Aboriginal Studies : A Beginning at Mt Druitt High

1988 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Stephen Kurtz

In 1988 Mt Druitt High will begin an elective course in Aboriginal Studies. The process for development for this course has taken two years and was on the basis that this course could only get off the ground if it had the full support and involvement of both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and community members.In 1986 the 32 Aboriginal students enrolled at the school formed a club and called themselves the Dharruk Koories (Mt Druitt is in the suburb of Dharruk, which was named after the Aboriginal tribe that originally inhabited the area). The group met weekly with me and the school community worker and quickly formed a list of aims.

Chapter 6 considers the challenges for school community members in a restorative school environment. Student challenges include confronting peers, learning to find a balance between completing individual work and resolving issues that affect the community, and learning to take on leadership roles within restorative circles. Teacher challenges involve learning to share responsibility and control within a classroom, implementing restorative practices and balancing the need to confront issues while still covering the required academic content, and helping students overcome some of the challenges they face. Counselor challenges focus on learning to confront difficult situations and students, learning how to become vulnerable, and assisting others in the implementation of restorative practices. Administrative challenges include dealing with situations in which teachers sometimes blame themselves, learning how to model restorative behaviors, and finding staff members that believe in the philosophy and practice of being and doing things restoratively within a school environment.


2020 ◽  
pp. 127-157
Author(s):  
Catherine Maree Burgess ◽  
John Robert Evans

This chapter examines the importance of culturally responsive relationships-focused pedagogical approaches in engaging Aboriginal students in their learning and the significance of this to improving their educational outcomes. Significantly, the themes and issues raised in this chapter reflect much of the international literature on Indigenous, minority and marginalised students. The following enablers are necessary when implementing culturally responsive relationships focused pedagogies: Engaging with Aboriginal families and community members; Harnessing Aboriginal students' backgrounds, lived experiences and interests as classroom resources; Implementing innovative place-based curriculum approaches, and Exploring holistic teacher professional learning opportunities. The combination of these factors creates quality learning environments as places of belonging and socio-cultural support underpinned by mobilising Aboriginal family and community social and cultural capital in the educational process. Once schools and teachers realise the potential of this approach, conditions are created to improve the academic, social and cultural outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.


2021 ◽  
pp. 146879412110005
Author(s):  
Carla Jane Kennedy ◽  
Fiona Gardner

Immersing researchers in sensitive and emotive topics such as death, dying and bereavement may result in periods of conflicting logical thoughts and subjective feelings that need to be acknowledged and supported. The question to be answered in this research was ‘How do we create compassionate schools?’ which led to the interviewing of bereaved school community members in regional areas in Victoria, Australia. As anticipated, Carla, one of the researchers who had experienced recent family deaths was challenged by particular issues arising in interviews and through the transcribing process. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to discuss this complexity, with grounded theory as a conduit, reflexivity and critical reflection as combined tools and compassion as a way forward. We draw upon Carla’s methodological reflective journal and current health literature concerning sensitive topics in qualitative research. Recommendations of how to support researchers and research teams managing sensitive topics are provided and suggestions of how compassion can be achieved and extended to researchers are offered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 11550
Author(s):  
Paulo Boa Sorte

In this essay, I argue that teaching reading comprehension can be based on the read oneself reading’s view, which consists of reading a text at the same time that we read ourselves. In other words, we need to be aware, at all times, of the way we read texts and make meaning by taking responsibility for our own interpretations because both the writer and the reader are text producers. First, I begin by giving an example of how traditional ideals of reading do not include the plurality of ideas. I then explain how teaching through critical literacy can be used to reflect upon the identities of students, teachers and school community members in a classroom of English for speakers of other languages. I conclude by reaffirming the consequences of homogenizing readings and interpretations in addition to reflecting upon possible formative paths to the post-truth times we live in.


Author(s):  
Khalid Almalhy

The study aimed to explore the effects of a proposed gamification strategy in eLearning environments through integrating roles of school community members (school principal, educational supervisor, teacher, student, and parent) in order to improve their levels of participation in eLearning. A mixed methods research approach was used: Quantitative data were collected by means of a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 41 faculty members specializing in educational technology in Saudi public universities, while qualitative data were collected through interviews with eight experts in the same field. The results showed that all factors had a medium impact, except for the impact of student performance on teacher performance, which showed the highest average impact, and the impact of student performance on the performance of the school principal, which showed the lowest average impact. Additionally, the results of the interviews were discussed as interpretation of the quantitative data, which confirmed—from the points of view of both the experts and the questionnaire recipients—the effectiveness of the proposed gamification strategy in improving the level of participation of all school community members. Based on the results, the study recommended the use of the proposed gamification strategy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-74
Author(s):  
Miya Dewi Suprihandari ◽  
Muhammad Ali Masyhuri ◽  
Teguh Purnomo ◽  
Menur Kusumaningtyas ◽  
, Nurul Iman ◽  
...  

