relation to their work they are encouraged to be involved. Bringing in texts to be dissected

and understood on a deeper level allow for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to

address their personal and social issues. Understanding texts as a class, allows for students

who are not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to empathise and grasp a better perspective

on their peers; formulating a mutual respect among students. As an educator, it imperative to

possess the knowledge and training that is required when addressing Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander students not only theoretically but also when it comes to discipline and

creating a respectful, positive classroom environment.

In summary, the investigation undertaken throughout the discourse of this task has permitted

an understanding that school disciplinary practices and their effects have direct correlations

with students’ behaviour. This is due to the relative lack of inclusion regarding Aboriginal

culture within schools. By analysing the ‘Close the Gap’ campaign, the Social and Emotional

Learning system, researching alternative methods for suspension, understanding reasons for

misbehaviour among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, one can begin to develop

their awareness regarding their culture and the needs of these students and the methods

required to be implemented within schools.

Reference:

Beresford, Q. (2012). Separate and equal: An outline of Aboriginal education. In Q.

Beresford, G. Partington, & G. Gower (Eds.), Reform and resistance in Aboriginal

education (pp. 85– 119). Perth, Australia: UWA

Carson, B., Dunbar, T., Chenhall, R.D., & Bailie, R. (2007). Social determinants of

Indigenous health. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.

COAG (Council of Australian Governments) (2008). National Indigenous reform agreement

(Closing the Gap). Canberra, Australia: COAG. COAG (Council of Australian

Governments) (2012). National Indigenous reform agreement (Closing the Gap).

Canberra, Australia: COAG. Retrieved from:

http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/health_indigenous/indigenou

sreform/national-agreement_sept_12.pdf

Council of Australian Governments. (2009). National Indigenous Reform Agreement

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Department of Families Housing Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (2009) Closing

the gap on Indigenous disadvantage: the challenge for Australia. Canberra:

Commonwealth of Australia

Kelly, K., Dudgeon, P., Graham, G., & Glaskin, B. (2010). Living on the edge: social and

emotional wellbeing and risk and protective factors for serious psychological distress

among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Discussion Paper No. 10.

Darwin, Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health.

Dix, K.L., Slee, P.T., Lawson, M.J., & Keeves, J.P. (2012). Implementation quality of

wholeschool mental health promotion and students’ academic performance. Child and

Adolescent Mental Health, 17(1), 45-51.

Dudgeon, P., Walker, R., Scrine, C., Shepherd, C., Calma, T., & Ring, I. (2014). Effective

strategies to strengthen the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Running head: RESPECT FOR CULTURE 28 Islander people. Canberra,

Australia: Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Issues Paper No. 12. Retrieved from

http://www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Our_publications/20

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Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K.B. (2011).

The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: a meta-analysis of

school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.

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