How To Write A Reflective Essay On Aboriginal Ways Of Learning

Non-Aboriginal staff need to be aware of the important place that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures hold in Australia. The history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples dates back 75,000 years therefore has unique significance. (Goodwin. Jo, 2012). The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) pays particular attention to cultural competence in working with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as discussed in question 9.

ICC9K1  Personal cultural biases and differences that affect one’s teaching. - Competency 4   I am very careful to be respectful of the various cultures and differences among the students at my school, so this does not impact my teaching. I differentiate my instruction in order to accommodate the needs. I am in a school with students from a wide range of countries.

In the article by Tasha Riley “Self-fulfilling Prophecy: How Teachers’ Attributions, Expectations, and Stereotypes Influence the Learning Opportunities Afforded Aboriginal Students” it discusses how teacher’s discrimination in the classroom towards Aboriginal students can affect their employment and financial well-being throughout their life. Tasha Riley conducts a study which looks at how an Aboriginal student’s race, class and gender can influence the teacher’s actions towards them. The study found that teachers do place certain negative factors on Aboriginal students which ultimately, influences their life. Studies such as this should not have these results; a child should not be treated differently due to their race, class and gender. Teachers

This has occurred in harsh stereotypes, marginalisation, racism and colonisation which still greatly affect the Indigenous Australian youth of today. Currently, both Western and Indigenous Australian cultures are interdependent by society’s law, media and education. However, the Indigenous Australians are connected to their culture by being influenced by their family and elders of their community and their culture beliefs and traditions. Although the two cultures are interdependent by law, media and education, and more actions need to be taken in order to ensure that racism, colonisation, discrimination, marginalisation and stereotypes in social change is greatly needed before the Indigenous Australians lose their identity and

Overview This chapter begins by examining the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) culture in education. Next discussed in this chapter is the gaps and issues that are presented in ATSI culture and the importance of improving ATSI culture in literacy. Following on from this are the intervention strategies teachers can adopt in the classroom to support ATSI students in literacy. History of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) culture in Education

Residential schools were indubitably gruesome and immoral acts by the federal government to assimilate the Aboriginal culture to gain power. I was very surprised to learn that 150 000 Aboriginal children were forced to attend residential schools. It is crazy to fathom that so many human beings were tortured, neglected, abused and treated wrongfully while others let it happen for decades. I also found it surprising that the government surveyed the Aboriginal communities and the number one complaint was residential schools and yet no action was taken. If the federal government never intended to listen to the Aboriginals then why did they bother spending time doing surveys in the first place?

Aboriginal activism in the early 20th century refers to the political and social movement of Indigenous Australians who fought for equality, rights, and acknowledgement in the face of pervasive oppression and discrimination. During this time, a new generation of Indigenous activists emerged who aimed to refute the widely held beliefs about Indigenous Australians and their place in society. The significance of this activity lay in the fact that it marked the start of a prolonged and organised campaign to fight for the rights of Indigenous peoples, and that it was a critical turning point in the history of Indigenous-settler relations in Australia. The 1938 Day of Mourning demonstration ranks as one of the most important moments in early 20th-century Aboriginal agitation. The Australian Aborigines Progressive Association (AAPA) and the Aborigines' League of New South Wales planned this protest, which took place on the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet's landing in Australia.

The Bringing Them Home report’ recommendation (9b.) outlines “That all under-graduates and trainees in relevant professions receive, as part of their core curriculum, education about the history and effects of forcible removal” (HREOC, 1997). In 2002 the Queensland Indigenous Education Consultative Body (QIECB) made a similar recommendation, suggesting that “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies [should] be mandatory in all pre-service education courses in Queensland tertiary institutions through discrete courses or units” (Price, 2012). These government recommendations have been introduced to, acknowledge, re-establish lost relations with, and apologise to the Australian Indigenous peoples in regards to past government policies and practices which resulted in the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their

Janet Smylie presents the current challenges facing indigenous Canadians in Westernised educational models. The author outlines the impact of colonisation on indigenous sociocultural belief systems highlighting this as a mitigating factor in the low levels of indigenous youth literacy. Smylie summarises the need to incorporate conceptualisation of Aboriginal culture, learning styles and perceptions when drafting framework for literacy outcomes. Additionally, the author highlights the need for self-determination by utilising the knowledge within communities to officially establish intrinsic connection between health and literacy outcomes in indigenous communities. In particular, embracing indigenous values such as metaphysical beliefs and traditional

argues how identity for Aboriginal Australians has been portrayed through education

Abstract Being an aborigine in a white dominated society is a complicated identity. Australia, one of the white governed nations, also owns many aboriginal tribes. They lived harmonious lives in the early period. But European colonization has made a profound effect on the lives of Aboriginals in Australia, which led to the total demolition of their native culture, identity and history. As a result the new generation Aboriginals have lost their Aboriginal heritage and have been accepted neither by Aboriginals nor by whites.

Social Darwinism had a major impact on the indigenous Australian education. Largely based on Social Darwinism ideology, the history of Indigenous education in Australia has been one of discrimination and deemed the Aboriginal people as ‘at the lowest stage of human mental development’. For example, education of children revolved around political and public opinion that indigenous children were worthless to the new founded economy and community. Since colonisation, Aboriginal children experienced an education that reinforced the idea that Aboriginal beliefs and values were inferior to Western values. While it is now recognised that children come to school with a predetermined set of beliefs, experiences and values based on their culture.

IDEA lists three ways of being culturally skilled in the classroom. This includes the teacher being culturally alert in the class to connect the gap of learning about other ethnicities, learning to communicate to students in unwritten and non-vocal styles, and know the different views of the cultures, for example, skin-to skin contact, no communication, the clothing of the student, and simple gestures. This is important in my eyes because my school alone is very diverse, and I had my share of teachers that did not respect a certain students religion or culture. This upset me and made me want to learn more about different cultures and religions. It also leads me to want to work harder to become more culturally aware, and diverse for my future students and willing to do what I can to break down barriers that may be created by students of different cultures or religions.

Introduction In this reflective essay I will reflect upon the course based on the assignments and projects I have accomplished this semester. Recent research (Kornblith, 2012:3) identifies that reflection is an active process and making sense of the experience through the understanding of one’s actions. As suggested by (Roberts, 2011:63) she states that the understanding of reflection have been used to develop an action stage, which can further help to improve my skills and knowledge towards my course. This is vital as it ensures that i get the most out of my learning experience and i could use them to their maximum benefit.

I particularly agreed with the authors’ argument about blending cultural and academic knowledge (McKinley & Brayboy, 2005, p. 435). I think it is institution’s responsibility to respect their cultural knowledge but also provide appropriate academic knowledge, relative to Indigenous students to be able to actively engage in reciprocal learning with their cultural knowledge, which, then, adds value to their survivance practice. I find that this piece opened up a new way of looking at the challenges which Indigenous students encounter and the ways to move forward with the situation through changing the perception of education not only from Indigenous students, but also from the perspectives of non-Aboriginal members in institutions by providing a way to