16566066 Joshua Alvarado ACRP

Teachers have a responsibility to create environments which cultivate the learning,

success and retention of indigenous students. Although all students deserve a great

education, data from the Australian government’s 2018 Closing the Gap report shows

that the attendance rate of Indigenous students in 2017 were 9.8% below that of

non-indigenous students (p 51), while data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics

(2018) shows that for students in year 7 to year 12, Indigenous students were 23.6%

below non-indigenous students. Although attendance numbers have slightly improved,

in NSW public schools, comparing data from the 2013 suspensions and expulsion rates

with the 2017 rates, shows that for all students, including indigenous, rates have not

improved at all (Education, 2018). There is a lot still to be done for Indigenous students

in Australia, and this is backed up by key policy documents including the 2018 Closing

the gap report, the NSW Aboriginal Education Policy and the Australian Professional

Standards for teachers. In order to improve retention and build positive, respectful

relationships with Indigenous students in an English classroom, the combination of

three essential components are required, firstly student engagement, secondly stronger

student-teacher relationships, and thirdly personalised learning plans (PLPs). These

three essential components can help improve literacy in an English classroom.

Concentrating on student engagement is an important part of improving retention,

while also creating a positive, respectful relationship with Indigenous students. Though,

it is important to point out that the three essential components, or strategies which

include student engagement, PLPs and student-teacher relationships, are only some of a

wide array of strategies which must be used together to help Indigenous students.

Student or classroom engagement refers to how actively involved students are in

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activities, which can also be broken down into four aspects; behaviourally, emotionally,

cognitively, and agency (Reeve & Lee, 2014, p 528). The What Works program on

student engagement says that a ‘sense of belonging and self-worth’ is instilled in

students, while increasing ‘academic achievement’, and it provides students with skills

in decision making, participating and communicating, which stay with them into their

adult lives (Core Issues 5, 2018, p 2). For engagement to be successful it must involve a

focus on engaging all aspects of an individual student. Much like Reeve and Lee who

break down engagement into four important aspects, the What Works program breaks

it down into attendance, participation and belonging (Core Issues 5, 2018, p 2). The

three must work in tangent, as teachers can have really engaging activities which are

challenging and knowledgeable, but if they do not have students attending or students

who do not feel as though they belong, it will not work. This means teachers need to find

out why students may not be attending school and try to work with them, instead of

punishing them. There are a wide array of reasons that some Indigenous students are

not able to attend school, from cultural and family expectations, to school/teacher

expectations (Core Issues 5, 2018, p 4). When teachers talk to students, family or

community leaders, often, these issues can be addressed in a positive way. If teachers

are able to do this, it also increases student’s sense of belonging, as it builds stronger

student-teacher relationships and they feel there are high expectations of them. A study

by Bonet and Walters (2016) at a community college in the U.S with a high number of

low SES students, recent immigrants and a high amount of minority groups showed that

higher engagement led to high retention and less absences (p 229). Two of the many

factors which contributed to higher engagement was helping students form

relationships with peers and faculty, which is the same as forming stronger

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student-teacher relationships, and also academic and social support tailored to

individual students, much like PLPs (Bonet and Walters, 2016, p 224). These aspects of

engagement are not only beneficial and necessary to helping Indigenous students attain

the best education possible, but have also been mandated as compulsory in Australian

governmental policies. In the NSW Aboriginal Education policy (2018), statement 1.3.1

says we must “Increase the participation and retention of Aboriginal students in

schools,” while 1.6.2 states we must “Engage and motivate Aboriginal students for

successful participation in education.” When working with Indigenous students it is

important that teachers remember engagement requires a look at attendance,

participation and belonging, which can help improve retention, and create positive and

respectful relationships. Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) are another important

aspect of increasing engagement.

Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) are another strategy which help improve retention

and build a positive, respectful relationship with Indigenous students. PLPs let students

know that every one of their needs are important, from cultural belonging to academic

outcomes, while giving them the agency to set goals and be a part of the planning of

their own learning. According to the What Works program (2018), personalised

learning is underlined by a fact that under the right conditions, all students are able to

achieve high standards, and as discussed before, can reinforce engagement and

motivation (p 2). Prain, Cox and Deed (2013) also found that PLPs increase motivation

and the desire to learn, noting that students from a rural Queensland high school said

they felt proud of their “achievement gains” and felt more motivated to participate (p

671). It is important though, that a PLP begins as a whole school approach, with

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community consultation and a focus on a holistic approach to individual needs (Core

