Central Queensland University

EDED11458 Strategies for

Teaching Indigenous
Students
Strategies for Teaching Indigenous Students
Stephanie Brocklehurst

15
Stephanie Brocklehurst - S0257771 EDED11458: Indigenous Studies and Learning

For Indigenous students to learn equally and effectively teachers are required to provide their
students with necessary learning tools. For a teacher to do so in a successful manner they must
develop a range of strategies to ensure they effectively educate their students.

Strategies for teaching Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Students- Learning,
Language and Communication Needs
As a teacher always ensure that communication is kept a positive form, where students,
parents and the community are highly respected.
Ensure that students always feel comfortable within the classroom and school environment.
Communicate with the students in regards to the high expectations that the school may have
for the students learning.
Encourage students to obtain a high attendance rate to benefit their chances of achieving in
school (Queensland Government,2013).
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students English is generally their second, third or
fourth language. Due to dialect differences it can create a barrier; teachers must obtain
knowledge on the histories of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as
information would typically be explain through stories.
Teachers must understand that body language is very crucial both inside and outside of the
classroom as students, parents and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
are very observant of ones body language (Korff, 2014).
Schools should work together effectively to ensure that they are able to provide Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander cultures and students with the utmost respect. Idealistically
schools should provide opportunities where teachers are able to effectively construct an
environment where this is possible. Gradually this should increase productivity of students
in the classroom and interlink multiple student cultures (TLSD Central Australia, 2007).
As a teacher one must remember that miscommunications can occur both in and out of the
classroom. To be an effective teacher one must demonstrate ways in which they can resolve
situations and understand that they may need to re-teach a topic more than once but using a
different method before the student understands. A teacher must be flexible (TLSD Central
Australia, 2007).
An effective teacher has the opportunity to provide their students with the opportunity to
learn multiple dialects; this specific strategy allows the teacher to ensure that the students
are learning the culture of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples amongst their
communities. As a result of this strategy students will be able to broaden their
communication, learning and language needs as they are able to hold utmost respect of these
cultures (Harrison, 2011).

Strategies for teaching Indigenous students with a variety of Identity Needs.

Teachers can specifically design many of their units to demonstrate to their students the
value of identity and culture, specifically in both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples (Harrison, 2011).
Develop a positive learning environment where students are able to express their cultures,
stories and identity.
Stephanie Brocklehurst - S0257771 EDED11458: Indigenous Studies and Learning

Demonstrate to the students the Indigenous stories of Australias past, how they value the
land and spirituality as these elements contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
identities (Board of Studies NSW, 2008). To extend this teaching strategy classes could be
taken outdoors were students could participate in activities such as boomerang throwing,
eating bush tucker and engaging in story-telling.
Incorporation of numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members into
these activities as they are able to demonstrate their native languages, customs and discuss
with the both students and staff their ways of teaching and learning as well as their history.
Teachers need to ensure that they are aiming to close the gap between Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australian education outcomes (Board of Studies NSW,
2008).

Teaching strategies for communication with the local Indigenous community.

Teachers must provide flexibility to ensure that they build trust between staff, parents and
the wider community.
Being able to provide access to specific information in other languages meets a large
majority of needs for the student, parents and community. This provides greater opportunity
for these parties to become more involved in the students learning.
Ensure to engage with the parents and community to allow a bond to develop, this will only
occur when respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their culture is
demonstrated (Queensland Governement,2013).
Teachers must ensure that they contact parents of the students for accomplishments that
their child may have achieved in or out of the classroom.
Encourage family and community members to participate in activities such as a meet the
teachers barbeque, family fun day out and many other activities as it allows for these
members to become comfortable in the environment and generally see the value of the
education system and its importance (Harrison,2011).
It is essential for teachers to build partnerships with the community as they have quite a
substantial role in an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students learning. By building such
partnerships a teacher is able to thoroughly encourage students to attend school throughout
the community whilst also encouraging other members to be involved within the school and
the students learning (Board of Studies NSW, 2008).

Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with cultural
needs.
Structured learning programs created by a teacher should always incorporate a thorough
understanding and be accommodating to the language, culture and history issues that
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have faced in the past and are continuing to
face (Board of Studies NSW, 2008). This is why it is essential for schools to work towards
closing the gap.
Stephanie Brocklehurst - S0257771 EDED11458: Indigenous Studies and Learning

Teaching both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to students is essential in
todays society. Students who come from a non-Indigenous background are able to
understand the meaning of Indigenous cultures, languages and histories as well as
Indigenous students having their cultures be acknowledged, understood and respected both
in and out of the classroom.
Successful curriculum in the classroom should incorporate the elements of culture,
language, communication and identity needs. This can easily be achieved in the classroom
environment by enabling the students to connect their work to the everyday lives of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and then compare this to the daily lives of
non-Indigenous people. This will identify to the students that there are still many struggles
present for Indigenous people but with the help of understanding their culture closing the
gap can be done (Korff, 2014).
Teachers should be able to incorporate a vast number of resources into their teaching on a
daily basis, it is essential that the resources that are chosen show the Indigenous community
in a positive way as many past and out-dated documents contain stereotypes of how they
believed Indigenous people were. Using contemporary resources enables schools to use
accurate information in their classrooms whilst showing the positive view of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders which therefore enable these students to be proud of their culture
(Harrison, 2011).

