Why Indigenous Issues are an Essential Component of Teacher Education Programs

Teaching Indigenous Children: Listening To And Learning From Indigenous Teachers

“…Despite the best intentions and commitment from many teachers, most have inadequate understandings of appropriate pedagogies and the complexities of Indigenous cultures, knowledge and identities (Brayboy & Maughan, 2009;Malin & Maidment, 2003;Partington, 2003;Villegas, Neugebauer, & Venegas, 2008). The strategies that have been successful for non-Indigenous students are often ineffective for Indigenous students who are the most educationally disadvantaged group in the nation (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007;Doyle & Hill, 2008;Hughes & Hughes, 2010;Klenowski & Gertz, 2009).…”

‘I really want to make a difference for these kids but it’s just too hard’: one Aboriginal teacher’s experiences of moving away, moving on and moving up

“…Luke often took on the role of advisor to his non-Indigenous colleagues who looked to him for advice. They, like many non-Indigenous teachers, were ill-prepared and struggled to address the needs of Aboriginal students (Partington 2003). He counselled them about pedagogies that would be likely to be successful with Aboriginal students, advised them about the cultural knowledge and practices of Aboriginal people and how they might shape students' learning and responses to schooling.…”

A narrative inquiry into experiences of Indigenous teachers during and after teacher preparation

“…Teacher education programs and Indigenous teachers can play an important role in such an educational transformation. Partington (2003), on the other hand, suggests that for policies targeted at bringing positive educational outcomes to succeed, 'it is essential that teachers change first' (p. 46). Partington's suggestion is plausible if you consider evidence that shows teacher resistance towards including Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum (Scott and Gani 2018;Ianniciello 2014), teachers' attributions and expectations that limit Indigenous student success (Riley and Ungerleider 2012), potential challenges faced by non-Indigenous teachers to effectively teach Indigenous students (Milne 2017), or what Gillies (2018) refers to as 'racism [that] continues to operate in .…”