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The shortcomings and strengths of indigenous education pdf
Indigenous Education
Indigenous Education
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The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done …show more content…
In many schools the programs, curricula and presentation of content do not with Aboriginal culture (Ogilvie, 46). These cultural barriers can discourage some Aboriginal students from enrolling in a post-secondary program or diminish their chances of earning a post-secondary diploma. In addition, during class, Aboriginal students often feel distant and a lack of connection because the stories and material have no relevance to them. There is only limited curriculum dealing with contemporary Aboriginal languages, cultures, history and political issues. For example, “The Toronto District School Board 's (TDSB 's) Aboriginal Studies secondary curriculum confirms RCAP 's findings of the board 's eight courses dealing with First Nations, Inuit and Métis content from Grade 9 through to Grade 12 in 2009, only three are currently being offered.” (Council of Ministers of …show more content…
For First Nations youngsters, relevant education should include education about their heritage. Where Aboriginal children are in school with other Canadians, this part of the curriculum needs to be shared generally, as self-esteem grows when an appreciation of one’s background is shared by others. The needs of Aboriginal youth are not being met in mainstream systems. Undoubtedly, with the high dropout rate of “7 out of 10 first nation youth drop out of school” (Donovan, 128), the school system is failing them. Across Canada only “23 percent of the Aboriginal population has their high school diploma” (Donovan, 129). Aboriginal people make up the youngest and fastest growing segment of our population, and yet many still have significantly less education than the general population. As discussed earlier, mainstream education is misaligned with Aboriginal ways therefore, standardized testing creates a “pressure cooker atmosphere” many feel the stress which causes them to drop
Residential schools undoubtedly created detrimental inter-generational consequences. The dark legacy of residential schools has had enduring impact, reaching into each new generation, and has led to countless problems within Aboriginal families including: chemical dependence, a cycle of abuse in families, dysfunctional families, crime and incarceration, depression, grief, suicide, and cultural identity issues (McFarlan, 2000, p. 13). Therefore, the inter-generational consequence...
Indigenous youth continue to be marginalised and oppressed. The marginalisation of the Aboriginal community is a result of colonisation. The Indigenous community lost their land and culture. This is reflected on today’s Indigenous youth as they are still feeling the effects.
It is well known that aboriginal youth located on and off reserve are more likely to drop out of school then non aboriginals and this happens for different reasons starting from health issues to poverty. “According to Labor Force Survey data, for 2007/2010, the dropout rate among First Natio...
Aboriginal people in Canada are the native peoples in North America within the boundaries of present-day Canada. In the 1880’s there was a start of residential schools which took Aboriginal kids from their family to schools to learn the Roman Catholics way of culture and not their own. In residential schools Aboriginal languages were forbidden in most operations of the school, Aboriginal ways were abolished and the Euro-Canadian manner was held out as superior. Aboriginal’s residential schools are careless, there were mental and physical abuse, Aboriginals losing their culture and the after effects of residential schools.
This essay will discuss the Aboriginal Education policies in Victoria and Federally and how these policies impacted upon the children of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This essay will further analyse the impact these past policies had on the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders’ families and children’s education and how current policies were put in place to assist indigenous students’ access to education. Further to this an analysis of how teachers can implement these changes in the curriculum and classroom.
The question that is often brought to our nations attention is whether or not incremental equality for First Nations children is compatible with reconciliation. When considering my personal opinion, the two are in fact compatible with one another. However, Canada is still working towards reconciliation but still has not completely reached it. The working towards reconciliation within First Nations children is seen throughout many aspects in Canada. Firstly, incremental equality is trying to be reached through education. Next, incremental equality is working towards being met throughout health systems as well as behaviors. Lastly, incremental equality for First Nations children is moving towards reconciliation throughout the physical environments
The refusal to embrace development and live out of their reserves has seen most aboriginal people living in low employment areas (Wilson and Macdonald, 2000). Most children live with their parents in the rural areas. These parents may be illiterates and they lack to see the need for formal education for their young ones. Without education, it is difficult to find sensible employment, this again contributing to the low income of the aboriginal people. Children who make it to school end up dropping out before they attain a high school diploma. The number of people from Aboriginal communities without high school diplomas is twice as much in comparison with the non-aboriginals (Wilson and Macdonald, 2000).