Justification of chosen teaching strategies-

Firstly, as an educator there are numerous challenges that one will face throughout their career, one
of these would certainly be that of meeting the identity, cultural, language and learning needs of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Although at the beginning of ones teaching career
they may feel unprepared to take on the extensity of these challenges, they must also understand
that with the correct understanding of these topics a teacher can be very successful in the education
of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

Forming high expectations in the classroom from the very first day enables both Indigenous and
non-Indigenous students to achieve better results in the classroom. In addition to this teachers must
understand that there are a number of protocols that need to be followed when teaching Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander students (Korff, 2014). A variety of teaching strategies are out into place
to ensure that educators teach their students to the best of their ability, when doing so the element of
community communication and involvement plays a vital role. The community helps aid Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander students to form their identity with their culture, language and learning
needs.
Stephanie Brocklehurst - S0257771 EDED11458: Indigenous Studies and Learning

With the aid of the community, positive relationships with the school can be formed. This enables
students to have an environment where they can learn both inside and outside of school. Students
are able to bring forward components such as native language, stories and customs into the
classroom for positive student interaction and sharing of cultures. Teachers of Indigenous students
must understand that their students have a greater preference to real life situations (Korff, 2014).
Typically this is a result of their home life, being connected to the land, understanding its history
and its present. To be an effective teacher one must ensure that they provide a curriculum that
celebrates the histories of Australia. In todays society many Indigenous students come from a
home where they speak in a specific way that is generally quite different from how they would
speak in a contemporary classroom. To ensure that effective learning is present throughout the
classroom is that the teacher could incorporate native dialects into the schools chosen curriculum
For successful implementation of this effective learning strategy support must come directly from
the school and also the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. (Harrison,2011). We as
educators must remember to recognise that Indigenous students could have repertoire of up to a
total of four languages (Queensland Government, 2013).

Because Aboriginal cultures vary from place to place, teachers are required to understand that two
students from different communities will hold different cultural practices (Harrison, 2011). Schools
pride themselves on the incorporation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures into their
curriculum, by doing so school are able to celebrate the culture of the students. Whether it be in the
form of NAIDOC week, native dances on school parades or simply depicting native images
throughout classrooms. These simple actions allow, students, parents and community members to
equally recognise that the schools greatest aim is to provide students with equality in the classroom
and close the gap. Students cultural identity plays an extensive role in the performance that they
have in a school environment. Student identity is typical determined by external factors such as
their history, languages, traditions, family values, kinship, heritage and their spirituality (AISTSIS,
2012). A teacher should aim to provide their students with an environment where they feel
confident and proud in expressing themselves, their heritage, customs, language and traditions.

In Australia, each and every school is different, whether it is an urban or rural community they are
never the same. Typically location has a substantial influence on the culture, language and history
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Developing relationships with communities in
rural areas for Indigenous students generally is a greater challenge as education in rural area tends
to not hold as great of an importance compared to that of urban communities. With the vast range of
diversity in these areas, teachers must ensure that they are prepared to adjust their teaching
strategies for their students learn equally. In doing so teachers should be able to identify minute to
vast changes amongst Indigenous students in the education system.

In addition, the effectiveness of the chosen strategies is determined by a teaching knowledge and
understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Teachers must learn to adapt to
restrictions that may arise during this process, restriction such as family values, traditions, history
and cultural components must be respected and adapted to. To conclude teachers must ensure that
they always enter a classroom with an open mind set, one where they are able to adapt to the
conditions. They need to ensure that they continue to respect the values and beliefs, customs and
Stephanie Brocklehurst - S0257771 EDED11458: Indigenous Studies and Learning

cultures that Indigenous communities hold and by doing so create respectful relationships that will
continue to benefit the students learning.
Stephanie Brocklehurst - S0257771 EDED11458: Indigenous Studies and Learning

Reference List

AISTSIS. (2012). The Little Red Yellow Black Book (3rd ed.). Australia: Australian Institute of
Aboriginal and Torris Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved Janurary 13th, 2015, from The Little
Red Yellow Black:
http://lryb.aiatsis.gov.au/PDFs/who%20are%20we%20teachers'%20notes.pdf

Board of Studies NSW. (2008). A Guide to Community Consultation and Protocols.

doi:978 174147 8150

Harrison, N. (2011). Teaching and Learning in Aboriginal Education (Second Edition ed.).
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2015

Korff, J. (2014, October 10). Aboriginal culture - Education - Teaching Aboriginal students.

Retrieved February 29th, 2015, from CreativeSpirits:

http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/teaching-aboriginal-students

Queensland Government (2013, February 7). Communication strategies for schools. Retrieved from

http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/parent-community-engagement-
framework/communication/school-strategies/

TLSD Central Australia. (2007, July 20th). Department of Education. Retrieved February 29th,
2015, from Northern Territory Government of Australia:
http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/5253/strategies_for_Indig_learn
ers.pdf