Indigenous Education Commons^™

Supporting Social And Emotional Learning With Little J And Big Cuz: Case Study 3: Marion Primary School, Kathryn Moyle, Kevin Mcrae

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

Marion Primary School is located 10 kilometres south of the Adelaide CBD. There is a high level of student transience due in part to the mobility of families in short-term rental accommodation, which includes parents who are students at the nearby Flinders University. Students come from a diversity of cultural backgrounds with more than 14 countries represented in the school. In 2018, there were 21 students enrolled who identified as being of Indigenous descent. To support these Indigenous students and their families, the school has an Aboriginal Community Education Officer, Eileen Butler, known to everyone as ‘Aunty Eileen’. A team …

Teachable Moments: Planning Early Childhood Programs For Indigenous Children That Incorporate Little J And Big Cuz : Case Study 4: Batchelor Institute Of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

Students in the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care course at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) incorporated the children’s television program Little J & Big Cuz into their early childhood programs and family life in the respective communities in which they live and work. This course is a three year program and enrolment requires that the students are working in early childhood settings. The BIITE students who planned and incorporated Little J & Big Cuz into their early childhood programs live in Yarralin and the Tiwi Islands.

Connecting Little J And Big Cuz With A Kindergarten Education Program: Case Study 1: Morphett Vale East Kindergarten, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

This case study explores how the television program ‘Little J and Big Cuz’ was incorporated into the education program at Morphett Vale East Kindergarten. Morphett Vale East Kindergarten in South Australia is a government-funded kindergarten for children aged between three and five years. Little J & Big Cuz was incorporated into the education program as the screen time activity, which was then followed with discussions about each story the children had seen. The choice of episodes was linked to the learning priorities of the Kindergarten. The viewing responses of the children are discussed as well as how Little J & …

Preparing Socially And Emotionally For Preschool With Little J And Big Cuz: Case Study 2: One Tree Community Centre Yera Children's Service, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The Yera Children’s Service in the Northern Territory is located within the campus of Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) in the township of Batchelor, 98 kilometres south of Darwin. Yera Children’s Service at Batchelor has 34 places for children from birth to three years of age and a ‘kindy’ room that caters for children aged three to six years of age. The early childhood educators prepare development programs for the children, including programs to develop children’s social and emotional wellbeing and prepare them for their transition to junior primary school. Keiryn Christodoulou has been an educator at the …

Developing Written Language With Little J And Big Cuz : Case Study 5 : Saint Augustine's School, Kathryn Moyle, Kevin Mcrae

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

St Augustine’s School is a Catholic primary school located in the town of Mossman in Far North Queensland. Jo Brooks is the Prep class teacher at St Augustine’s School, and she incorporated the Little J & Big Cuz television series into her teaching and learning program. Her Prep class has 21 students of whom five identify as being Indigenous; four as Aboriginal and one as a Torres Strait Islander. Jo found a valuable teaching resource in the Little J & Big Cuz series. This resource engaged her Prep class. It led to student directed conversations and to diverse student initiated …

Is Little J And Big Cuz Suitable For Children In Preschool? Case Study 6: Wulagi Family Centre, Wulagi School, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The Wulagi Family Centre and Wulagi Preschool in Darwin in the Northern Territory provide programs for children and adults that emphasise the importance of language development and high quality interactions between children and adults, informed by the Abecedarian Approach. This case study of the Wulagi Preschool asks the question: is the Little J and Big Cuz television program suitable for children in preschool? At Wulagi Preschool Little J and Big Cuz was trialled with 40 children, aged between 3 and 4 years of age. About a third of these children identify as being Indigenous. Due to the timing of this …

Indigenous Early Childhood Education, School Readiness And Transition Programs Into Primary School: Literature Review, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

This literature review identifies, evaluates and synthesises academic, grey and other literature about transition to school programs for Australia’s Indigenous children. It draws on both international and Australian research. Its purpose is to provide an overview of current research about factors that support effective transitions to school by Indigenous children, and to consider the role that educational television can play in those transitions. This literature review was also prepared to inform the development of the case studies about how the first season of the television program, Little J & Big Cuz had been used in various remote, regional and urban …

Little J & Big Cuz: A School Readiness Initiative: Final Report And Case Studies, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The purpose of this study was to identify potential social and behavioural changes in individuals, schools and communities that could result from the implementation of the School Readiness Initiative (SRI) television project Little J & Big Cuz. This study comprised the preparation of a literature review, and the development of case studies drawn from early childhood, preschool and junior primary school settings. Little J & Big Cuz is a 13-part animated television series that was commissioned as a SRI television project to build the school readiness of children and to support the successful home to school transition of Indigenous children …

The Case For Urgency: Advocating For Indigenous Voice In Education, Kevin P. Gillan, Suzanne Mellor, Jacynta Krakouer

