Assessment One Aboriginal & Culturally Responsive Pedagogies 17465016

’Knowledge of the racism encountered by Indigenous children and young people in schools is
essential for understanding the changes needed and how to bring them about. Students may
experience racism in schools in a number of ways and from a range of sources including
harmful assumptions, paternalism, prejudice, low expectations, stereotypes, violence and
biased curriculum materials’ (Hickling-Hudson & Ahlquist, 2003).

Can the uptake of an SSI high expectations relationships framework improve educational
outcomes outlined in the closing the gap report for Aboriginal young people? Critically
reflect on this statement from Hickling-Hudson & Ahlquist (2003) and then think about ideas
presented in the Stronger Smarter Institute (SSI) modules. How effectively do you think the
SSI approach addresses the key issues concerning Aboriginal students’ achievement? Explain
how using examples from your own curriculum area how you, as a future teacher, could
apply the SSI philosophy in your teaching to combat these statements. Consider possible
challenges and limitations associated with implementing the SSI approach in schools and
discuss how you might address them.

It is imperative that educators strive to actively increase their personal awareness of the
racism and other disabling practices and attitudes faced by Indigenous students if they are to
implement change effectively in their educational setting. Government reports and enacted
polices such as the Aboriginal Education Policy (AEP) (2010) and the Closing the Gap
Report (2019) have outlined key outcomes and educational goals that are intended to be
prioritized and achieved in schools. However, there is a clear, identifiable need to revise the
means by which these outcomes and goals are translated from their presence within the
documents to actual school settings and classrooms. One established method that can assist in
facilitating this can be found in the Stronger Smarter Institute (SSI) approach, which espouses
values and principles aimed at improving the educational outcomes and experiences of
Indigenous students. This critically reflective essay will examine the capacity of the SSI
approach to assist teachers in reducing racism and other disabling practices, meet the
outcomes of the AEP (2010) and assist in improving the issues explored in the Closing the
Gap Report (2019). In addition to this, this essay will also reflect on how the SSI philosophy
might inform my teaching pedagogy as a future English teacher, my ability to meet the
Australian Professional Standards for Teaching (APST), and my personal responsibility as a

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staff member to assist my future school in addressing the concerns illuminated by the
documents and other relevant literature.

On both a state and federal level, there are several policies and legislations in Australia that
have been enacted in an attempt to address the inequalities and other factors that negatively
affect the cultural wellbeing of Indigenous people. The Closing the Gap Report (2019) can be
understood as the defined contemporary targets for tackling Indigenous disadvantage that
have been identified through the collaborative partnership of the Australian Government,
local and state governments, and Indigenous communities. The three areas for further
development that specifically relate to Indigenous education are in Chapter 3 of the report,
and address the need to improve Indigenous school attendance, literacy and numeracy, and
the quality of teachers so that they can have a higher capacity to teach Indigenous students
effectively. In addition to this, the AEP’s (2010) enactment acts as a recognition of the NSW
Department of Education’s commitment to achieving objectives that were constructed “in
response to the Report of the Review of Aboriginal Education 2004, in collaboration with
Aboriginal communities and key partners” (NSW Department of Education, 2018). In
consideration of these outcomes, goals and priorities, teachers are now tasked with translating
these to the classroom. The significance of the teacher’s role in helping to achieve these
outcomes can be found in the Closing the Gap Report (2019), where it asserts that teacher
quality is the most impacting factor that influences student achievement. However, there are
several challenges associated with ensuring these outcomes are prioritized in an effective,
meaningful way across schools in Australia. As is posited by Hickling-Hudson and Ahlquist
(2003), racism can materialize in several different disabling ways in school settings which
can have an extremely negative impact on the efficacy of teachers to implement positive
change and meet these goals for addressing Indigenous disadvantage. The degree to which
the different examples of racism in schools can impact Aboriginal students and their families
is detailed by Beresford, Partington and Gower (2012), who acknowledge its effects on
student’s motivation to succeed, attitudes towards schooling and their self-esteem. The
prevalence of these racist factors, whether explicit or implicit, will inherently affect the
ability of teachers to assist in closing the gap and to demonstrate the objectives of the AEP.
Therefore, it is essential that educators and their schools adopt an established method to
facilitate effective change in a meaningful way that can be replicated at a national level in all
schools if we are to enact the necessary change touched upon in the statement by Hickling-
Hudson and Ahlquist (2003).