...al identity and wellbeing. The CEP began with a strong initial acceptance, but it fell short by creating more harm than good in the Aboriginal population and inflicting additional trauma on those who opened themselves up to the process. The TRC comparably began with positive reception, but thus far in its mandate it has failed to engage the non-Aboriginal population and wider Canadian public crucial in achieving its mandate and beginning to reconstruct Aboriginal wellbeing and identity. With the mandate as it stands, in order to achieve true change in improving Aboriginal wellbeing, identity and life as a whole in Canada as a result of the Aboriginal schools, it lies primarily in the hands of the wider public to become involved in the process and learn the Aboriginal perspective so as to better understand the trauma and how to approach these problems in the future.
Indigenous students in schools have made it clear as to what they want and need from the education system. Knowledge of Indigenous humanity and diversity, the history of colonialism, local history and contemporary culture, indigenous knowledge, languages and worldviews are topic in which they want to become evident in school system that are able to help with their health and wellness. There has been and there are continuing attempts to reform First Nations education funding. Aboriginal children and adults continue to face these unsuccessful attempts which continue to horrify Canadians.
...digenous students. The historical conditions, combined with the views and attitudes enforced on the Aboriginal race today and generations of low socio-economic status from a lifetime of disadvantage has caused educational disengagement. This essentially culminates in a system where the Aboriginal youth will forever be disadvantaged which has implication for their attainment of higher education, employment and quality of life. Programs to improve the schooling success have demonstrated only small, if any improvements. Greater government focus tailored to the specific cultural needs of the Indigenous students is required as well as better education and training for teachers to manage the diversity in the classroom. Perhaps increasing the skill set in Aboriginal cultural values would place greater importance on their education, leading to increase education outcome,
The inequality in Australian education can be attributed to a history of low expectations and discrimination placed on Indigenous people by the government and society. Aboriginal children were denied the right to education until the 1970s due to the discrimitory views of the government and society that the Indigenous populations were the sub-standard race of society with possibility of achieving in life in comparison to the white Australian population ( ). The Anglo-Celtic Australians, the white people, judged themselves to be the superior race and considered themselves more intellectually and socio-culturally developed than the Aboriginal members of society (Foley, 2013). As the Indigenous Australians were considered the lowest rung of society, children of Aboriginal descent were considered not skilled outside of their own and were deemed incapable of excelling in ‘civilised’ white society (Foley, 2013). As a result, the Australian Government, in an effort to civilise and nurture politeness within the Aboriginal people, constructed “structured” education training institutions in 1814. However, males were only provided the skills to prepare them for agricultural employment, while the girls were trained for household services (Foley, 2013). This denial to education to formal education was largely ‘consistent with the perception about the limitations inherent in their race and their expected station in life at the lowest rung of white society’ (Beresford & Partington, 2003, p43). According to Foley (2013) this co...
Discuss the importance of building a learning environment that is based on ‘effective student engagement’ for Aboriginal students. Using the context of a specific lesson or conceptual understanding, outline the specific strategies you would use to make learning engaging, accessible and culturally responsive for Aboriginal students.
A simple scheme and dedication of volunteers is helping to improve the futures of young Indigenous Australians throughout the country. Education is the key to imbuing a sense of community and respect throughout people that are Indigenous and non-Indigenous (Jacobs, 2007).
Even though attitudes towards the social well being of Aboriginal communities have changed by the implementation of Integration policies in the 1970s and ‘Closing the gap’ policy in 2008, there is a lot more to cover in terms of bringing equality in education for Aboriginal community. Hunter and Jordan (2010, p. 244, 251-255, 260-261) suggest how government policies have failed to recognise the diversity in Indigenous cultures and aspirations. The closest link that Aboriginal students find is a mention of some of the struggled histories of their past in the educational textbooks. These bits of information reinforce the stereotypes against Aboriginal communities causing the dominant society to pity them as victims. The curriculum which is