Jacynta Krakouer

In 2004 the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) published an Australian Education Review (AER) on Indigenous Education: The Case for Change: A review of contemporary research on Indigenous education outcomes, AER 47 (Mellor & Corrigan, 2004). In the 13 years since its publication, the state of Indigenous education outcomes has remained substantially unaltered. All the social indicators demonstrate that Australia’s First Nations people continue to be the most socio-economically disadvantaged population cohort in Australian society. This is after decades of continued policy efforts by successive Commonwealth, state and territory governments to ameliorate Indigenous education disadvantage. We still struggle with …

The Case For Urgency: Advocating For Indigenous Voice In Education, Kevin P. Gillan, Suzanne Mellor, Jacynta Krakouer

Suzanne Mellor

In 2004 the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) published an Australian Education Review (AER) on Indigenous Education: The Case for Change: A review of contemporary research on Indigenous education outcomes, AER 47 (Mellor & Corrigan, 2004). In the 13 years since its publication, the state of Indigenous education outcomes has remained substantially unaltered. All the social indicators demonstrate that Australia’s First Nations people continue to be the most socio-economically disadvantaged population cohort in Australian society. This is after decades of continued policy efforts by successive Commonwealth, state and territory governments to ameliorate Indigenous education disadvantage. We still struggle with …

Aboriginal Community Engagement In Primary Schooling.Docx, Angela Turner, Katie Wilson, Judith L. Wilks

Dr Angela Turner

Aboriginal Early Childhood Education: Why Attendance And True Engagement Are Equally Important, Jacynta Krakouer

Jacynta Krakouer

The Australian government has increasingly recognised the importance of quality early childhood education (ECE) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, as noted in a variety of policy documents such as the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Closing the Gap targets of the Rudd government in 2008, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010-2014, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 2015 (Tye, 2014; Dreise & Thomson, 2014; Education Council, 2015). However, the focus in Aboriginal ECE is still on improving access to, and attendance at ECE centres in Australia rather than highlighting the reasons …

Literature Review Relating To The Current Context And Discourse On Indigenous Cultural Awareness In The Teaching Space: Critical Pedagogies And Improving Indigenous Learning Outcomes Through Cultural Responsiveness, Jacynta Krakouer

Jacynta Krakouer

This literature review seeks to provide an overview of current understandings and discourse about culturally responsive teaching and cultural awareness in education in Australia. Although some of the literature considered within this review is from an international perspective, the purpose of this review is to provide background information regarding culturally responsive teaching with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This literature review was completed in a short time frame and is by no means exhaustive on the topic of culturally responsive teaching and cultural awareness with Indigenous students. It was completed as part of a contract with the VET Development …

Literature Review Relating To The Current Context And Discourse Surrounding Indigenous Early Childhood Education, School Readiness And Transition Programs To Primary School, Jacynta Krakouer

Jacynta Krakouer

Since the educational experiences of Aboriginal Australians are often framed from a ‘deficit’ perspective, whereby the failures of Indigenous people to engage with the mainstream educational system are seen as the ‘problem’, an alternative approach to Indigenous early childhood education discourse is preferable. This alternative approach highlights the strengths that many Aboriginal children possess when commencing school, strengths that may result from Indigenous child-rearing practices. Consequently, this literature review utilises a strengths-based perspective for Aboriginal early childhood education and school readiness, noting that Aboriginal children are frequently expected to adapt to a foreign educational system whereby school expectations differ from …

Completing University In A Growing Sector: Is Equity An Issue?, Daniel Edwards, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Julie McMillan

Access to university has always been an issue for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the recent context of an expanding higher education system in Australia, some accessibility issues have been alleviated. This context offers an opportunity to explore the pathways of disadvantaged students through university. In this expanded system, will disadvantaged students be more or less likely to complete university? Will demographic or enrolment characteristics influence the likelihood of these students to complete? This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student …

Completing University In A Growing Sector: Is Equity An Issue?, Daniel Edwards, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Julie McMillan

Access to university has always been an issue for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the recent context of an expanding higher education system in Australia, some accessibility issues have been alleviated. This context offers an opportunity to explore the pathways of disadvantaged students through university. In this expanded system, will disadvantaged students be more or less likely to complete university? Will demographic or enrolment characteristics influence the likelihood of these students to complete? This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student …

Completing University In A Growing Sector: Is Equity An Issue?, Daniel Edwards, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Daniel Edwards

Access to university has always been an issue for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the recent context of an expanding higher education system in Australia, some accessibility issues have been alleviated. This context offers an opportunity to explore the pathways of disadvantaged students through university. In this expanded system, will disadvantaged students be more or less likely to complete university? Will demographic or enrolment characteristics influence the likelihood of these students to complete? This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student …

Contextual Factors That Influence The Achievement Of Australia’S Indigenous Students: Results From Pisa 2000–2006, Lisa De Bortoli, Sue Thomson

