Abstract:
Indigenous learners in Australia are widely perceived to be failing in educational achievement. Yet can it be equally valid to regard schools as having failed to meet the needs and recognise the strengths of Indigenous learners. This research examines the potential fit between EfS and Indigenous land & resource management as an avenue towards engagement for Indigenous learners through involvement in EfS projects. Commonalities and areas of compatiblity common ground between Education for Sustainability and Indigenous practices of land and resource use are explored.
In the current climate, many Indigenous learners display attitudes of reluctance and resistance to school and teachers, while problems on Indigenous communities are often blamed for the children's failure to achieve. Involving children in projects broadly defined as Education for Sustainability may offer a way forward for several reasons. Firstly, in regard to pedagogical practice, involvement in real-life environmentally-friendly projects may have significant similarities to traditional pedagogy, where a stronger connection existed between learning activities in childhood and future survival. Secondly, the hands-on, outdoor aspect of such projects may align better with the learning preferences of many Indigenous learners for experiential, holistic and meaningful activities. Thirdly, the ethical and philosophical base may be more acceptable at the values level to older community members than the standard curriculum. If children are sensitive to the underlying conviction and agreement of their elders, a lessening of resistance behaviours towards formal education may occur.
This paper will investigate some of the educational settings conducting environmental projects which involve Indigenous learners in Australia. It will evaluate their effectiveness in maintaining interest and engagement with formal education from the perspectives of three groups: the participants, their families and communities, and the providers. In particular it examines three (3) areas with high numbers of Indigenous learners, the Kimberleys in Western Australia, the South Burnett region of SE Queensland and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Data was also gathered from campuses with significant Indigenous enrolments where staff responded to an e-mail survey will be examined as a possible meeting point for Indigenous feeling for country and the bonding of all young people to planet earth and specific places that is required to create a sustainable future. Finally, the paper examines some implications of the findings for future directions in the education of Indigenous learners.
Key Phrase: Indigenous Education
In the current climate, many Indigenous learners display attitudes of reluctance and resistance to school and teachers, while problems on Indigenous communities are often blamed for the children's failure to achieve. Involving children in projects broadly defined as Education for Sustainability may offer a way forward for several reasons. Firstly, in regard to pedagogical practice, involvement in real-life environmentally-friendly projects may have significant similarities to traditional pedagogy, where a stronger connection existed between learning activities in childhood and future survival. Secondly, the hands-on, outdoor aspect of such projects may align better with the learning preferences of many Indigenous learners for experiential, holistic and meaningful activities. Thirdly, the ethical and philosophical base may be more acceptable at the values level to older community members than the standard curriculum. If children are sensitive to the underlying conviction and agreement of their elders, a lessening of resistance behaviours towards formal education may occur.
This paper will investigate some of the educational settings conducting environmental projects which involve Indigenous learners in Australia. It will evaluate their effectiveness in maintaining interest and engagement with formal education from the perspectives of three groups: the participants, their families and communities, and the providers. In particular it examines three (3) areas with high numbers of Indigenous learners, the Kimberleys in Western Australia, the South Burnett region of SE Queensland and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Data was also gathered from campuses with significant Indigenous enrolments where staff responded to an e-mail survey will be examined as a possible meeting point for Indigenous feeling for country and the bonding of all young people to planet earth and specific places that is required to create a sustainable future. Finally, the paper examines some implications of the findings for future directions in the education of Indigenous learners.
Key Phrase: Indigenous Education