Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:55:37.108Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Red Dirt Thinking on Aspiration and Success

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2013

Sam Osborne  and
John Guenther
Sam Osborne*
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
John Guenther
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Sam Osborne, PO Box 3971, Alice Springs, NT 0871, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This article sets the scene for the series of five articles on ‘red dirt thinking’. It first introduces the idea behind red dirt thinking as opposed to ‘blue sky thinking’. Both accept that there are any number of creative and expansive solutions and possibilities to identified challenges — in this case, the challenge of improving education in very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island schools. However, the authors believe that creative thinking needs to be grounded in the reality of the local community context in order to be relevant. This article draws on emerging data from the Remote Education Systems project (a project within the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation — CRC-REP) and highlights further questions and challenges we wish to address across the life of the project. It is part of a collection of papers presented on the theme ‘Red Dirt Thinking’. The red dirt of remote Australia is where thinking for the CRC-REP's Remote Education Systems research project emerged. This article will examine the various public positions that exist in regard to the aspirations of young remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and consider the wider views that are held in terms of what constitutes educational ‘success’. We explore the models of thinking and assumptions that underpin this public dialogue and contrast these ideas to the ideas that are being shared by remote Aboriginal educators and local community members through the work of the Remote Education Systems project. We will consider the implications and relevance of the aspiration and success debate for the remote Australian context and propose approaches and key questions for improved practice and innovation in relation to delivering a more ‘successful’ education for remote students. The authors begin by posing the simple question: How would, and can remote educators build aspiration and success? The wisdom of several commentators on remote education in Australia is presented in terms of a set of simple solutions to a straightforward problem. The assumptions behind these simple solutions are often unstated, and part of this article's role is to highlight the assumptions that common arguments for solutions are premised on. Further to the above question, we will also consider the question: In remote communities where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students live and learn, how is success defined? Is there language that corresponds to the western philosophical meanings of success? Having considered some possible alternatives, based on the early findings of the Remote Education Systems project research, the authors then pose the question: How would educators teach for these alternative measures of success? The answers to these questions are still forthcoming. However, as the research process reveals further insights in relation to these questions, it may be possible for all those involved in remote education to approach the ‘problem’ of remote education using a different lens. The lens may be smeared with red dirt, but it will enable people involved in the system to develop creative solutions in a challenging and rich environment.

Keywords

aspirationsuccessremote Indigenous educationremote training and employment
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 42 , Special Issue 2: Red dirt thinking on remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education , December 2013 , pp. 88 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aikman, A. (2012, November 2). My people must grow up: Alison Anderson. The Australian. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/my-people-must-grow-up-alison-anderson/story-fn9hm1pm-1226508746330Google Scholar
Ainscow, M. (2005). Developing inclusive education systems: What are the levers for change? Journal of Educational Change, 6, 109–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alice Springs News. (2011, 15 May 2011). A new jobs program for locals at Ayers Rock Resort – will this one succeed? Retrieved from http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2011/11/14/a-new-jobs-program-for-locals-at-ayers-rock-resort-%E2%80%93-will-this-one-succeed/Google Scholar
