Insights Into Challenges: Assignment 1: Case Study
Insights Into Challenges: Assignment 1: Case Study
Insights Into Challenges: Assignment 1: Case Study
For an Indigenous Australian child such as Cathy, many challenges are prevalent in the classroom.
Raised in Alice Springs by a community, Cathy has developed a strong physical and spiritual connection
to her land and the members within her community (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority [ACARA] 2017; Gollan & Malin 2012, p. 161). After relocating to the city, Cathy and her
parents, as a result, may find it challenging to not be surrounded by their familiar community, to
understand new customs, and to establish membership within a new group. In attempting to establish
this new membership, families such as Cathy’s may find it difficult to trust the new school to support
their culture, given historical events that positioned Indigenous Australians as abnormal and requiring
interventions (Macoun 2011, p. 523). In addition, Cathy is bilingual, speaking both English and
Eastern/Central Arrernte at home with her parents, whose desire for her to succeed has encouraged
them to expose her to rich language learning opportunities, including storytelling (McLeod et al. 2014,
p. 128). While she is competent in everyday spoken English, her limited English vocabulary may cause
difficulties in understanding specialised terminologies and applying this knowledge to reading and
writing (Winch et al. 2014, p. 242). Cathy’s ability to read, therefore, may be slow and her
comprehension of unfamiliar topics poor, while her writing may be informal, display a limited
vocabulary, have poor spelling and lack a simple sentence structure (Henderson 2004, p. 11). Due to
relocating and a change in a community context, Cathy may also find her identity challenged due to
difficulties using her Indigenous language (McLeod et al. 2014, p. 119). Additionally, like one in two
Indigenous Australian children, Cathy did not receive a pre-school education (Brim & Mannion 2012,
p. 8). Together, with the tendency to miss at least one day of school a week, this has placed Cathy
behind in many subject areas when comparing her level to her Year 2 peers (Price 2012, p. 11).
Notably, it is difficult for students who have fallen behind to catch up, particularly within an English
literacy learning setting where students may become reluctant to engage with literature, and instead,
develop negative attitudes (Hyde et al. 2014, pp. 113-114).
In Year 2, the Australian Curriculum English Literature strand outlines expectations for students across
four sub-strands: literature and context, responding to literature, examining literature, and creating
literature (ACARA 2017). For Cathy, the creating literature strand provides several opportunities to
apply her strong understanding of story, including character and plot (ACARA 2017, ACELT1593;
Educators must be aware of inclusive literacy strategies as inclusive literacy learning is a critical part
of closing the gap in Indigenous discrimination (Scull 2016, p. 60). One key strategy is to actively
include caregivers in a child’s learning, including seeking out opportunities to talk to caregivers after
school and making phone calls home (Brim & Mannion 2012, p. 8; McLeod et al. 2014, p.129). In
Cathy’s case, this strategy would enable educators to gain knowledge about the literacy practices she
engages in at home and to alter the experiences they offer in the classroom so that she is included
(Brim & Mannion 2012, p. 10). For example, integrating text types Cathy is familiar with and can
understand. This strategy supports the understanding that what a child can do at home may not be
evident at school because abilities are contextual (inclusive literacy teaching Principle 1). Mutual
learning between Indigenous caregivers and teachers is important as it enables both parties to learn
from each other (Brim & Mannion 2012, p. 8; Scull 2016, p. 56). Moreover, developing strong
communication channels with Cathy’s parents would develop trust by communicating that their
knowledge and opinions are valued. This relationship could also enable educators to include Cathy’s
family in the school community by inviting them into the classroom to share their knowledge and
introducing them to other families to help them develop connections in their new community.
To support an Indigenous child who is working at a lower literacy level than their peers, it is important
that the classroom is a safe and supportive space where individuals accept each other. To create this
environment, educators can develop a classroom community that sees mistakes as learning
opportunities, knows how to use resources and is not afraid to ask for help (Principle 6; McDonald
2013, p.138). This may include formally teaching students how to use a dictionary and classroom
posters or introducing the class rule ‘three before me’, whereby students ask three peers for help
before seeking assistance from the teacher.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2017, Australian Curriculum:
English, ACARA, viewed 2 September 2019, <https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-
curriculum/english/>.
Brim, R, & Mannion, K 2012, ‘Families as first teachers: Giving Indigenous children a strong start for a
brighter future’, Educating Young Children, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 8-11.
Edminston, B 2007, ‘Mission to Mars: using drama to make a more inclusive classroom for literacy
learning’, Language Arts, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 337-346.
Gollan, S & Malin M 2012 ‘Teachers and families working together to build stronger futures for our
children in school’ in Q Beresford, G Partington & G Gower (eds) Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal
Education, UWA Publishing, pp. 149 -174.
Hyde, M, Carpenter, L & Conway, R 2014, Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement, 2nd edn, Oxford
University Press, South Melbourne, VIC.
Macoun, A 2011, ‘Aboriginality and the Northern Territory Intervention’, Australian Journal of
Political Science, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 519-534.
McLeod, S, Verdona, S & Kneebone, LB 2014, ‘Celebrating young Indigenous Australian children’s
speech and language competence’, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 118-131.
Price, K 2012 ‘A brief history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in Australia’ in K Price
(ed) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An introduction for the teaching profession,
Cambridge University Press, Sydney, NSW, pp. 1 – 20.
Scull, J 2016, ‘Effective literacy teaching for indigenous students: principles from evidence-based
practices’, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 54-63.
Winch, G, Johnston, RR, March, P, Ljungdahl, L & Holliday, M 2014, Literacy: reading, writing and
children’s literature, 5th edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, VIC.
Woolfolk, A & Margetts, K 2016, Educational psychology, 4th edn, Pearson Australia, Melbourne,
VIC.