It
is important that consider Aboriginal student’s culture.
According to the
new paper article “Schools should consider Aboriginal culture”, it is expounded
in recent years that some remote Aboriginal communities still have extremely
low rate of school attendance and Mr Osborne suggests government to pay
attention to Aboriginal culture in order to improve their attendance rates
(2013). Mr Osborne is a senior researcher at the Cooperative Research Centre
for Remote Economic Participation.
Australian
Aboriginal culture includes a number of practices and ceremonies centered on a
belief in the Dreamtime. Language groupings and tribal divisions exhibit a
range of distinct cultures. Their distinctive culture brings difficulties to
aboriginals who are trying to integrate into the mainstream non-aboriginal
society.
In
Aboriginal history, there is a turning point---“the stolen generation” refers
to a generation that was deeply affected by the Australian government
"assimilation policy". From 1869 to 1970, Australian government
forced 100000 Australian Aboriginal children to leave their parents, and live
in white families or in government agencies. As a result of that, Aboriginal
children and parents have a long period separation. This policy caused
Aboriginal to be averse to western culture and their education. In addition,
most of the white family discriminated against them, abused them and forced
them to forget their language and culture; they were forced to learn the
language and way of life of white people. All these compulsory measures add
unto Aboriginal children’s negative emotion of receiving western education.
Meanwhile the lack of access to a proper education caused psychological and
physical damage to most of the Australian Aboriginals. In 1997, Prime Minister
John Howard promised to improve the indigenous people's standard of living,
including reducing child mortality, improve the literacy rate and the average
life expectancy, etc.
After years of
effort, Aboriginal children have more opportunities to be educated compare to
before, but in fact there is still a gap between Aboriginal students and
non-Aboriginal students. Culture and Aboriginal identity are the factors
causing this “gap”, on other hand SES is another important element affecting
Aboriginal children educational rights. Aboriginal in Australian society is in
a low economic status, they are classified as disadvantaged group in our
society, and I believe being socially disadvantaged can lead to more
educational disadvantages, which can then lead to an employment disadvantage,
creating a vicious cycle. For improving their educational level, Australian
government should consider Aboriginal students cultural backgrounds. In my
opinion, Australia needs to be able to accommodate, bear and accept different
cultures. I believe culture should not be seen as an advantage or disadvantage,
because different culture has their own values, and none should be judged. In
the article Mr. Osborne mentions about a school that taught Aboriginal students
“in their own language and about their own culture, while still improving English
literacy and numeracy to prepare them for university entry.” (Sam Osborne,
2013) The example demonstrates that Aboriginal students can improve their
English skills and prepare for university entries even when they are taught in
their own language. Meanwhile I think assimilation through forcing all students
to follow western education systems is not always a good way to educate
Aboriginal student, government and teachers should consider their culture and
in order to encourage Aboriginal children’s study passion.
Reference:
1. VANOVAC.N
(2013), Schools should consider Aboriginal culture, news.com.au, reviewed from http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/schools-should-consider-aboriginal-culture/story-e6frfku9-1226722232796
22/09/2013
2. Mackenzie.A
(2013), The History of Australian Aboriginal Education, reviewed from
Engagement and participation is a key aspect in the educational system. For students to achieve the expected outcomes of schooling, regular attendance is essential. It is particularly of great importance for Indigenous Australians who have lower levels of educational attainments than non-indigenous Australians. They have had a higher tendency to leave school earlier than the non- indigenous Australians. Truancy and absenteeism are high for Indigenous students, which could be as a result of many circumstances, whether it be family issues or whether to the fact that they do not have a connection within the school and teachers and as a result consider themselves social outsiders.
ReplyDeleteStudies that focus on improving the engagement of indigenous students in education often emphasize the importance of transforming teaching practices and school culture such that they include and respond to indigenous students' cultural experiences and values (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008; Demmert & Towner, 2003; Lipka, 1998; Sarra, 2011).
Strategies that i think would be useful to help indigenous students to gain a better education are:
-Altering school decision making structures.
-Infusing cultural content into classrooms.
-Making the school more affirming of Indigenous cultures through family and community engagement.
Also using the trial and error process to see what suits Indigenous students best and what is most effective. Infusing Indigenous culture within schools curriculum would be the most positive way to get Indigenous students to gain a cultural connection within schools.
Reference:
Bishop, A., Berryman, M., Wearmouth, J., & Peter, M. (2012). “Developing an effective education reform model for Indigenous and other minority students”. School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, 23(1), 49-70.