aboriginal and torres strait islander students
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students come into your classrooms with a diverse range of experiences. Some will be part of an extended family and have a rich, cultural life outside of school, while others will not. Some ATSI students will enter you class with a solid grasp of literacy and a supportive home environment which provides ample reading support; others may not. Some ATSI students will come to class each day happy and prepared for a day of learning; others may not. As you can see, teaching ATSI students is very similar to teaching non-Aboriginal students, and they require differentiated teaching and learning activities to achieve their potential. There are a few things that teachers can do that will support Aboriginal students to reach their potential.
how can we get the best out of atsi students?
- Support your students to develop a relationship with Country, and learn respect and a responsibility for it. It is best if this is facilitated by a member of the local Aboriginal community (see local AECG), but if this is impossible, encourage your students to sit silently outside, and watch, listen and see what nature is telling them. Have them draw it, tell a story, or sing a song about what they felt and saw. These are Aboriginal ways of learning that all students can do. Have your students care Country, as this is where everything they need comes from. Teach them to Respect it.
- It is not appropriate, however, for non-Aboriginal people to attempt any type of ceremony. This is for Aboriginal people only, and only local people can conduct ceremony. Contact your local AECG and they will advise how to go about working in collaboration with the local Aboriginal community. You can, and should, conduct an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ when holding functions, assemblies, and learning on Country.
- Hold high expectations for ATSI students. These students have the same potential to learn as every other child in the class.
- Acknowledge and celebrate Aboriginal cultures in the classroom, even if Aboriginal students are not in your class. This will encourage students to celebrate the rich and diverse culture and people that were the First People of Australia, helping all children to understand, respect and be proud of, the Indigenous cultures in this country.
- Incorporate Aboriginal Perspectives throughout as many lessons as you are able. This means more than conducting tokenistic celebrations only once a year. It means when you study weather patterns, study Indigenous explanations of weather as well. If you study healthy food, also investigate native foods to Australia. When you select literature to use in the classroom, ensure that you include works by Indigenous authors and illustrators, and tell stories relevant to Aboriginal history in Australia.
- Work with the local Aboriginal community. They have a lot of knowledge to share, and ae as invested in the education of their children as any non-Aboriginal community. Create an inclusive learning environment, so that parents and family members feel safe and comfortable talking to you about their child’s education.
- If you have ATSI students in your class, you are very lucky. Celebrate it, and learn as much as you can from them and their family and community. The teacher, the ATSI student, non-ATSI students, the family, the school, and the community will all benefit significantly from the sharing of knowledge and utilising Aboriginal Was of knowing and learning for classroom learning experiences.
8 aboriginal ways of learning
The 8 ways pedagogy framework allows teachers to include/embed Aboriginal perspectives by using Aboriginal learning techniques.
How Aboriginal People Learn - Culture Way:
To learn more about the 8 ways pedagogy visit: http://8ways.wikispaces.com/
- We connect through the stories we share.
- We picture our pathways of knowledge.
- We see, think, act, make and share without words.
- We keep and share knowledge with art and objects.
- We work with lessons from land and nature.
- We put different ideas together and create new knowledge.
- We work from wholes to parts, watching and then doing.
- We bring new knowledge home to help our mob.
To learn more about the 8 ways pedagogy visit: http://8ways.wikispaces.com/
Acknowledgement of country
An "Acknowledgement of Country" is a way that all people can show respect for Aboriginal cultures and heritage and the ongoing relationship the traditional custodians have with the land. This is usually given at the commencement of a meeting or event. Every school will have its own "Acknowledgement of Country" as it will be based on the traditional custodians of the area.
Here are some examples from the "NSW Department of Education and Communities (in collaboration with NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group) Guidelines and Protocols for NSW Public Schools":
Example 1.
I would like to pay my respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which this meeting takes place, and also pay respect to Elders both past and present
Example 2.
