Two Pairs of Shoes: Indigenous student's experiences

Originally posted by Apple Green Amy

So, if you were going to study in another country, a foreign culture, a different language and be expected to meet all expectations there, how well do you think you would do?

We like to think of it this way: our students have two pairs of shoes - those they wear in their community and those they wear when they come onto our campus.

The picture of the shoes helps me remember that our students are not only here to learn new knowledge and skills, but that they come to us with a wealth of learning and experience already; and that they happily swap shoes to live a different experience when they go home!

In thinking about the further reaching effects of our cross cultural teaching I like McGivney's point on this - that while the Aboriginal students we have are here for educational progress towards a formal qualification, albeit a desirable outcome, is not necessarily the most important benefit of learning: we need to think about how their experience with us will have a far more reaching benefit to individuals, families and communities all across the NT.

So, when they struggle to follow the timetable, to re-write things in their own words, to understand the speaker on the stage or behave differently outside of school we need to remember that they wear different shoes - they are in a foreign culture, language and set of standards; and what they need is support for their motivation, cross cultural experiences, through their barriers and to also celebrate their successes...no matter how different to ours!

8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning

  

The challenge in teaching for Indigenous learning styles begins with ourselves. How well we know our own perspectives and how we cater for others through our pedagogy is vital to the success of our student's understanding and future applications of the knowledge.

8 Ways is a fantastic site that not only documents Aboriginal Pedagogy but has useful resources which show ways this has been implemented by teachers around Australia. There are examples from a wide range of Key Learning Areas, from both Indigenous and Mainstream teachers.

'8 Ways' is built around the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning:

Tell a story. Make a plan. Think and do. Draw it. Take it outside. Try a new way. Watch first, then do. Share it with others

1. We connect through the stories we share.
2. We picture our pathways of knowledge.
3. We see, think, act, make and share without words.
4. We keep and share knowledge with art and objects.
5. We work with lessons from land and nature.
6. We put different ideas together and create new knowledge.
7. We work from wholes to parts, watching and then doing.
8. We bring new knowledge home to help our mob.

I always begin planning a unit with this in mind: how explicit am I being with the personal and wider narrative? How much do include applications for the students and family connections? How much will this connect with real life purposes and contexts?

In our Circle model we meet students from communities and we hear their stories for the future; we then teach the content so it connects back to their real story; as they leave the program and use their skills & new knowledge for their community life - the Circle closes!

It's worth exploring 8 Ways and discover how you could implement it - it's one of my favourite 'bookmarks'!

Impacts on Indigenous Students

Can't see the video? Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCEllYo94jQ

Have you ever thought about the difference in life our students face? There are many impacts on learning that are easy to overlook because we focus on our own experience.

This video by Menzies has been playing on TV over the last few months and is a refreshing take on the statistics we normally read in reports.

It was Erik Jensen who identified these three primary reasons for lack of student motivation:

1. Negative experiences
2. Environmental factors
3. Student's relationship with the future

When you get a minute, check out the video and then think about what challenges your students may be facing!

Two Cultures, Two Journeys

 

Two roads originally posted by Matt Lew and Peter Visontay

My friend Matt Davis introduced me to the concept of Two Roads, inspired by Little Fish in Alice Springs. Check out their site - it has some fantastic graphical tools for communicating cross culturally!

On the left the freeway represents a very Western way of traveling: focused on the end goal, high speed to get there, not stopping along the way unless necessary. This way isn't done with others unless it suits the driver and achieves the end result.
On the right, the bush track represents the journey many of our Indigenous students are on: they will reach the end goal but along the way are many impacts on the travelers. The road pulls you to the left and to the right, there are beautiful views to stop at and wait, there are others with you and they may be setting the pace or even the route.

We need to remember there are many factors influencing our Indigenous students that we might not face - cultural obligations, community & family expectations, funerals and health issues, carer roles and even the unresolved issues that lead to 'payback' which are happening back in their communities.

If our model does not effectively cater for Sorry Business, hunting trips, ceremonies and family expectations we are fundamentally preparing them for the wrong thing - an unsuccessful assessment of their education.
But, when we have the grace to accept their journey may be different to ours, we are able to adapt to support our students through all the impacts on their journey as well as celebrate their arrival at the end!

I made this image my laptop wallpaper as a daily reminder of this - even though I work with Indigenous students every day it's still so easy to lose sight of the difference!

'Working Together'

'Working Together' is a series of 5 Cross Cultural training resources I developed in 2009. These are designed for teachers new to the NT who are looking to develop their understanding of how to work effectively as a Non-Indigenous person in Indigenous Ed.

'Working Together' slides include real life examples of what you could expect in the class, tips from experienced teachers as well as general worldview & cultural awareness.

Topics include:

• Non Verbal Communication
• Eye Contact
• Feeling ‘Shame’
• Learning Styles
• Cultural Relationships
• Skin Groups
• Promoting Understanding
• Ways of Seeing Things
• Two Worldviews
• Our Different Approaches
• Enjoying the Journey
• Classroom Tips

If you are interested in the 'Working Together' series feel free to email me!