Improvements to the education of Australia's indigenous people is very much dependent upon the teacher's awareness of the factors affecting their academic potential. The traditional role of schools which essentially aimed at assimilating Aboriginal children into the ways of Western civilisation has proven to be ineffective and grossly unfair. Educational institutions must be more responsive to the needs of these people so that many more will be willing to participate in Western forms of education, and at a level beyond the compulsory years. This will involve an appreciation of the cultural, social, environmental and economic factors that can seriously impair the academic potential of Aboriginal children. Moreover, the teacher may need to alter a number of specific instructional practices in order to cater for the learning styles of these children. With the release of the Federal Government's Reconciliation Policy, and the P-10 Curriculum Framework's (Queensland Department of Education, 1987) emphasis on understanding individuals and their cultural diversity, it appears that these practices will become a necessary responsibility for all teachers in the near future.

The Northern Territory Department of Education was given a unique opportunity to implement an Aboriginal Schools Curriculum Materials Project (ASCMP) with funding from the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) and the implementation of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (NAEP). One package of resources that has resulted from this initiative is known as Getting Going with Genres. A feature of the development of these resources was the involvement of large numbers of Aboriginal people in writing workshops in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.

Much has been written regarding Aboriginal culture and the difficulties ‘Whites’ have faced trying to introduce ‘Western education systems, (and the difficulties Aborigines have had dealing with Whites). One facet that seems to have gained little attention is that of the White staff themselves as individuals and the influence that they have in either a successful or failing educational institution. This is quite separate from the issue of whether or not the person has good teaching or administration skills. There are other issues which are often far more relevant in their daily life. Ideally, communities should not have to rely upon White staff, but presently and for the foreseeable future, it is a necessity.

I had been telling a group of Aboriginal mothers about some of the things that we had learned about how their children talk. The discussion had become quite animated as they recognised elements of their own speech in the examples I was giving. It was obvious that they were pleased that I regarded their way of talking as worthy of study and as something to be valued.

Within the multi-cultural society of Australia, Aboriginal people have a special place because of the part they have played in the history of Australia, and because they are the indigenous people of this country.