Issues 10, 2018, p 8). One school introduced PLPs as a way of improving attendance,

which speaks directly to retention, and this was done by focusing on “student’s social,

behavioural and emotional needs” (p 8). This idea of focusing on social, behavioural and

emotional needs also links back to engagement, and the definition of engagement

(Reeve & Lee, 2014, p 528). In the Australian Professional Standards for teachers, two

key descriptors which speak to Indigenous education, are 1.4.1 which says teachers

must “Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture,

cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds” and 2.4.1 “Demonstrate broad

knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

histories, cultures and languages” (NESA, 2018, p 3). The What Works program for PLPs

addresses the NESA descriptors, saying that some key beliefs and values which should

inform PLPs include respecting and valuing student’s Indigenous cultures, their cultural

knowledge, and their involvement or responsibilities in their communities (Core Issues

10, 2018, p 3). PLPs ensure that students are able to meet syllabus and national

standards across all curricula through and while valuing their culture. This is done by

asking four questions about their education; “Where is the now?”, “Where should the

student be?”, “How will they get to where they should be?” and “How will we know

when they get there?”. Since PLPs are student focused and allow students to work

together with teachers to create goals, not only does it improve retention, but it helps

build positive, respectful relationships through stronger student-teacher relationships.

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Building stronger teacher-student relationships (TSRs) with indigenous students entails

having positive and respectful relationships, which when combined with PLPs and a

focus on engagement, can help improve retention. According to Roorda, Koomen, Spilt

and Oort (2011), as students became older, stronger TSRs became more effective on

achievement and engagement, especially for at risk or disadvantaged students (p 520).

Quin (2016) agrees, saying that observations showed TSRs had some significant signals

of increased student engagement (p 378). TSRs can be built in many ways, but Price

(2012) points out that with Indigenous students, a major aspect is about being a

culturally competent teacher who “will foster engagement with, and participation by,

local Indigenous communities, and will build positive learning relationships with

Indigenous children” (p 168). This continues speaking to the fact that teachers must

value and respect Indigenous cultures, and as teachers nurture and teach the

importance of student’s culture, this will build stronger TSRs. Another aspect that

teachers must consider, is that they need to be honest about not knowing everything,

hence the importance of building relationships with the community, parents and

caregivers. Indigenous people want teachers to honour their culture, include Indigenous

culture in curriculum, increase partnerships with the community, understanding of

their history and have high expectations of Indigenous students (Price, 2012, p 178).

The Closing the Gap (2018) report says that one of the focus points will be and needs to

be on improving teacher quality, saying that a part of this focus is creating “a culture of

high expectations” and “strong student teacher and community relationships and

support for culture” (p 56). The three strategies of engagement, PLPs and TSRs address

many policy points, but they are only three of many strategies that need to be

implemented into Indigenous education. It is important that teachers successfully

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implement these strategies and many more across all curriculums, and the English

classroom is no exception.

The English classroom is very important because it lays the language and literacy

foundations which are used in all subjects. Though research shows there is still a gap

between indigenous and non-indigenous learners, the ‘Eight ways Pedagogy’ or ‘8 Ways

of Learning’ is a strategy which can be used to engage Indigenous students. Price (2012)

points out that over the years, Indigenous students have been taught as though English

is their first language, when in fact it is in most cases their second or even third

language, and therefore must be taught like other ‘Language other than English’ (LOTE)

learners (p 171). This means creating the scaffolding and strategies which would help

Indigenous students successfully learn the English language, while also valuing and

promoting the continual learning of their own language. The closing the gap (2018)

report affirms that more needs to be done, so that all students are engaged in the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and since 2015 has been introduced

into the Australian Curriculum to encourage the learning of these languages (p 57). The

8 ways pedagogy gives teachers eight strategies to create activities, and teach with high

effect and cultural inclusivity (USQ, 2017). Looking at the English K-10 Syllabus (2018),

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures is a cross-curriculum

priority and Literacy is embedded throughout the outcomes. Outcome EN4-3B “uses

and describes language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range of

purposes, audiences and contexts” and EN4-5C “thinks imaginatively, creatively,

interpretively and critically about information, ideas and arguments to respond to and

compose texts” (English K-10, 2018) can be met through a task which requires students

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to share a biography of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. The teacher must

first share an example which is written, then communicated through at least two other

lenses in the 8 ways pedagogy. The teacher can share an imaginative biography of

Pemulwuy after doing some research and also speaking to Aboriginal community

leaders. The teacher would verbally share the biography, show land links using google

maps of Botany Bay, and use non verbal techniques by acting out his story while

speaking. Students are then encouraged to do the same task, but if they want to

interview a parent, carer or a community elder, they can do a biography on that person.

