Cultural Resilience: A Framework for Indigenous

EducatorsKellianne Anderson

Principal Project Officer (Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives into Schools)

Queensland Department of Education and Training, Darling Downs South West Region

Twitter: @Kellianne521

#OurMobTeach

Who Am I?Indigenous Teachers Forum

Cultural ResilienceCultural Resilience Tool

Connecting DocumentsWhere to next?

Introduction

Indigenous Teachers Forums

The idea of the forums were to:Provide the opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers and pre-service teachers Provided educators with a safe cultural spaceEstablish, maintain and sustain culturally supportive networks Promote leadership opportunities and pathways

They forums brought together almost 40 Indigenous educators and regional staff Three DET regions represented Increased networking

Acknowledgements

 Elizabeth TailbyDaryl DochertyDavina KellyKiah BobongieAmee BaileyRandall CoolwellMayrah DreiseJason DrieseTricia HimstedtRebeccca FlickJeff ChestersLiz ConnorsKaren Gower-Buckley  

 Sandy RobinsonPaul CarmodyKarly-Jade FisherKath KellyTania LeachCarly CummingsToni HenschellJoe SambonoRoger CavanaghKim AlexanderValerie HeinemannKellianne Anderson

Information collated from the Indigenous Teachers Forum May 2014 by the following participants:

Main Contributor

Karen Gower-Buckley Principal Project Officer (EATSIPS)

Developing the original idea of identifying the gap to create the toolCollating and analysing information, research and compilation of the documentProviding community consultation opportunity with forum participants.

Successes

Networking opportunities Variety of cultural and educational

backgrounds and years of experience Established an Indigenous Teachers NetworkBuilding culturally supportive relationshipsCulturally Responsive Teaching: A pedagogical frameworkCultural Resilience: A tool for educatorsDDSW Indigenous Curriculum Reference GroupAssistant Regional Director as Champion

Challenges

Relying on word of mouth Release from schoolCommunicationCommunity engagementTime of year - conflicted with NAPLANLower attendance of PrincipalsLocation

Cultural Resilience – the document

“At the heart of resilience is a belief in oneself—yet also a belief in something

larger than oneself.”Hara Estroff Marano, 2003

Indigenous Education: It’s Everybody’s Business

Why Cultural Resilience?

Participants believed that it is essential to:Develop and maintain cultural identity and cultural pride Provide an understanding of the individuals’ culture Developing and maintaining a sense of belongingPromote successful achievement within education

and the workplaceMaintain wellbeing and remain resilient

This can be done by drawing upon:Positive experiences of the traditional cultureSupport from the community to which they belong

What is Cultural Resilience?

In the context of the Indigenous Teachers Forum, cultural resilience:

Refers to a culture's capacity to maintain and develop cultural identity and critical cultural knowledge and practices. Despite challenges and difficulties, a resilient culture is capable of maintaining and developing itself.

Explores the relationship between traditional culture, education and the workplace in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

http://www.wilderdom.com/psychology/resilience/

Development of the tool

Teachers identified a belief that developing and maintaining cultural identity, pride and an understanding of individuals culture is essential in instilling and nurturing a sense of belonging.

Historically, resilience has been developed as a whole.

‘When the colonists arrived, Aboriginal societies suddenly had to accommodate a group with a very different world view, economy and social structure. European society, on the other hand did not have to adapt to traditional Aboriginal Australia; it simply took over. Consequently, the onus fell on the traditional owners, the subjugated, to ‘fit in’, to find a new niche in their own country. This niche was, and still is, largely defined by the more powerful non-Aboriginal majority.’  (Eckermann et al., 2008, p 5)

http://sharingculture.info/my-resilience.html

Policy Connections

Queensland Department of Education and Training Strategic plan 2014-2018

Queensland State Schools Strategy Every Student Succeeding

Solid Partners Solid Futures

EATSIPS – Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives into School

 

Self

Culture relates to the meaning of life of a group of people, it relates to how they live and work (skills), what they hold as right and important for them (values) and it also goes with faith and religion. Culture is a vital part of the identity. Identity is a central part of our personality; it may be seen as the core.

From the perspective of resilience, it can be seen that if you take the culture from a people, you take their identity, and hence their strength – the resilience factors. If people are stripped of what gives them strength, they become vulnerable, because they do not automatically gain those cultural strengths that the majority culture has acquired over generations.

http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr11/gunnestad.htm

Self

The forum identified the following statements:

Resilience for the individual is the capability to withstand stress and disaster and adapt to overcome risk and adversityTrue resilience for the individual is the ability to rebuild their lives even after devastating tragediesIt needs to be a process that encourages the development and maintenance of resilience attributesIt is important to understand resilience is not something you are born with, it develops through thinking, knowledge and self-management skillsIt is demonstrated in behaviours, thoughts and actions that are taught through generationThe path to becoming resilient is founded in working through the emotional and physical effects of stress as well as the painful events of the past that have created and maintained these emotions.

Cultural Resilience - Flip cards

Others

Understanding from the broader communityAppreciation of the pride Indigenous peoples have in their cultureEncouragement of the broader community to celebrate cultureUnderstanding of historical events and their impact Understanding of the deep sense of grief, loss and trauma within Indigenous communitiesDeveloping and understanding cultural connection

Others

The forum identified the following statements:

To ensure cultural safety and to maintain individual resilience, strategies for resilience need to be deployed within schools as a cultural changeResilience comes from supportive relationships, cultural beliefs and traditionsResilience is built and maintained through relationships with community, family and friendsConsulting the questions checklist

Connected documents

Culturally Responsive Teaching

When responsive pedagogy occurs, the teacher identifies and works with the student world views and ways of knowing, working and learning. For some students this will include connections to country, for others it will not.

The Indigenous Education Support Services is promoting a variety of strategies, professional development and support programs to improve the concept and understanding of embedding Indigenous perspectives into the school curriculum and whole school culture. This paper helps to inform teachers, and provides a foundation to consider and assess future activities to advance the concept and practice of Culturally Responsive Teaching through learning statements.

• Ability to ask Questions• Language/verbal/body• Relationships• Behaviour

• Contextual Learning

• Learning Styles• Knowledge• Expectations

Connected documentsCulturally Responsive Teaching flip cards

Behavioural Attributes

Strategies and Resources – Leadership and Culture

Strategies and Resources - Systems

Strategies and Resources – Change Ready

Where to from here?

The Darling Downs South West Region is committed to developing and maintain resilience strategies to improve the concept and understanding of resilience through:

Developing resilience supporters Development of resilience strategiesDeveloping tools and resources Delivering cultural competence professional development