Historical Perspectives of Indigenous Education - Assignment Example

Week 1: Historical Perspectives of Indigenous Education During this week, we examined the historical perspectives of indigenous education .I learnt that, prior to the invasion of the European, education in the indigenous communities was informal in nature. Personally, I found that this week’s lesson was imperative to my teaching practice since provided a different outlook to education. The insights that I gained in this week helped me to understand that learning does not necessarily involve a formal teaching process. In the course of this week, we examined the history of indigenous education and established that learning occurred in the course of day to day activities, fluency in language was acquired through interactions with the surrounding groups. By reviewing, research studies conducted by Hamilton ( 1981) and Harris(1980) we were able to establish that most people from indigenous communities were hunters, gatherers and they also performed traditional rituals, skills in hunting, gathering and performing rituals were learnt through observation, practice and imitation. Indigenous communities did not use any form of written text, the history and traditions of the community was passed from one generation to another orally. Lessons on ceremonial practices and obligations, locations of waterholes and ways of obtaining food were also passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth. Nevertheless in some instance, indigenous communities employed formal aspects of education particularly when teaching certain aspect of rituals. For instance, initiates were imparted with sacred knowledge that was not accessible to other groups in the community. The meaning of language rituals, symbols and certain stories were transmitted through formal teaching processes (Partington 1998, pp.28-29). Basically, this week’s lesson helped me to develop a new outlook on education. Through the various aspects of indigenous education that we explored, I was able to understand that learning does not necessarily involve a formal teaching process. Students can learn through observation, practice and interacting with others. Though the learning strategies employed by indigenous communities were informal in nature, they helped the community to retain their cultural identity for generations. Thus in my teaching practice I will endeavor to employ alternative learning strategies such as interactive discussion groups, observation and practice exercises. Week 2: Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory Our main focus during this week was on indigenous education in the Northern territory. Lessons learnt during this week provided great insight on what contributes poor or quality education outcomes. We examined some of the key aspects that characterize indigenous education in schools in the Northern territory. I was able to learn that following the European invasion in Australia, indigenous education took a major shift. In some regions, particularly the Northern Territory, the indigenous people were regarded as subjects of the British government. Thus the British government sought to provide education for the Indigenous people in order to civilize them and to convert them to Christianity. The quality of indigenous education in the Northern Territory was poorer as compared to the quality of education in non-indigenous schools. For example, teachers employed in indigenous schools were untrained, the curriculum was restricted to simple arithmetic, reading and writing. The outcomes attained by indigenous learners were very low and less was expected of indigenous students. The poor quality of education and learning outcomes of indigenous learners can be attributed to the lack of diligence on the part of the British government to provide quality education facilities, resources and trained teachers to indigenous schools. The main priority of the government was on acquiring free labour from indigenous learners and not providing them with quality education (Partington 1998, p.42). However, by examining a study by Milnes (1985, p.78), we were able to learn that in some Mission schools such as Mt Margret mission, quality education was provided to indigenous students. Milnes notes that the recipient of this education, have since become instrumental in changing the plight of the indigenous community. The lesson learnt in week 2, on the nature of indigenous education in the Northern Territory provided great insight on what contributes poor or quality education outcomes. It is apparent that education outcomes for indigenous schools in the Northern territory were wanting due to the colonial government provision of substandard education services characterized by untrained teachers, limited resources and minimal efforts for realizing high educational outcomes for indigenous learners. Lessons from this week enabled me to understand the importance of teachers training and setting high education standards so as to realise quality education outcomes for students. Week 3: Diverse Experiences of Education The lessons learnt during this week were of great importance to me personally and are applicable to my teaching practice since it relates to the need of teachers to acknowledge, appreciate and learn how handle diversity in the school environment. During this week I learnt that after World War 2 major changes occurred that contributed to the decline of segregation, 1947 marked the end of segregation in schools. Indigenous students were integrated in European schools. Over time, the presence of indigenous students became more common in state schools, the quality of education given to non-indigenous students was now the same as that given to indigenous students. However, the experiences of education that indigenous students went through were different from that of non-indigenous students. By examining Fletcher’s (1989, p.116) observations I learnt that indigenous students who were integrated had very uncomfortable experiences, for instance they were discriminated against, they also faced hostility from both the students and the teachers. Despite the fact that indigenous students received the same educations as the whites, the education they received was not entirely suitable for them. Although, policy changes were implemented, the curriculum used in schools did not incorporate any aspect of indigenous culture, language or aspirations. Teachers, the government and the community at large had low academic expectations for indigenous students (Partington 1998, p.47). One of the key lessons learnt in week 3, relates to the need of teachers to acknowledge, appreciate and learn how handle diversity in the school environment. As a teacher, it is important to understand that students have varying learning needs, abilities, and levels of comprehension. Therefore, flexibility is essential when it comes to teaching, the needs of each students should be given priority. Moreover, it is important for teachers to communicate with students and find out their weak areas. Teachers should also design the curriculum and the learning objectives based on the learning needs of the students. Week 4: Health and Education in the School