Andersen, C. (2011). Impediments to educational success for Indigenous students. In Purdie, N., Milgate, G., & Bell, H. (Eds.), Two way teaching and learning: Toward culturally reflective and relevant education (pp. 93–106). Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.Google Scholar
Anderson, A. (2012). Address in reply to the Northern Territory Assembly. Retrieved from Anderson, A. (2012). Address in reply to the Northern Territory Assembly. Retrieved from http://resources.news.com.au/files/2012/10/24/1226502/593050-alison-anderson-full-speech.pdfGoogle Scholar
Appadurai, A. (2004). The Capacity to Aspire: Culture and the Terms of Recognition. In Walton, R.V.M. (Ed.), Culture and Public Action. Stanford, CA: World Bank Group, Stanford Social Sciences.Google Scholar
Arbon, V. (2008). Arlathirnda Ngurkarnda Ityirnda: Being-Knowing-Doing, De-colonising Indigenous Tertiary Education. Brisbane, Australia: Post Pressed.Google Scholar
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). (2013). Indigenous kids should go to boarding schools: Langton. In Throwden, E. (Producer), Lateline, Sydney, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER). (2011). 2011 — Indigenous education: Pathways to success. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Retrieved April 2013, from http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference/RC2011/Google Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2011). NAPLAN achievement in reading, persuasive writing, language conventions and numeracy: National report for 2011. Sydney, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2012). The sShape of the Australian curriculum (Version 3). Sydney, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/The_Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_V3.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2013). MySchool website. Retrieved October 11, 2013, from http://www.myschool.edu.au/Google Scholar
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). National Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/static/docs/AITSL_National_Professional_Standards_for_Teachers_Final_110511.pdfGoogle Scholar
Beresford, Q., Partington, G., & Gower, G. (Eds.). (2012). Reform and resistance in Aboriginal education. Perth, Australia: University of Western Australia Press.Google Scholar
Boomer, G. (1999). Pragmatic radical teaching and the disadvantaged schools program. In Green, B. (Ed.), Designs on learning: Essays on curriculum and teaching (pp. 49–58). Canberra, Australia: Australian Curriculum Studies Association.Google Scholar
Brighouse, H. (2009). Moral and political aims of education. In Siegel, H. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Education (pp. 35–51). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Burton, R., & Osborne, S. (in press). Kuranyu-kutu Nyakula Nyaan Nyanganyi? Imagining the future. Available from http://crc-rep.com/remote-education-systems/publications-and-presentations.Google Scholar
Craven, R. (2012). Seeding success: Getting started teaching Aboriginal studies effectively. In Beresford, Q., Partington, G., & Gower, G. (Eds.), Reform and resistance in Aboriginal education (pp. 335–378). Perth, Australia: University of Western Australia Press.Google Scholar
Cullen, S. (2013, August 18). Election 2013: Tony Abbott promises $45 million for Indigenous training, employment scheme. ABC News. Retrieved August 1, 2013, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-17/abbott-pledges-45m-for-indigenous-job-scheme/4894172Google Scholar
Delpit, L. (1993). The silenced dialogue: power and pedagogy in educating other people's children. In Weis, L. & Fine, M. (Eds.), Beyond silenced voices: class, race, and gender in United States schools (pp. 119–142). New York: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Erikson, E. (1968). Identity, youth and crisis. New York: W.W. Norton.Google Scholar
Fabricant, M., & Fine, M. (2012). Charter schools and the corporate makeover of public education: What's at stake? New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Ford, P.L. (2010). Aboriginal knowledge narratives and country: Marri kunkimba putj putj marrideyan. Brisbane, Australia: Post Pressed.Google Scholar
Garrett, P. (2012, December 18). Sydney doorstop interview on NAPLAN 2012 report and overseas aid. Retrieved from http://ministers.deewr.gov.au/garrett/sydney-doorstop-interview-naplan-2012-report-and-overseas-aidGoogle Scholar
Gavrielatos, A., & Hopgood, S. (2010). Australian Education Union submission to the Senate Education Employment and Workplace Relations Committee into the Administration and Reporting of NAPLAN Testing. Brisbane, Australia: The Australian Education Union.Google Scholar
Gillard, J. (2013). Statement to the House of Representatives — Closing the gap. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Goddard, C. (Ed.). (1996). Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara to English dictionary (rev. 2nd ed.). Alice Springs, Australia: IAD Press.Google Scholar