Kampung and tourism villages in Indonesia are a positive phenomenon that can function as an effort to increase the income of the village or village community directly and indirectly for local and central government. Efforts to present the local wealth of the region as an added value of an area, so that the growth rate of tourist visits in an area in Indonesia is increasing from the past. The number of village and tourist village destinations in Indonesia has also increased from the past and entrepreneurial activities have become an option for most members of village and tourism village communities in various forms. Efforts to explore and develop local capabilities and wealth will provide optimal results when the government provides full support for the capabilities and creativity of local communities in all matters, including training for community members who are interested and have a desire to increase knowledge and increase their creative abilities, so that they can become human resources who are able to compete in the future and have character. This support is carried out continuously because villages and tourist villages in Indonesia currently also have an educational function for all ages and levels of education.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Erwin ◽  
Linda Muzzin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to document experiences of Aboriginal students in community colleges from the perspective of Aboriginal communities rather than policymakers and shows how these communities support student persistence in college. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with 16 Aboriginal college students, staff and community members were undertaken with Aboriginal guidance, and analysis was undertaken informed by the writings of Aboriginal scholars. Findings – The major finding was that First Nations students experience a disconnect between the epistemology of Aboriginal peoples and ways of being in community colleges. Most demonstrate bravery and persistence in their studies as well as resistance to assimilation. Understanding and support is provided by surrounding Aboriginal communities, based on their appreciation of the epistemological roots of the problem. Practical implications – Frequent reference to the absence of Indigenous Knowledges suggests that more must be done to make Aboriginal students feel safe in colleges where they are in the minority. In view of their feeling of “disconnect,” safe Aboriginal centers, or “homes away from home” are one of many ways to support these students. Originality/value – The research challenges assimilationist approaches to Aboriginal college students, and highlights supporting Indigenous peoples, as described in global terms by Indigenous scholars.


1998 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay L. Gibson

Recently research was conducted in Queensland, Australia which was designed to describe a more effective approach for the identification of gifted students. The purpose of the research was to contribute to the improvement of current procedures used in the identification of gifted minority children, particularly urban Aboriginal gifted children. The five year study of Dr. Mary M. Frasier at the University of Georgia served as a basic design model for the research. This paper reports the findings from the two data collection activities of the research project. Firstly interviews of urban Aboriginal community members, including parents of gifted Aboriginal children, were undertaken followed by a state wide survey of Aboriginal teachers in Queensland. The aim of both was to gain information concerning how giftedness was perceived and described by urban Aboriginal community members. This information was then utilised to establish the viability of Frasier's work in the identification of Australian gifted Aboriginal students and to suggest modification to Frasier's model which would heighten its cultural relevance to the Aboriginal society


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Ige Akindele Matthew

<p>Mutual school-community relationship is imperative in the educational system due to the associated benefits. One of the purposes of establishing a school is to serve the immediate community. A community also needs to monitor and supervise the schools located within it, attend to their needs, challenges, as well as monitor their progress, so that there will be effective management of the schools while the set objectives can be achieved.  In this paper, critical forces pulling schools and communities apart (i.e. centrifugal forces) in Nigeria, such as theft of school properties, encroachment into school’s land/territory, interference in school’s activities, invasion of school by hoodlums, ritual killings, and obstruction of movement of staff, indiscipline of pupils/students and teachers,  as well as the apathy of school to community’s activities, are examined. To tackle the forces and achieve mutual school-community relationships, all hands must be on deck, particularly, by the parties to the school and community relationship. In this case, non-apathy of school to community activities, prevention of theft of school properties, non-interference of community members in school affairs, non-interference of parents and community in school affairs, among others, are recommended</p><p><em>Hubungan antara sekolah dan masyarakat sangat penting dalam sistem pendidikan karena manfaat yang ada di dalamnya. Salah satu tujuan pendirian sekolah adalah untuk melayani masyarakat yang berada di sekitarnya. Masyarakat juga perlu memantau dan mengawasi sekolah-sekolah yang berada disekelilingnya, memperhatikan kebutuhan mereka, tantangan, serta memantau kemajuan mereka, sehingga akan tercipta manajemen sekolah yang efektif sementara tujuan yang ditetapkan juga dapat tercapai. Tulisan ini menganalisa kekuatan kritis yang  memisahkan antara sekolah dan masyarakat (yaitu kekuatan sentrifugal) di Nigeria, seperti pencurian properti sekolah, gangguan lingkungan sekolah, campur tangan dalam kegiatan sekolah, invasi sekolah oleh preman, ritual pembunuhan, gangguan akan aktivitas staf sekolah, ketidakdisiplinan siswa dan guru, serta sikap apatis sekolah terhadap kegiatan masyarakat. Untuk mengatasi kekuatan tersebut dan mencapai hubungan timbal balik sekolah-masyarakat, semua pihak harus bersinergi, terutama pihak-pihak sekolah dan hubungan dalam masyarakat. Sebagai solusi, ada beberapa kegiatan yang direkomendasikan, diantaranya tidak apatisnya sekolah akan kegiatan masyarakat, pencegahan pencurian properti sekolah, tidak adanya campur tangan anggota masyarakat dalam urusan sekolah, tidak adanya campur tangan orang tua dan masyarakat dalam urusan sekolah</em></p>


2021 ◽  
pp. 014303432110416
Author(s):  
Chryse Hatzichristou ◽  
Niki Georgakakou-Koutsonikou ◽  
Panayiotis Lianos ◽  
Aikaterini Lampropoulou ◽  
Theodora Yfanti

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of adults and children worldwide. Schools were among the first settings to be influenced by this crisis. Home confinement and school closure were implemented as necessary preventive measures creating a new way of living based on web-based communication. The aim of the study is to explore school community needs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Greece. The study followed a mixed methods design, consisting of a teacher, a parent and an adolescent survey. The sample entailed 1,157 participants (414 teachers, 487 parents and 256 adolescents). Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected using open-ended questions to explore participants’ adjustment and needs during the pandemic. Parents and teachers showed high propensity for anxiety and high levels of resilient coping. Health and adaptation concerns were evident in all samples. Teachers, parents and adolescents described helpful coping practices, primarily related to social support. The findings highlight the importance of supporting all school community members to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety during the pandemic and to identify and make use of helpful personal and social resources.


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