Report-Bush School Essay Example

weekly unit topics in relation to Indigenous Education in Australia. This will be done by providing specific examples from the course learning materials and themes discussed in the DVD.

The Bush School program focuses on promoting inclusive Indigenous education within the Australian education curriculum. According to Morgan and Slade (1998), it emphasizes the inclusion of Indigenous education in Australian schools' curricula and the need for teachers to be educated about Indigenous history, culture, and learning styles. The Bush School program achieves positive learning outcomes for Aboriginal students by combining traditional classroom learning with traditional Aboriginal culture (Bush School, 2005).

i. Learning about Aboriginal culture begins with acknowledging the country that a school or town is situated on. This acknowledgment shows respect, acceptance, and understanding of Aboriginal culture and history. It also helps to improve relationships between non-Aboriginal Australians and Aboriginal Australians by communicating cultural protocols. By valuing cultural diversity, schools can promote individual differences, mutual respect, and understanding. This enhances Aboriginal students' self-efficacy and helps to avoid racial stereotyping (Oxfam, 2012; Craven, 1999).

ii. Cultural Knowledge in Education – Aboriginal History

Aboriginal culture is described as holistic, spiritual, and contextual by Morgan and Slade (1998). According to Hughes (1988), Aboriginal learning is characterized by circles and lacks specific reference points, in contrast to European mechanistic learning, which is represented by squares with clear reference points. O’Brien, a Kauma Elder, explains that Aboriginal learning starts with the reality of the Dreaming, encompassing various inseparable aspects such as identity, spirituality, knowledge, truth, and value. This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of all facets (Morgan and Slade, 1998).

European methods of acquiring knowledge differ by learning from separate parts. However, the “Bush School” program

offers a comprehensive approach to education for Indigenous children. It combines traditional cultural teaching from elders with integrated subject learning across various disciplines. An illustration of this approach is seen in Colin Baker's use of horse-riding skills to teach subjects like Mathematics and English (Bush School: 2005, 51:23).

Part B) In regards to effectively catering for students' physical, emotional, social, and academic well-being at the Bush School, one example of addressing their physical well-being is the Indigenous Health and Well-being program. Sandra Baker discusses providing daily hot meals for the children and collaborating with the Aboriginal Health Congress to run a health program (Bush School: 2005, 17:16, 18:19).

Providing meals at school, whether hot meals or breakfast, helps students by giving them more energy, focusing their attention on studies, and maintaining good health. According to Sandra Baker, a number of students at Bush School suffer from hearing loss caused by recurring ear infections in early childhood, which leads to perforated and damaged ear drums. To address this issue, hearing aids are provided and nasal hygiene is encouraged to improve the children's hearing abilities and aid in their learning (Bush School: 2005, 18:51). This aligns with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as meeting students' physiological needs enables them to concentrate more effectively on their education (McInerney and McInerney, 2006).

ii. The emotional well-being of Bush School students is taken care of by providing encouragement to attend school from Colin and Sandra Baker and Colin Freddie, facilitating discussions about feelings between children, and facilitating contact with Aboriginal elders Marie and Eva (Bush School: 2005,14:36). The learning of Aboriginal culture from Marie and Eva emphasizes the holistic learning that Aboriginal people engage

in. By having the children live with the elders and learn from them, only occasionally returning to their parents, it demonstrates the significance of connectedness, language, and Aboriginal culture in the learning process, as emphasized by Linda Bonney in EDP370, 2013 lecture (Bonney, 2013).

iii. Indigenous Health and Education - Social well-being is promoted by Colin and Sandra Baker at the Bush School. They cultivate a safe and supportive atmosphere by embodying a caring, no-nonsense attitude. Placing children’s holistic needs at the center of their teaching approach fosters a willingness to learn and enables deep, harmonious learning experiences for students (Bonney, 2013).

