Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Option 3
Price (2015) states “the cultural arrogance that has damaged Aboriginal and Torres
Islander peoples in Australia for more than 200 years is unacceptable.” Emphasising
‘white is right’ and that non-Aboriginal people have the solutions to help Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples to close the gap is ineffective and outdated (Price,
2015). The government or welfare has been found to powerfully separate Aboriginal
carers prior to 1966 from their natural family by a mission causing damaging
implications (Zubrick et al., 2005). Affecting Aboriginal carers to be one and a half
times more likely to have had contact with Mental Health Services in Western
Australia prior to the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (Zubrick et
al., 2005). Also, Aboriginal carers are two and a half times as likely to have been
arrested or charged with an offence at some time in their life (Zubrick et al., 2005).
Aboriginal children exposed to the same damaging experience were almost twice as
likely to be at high risk of clinically significant emotional or behavioural difficulties
after adjusting for age, sex, level of relative isolation (LORI) and classifying whether
the primary carer is the birth mother of the child (Zubrick et al., 2005).
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) (2008) has identified that the
achievement of schooling promotes the social inclusion and reduces the educational
disadvantage of children, especially indigenous children as a key to boosting
Australia’s participation and productivity. However, Price (2015) has found that most
schools still have teachers who are uneducated in the culture of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples, which embraced through a whole-school approach
can signify cultural identity, involvement of community leaders and students, safety,
value and respect (Price, 2015). Inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples culture is a main factor that is missing in schools depriving them of their
proud heritage. Employing respect of a student’s culture into a teacher’s pedagogy is
required to promote self-esteem, self-confidence and pride for students to be
effective learners (Price, 2015).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a health disadvantage from
an early age with higher disease and injury rates than other Australians, adversely
affecting their wellbeing (AIHW, 2011a; Dobia & O’Rourke, 2011). This affliction is
subject to detrimental effects for young Aboriginal people with the association to high
rates of mental disorders (e.g. anxiety, depression), decreased or loss of cultural
identity, family confliction, social exclusion, social and emotional wellbeing, and
crime or imprisonment (AIHW, 2011a). Tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, poor
nutrition, alcohol consumption and illicit drug use are adverse health behaviours
portrayed as more prevalent in populations with a lower socioeconomic status, linked
to Aboriginal people (AIHW, 2011b). There is a relative decrease in these critical
health behaviours, nonetheless Aboriginal people still have much higher rates for
engagement in these negative health behaviours (double the rates for engaging in
tobacco smoking) compared to non-Aboriginal people (AIHW, 2011a; AIHW, 2011b).
Across the nation there has been minimal resourcing of relevant and ongoing
professional development towards building cultural competency among teachers and
education workers, with no declaration that the educational system will include a
meaningful commitment to providing or rewarding this training (Price, 2015).
Addressing this issue, the Aboriginal Girls’ Circle (AGC) identified by Dobia et al.
Teachers achieving literacy with their first language of English creates a barrier in
educating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who have English as their
second language, due to cultural obligations (Price, 2015). Price (2015) has found
most Northern Territory schools to be English-only schools with no improvements of
meeting the literacy needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This
educational disadvantage creates a significant risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people’s mental health (Dobia & O’Rourke, 2011). The cumulative effect of
diminishing educational access and performance leads to inequity increasing the
disadvantage to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Dobia &
O’Rourke, 2011). For optimal learning to take place social and emotional wellbeing
must be promoted within education settings.
wellbeing of all students and may aid in reducing Aboriginal student’s suspension
rates (NSW Department of Education, 2015).
set to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s achievement, success
and education by incorporating their culture. Yet these commitments have not been
met and still advocate a large disadvantage to the diverse communities and people.
Future aims established to close the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples are not going as planned with a relatively slow progress to alleviating the
cultural disadvantage (Commonwealth of Australia, 2017). Success in school
education remains critical for opening opportunities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander student’s lives with school attendance being a key factor leading to better
educational outcomes (Commonwealth of Australia, 2017). All governments are
committed to employ strategies supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students to succeed in pursuit of higher education (Commonwealth of Australia,
2017). Intensive educational interventions have the potential to improve health and
wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student’s, positively
impacting future learning outcomes (Buckskin et al. 2008). The student’s
development of learning has been recorded to be affected by their family,
community, cultural and social experiences (Price, 2015).
The NSW model of pedagogy involves three dimensions labelled intellectual quality,
quality learning environments, and significance, each containing elements within
(NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003). These three dimensions are
implemented into a teacher’s pedagogy to improve student learning outcomes by the
application of elements in each dimension contributing to success in educational
achievement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (NSW Department of
Education and Training, 2003). To conclude, the implementation of policies,
approaches, strategies and methods are an essential part to resolving the issues of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, by reducing suspension rates,
and increasing academic educational achievement. Effectively including cultural
differentiation and diversity in a teacher’s pedagogy is essential to provide
successful positive learning experiences of all students.
References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2014). Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
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Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2011a). Young Australians: their
health and wellbeing 2011. Cat. no. PHE 140. Canberra: AIHW, 173. Retrieved
from http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=10737419259
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2011b). The health and welfare of
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Buckskin, P., Hughes, P., Teasdale, B., Gregory, J., Clarke, C., Morgan, D. L., & St
Clair, J. (2008)
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Retrieved from http://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/ctg-report-
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Dobia, B., Bodkin-Andrews, G., Parada, R., O’Rourke, V., Gilbert, S., Daley, A., &
Roffey, S. (2013). Aboriginal Girls Circle: Enhancing Connectedness and
Promoting Resilience for Aboriginal Girls. Final Pilot Report. Penrith NSW:
University of Western Sydney http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/540709
Dobia, B., & O’Rourke, V. G. (2011). Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of
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https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/promoting-mental-
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M., Griffin, J., Milroy, H., De Maio, J. A., Cox, A., & Li, J. (2005). The Western
Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: Forced Separation from Natural
Family, Forced Relocation from Traditional Country or Homeland, and Social
and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Children and Young People: Additional
Notes. Perth: Curtin University of Technology and Telethon Institute for Child
Health Research. Retrieved from
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health/waachsvol2/western_australian_aboriginal_child_health_survey_additio
nal_notes.pdf