Culturally Relevant Aboriginal Education Culturally Relevant Aboriginal Education provides teacher candidates and in-service teachers with relevant information to help them integrate Aboriginal, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit content, customs, and traditions into the classroom, providing students with a broader perspective of Canada and its population. Teachers need to be creative, dynamic and sensitive when developing teaching approaches and programs on this topic, and the underlying purpose of this module is to extend the skills and knowledge of teachers in the teaching of Aboriginal children and the teaching about Aboriginal people.
The document is meant to be a living document. Research into Practice Research Monograph A research-into-practice series produced by a partnership between The Literacy andNumeracy Secretariat and the Ontario Association of Deans of Education. The process of development was one of consultation, information gathering, drafting, more consultation and re-drafting. The contributors to this resource include Aboriginal Elders, teachers and psychologists, as well as other members of Alberta's Aboriginal communities.
Culturally-relevant approaches effectively serve the learning needs of Aboriginal students. Dodson AM, Australian of the Year Reconciliation Australia , The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had been living with sustainable use of land and resources, hunting and gathering for food, building shelter and creating culture within expanding communities Clark, and this is still occurring in places today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were also believed incapable of citizenship and legally banned from giving evidence in court, serving in the armed forces, receiving pensions or having a right to vote. Worse still, was presence of a Western Supremacy view that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were unfit and incapable of caring for their own children.
The children lived in mass dormitories or were assigned to white Australian parents in order to attend educational institutions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
This meant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were granted equal status and children were no longer removed from their parents though many would argue that this is still taking place due to the way our social welfare system I operates [ removing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families at 10 times the rate of white children].
As a consequence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were able to attend Government schools and able to acquire land. It was also in this year that the Government acknowledged the wrongs to the people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. The trauma, devastation, struggle and loss that was suffered through colonisation largely remains a hidden history from children in schools.
Derogatory names are still used as a tool of insult which can mean that the colour of skin can attribute identity Carlson, This can add further confusion to identity as expressed by Carlson , p. Despite legislation now stating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples theoretically have equal access to health care, education, employment and to participate in society, in reality there is still only one side of the story being told.
Harrison et al. Furthermore, as noted earlier, institutional racism is apparent through the continuing high levels of welfare intrusion in the lives of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the disproportionate numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
In order to move forward together toward a respectful and strong future it is important to understand the urgency of the current situation for many Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
This chapter challenges you to consider the strengths of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and then to also consider the complexities faced such as high numbers of children in out of home care, alcohol consumption, incarceration rates of Indigenous people, health concerns, educational inequities and raises hope in strengthening strengthen pride in Australian Indigeneity the oldest surviving culture in the world.
Unresolved trauma and grief from marginalisation, dispossession and racism can account for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being over represented in out of home care AIFS, In , If a social worker, according to their own subjective view, determines parenting as not sufficient, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child can be removed from their family.
The unnecessary removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their kinship groups, causing excessive, and often multiple, trauma for families, is therefore often based on assumptions that are uncontested. With these understandings, many agencies are working towards a better understanding of the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to ensure children are kept with their families SNAAIC, In the Northern Territory, Aboriginal communities carry a high burden of intergenerational and ongoing trauma resulting from colonisation and historic and ongoing government policies, institutional racism, discrimination and the effects of entrenched disadvantage and disconnection from traditional lands, languages and cultural practices.
Trauma has profound impacts on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of individuals as well as broader community wellbeing. Alcohol and substance misuse has been associated with intergenerational and other types of trauma, including childhood trauma. Many people argue that this violates the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act which protects people from being unfairly victimised due to race. Her lawyers argued that alcohol was only being criminalised for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples but not other Australians and therefore violated the Discrimination Act and marginalised her for being Aboriginal.
Activists were angry that the legislation created a lawful context for discriminatory treatment in the policing and sentencing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in regard to criminalised alcohol consumption.
As a society we need to have aspirations and enable children, youth, and older generations to be able to enact their aspirations.
Why has this occurred and what are we doing differently to change this story? Despite the report finding the conditions of the jail not suitable for the custody or rehabilitation of children and recommending closure, the facility is still being used, putting the safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people at risk The Australian Human Rights Commission, Also concerning, is the high number of women in custody with the rate rapidly rising.
Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are incarcerated as they are unable to pay the set bail or fines Whitburn, Many of these women in jail are survivors of the Stolen Generations, victims of violence, suffer from poverty, low education and low income Human Rights Law Centre, Weatherburn found that poverty, poor school performance, unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse were the most common risk factors for incarceration.
As authors we repeat the question, why has this occurred and what are we doing differently to change this story? In looking at the health of our Australian population analysis of data revealed that systemic change needs to occur in ensuring the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. While the poor state of health can be attributed to the colonial occupation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ongoing racism, discrimination, forced removal of children and loss of identity, language, culture and land Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, , our challenge as a society is what do we do to improve it.
How might the devastating result of colonisation on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples be raised and discussed within your educational context in a manner that builds on strengths and focuses on improvements? Ideas of how to unpack the messages within are available from the 3Rs website. For many years Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enjoyed a semi-nomadic lifestyle, living in community groups and eating food that was hunted and gathered Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, Upon arrival of European colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were subject to the introduction of many new diseases and illnesses.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples died from disease, or dispossession of land, were killed or kept in managed reserves, or schools for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples lost the ability to use traditional medical practices as white Colonisers made decisions about the health and public policy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples www. Health, especially mental health is a world-wide concern. According to the census Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are , Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian population. In , there is an estimated 8 year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians in metropolitan areas and a 13 year gap in life expectancy in rural and remote areas Australian Bureau of Statistics, Infant mortality rates are twice as high for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies, with 6.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples people are 3. The median age of death is The effect of the physical environment also influences health and wellbeing; housing issues, sewerage, water and electricity and sanitation Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, The introduction of Western food and a mostly inactive lifestyle has impacted health Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, Smoking is the leading preventative risk factor for illness, causes early death and ongoing medical concerns in the next generation Boulton, Education plays a significant role in reinforcing the positive factors listed above.
As educators we must challenge ourselves to go beyond trying to counteract the many inequities faced by people and begin looking at how we can support individuals building upon their strengths so they are a valued and recognised part of the community. We need to engage in changing community attitudes and reducing both personal and systematic racism.
What role has past education policy and practice played in producing the following statistics? According to Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet , the overall attendance rate in the Northern Territory declined from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school attendance rates are lower in more remote areas and as the year level progresses Australian Government, Despite numerous State and Commonwealth Government initiatives, intergenerational educational disadvantage is proving difficult to curtail Beresford, As educators it is up to us to ensure culturally safe and supportive learning environments.
Education curriculum and practice often through the busyness of daily agendas fail to adequately address the hidden curriculum of racism. Listen to Priscilla who shares her educational journey. Identity lies at the heart of understanding the impacts of colonisation and marginalisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples.
Despite policies stating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can continue with their own cultures with pride, the contrasting reality is that practices are still judged by Western standards Boulton, Many Government policies, school and health systems, criminal systems, still want to assimilate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples into one western-centric society. It is a misconception to believe that this approach will work Mankiller, The dichotomy between traditional culture and globalised society has resulted in great tension within multiple Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural groups, and is a major cause for concern in the identity of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Boulton, ; Mankiller, Moreton-Robinson believes that within the current socio-political climate, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are being represented as needing saving.
This colonialist view paints the picture to other Australians and indeed the world, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are inferior. There is a need for every Australian to develop an understanding and pride for the cultures, traditions, connections and kinships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and recognise these identities as legitimate, equal and powerful.
In knowing the land and the sky and the waterways in beautiful innate detail. Some teachers feel protective of the formal curriculum. The key questions for inquiry include :. The last dot point also raises concerns about how teachers will challenge entrenched whitewashed versions of history. Research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students highlights the frustration Indigenous students feel, particularly during history lessons.
You always have to learn from a white perspective, especially in history. Another student described the tension in the classroom as their teacher downloaded information from the internet:.
Usually half of the class would get into a very heated racial discussion, which we had to sit through. Because the teacher had no idea what he was going on about. Some of the stuff he had on the board, because he just copies it from the Internet, so some of the stuff he has got on the board is racist, and he is teaching us.
Teachers must critically reflect on their own identity and how it potentially influences their personal bias and worldview. They must also be willing to confront the ongoing effects of colonialism in and outside the classroom and listen to Indigenous people. Teachers must aspire to adequately and systemically overturn the harm schooling continues to inflict on many Indigenous people.
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