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Assessment One Aboriginal & Culturally Responsive Pedagogies 17465016

The primary aim of the SSI is to “directly improve the educational outcomes for Indigenous
Australians and beyond them, all Australian school children” (Stronger Smarter Institute,
2014). Some of the main tenets of the SSI is to improve school and teaching practice through
a focus on community leadership, utilizing strength-based approaches, and developing
strategies that stem from a direct focus on high-expectations relationships. Promoting a high-
expectations mindset underpins the main philosophy of the SSI approach, as it challenges
educators to reflect on their own preconceptions and attitudes and how they might be
negatively impacting their capacity to teach Indigenous students effectively (Rauland &
Adams, 2015). The SSI decided to represent this through the construction of the ‘High-
Expectations Relationships Framework’, which illustrates the significance of participating in
challenging conversations, establishing opportunities for dialogue and encouraging self-
reflection about preconceived beliefs and attitudes (Stronger Smarter Institute Limited, 2014).
The uptake of this framework in Australian schools can assist in closing the gap and
improving educational outcomes as it provides a means to combat low expectations that stem
from personal underlying beliefs, actions and pedagogic strategies. Sarra, Spillman, Jackson
and Davis (2018) analyse the benefits of engaging in high-expectations relationships and
found that it can positively influence staff environments, improve relationships with both
parents/carers and students, and assist in incorporating a sense of cultural identity into the
school. In consideration of this, schools that adopt the ‘High Expectations Relationships
Framework’ constructed by the SSI can move one step closer to improving the educational
outcomes detailed in the Closing the Gap Report (2019) and tackling the various forms of
racism that may present themselves within schools as described by Hickling-Hudson and
Ahlquist (2003).

The SSI approach also illustrates other potential strategies that will help facilitate high-
expectations relationships which will in turn begin addressing some of the key issues
concerning Indigenous students’ achievement. An example of this can be found in its
recognition of the importance of intercultural understanding and its influence on school
culture, as well as the need for educators to build upon their cultural competence. Gorringe
and Spillman (2009) assert that as more and more teachers become equipped to improve their
cultural competence as leaders, the school culture and organisation will inevitably shift in a
positive direction as a direct result. Reinforcing cultural competence among educators in
school settings will have a measurable impact on their ability to both consciously and
subconsciously improve their patterns of thinking, responding, behaving, perceiving and

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judging as they navigate and facilitate the development of valuable school cultures (Gorringe
& Spillman, 2009, p.14). In addition to this, the SSI approach also includes information on
the importance of reinforcing positive Indigenous student identity and its effect on self-
esteem and learning capacity. Additionally, Purdie, Tripcony, Boulton-Lewis, Fanshawe and
Gunstone (2000) examine the relationship between Indigenous students’ achievement and
positive self-identity and concluded, along with the SSI, that Indigenous students need to
view themselves as capable of achieving and excelling in school and to inherently value the
acquirement of the academic skills required to succeed in academic performance tasks and
other measures. Schools that aid in the development of positive Indigenous students’ identity
will also be better equipped to adopt high-expectations relationships and improve student
learning outcomes due to its emphasis on rejecting negative stereotypes and enhancing
attitudes towards schooling and academic achievement.

My future position as a practicing English teacher provides me with several opportunities to

