Abstract
Reviewed by: Jacynta Krakouer, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and Troy Meston, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Australia
How can cultural responsiveness towards Indigenous students be truly embedded in teaching pedagogy and national standards? In this book, Perso and Hayward (2015) seek to provide teachers with practical tools for working effectively with Indigenous students in school settings. This book is written with the teacher in mind, presenting a contemporary tone about the complexities of culturally responsive, quality teaching and learning, across various stages of teaching and assessment. The authors preface their book by emphasising the relevance of strategies for all students, thus demystifying the ‘exotification’ of Indigenous learners, with competencies based upon the individualisation of learning for all students.
The book begins with a series of topics designed for personal reflection and awareness, thus unpacking power imbalances, dominant systems and biases ingrained within the teaching sphere. Ethnocentrism, ‘white privilege’ and cross-cultural worldviews are addressed by challenging teachers to reflect on their upbringing, values and identity. This affords teachers a space to analyse individual student differences and recognise the diversity of Indigenous learners.
Perso and Hayward address the importance of rejecting stereotypes, assumptions and misconceptions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by emphasising the diversity that exists within and between cultures. Individual cultural expectations and ‘code-switching’ practices are discussed as important factors to consider rather than implementing punitive measures designed to ‘correct’ the behaviours exhibited by Indigenous students who may be unaware of classroom expectations.
Written in a manner that makes theory relevant and applicable for teachers in practice settings, this book reiterates principles that have gained currency regarding positive identities, celebration of Indigeneity, strong personable relationships with students, family and community, as well as high expectations for Indigenous students. Empathy for students and their families is reaffirmed as an important factor in building strong, mutually-respectful, trusting relationships throughout the text. The authors stress the importance of solid relationships and of teachers ‘knowing’ their Indigenous students, including their languages, families, upbringing, communities, individual learning, assessment and communication styles, in order to teach relevant, meaningful content that scaffolds prior knowledge while avoiding ‘shaming’ in the classroom.
The key contribution this book makes to the field is its focus on assessment and the reporting phases of education. While assessment and reporting are standard expectations for and of practitioners, they are given special treatment in this book from the perspective of teaching and learning being student centred, inclusive and sensitive to the diverse needs of Indigenous learners. Identifying the importance of celebrating Indigenous achievement, this contribution is extremely relevant in today’s era of teaching dominated by national standards and testing agendas.
Another unique feature of this book is its alignment with the 2011 Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) National Professional Standards for Teachers. In each chapter, the book provides clear, practical instruction and demonstration concerning how teachers can embed culturally responsive pedagogy across all the standards, not just those standards that mention specifically Indigenous students.
This book differs from similar texts in its focus on the complexities of learning in classroom settings, highlighting the pedagogical and curriculum elements of the teaching process. In contrast, other texts have included an overview of the external issues that impact Indigenous learning in the broader sense, noting the importance of Indigenous history in fostering cultural competence (Price, 2012; Purdie, Milgate and Rachel Bell, 2011). Arguably, Perso and Haywood’s (2015) book might have been strengthened by further inclusion of Indigenous history and its relevance for facilitating culturally responsive teaching. Still, the practicality and applicability of this text for teachers at the ‘coalface’ cannot be ignored.
The book’s authors give specific attention to the complex nature of teaching in remote Aboriginal communities by devoting Chapter 7 to addressing this multifaceted issue. However, this book may have benefitted from further discussion of the inherent difficulties within the urban Aboriginal teaching space. Indigenous urban youth face different challenges from those in remote communities, such as disassociation with culture, expression of culture and connection amongst urban sprawl, and racism resulting from a minority status that is the opposite of the remote experience (Schwab, 2012). This is of particular importance considering that approximately 76% of Indigenous people live in non-remote settings and have a colonial history that is separate from remote Aboriginal communities (Behrendt, 2006; Hughes and Hughes, 2013).
Although the text tends to overemphasise remote Indigenous learners, this book is useful for teachers working with Indigenous students in any setting, be it urban, rural or remote schools. This is because the authors purposefully offset the contemporary focus of policy initiatives, curriculum structures and pedagogical approaches to homogenise Indigenous learning by calling for all teachers to know the individuality that rests within all students, regardless of cultural background.
Overall, this book is easy to read, well-written and full of cultural insights, thus making it an essential resource for any school teacher – both beginning and experienced – working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in school settings.