Gray, J., & Beresford, Q. (2008). A ‘formidable challenge’: Australia's quest for equity in Indigenous Education. Australian Journal of Education, 52 (2), 197–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guenther, J. (2012). Are we making education count in remote Australian communities or just counting education? Paper presented at the NARU public seminar series, Darwin. Retrieved from http://naru.anu.edu.au/__documents/seminars/seminar_paper_guenther.pdfGoogle Scholar
Guenther, J., & Boyle, A. (2013, April). How did our desert grow? With fluoro shirts on planes lined up in rows. Paper presented at the AVETRA 16th Annual Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia.Google Scholar
Hayes, D., Mills, M., Christie, P., & Lingard, B. (2006). Teachers and schooling making a difference: Productive pedagogies, assessment and performance. Sydney, Australia: Allan and Unwin.Google Scholar
Heifetz, R., & Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the line; staying alive through the dangers of leading. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Holcombe, S. (2009). Indigenous entrepreneurialism and mining land use agreements (CAEPR Research Monograph). ANU College of Law Research Paper No. 10-06 ed., vol. 30, pp. 149–170.Google Scholar
Hughes, H., & Hughes, M. (2012). Indigenous education 2012 (vol. 129). Sydney, Australia: Centre for Independent Studies.Google Scholar
Hunter, B., & Stephenson, N. (2013). Less is more: Reflections on the overcoming indigenous disadvantage reports (Topical Issues 1). Canberra, Australia: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR).Google Scholar
Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC). (2013). Ayers Rock Resort. Retrieved April 2013 from http://www.ilc.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=334Google Scholar
Jones, P. (2007). Ochre and rust; Artefacts and encounters on Australian frontiers. Kent Town, Australia: Wakefield Press.Google Scholar
Jorgensen, R. (2012). Enhancing educational performance for remote Aboriginal Australians: What is the impact of attendance on performance? Education 3–13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education and Training, 40 (1), 19–34. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2012.635047Google Scholar
Karvelis, P. (2012, May 15). Indigenous employment program paying dividends at Ayer's Rock Resort. The Australian. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/indigenous-employment-program-paying-dividends-at-ayers-rock-resort/story-fn9hm1pm-1226356523233Google Scholar
Kickett-Tucker, C., & Coffin, J. (2011). Aboriginal self-concept and racial identity: Practical solutions for teachers. In Purdie, N., Milgate, G., & Bell, H. (Eds.), Two way teaching and learning: Toward culturally reflective and relevant education (pp. 155–172). Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.Google Scholar
Langton, M., Mazel, O., Palmer, L., Shain, K., & Tehan, M. (Eds.). (2006). Settling with Indigenous People: Modern treaty and agreement-making. Sydney, Australia: The Federation Press.Google Scholar
Leadbeater, C. (2012). Innovation in education: Lessons from pioneers around the world. Doha, Qatar: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.Google Scholar
Lee, C. (2010). The centrality of culture to the scientific study of learning and development: How and ecological framework in educational research facilitates civic responsibility. In Goodman, G. (Ed.), Educational psychology reader: The art and science of how people learn (pp. 275–296). New York: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Lester, Y. (1993). Yami. Alice Springs, Australia: Institute for Aboriginal Development Publications.Google Scholar
Marples, R. (2010). What is education for? In Bailey, R. (Ed.), The philosophy of education (pp. 35–47). London: Continuum International Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Masters, G. (2013). The power of belief. In Hughes, P. (Ed.), Achieving quality education for all: Perspectives from the Asia-Pacific Region and beyond (vol. 20, pp. 3–8). Dordrecht: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minutjukur, M., & Osborne, S. (in press). Witulya Mulapa Nganana Mantjintjaku; From cultural devastation to cultural re-invention. Available from http://crc-rep.com/remote-education-systems/publications-and-presentations.Google Scholar
Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31 (2), 132–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moshman, D. (2009). The development of rationality. In Siegel, H. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy of education (pp. 145–161). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Munns, G., & McFadden, M. (2000). First chance, second chance or last chance? Resistance and response to education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21 (1), 59–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakata, M. (2007). The cultural interface. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 36 (Supplement), 7–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakata, M., Nakata, V., Keech, S., & Bolt, R. (2012). Decolonial goals and pedagogies for Indigenous studies. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 1 (1), 120–140.Google Scholar
Ninti One. (2012). Kuranyu-kutu tjungu ankunytjaku palu iwara yaaltjiwanu? Going forward together, but by which path? In Nyangatjatjara College Surveys, March–May 2012: Student Survey, Community Perceptions Survey and Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey. Alice Springs: Author.Google Scholar
Ninti One. (2013). Kuranyu-kutu tjungu ankunytjaku palu iwara yaaltjiwanu? Piruku nyakunytjaku . . .Going forward together, but by which path? Taking a second look. In Nyangatjatjara College Surveys, Student Survey, Community Perceptions Survey and Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey November 2012–March 2013. Alice Springs: Author.Google Scholar
O'Keefe, K., Olney, H., & Angus, M. (2012). Obstacles to success: Indigenous students in primary schools. Canberra, Australia: Australian Primary Principals Association.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2012). Equity and quality in education: Supporting disadvantaged students and schools. Paris: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
Osborne, S. (2012, September). Learning vs education; Re-thinking learning in Anangu schools. Paper presented at The International Rural Network Forum 2012, Whyalla and Upper Spencer Gulf, Australia.Google Scholar
Oxford Dictionary. (2013). Aspiration. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/aspiration?q=aspirationGoogle Scholar
Partington, G., Galloway, A., Sibbel, J., Gray, J., Grote, E., Gower, G., & Goh, K. (2009). Longitudinal study of student retention and success in high school (Follow the Dream): A report prepared for the Department of Education and Training, September 2009. Perth, Australia: The Centre for Indigenous Australian Knowledges, Edith Cowan UniversityGoogle Scholar
Pearson, N. (2011). Radical hope: Education and equality in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Black Inc.Google Scholar
Penfold, A. (2013, June 1–2) Strong leadership, not motherhood statements, will improve indigenous education results. The Weekend Australian. Retrieved October 11, 2013, from http://aief.com.au/media/23275/130601_the_weekend_australian_-_strong_leadership__not_motherhood_statements__will_improve_indigenous_education_results.pdfGoogle Scholar
Pring, R. (2010). The philosophy of education and educational practice. In Bailey, R., McCarthy, C., Carr, D., & Barrow, R. (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of philosophy of education (pp. 55–66). London: Sage Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purdie, N., & Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students (Issues Paper No. 1 produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; and Melbourne, Australia: Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Robertson, E. (2009). The epistemic aims of education. In Siegel, H. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy of education (pp. 11–34). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sarra, C. (2011). Strong and smart: Towards a pedagogy for emancipation. New York: Routlege.Google Scholar
Schliebs, M. (2011, December 6). Learning yardstick in APY hurt by absences. The Australian. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/learning-yardstick-in-apy-hurt-by-absences/story-e6frgczx-1226214576627Google Scholar
Smyth, J., & Hattam, R. (2004). Dropping out, drifting off, being excluded: Becoming somebody without school. New York: P. Lang.Google Scholar
Tjitayi, K., & Osborne, S. (2013). Kurunta Kanyintja -Acquiring the ‘codes of power’; Un-silencing the Dialogue. Paper presented at the The Heart of Learning, APY Teach-meet, Yulara.Google Scholar
Verran, H. (2005). Knowledge traditions of Aboriginal Australians: Questions and answers arising in a databasing project. Retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/pdf/knowledgeanddatabasing.pdfGoogle Scholar
Wearne, G., & Yunupingu, M. (2011). ‘Into the Mainstream’: Supporting parental engagement in the education programs offered in five northeast Arnhem Land Yolngu communities. Canberra, Australia: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace RelationsGoogle Scholar
What Works: The Work Program. (2012). Success in remote schools: A research study of eleven improving remote schools. Melbourne, Australia: National Curriculum Services.Google Scholar