This paper treats two analytically separable but interwoven themes: Firstly, the role of the community in the educational process, and secondly, the effects of the community situation on the classroom situation, and vice versa. A major point of departure in the argument is the view that Aboriginal communities, defined here as Aboriginal settlements under special government administration, can be seen as educational agencies or institutions in a process of Westernization. At least this is how statements relating to policy and community planning can usefully be interpreted.

The English language differs from others both in the patterns and the sociolinguistic conventions of its discourse. This paper uses forms of greeting as a specific reference as to how crosscultural communication can break down when Aboriginal people and English speakers interact.

Since children often rely on the spoken word as a basis for writing, and Aboriginal children rarely learn to write successfully in English, referring to the structure of Aboriginal languages offers a possible explanation of one contributive factor to this inability.

A listening program geared to the interests of rural Aboriginal children was prepared and sent out to two Year S classes in the north-west of New South Wales. The class, with 19 Aboriginals and 4 whites showed measurable gains in listening comprehension at the end of the program. The Experimental Class with one Aboriginal girl and 10 white children did not show improvements in listening until the Aboriginally oriented listening program was terminated. The significance of these results, particularly for minority groups in a classroom, are discussed.

Engaged as we are in the essential task of assisting Aboriginal children to decode and encode a language which presents many problems to them, it behoves us to strive for the one aspect that many teachers – particularly those new to the field of Aboriginal education, and those charged with the teaching of reading to our school beginners – appear to miss. The reference, of course, is to relevancy.

How many of us, in retrospect, have been guilty of peddling irrelevant or “foreign” reading materials during our careers? Are we still guilty? Do your children readily relate to the books you present for their use? If not, then the following thoughts and suggestions may have some value in your situation, be it one where a tribal language is still the main means of communication, one where a bi-lingual program is in force, or where English (or a non-standard form of it) is the main communication medium.

Australian society offers its major rewards to people who live in cities. Whether in employment, entertainment, housing, or welfare facilities, urban centres can generally offer more and better. This is a gross generalization, of course, but it must be seen as a major factor underlying rural-urban migration in Australia today. This is true whether migrants are Aboriginals or Europeans – despite the fact that Aboriginals generally end up in just those urban areas where the limits of the generalization can be most clearly seen.

During 1977, Ms Kathleen Miller and Mr Adrian Haydock operated an innovation program for disadvantaged children at the Kewdale Development Centre. A high proportion of the children attending the centre were Aboriginal, and so the Aboriginal Education Branch was approached for assistance in designing a suitable course. Mr Eric Hayward, an Aboriginal liaison officer, visited the Centre and suggested a community-based program similar to that outlined in a branch report entitled Minority Groups and the “Foxfire” Experience. Since then, the enthusiasm of the two teachers and the interest of the Aboriginal Education Branch have developed the project to the stage where the following report has been prepared.

For many children, belonging to a minority group with its varying degrees of alienation from mainstream society, presents an obstacle to success in the normal curriculum. With Aboriginal children in particular, it is known that excessive numbers of high school students are operating at basic levels and below. There are many factors that contribute to this situation. Yet there is one factor, possessing two facets, that probably overrides all others. This factor is aptly expressed in the following statement from the Ontario Ministry of Education in 1975:

The twin issues of education and employment are inextricably bound together for all Australian school students. In a recent issue, Mr. Hall discussed how Aboriginal students at Port Augusta High School are dealing with the problem; and he suggested that schools should engage in a program of pre-employment trainging.

In this article, Mr. Lewis discusses the employment opportunities for and aspirations of Aboriginal school leavers in New South Wales. Most importantly, he tells us how his Department can assist these students to find the positions which they want.

I am one of a group of young Inala mothers who are involved in a playgroup in which we teach and learn with our children through their different stages of growth.

Each Thursday we are visited by Margaret Henry and Jeannie Barney. They offer me advice concerning different and new methods of play or sometimes we exchange methods of play and communication.

The play involved doesn’t require a set time or any expensive toys. Cotton reels, plastic containers etc., can provide hours of fun. However, we are fortunate enough to have a toy and book library from which our kids can select a toy or book for the week.

Once a month we all meet at the Inala Family Education Centre, and there we mothers have the chance to talk and our children to play. In general, we discuss and experiment with suggestions and ideas, and we get the chance to show off our creativeness in the making of an item of play for our sons or daughters.

The advantages of such a program are many. We are not only teaching our children but we’re learning with them also. We develop a relationship as friends with them, and they shall have some form of preparation for kindergarten. But, for me, there is nothing more fulfilling than to see my son repeat something I’ve shown him, and enjoy doing it.

In addressing this question, I will briefly outline the existing types of language maintenance program models, and what schools can do about Aboriginal language maintenance in the Aboriginal community school context. I have suggested a number of guiding principles for Aboriginal schools which are not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to establish a basis for dialogue and discussion from which language maintenance programs could be developed.

This paper is based on my reflections as an Indigenous academic, working at the coalface with Indigenous students in the Faculty of Business at the University of Technology Sydney. These reflections are informed through my experience of designing, facilitating and teaching a block-mode program developed specifically for Indigenous Australians – the Bachelor of Arts in Community Management and Adult Education. I speak to the challenges of developing appropriate programs for Indigenous Australians attempting to effect social change on the ground in communities and community organisations. The underlying principles, considerations, and effective strategies for program design and delivery are described. These highlight the complex role of facilitators who must manage the interface between Indigenous community contexts and knowledge, those of academic knowledge and institutional practices, and the needs of Indigenous students as learners and future professionals.

The focus of this article is understanding the perceptions that Canadian Indigenous teachers and students have on a novel physical activity teaching method that is utilised in the classroom. We explore the role that physical activity plays in the healthy growth and development of children, with special attention to Indigenous children. Through participatory action research and qualitative methods, Indigenous teachers and students share their thoughts on physical activity in the classroom and the barriers and facilitators that exist to implementing classroom physical activity. This work is discussed in the context of the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and provides the reader with tangible suggestions for movement integration in the classroom.