Community Lessons learnt during week 4 highlighted the significance of teacher’s role as advocates for the need and concern of students. During this week, I learnt that, prior to the enactment of laws and legislations that forbid segregation, indigenous communities were deprived of basic services such as health, education and housing services among many other services from the government. As a result of this, indigenous communicate succumbed to unfavorable experiences. In the long run this affected their educational and other socio-economical outcomes (Blair, Zubrick & Cox 2005). Poor living conditions and health complications are known to negatively impact on the performance of indigenous students in school. The key lesson in this week was based on the role of teachers in promoting health and education in the school community. Based on the insights imparted to me during this week, I was able to understand that teachers play a paramount role in promoting the well being of learners in the school environment. Teaching is a holistic profession that not only touches on academic subject matters but also touches on the spiritual, physical and emotional well-being of learners. The key aims of indigenous education is to ensure that indigenous students realise positive outcomes at an individual level, secondly indigenous education aims at educating the wider community on history ad culture of the indigenous community. Personally, during this week I learnt that teachers should act as advocates of the needs and concerns that are bound to affect the academic performance of their students. In order to realise, the formation of a healthy relationship between teachers and students is vital. Students should be able to freely communicate to their teachers concerning their learning needs or other challenges that they are facing. In response, teachers should understand, supportive and proactive about the concerns of their students. Week 5: Language and Culture Lessons learnt during this week are of great importance to my teaching practice. I was able to learn that student’s cultural background and language influence their learning process. Therefore as a teacher, it is important to understand the key elements of student’s language and culture since this will enable one to address any issues revolving around language or cultural barriers that may inhibit the understanding of the student. In the course of this week, we learnt about the language and culture of the indigenous communities and how aspects of their language and culture acted as variables as they were integrated into the European system of education. Some of the distinguishing aspects of the indigenous culture include their livelihood, the role of religion and their cultural practices. Traditionally, indigenous people were nomads, their source of food came from hunting and gathering. They highly valued their land and considered their relationship with their land as symbiotic. Indigenous communities often carried out their traditional ceremonies and rituals so as to honor their culture or fulfill their religious obligations. Indigenous communities had over 250 language groups, fluency in language and dialects was acquired through interactions with the surrounding groups (Partington 1998, p28.).Following their integration into the whites education systems, students from indigenous communities continue have poor outcomes mainly because the existing curriculum does not incorporate any aspect of indigenous culture, language or knowledge. This in turn makes it difficult for indigenous students to relate to the curriculum or realise the intended learning outcomes (NTDE 1999, pp.125–131). The knowledge gained this week is relevant to many areas of my teaching practice. Foremost, I have been able to understand the cultural background and language of students are fundamental to their learning process. Therefore as a teacher, it is essential to acknowledge the culture of students, moreover it is imperative to address any issues revolving around language barriers that may inhibit the understanding of the student. Week 6: Literacy and numeracy in the classroom Early schools years for indigenous children were unsuccessful and short-lived. Attempts by the colonial government to educate them led to the adoption of extreme measures that involved separating children from their parents in order to educate them. The colonial government believed that indigenous parents were a negative influence to their children. During this era the focus of education was on Christianity thus emphasis was placed on teaching the children English so that they can read the Bible. This was mainly because missionaries perceived people from indigenous communities to be very immoral. Other subjects taught in school included arithmetic, religious instructions, writing and spelling. Trade skills were also taught since indigenous learners were considered to be incapable of being completely literate. Despite the fact that the schools were able to produce literate indigenous students, in the long run the school failed to make significant changes in the lives of indigenous students. It evident that the failure experienced by white teachers in educating indigenous students was mainly due to the fact that the teachers failed to provide purposeful and meaningful education. Indigenous students were introduced to new concepts of education without their teachers considering their background of knowledge or using traditional methods and as a result poor outcomes were experienced (Hart 1970). Week 6 provided profound lessons that are by their very nature invaluable in the teaching profession. The main lesson is that instead of just teaching, teachers should try to make learning meaningful and purposeful to the students. Teachers should consider background of knowledge of their students and use teaching strategies that are students can easily relate to. Bibliography Blair, E., Zubrick, R. & Cox, A., 2005, The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: Findings to Date on Adolescents, The Medical Journal of Australia 2005: 8, pp. 433 –435. Fletcher, J., 1989, Clean, clad and courteous: A history of Aboriginal education in New South Wales, Jim Fletcher, Sydney. Hamilton, A., 1981, Nature and nurture: Aboriginal child rearing in north-central Arnhem Land, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. Harris, S., 1980, Culture and learning: Tradition and education in Northeast Arnhem Land, Northern Territory Department of Education, Darwin. Hart, M., 1970, A history of the education of full-blood Aborigines in South Australia, University of Adelaide, Adelaide. Milnes, D. (1985). A history of the education of the Aborigines in Western Australia with particular reference to the Goldfields District since 1927. University of New England, Armidale. Northern Territory Department of Education, 1999, Learning Lessons Report: An Independent Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory, Darwin, pp.125–131. (NTDE 1999) Partington, G., 1998, “In those days it was that rough.” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and education. In Perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. Wentworth, NSW: Social Science Press. Read More