I would like to Acknowledge the _______________ people who are the traditional custodians of this land. I would also like to pay respect to Elders both past and present of the_______________ nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal people present
Visit this link for the above document: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/dethome/yr2005/welcomecountry.pdf
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Here are some examples from the "NSW Department of Education and Communities (in collaboration with NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group) Guidelines and Protocols for NSW Public Schools":
Example 1.
I would like to pay my respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which this meeting takes place, and also pay respect to Elders both past and present
Example 2.
I would like to Acknowledge the _______________ people who are the traditional custodians of this land. I would also like to pay respect to Elders both past and present of the_______________ nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal people present
Visit this link for the above document: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/dethome/yr2005/welcomecountry.pdf
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For more information
Many of these resources will need to be adapted to be appropriate to the area and stage. Ask your local AECG for someone to help you adapt the lessons to relevant and appropriate to the local area.
Book:
“Dark Emu Black Seeds: agriculture or accident?” By Bruce Pascoe
If we look at the evidence presented to us by the explorers and explain to our children that Aboriginal people did build houses, did build dams, did sow, irrigate and till the land, did construct a system of pan-continental government that generate peace and prosperity, then it is likely we will admire and love our land all the more.
Websites:
New South Wales Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)
http://www.aecg.nsw.edu.au/
Australian Curriculum – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-histories-and-cultures
Aboriginal Education and Training Policy
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/students/access_equity/aborig_edu/PD20080385.shtml
Personalised Learning Plan (PLP)
http://www.whatworks.edu.au/dbAction.do?cmd=displaySitePage1&subcmd=select&id=374
What Works – Student Engagement: Attendance, participation and belonging
http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1250830979818_file_5Engagement.pdf
Caring for Place – Caring for Country
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/hsie/assets/pdf/caring/caringplace.pdf
Connecting to Country teacher’s Kit
http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/documents/Connecting_to_Country_Kit_2013.pdf
Professional Teaching Standards - Improving teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/initial-teacher-education/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education
NSW BOS Aboriginal Educational Contexts
http://ab-ed.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/
Murni Dhungang (Animal Food, Plant Food) - (Illawarra Region)
http://www.shellharbour.nsw.gov.au/filedata/pdf/murniDhungangBookTerryRankmoreA.pdf
Indigenous Weather Knowledge
http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/dharawal/ngoonungi.shtml
Mining by Aborigines – Australia’s First Miners
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/109817/mining-by-aborigines.pdf
Creative Spirits
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/teaching-aboriginal-students#axzz3jLBuPaZc
“Dark Emu Black Seeds: agriculture or accident?” By Bruce Pascoe
If we look at the evidence presented to us by the explorers and explain to our children that Aboriginal people did build houses, did build dams, did sow, irrigate and till the land, did construct a system of pan-continental government that generate peace and prosperity, then it is likely we will admire and love our land all the more.
Websites:
New South Wales Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)
http://www.aecg.nsw.edu.au/
Australian Curriculum – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-histories-and-cultures
Aboriginal Education and Training Policy
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/students/access_equity/aborig_edu/PD20080385.shtml
Personalised Learning Plan (PLP)
http://www.whatworks.edu.au/dbAction.do?cmd=displaySitePage1&subcmd=select&id=374
What Works – Student Engagement: Attendance, participation and belonging
http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1250830979818_file_5Engagement.pdf
Caring for Place – Caring for Country
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/hsie/assets/pdf/caring/caringplace.pdf
Connecting to Country teacher’s Kit
http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/documents/Connecting_to_Country_Kit_2013.pdf
Professional Teaching Standards - Improving teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/initial-teacher-education/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education
NSW BOS Aboriginal Educational Contexts
http://ab-ed.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/
Murni Dhungang (Animal Food, Plant Food) - (Illawarra Region)
http://www.shellharbour.nsw.gov.au/filedata/pdf/murniDhungangBookTerryRankmoreA.pdf
Indigenous Weather Knowledge
http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/dharawal/ngoonungi.shtml
Mining by Aborigines – Australia’s First Miners
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/109817/mining-by-aborigines.pdf
Creative Spirits
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/teaching-aboriginal-students#axzz3jLBuPaZc