Teaching+Aboriginal+Students

General Teaching Tips

 * Wherever possible employ an Aboriginal artist, dancer or storyteller to work with the students in the classroom.
 * Acknowledge that Aboriginal students will not necessarily be well informed about all aspects of their cultural heritage. Some will know a great deal while others might know little.
 * Enrich the classroom environment by displaying positive affirmations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and art.
 * Provide Aboriginal students with opportunities to enrich and affirm their cultural identity if they choose to do so. Do not assume that all students will have the desire to do this.
 * Teachers need to recognise that Aboriginal students, like other students, learn in a variety of ways, have special needs and come from cultures with very rich and diverse traditions. Teachers need to be flexible in their delivery of programs and in the way they respond to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ learning styles.
 * Avoid stereotyping Aboriginal students by their physical attributes or the way they learn, as this will have negative effects on them. It is best teaching and learning practice to meet the needs of all students as learners from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
 * Acknowledge and recognise Aboriginal English as the home language of many Aboriginal students; use it as a building block within the classroom.
 * Develop an awareness of otitis media and other health problems affecting learning outcomes for Aboriginal students.
 * Acknowledge that some Aboriginal students will need time for family commitments, cultural traditions and events that affect their daily lives.
 * Encourage the Aboriginal Education Assistant to participate in classroom activities; they are able to offer support for the students and teachers.