Practicing Teachers’ Reflections: Indigenous Australian Student Mobility and Implications for Teacher Education

Beverley Moriarty,Maria Bennet

doi:10.17645/si.v4i1.373

Abstract

Social constructions of education historically have impacted adversely on marginalised Indigenous Australian students whose mobile lifestyles and cultural positioning challenge teachers’ social inclusion practices. This paper examines the preparation and capacity of pre-service teachers to engage with mobile Indigenous students and their communities. Evidence is drawn from practicing teachers who reflected on their experiences in working with Indigenous students and their communities since graduation and how their experiences, both pre- and post-graduation, impacted on their beliefs and practices. Individual interviews were conducted with four teachers who also participated in the first stage of the study as a group of 24 second year primary pre-service teachers at a regional Australian university. It was found that pre-service teachers representing a range of world views benefit from positive, scaffolded experiences that provide opportunities to develop practices that foster social justice and inclusion. The findings of this study have implications for providing pre-service teachers with opportunities to understand how historical factors impact on Indigenous student mobility in contemporary Australian educational settings and the development of socially inclusive pedagogical practices. Further longitudinal research to expand the evidence base around developing culturally-appropriate pedagogical practices in pre-service teachers is needed to support their transition into teaching.

Highlights

In looking at the question, “How can teacher educators approach diversity with a social justice orientation?” Nieto (2000, p. 180) argued that teachers with a strong sense of social justice have the capacity to learn about their students as well as with them and that such learning is transformational for both teachers and students but is a lifelong endeavour
We argue that if education for Indigenous Australian students is to be underpinned by a social justice dimension, developing an understanding of the history and culture of Indigenous Australians, their relationship to the land, reasons for mobility and how they learn is fundamental for designing pedagogical practices that are culturally-appropriate and inclusive
In order for Indigenous Australian students to connect with school and find meaning and relevance in their school experiences through teachers’ use of culturally-appropriate pedagogies, teachers need first to understand the communities from which the Indigenous students come

Summary

Introduction

In looking at the question, “How can teacher educators approach diversity with a social justice orientation?” Nieto (2000, p. 180) argued that teachers with a strong sense of social justice have the capacity to learn about their students as well as with them and that such learning is transformational for both teachers and students but is a lifelong endeavour. Dispositions around social justice based on developing an understanding of the history and culture of Indigenous Australians help to avoid the problem of placing the blame for the educational failure of students who do not permanently reside in one location on their mobility (Danaher, Danaher, & Moriarty, 2007) and pave the way for designing pedagogical approaches based on the strengths that Indigenous Australian students bring to the classroom. Taylor’s analysis of the 2008 Australian Census data and the National Report on Schooling in Australia (2007) indicate that there may be close on 22,000 students who are mobile at any one time. This has significant implications for the delivery of educational services to Indigenous students. Can be found in large regional areas such as noted by Bennet and Lancaster (2012) who found a mobility turnover rate of approximately 60% that affected the consistency of the delivery of an after school reading program

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