This learning activity incorporates the What Works Core issue 3 (2018) suggestions for

improving Literacy, which are social inclusion and wellbeing, strengthening identity and

Engagement (p 3-4). It is also important in this task that the teacher first provide the

written biography and first complete the task for the students to see, as a way of

scaffolding. This process of scaffolding would also give students a list of possible

Indigenous people they could do a biography for, in case they prefer not to interview

anyone, and the teacher must spend individual time with students to help them edit

their biographies. Students can also translate one paragraph into their mother tongue,

which they can then choose to share in a yarning circle or pass. Not only is this task an

example of meeting curriculum outcomes, but it also meets Standards 1.4 and 2.4, and

more specifically, 1.4.1 which says teachers must “Demonstrate broad knowledge and

understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on

the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds” and

2.4.1 “Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages” (NESA, 2018, p 3).

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In order to improve retention and build positive, respectful relationships with

Indigenous students in an English classroom, the combination of student engagement,

stronger STRs and PLP’s is necessary. These three strategies, along with the 8 ways

pedagogy, address key policy documents such as the Closing the gap report, the NSW

Aboriginal Education Policy and the Australian Professional Standards for teachers.

Although there is a lot more to be done, and many other key strategies that are

important in successfully teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, these

are a big step forward for any educator teaching English or any other curriculum. All

students deserve high quality and high expectation education, so we must continue to

move forward in making sure Indigenous students statistics improve to become better

or at least on par with non-Indigenous students.

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References

Bonet, G., & Walters, B. (2016). High impact practices: Student engagement and

retention. ​50(​ 2), 224-235.

Commonwealth of Australia. (2018). ​Closing the gap Prime Minister's Report 2018

[Ebook]. Retrieved from

https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/ctg-report-2018.pdf

Department of Education, Science and Training. (2018). ​What Works Core Issue 2

Reducing Suspensions​[PDF]. Retrieved from

http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1284012354797_file_2Suspensions.pdf

Department of Education, Science and Training. (2018). ​What Works Core Issue 3

Literacy​[PDF]. Retrieved from

http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1250830886867_file_3Literacy.pdf

Department of Education, Science and Training. (2018). ​What Works Core Issue 5

Engagement[​ PDF]. Retrieved from

http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1250830979818_file_5Engagement.pdf

Department of Education, Science and Training. (2018). ​What Works Core Issue 10

Personalised Learning Plans​[PDF]. Retrieved from

http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1311202974899_file_CoreIssues10.pdf

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Introduction: Using the 8 Ways Pedagogy. (2018). Retrieved from

https://open.usq.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=7654&chapterid=702

NSW Education. (2018). Suspensions and Expulsions 2017 [Ebook]. Retrieved from

https://data.cese.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/c0a90a6f-2509-45c5-ba77-cf5b0035

0043/resource/35cecdef-261f-432f-ada8-8d5e1b9838eb/download/2017-susp

ensions-and-expulsions-aa.pdf

Prain, V., Cox, P., Deed, C., Dorman, J., Edwards, D., & Farrelly, C. et al. (2012).

Personalised learning: lessons to be learnt. ​British Educational Research Journal,​

39(4), 1-23. doi: 10.1080/01411926.2012.669747

Price, K. (Ed.). (2012). ​Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction

for the Teaching Profession.​ Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

doi:10.1017/CBO9781139519403

Reeve, J., & Lee, W. (2014). Students' classroom engagement produces longitudinal

changes in classroom motivation. ​106​(2), 527-540.

Retention Rates - Schools, Australia, 2017. (2018). Retrieved from

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4221.0

Roorda, D., Koomen, H., Spilt, J., & Oort, F. (2011). The Influence of Affective

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Teacher–Student Relationships on Students’ School Engagement and

Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Approach. ​Review of Educational Research, ​81(​ 4),

493-529.

Suspensions and expulsions in NSW government schools (2005-2017) - 2013

suspension and expulsions (870 KB) - NSW Education Datahub. (2018).

Retrieved from

https://data.cese.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/suspensions-and-expulsions-in-ns​w-

government-schools/resource/9dc772b6-84c1-4853-b505-d16a42425d77

NESA. (2018). ​Priority areas Aboriginal Education​ [Ebook]. Retrieved from

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/92d0f37e-acb6-40b

2-b79e-769590482845/elaborations-in-priority-areas-aboriginal-education.pdf?

MOD=AJPERES&CVID

Quin, D. (2017). Longitudinal and Contextual Associations Between Teacher–Student

Relationships and Student Engagement: A Systematic Review. ​Review of

Educational Research,​ ​87​(2), 345-387.

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