incorporate the principles of the SSI philosophy into my personal pedagogy. One possibility
would be to reinforce Indigenous students’ identity through the incorporation of curriculum
material and lessons that draw upon Indigenous culture as a primary focus. An example of
this could include analysing texts through the lens of how Indigenous people and their culture
are represented and characterised. This could lead to open discussions where students may
express their views pertaining to the textual context and how this translates to their real-world
experience. In addition to this, Indigenous site visits can allow students to be directly exposed
to Indigenous culture and traditions, which might culminate in a reflective writing task based
on their experience. However, there are possible challenges that may arise in attempting to
adopt the principles of the SSI into schools. As was examined above, Gorringe and Spillman
(2009) discussed the relationship between teachers increasing their cultural competence and
the subsequent effect this has on improving the school culture. However, staff members may
not have the necessary support to initiate this development or might not be aware of how
pressing this matter is in their profession. Therefore, it is essential that measures are in place
to educate teachers on how the educational matters pertaining to Indigenous students are
relevant to their practice and to facilitate a discussion around how they can amend their
personal pedagogy to be better informed by the SSI approach. One method of educating staff
members on how to create strategies to address these issues is to embrace Indigenous
leadership and connect with the surrounding community by involving them in decision-
making processes (Stronger Smarter Institute Limited, 2014). In doing so, school leaders can

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gather new insights into how to optimize their pedagogy to be more mindful of the desired
Indigenous educational outcomes, whilst also encouraging members of the community to
uphold and reinforce educational values among Indigenous students when they are outside
the school. This is just one example of how teachers can begin to increase their cultural
competence, improve school culture and work towards achieving the outcomes of the Closing
the Gap Report (2018), the tenets of the AEP (2010), and the relevant standards of the APST
(2019).

The Closing the Gap Report (2019) reveals key issues that are impacting the capacity of
Indigenous students to engage with schooling in a meaningful way. While the AEP (2010)
does outline clear policies regarding the NSW Department of Education’s commitment to
improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students, the Closing the Gap Report (2019)
indicates that the policies of the AEP (2010) need to be better represented and demonstrated
in contemporary classrooms. One established means of facilitating this can be found in the
implementation of the SSI approach. The SSI approach espouses many different principles
that stem from their overarching goal to improve the educational outcomes for Indigenous
students through the application of a high-expectations relationships framework and other
related strategies. Schools that adopt this approach in an effective way can begin to address
the issues identified in the Closing the Gap Report (2019). In addition to this, the SSI
approach reveals a number of possibilities for me as a future English teacher in Australian
schools. Having awareness of the state of the school’s culture and identifying methods to
enable positive Indigenous students’ identity are prime examples of how I can personally be
an effective school leader and achieve parts of the APST (2019). However, it is also my
responsibility to consider the possible challenges that may manifest within my school setting
when adopting the SSI approach and to act accordingly. The SSI approach is proven to be a
valuable resource in limiting instances of the different types of racism asserted by Hickling-
Hudson and Ahlquist (2003), and more broadly, a promising approach to closing the gap.

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References:

Australian Government, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2019). Closing the
Gap Report 2019. Chapter 3: Education. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Beresford, Q., Partington, G., & Gower, G. (Eds.). (2012). Reform and resistance in
aboriginal education : The australian experience (revised edition). Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Hickling-Hudson, A., & Ahlquist, R. (2003). Contesting the Curriculum in the Schooling of
Indigenous Children in Australia and the United States: From Eurocentrism to Culturally
Powerful Pedagogies. Comparative Education Review, 47(1), 64. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/10.2307/3542067

Gorringe, S. D., & Spillman, D. (2009). Creating stronger smarter learning communities:
The role of culturally competent leadership. Queensland University of Technology.

New South Wales Department of Education. (2018). Aboriginal Education Policy. Retrieved
from https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/aboriginal-education-and-training-
policy

Purdie, N., Tripcony, P., Boulton-Lewis, G., Fanshawe, J., & Gunstone, A. (2000). Positive
self-identity for Indigenous students and its relationship to school outcomes. Canberra:
Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.

Rauland, C., & Adams, T. (2015). A Stronger Smarter Future: Multicultural Education in
Australia. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 23(4), 30–35. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=1012
98274&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Sarra, C., Spillman, D., Jackson, C., Davis, J., & Bray, J. (n.d.). High-Expectations
Relationships: A Foundation for Enacting High Expectations in all Australian Schools. The
Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 1-14. doi:10.1017/jie.2018.10

Stronger Smarter Institute Limited (2014). High-Expectations Relationships: a foundation for

quality learning environments in all Australian schools. Stronger Smarter Institute Limited
Position Paper.