Indigenous education holds insights for wider community

Shortly after receiving the 2020 Premier’s Teachers Mutual Bank Aboriginal Education Scholarship, Sabina Armstrong, from Walcha Central School, used her grant to embark on a study tour where she spent time with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their teachers at seven schools in the Northern Territory. 

Her aim was to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of teaching children and to look at how these insights could improve the way we educate children in communities across Australia.

“Aboriginal peoples have been teaching their children for more than 65,000 years. Their young people were engaged, respectful to their Elders and were taught more than one language. I wanted to know what we could learn from the Aboriginal ways of teaching and how we could extend these insights to communities across Australia,” said Sabina.

The schools she visited were a mix of public and private schools in the areas of Belyuen, Jabiru, Gunbulanya, Elcho Island and Groote Eylandt. All schools delivered syllabus in an integrated approach, using a mixture of pedagogies. Central to classrooms, but not explicitly acknowledged is the 8 Ways of Aboriginal Learning. Now known as Aboriginal Pedagogies, this is a framework that supports teachers to include Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, doing, thinking and learning as they teach core curriculum content.

8 Ways is the result of a research project involving the NSW Department of Education, James Cook University’s School of Indigenous Studies and the Western New South Wales Regional Aboriginal Education Team between 2007 and 2009. While Sabina returned from her six-week study tour with an extensive report into what she learned, she said there were four key findings from her trip that could be applied to all Australian classrooms.

1. ‘Thinking Classrooms’ 

The Principal of Shepardson College on Elcho Island told Sabina that if there is disengagement and misbehaviour in a classroom, it’s probably not a ‘Thinking Classroom’. He also referred to the importance of relationships, high expectations and high quality teaching.

‘Thinking Classrooms’ feature autonomous students encouraged to learn through real world issues or ‘big ideas’, where discussions are shaped around passions, problems, people, place and purpose. 

Sabina said that she observed high levels of engagement when students were used as ‘funds of knowledge’ to analyse these issues or ideas. 

“In these classrooms, students are looked at as a resource for learning, rather than a deficit, with instruction linked to the students’ lives, local history and community. This is particularly important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who can be marginalised by traditional Anglo-Saxon/European and siloed approaches to learning,” said Sabina.

2. Community and cultural engagement

Sabina observed that schools with high levels of community involvement typically enjoyed higher levels of student engagement, attendance and retention to year 12. 

“In Gunbulanya, the school partners with the local community to develop and teach curriculum which brings together the knowledge of the Bininj (Aboriginal) and Balanda (white people). This approach is called the ‘Two Ways of Learning’ and is built around the notion of finding a middle ground that brings together two cultural perspectives. This is very important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ confidence and sense of identity,” said Sabina.

“There is a wealth of opportunity and expertise in communities that is rarely utilised to its true potential and developing relationships with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to develop aspects of the curriculum, is something that is possible in all school communities. Whether it is to impart what they believe is important for students to know from their culture, or to join together to learn aspects they want to know and connect with, sharing our place of learning is the key.” 

3. Cultural Competence

Sabina confirmed her belief in the importance of cultural competence, necessary for every person who engages with our young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The schools need to invest deeply in their staff’s access to PL that brings about a greater understanding of core beliefs, values and attitudes that affect ‘how’ they engage with students in the learning space. We should not be the reason our young people trip, as they come into the school or any learning space. 

4. Wellbeing 

Wellbeing was paramount in the schools Sabina visited; they believed that before a child can learn, they must feel safe and that they belong. This concept is also known as cultural safety.

In particular, she observed the Berry Street Model (a trauma-based approach to wellbeing) which helped teachers to assist students with their ability to self-regulate, build relationships and achieve academically.

Across all our communities, issues like COVID-19, drought, fires, domestic violence, social-media, mainstream media and device overuse are leaving our children more susceptible to trauma, which has a significant influence on their ability to learn.

“Even for those students who have not experienced extreme traumas, the modelling, conversations and opportunity to have discussions will support them into the future when, in their lives, they do have difficult experiences,” Sabina said.

Throughout the trip, Sabina spent time researching philosophies, readings and research that could deepen her understanding and challenge any potential bias in the research. Overwhelmingly, findings support the recommendations. The challenge for schools is the paradigm shift needed to support schools to close the gap and reach the targets set by government for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The findings support the attendance, engagement, retention and achievement of outcomes for all students.

Sabina is working towards publishing a book and short documentary about her findings. People seeking further information can contact Sabina at [email protected].

Learn more information about the 2020 Premier’s Teachers Mutual Bank Aboriginal Education Scholarship.