The Bakers also prioritize social well-being by teaching swimming and organizing swimming carnivals in Alice Springs. These activities provide opportunities for Bush School children to socialize with their peers and exhibit appropriate social behavior during these gatherings (Bush School: 2005, 35:34).

iv. Academic well-being – Contemporary Issues – Indigenous Literacy Strategies

Student’s academic well-being is addressed by integrating Aboriginal knowledge into key learning areas and by collaborating with local Aboriginal members to meet their learning needs (Craven, 1999; MYCEETA, 2010). The Bush School effectively demonstrates these concepts by including horse-riding, swimming, and local Aboriginal culture in its curriculum. According to Colin Baker (2005), the school's approach of combining horse-riding skills with Mathematics and English provides a comprehensive learning experience that caters to the diverse learning styles of children.

Part C). The purpose of this section is to compare and contrast the experience at Bush School with the Indigenous education experiences during the most recent classroom teaching practice. This comparison will be conducted within a 600-word limit.

a. Similarities

i. Safe and Supportive Environment

One similarity between the

Bush School and mainstream classrooms from my previous education experiences is the provision of a safe and supportive education environment. Colin and Sandra Baker, the educators at Bush School, create an environment that is non-threatening and caring, catering to diverse ages and learners. Similarly, during my most recent school experience at a local school, I observed the presence of two Aboriginal children in a grade three classroom. The teacher in that classroom was also highly supportive of these children by ensuring they had breakfast and packed lunch for the day.

The teacher frequently engaged in conversations with the parents before school started and made sure to involve me as well. Initially, the parents were hesitant and mistrustful of the teacher's intentions, but they soon recognized that she was sincere in her conversations. Eventually, they became more open and talkative. Additionally, the teacher promoted lessons focused on Aboriginal history and storytelling. As an example, I read a story to the class titled "My Mob going to the beach" by Sylvia Emmerton, with illustrations by Jaquanna Elliott (2004), which revolved around the school's original location prior to the arrival of white settlers.

The teacher also encouraged parents to come to the classroom and participate in storytelling. The teacher often encouraged parents to share their own school experiences. This interaction helped build rapport with the two students, who then became willing contributors within their groups. Their literacy and numeracy skills improved, and they eagerly participated in classroom activities. According to Craven (1999), creating a safe and supportive classroom environment helps children feel relaxed and happy to learn. When children feel understood and valued, it encourages effective communication. Bonney (2013)

suggests involving parents and the wider Aboriginal community, as well as working closely with AEIO’s, to incorporate Aboriginal cultural perspectives and facilitate meaningful learning for Aboriginal students.

b. Differences: ii. Contemporary Issues The Bush School (2005) demonstrates several differences to my local school experience. At the Bush School, Colin and Sandra Baker were completely involved in the children’s learning for almost the entire day, five days a week and for a significant portion of the weekend. At the Bush School, for instance, Colin Baker utilized horse-riding as a means to integrate learning across various subject areas. He incorporated Mathematics and English with local Aboriginal culture, blending these three topics together to create a comprehensive learning experience for the Aboriginal children. Examples of these differences to mainstream schooling include applying measurement, geometry, addition, and multiplication to the horses' living quarters, the length of the riding field, and the circumference of the riding circle. Additionally, they incorporated learning activities such as gathering bush food, correctly naming animals and food collected using proper spelling, and even practicing times tables while riding to school on the school bus.

The local school primarily used traditional teaching methods, with the teacher leading the class and utilizing an interactive whiteboard or blackboard for instruction. Students mainly engaged in pencil and paper assignments, often working in small groups. Aboriginal students received support from a Teacher Aide or a more advanced peer. Limited learning occurred outside of the regular classroom, and school ended at three o'clock. Additional educational programs for Aboriginal students were scheduled on a quarterly basis in consultation with an AEIO, but availability was determined by the school's funding.

When unable to consult

with an AEIO, the teacher gathered information from various sources including the internet, the Queensland Studies Authority, and the Australian Curriculum. The integration of subjects was limited, and certain subjects like Science and SoSE were taught by different teachers in a separate classroom. According to Morgan and Slade (1998), European learning involves teaching isolated parts separately, while Aboriginal learning emphasizes holistic learning that integrates with other elements.