Lisa De Bortoli

Results from international programs that assess the skills and knowledge of young people have indicated that Australia’s Indigenous students perform at a significantly lower level than non- Indigenous students. An in-depth comparison of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students’ performance on the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) across three cycles is provided in an accompanying volume to this report, while the current report provides an understanding of how various aspects of students’ background and psychological constructs relate to each other and to student performance. Chapters 2 through 5 each focus on a different group of potential influences on the performance of …

The Achievement Of Australia's Indigenous Students In Pisa 2000-2006, Lisa De Bortoli, Sue Thomson

Lisa De Bortoli

The three-yearly PISA assessments provide an opportunity to monitor the performance of Australian students in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. In particular, the assessments allow us to examine the performance of particular equity groups; to look at how well particular groups of 15-year-old students, approaching the end of their compulsory schooling are prepared for meeting the challenges they will face in their lives beyond school. A special focus for Australia has been to ensure that there is a sufficiently large sample of Australia’s Indigenous students so that valid and reliable analysis can be conducted. This has been achieved in each …

Unfinished Business : Pisa Shows Indigenous Youth Are Being Left Behind, Tony Dreise, Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

The latest international assessment of students’ mathematical, scientific and reading literacy – the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – shows that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students has remained the same for the last decade. In short, Indigenous 15-yearolds remain approximately two-and-a-half years behind their non-Indigenous peers in schooling.

This essay provides a précis of the results and analysis of some of the issues; it compares Indigenous performance in 2012 with that from previous PISA cycles; and discusses a range of implications for policy and practice.

Case Study: Promoting Indigenous School Leadership And Governance. Yirrkala School, Yirrkala Homelands School And Yambirrpa School Council East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory., Kathryn Moyle, Kevin P. Gillan

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

West Arnhem College – Gunbalanya School, West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory: Case Study – Co-Principalship, A Model For Indigenous Leadership And Governance., Kathryn Moyle, Kevin P. Gillan

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

Footprints In Time : Who Am I? And Renfrew Word Finding Vocabulary Test : Report On Wave 2 Data, Sarah Buckley, Catherine Underwood, Nola Purdie

Dr Sarah Buckley

This report presents the results of administration of the Who Am I? and the Renfrew Word Finding Vocabulary Test for the LSIC Wave 2 data collection in 2009. Who am I? is a developmental assessment that requires the child to write their name, copy shapes, write letters, numbers and words in a small booklet, with simple instructions and encouragement from the interviewer. Who am I? is not language dependent and is suitable for children with limited English. The assessment takes about 10 minutes to complete and is suitable for preschool children and children in the first two years of school. …

Starting School : A Strengths‐Based Approach Towards Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Children, Stephanie Armstrong, Sarah Buckley, Michele Lonsdale, Gina Milgate, Laura Bennetts Kneebone, Louise Cook, Fiona Skelton

Dr Sarah Buckley

This paper highlights the need for a strengths-based approach to school readiness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, in order to recognise the skills, cultural knowledge and understandings they already have when they transition to formal learning. The study, a joint project by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), reviews the literature and uses a strength-based analysis of information from Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) to examine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s abilities and knowledge at 4-6 years of age. …

Improving Educational Outcomes In The Northern Territory : Preliminary Advice To The Northern Territory Department Of Education And Training, With A Particular Focus On The Ongoing Improvement Of Students’ Literacy And Numeracy Achievements, Geoff N. Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

The primary focus of this review is on strategies for improving literacy and numeracy outcomes in the Northern Territory. Clearly, the role of school education is much broader than the development of students literacy and numeracy skills, but these are foundational skills on which almost all other school learning is based. It is also clear from research that low levels of literacy and numeracy by the middle years of school are associated with lower school completion rates and a range of post-school outcomes, including higher levels of unemployment, lower lifetime earnings, and poorer health outcomes. Although the primary focus of …

Literacy And Numeracy Learning: Lessons From The Longitudinal Literacy And Numeracy Study For Indigenous Students, Nola Purdie, Kate Reid, Tracey Frigo, Alison Stone, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Kate Reid

In 2000, ACER commenced the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Surveys for Indigenous Students (ILLANS), which set out to track the development of English literacy and numeracy skills in a group of Indigenous students from school entry through the early years of schooling and beyond, to establish a data-rich picture of educational opportunities for Indigenous students. Phase 1 of ILLANS collected data from Indigenous students at 13 schools across Australia that had been nominated by education systems as examples of good practice in education for Indigenous students. The first three years of the study were reported in the monograph Supporting English …

Contextual Factors That Influence The Achievement Of Australia’S Indigenous Students: Results From Pisa 2000–2006, Lisa De Bortoli, Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

Results from international programs that assess the skills and knowledge of young people have indicated that Australia’s Indigenous students perform at a significantly lower level than non- Indigenous students. An in-depth comparison of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students’ performance on the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) across three cycles is provided in an accompanying volume to this report, while the current report provides an understanding of how various aspects of students’ background and psychological constructs relate to each other and to student performance. Chapters 2 through 5 each focus on a different group of potential influences on the performance of …