View source for Aboriginal education in primary schools

Many factors influence aboriginal education within Australia, from clothing to community housing and there piers in the class room environment. Mental illness is one of the major factors in a child’s education, from northern Australia to the cities such as Sydney and Brisbane and Adelaide. As a child’s first and most important teacher role model you as a teacher play an important role in helping the child to acquire foundation skills of future learning, language and communication skills, motor skills, social and emotional and behavioural ,cognitive and emergent – level cognitive reasoning/thinking skills which assist in the child’s development immediately and in latter life. Many factors influence student success at school. Among these, consistent attendance is often cited as important, but a range of other factors also influence the way students access and engage with schooling The main aim is to evaluate the impact of pre-service primary teacher education Aboriginal studies subjects on teachers self-perceived abilities to appreciate, understand and teach Aboriginal studies and perspectives in Australian schools.  The studies also compared and contrasted these teachers’ self perceptions with teachers who had not undertaken an Aboriginal studies subject as part of  their initial teacher education course.  The project sought to identify useful structure and content that would strengthen teacher’s ability to teach Aboriginal studies and Aboriginal students.

Analysis of data found that pre-service of Aboriginal studies make a positive difference for teachers.  Teachers felt they knew more about Aboriginal history, current issues, pedagogy for teaching Aboriginal studies and generally were more effective teachers for Aboriginal students.  These findings also offer insights into how to strengthen Aboriginal studies courses
Health is an issue for a lot of families and I’m realising that more and more. We find that many of our children don’t have breakfast or if they do, it won’t be much. So we work on having some brain food available for kids to graze on in the morning session. In the classroom fridges you’ll find cheese-sticks and popcorn. Until the cyclone we had bananas too, and we will reintroduce them again as soon as we can afford it.  All children have a water bottle on their desks, so that we can ensure they are well hydrated. 

Being able to access school programs requires more than just attendance. Students who are hungry, unwell or can’t hear the teacher properly are not in a position to learn.

It’s up to the individual teacher to manage this. Some teachers have little plates of food on the children’s desks while others just have a quick break. The point is to make sure it’s available to the children.  It’s not a meal, it’s just a very small snack just to keep the brain going. We look for foods that have a relatively high GI and are easily accessible.

How we learn what we need to know: a selection of literacy and numeracy case studies from NSW primary schools that have achieved enhanced outcomes for Aboriginal students  This 2000 publication presents case studies of seven New South Wales primary schools that developed educational programs and teaching strategies specifically for Aboriginal students. The aim of the case studies project was to identify programs, strategies and processes which, in the opinion of regional Aboriginal Educational consultants and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, work effectively with Aboriginal students, and to describe how the programs were developed.

this program acknowledges and endorses Indigenous world views and promotes greater understanding and respect for Indigenous peoples, cultures, histories and languages.

Aboriginal grandmothers (grannies) in many communities throughout Australia are considered the backbone of the social structure. This is the case for the Murri Granies in a town in regional eastern Australia. Many of these women are also their grandchildren's primary caregivers and disciplinarians, and sometimes this role is detrimental to their own care and well-being. As a response to this stress, the local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS), which includes a comprehensive primary health care facility, began promoting the program 'Relax to the Max' to the Grannies as part of the holistic care they offer. Since these humble beginnings some three years ago, the group has grown to become the Graniators support group. In addition to their initial work of supporting each other, the group extended their field of action to the entire community to address social issues, particularly those around youth and children. To complement and strengthen their initiative, the Graniators partnered with other organizations in the community including the police, the municipal council, the state government's department of housing, the local primary school and a special youth service group. The program's evaluation has proved to be extremely positive in providing others in the community a clear and positive formula for driving change at a grass roots level

Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, Australian Aborigines have higher levels of infant mortality, more infectious diseases, and a life expectancy that is likely to be 15 to 20 years lower (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1997, 2002). In the early childhood years (0-8 years), Indigenous students are less likely to participate in pre-schooling than their non-Indigenous peers, they have higher rates of absenteeism beginning in primary school, and the early indications of their educational achievement, as measured by state-wide English literacy assessments, indicate that, as a group, they perform at a lower level compared to their npn-Indigenous peers. Aboriginal educators (both Aboriginal teachers and Aboriginal Education Assistants) have been employed to implement appropriate learning and teaching strategies, enhance the involvement of Aboriginal families and communities in their children's schooling, and improve the learning outcomes of Aboriginal students. By focusing on effective transition to school programs, much can be done to support Aboriginal children, families, and communities and to promote positive engagement in education. In addition, they indicated that the presence of Aboriginal people within the school, such as teachers, aides, general staff, or members of school councils and committees, was crucial to helping make young Aboriginal children feel as if they belong in the school environment.

[[Category:Primary education]]