Learning Needs of Students: Challenges and Strategies for Educators

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Learning needs of students
Name of student
Name of the University
Author note

LEARNING NEEDS OF STUDENTS1
Issue 1:
Beginning teachers often face major challenges when teaching Aboriginal and
backgrounds. The importance of a culturally inclusive environment for learning is being
acknowledged recently. Children tend to respond better in a learning method that fosters
positive cultural learning (Perso & Hayward, 2015). However, due to less understanding of
the cultural practices prevalent within the indigenous tribes. Teachers often face difficulty in
addressing the needs of the indigenous children. Therefore, teachers need to develop learning
ability of children within a culturally competent environment improves learning capacity of
students.
The cognitive learning and development process begins early; therefore, the
indigenous children begin to learn their way of life before they enter school setting. The
worldview of western culture differs greatly with that of the indigenous people. The main
challenge that beginning educators often face is the understanding how culture effects
behaviour and subsequently leads to challenges in teaching. To have a successful learning
outcome for the indigenous students, the teacher must be educated about the history, cultural
practices and ensure that everyone feels included within the classroom. The forced
assimilation of indigenous tribes into the white community did more harm than good. It is
quite common that parents who were a part of the stolen generation pass down that trauma to
their children (Munns, O'Rourke, & Bodkin-Andrews,2013). Educator may feel awkward and
may choose to avoid talking about it, but children are aware of their history, therefore it is
important that the topic is approached with sensitivity and empathy. Educators practice
classroom methods that is in lines with the western community rather than indigenous
community children (Barnhardt, 2014). For example, aboriginal and other indigenous
children might not make eye contact with their teacher, as their culture believes that is rude
practice, if the educator is unaware of the cultural practice they may easily misinterpret which

LEARNING NEEDS OF STUDENTS2
can be called as “soft racism” (Boon & Lewthwaite, 2016). Indigenous children learn better,
when educators understand their behaviour, such as an indigenous child may not answer to
questions in the class. This does not imply that the child does not know the answer or avoids
being the centre of attention, but in their culture stories are passed down in form of stories
and the system of question and answer does not exist. Educators must understand how culture
is a dominant factor in commanding behaviour of indigenous children.
The increased juvenile crime rates, high dropout rates, substance abuse, suicide cases
often point to a disturbed indigenous society. However, when an educator practices teaching
based on these preconceived notion they tend to perceive the aboriginal children will
underperform and hence ignore them or victimise them. This is a very negative practice,
causes extreme stress, and affects the learning capacity of the children. The only solution to
approach studies in a way indigenous children understand and reciprocate within cultural
parameters (Nardozi, 2016). Studies show when study materials are delivered in form of
visual instruction, indigenous children seem to absorb information better instead of reading
from textbooks (Burgess & Cavanagh, 2016). All indigenous communities have one thing in
common it is the community practice. Hence, when indigenous children are taught using
examples within the environment and community they perceive the concept better.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children use English as their second or third language,
educators if possible need to teach indigenous in their own language. Brain needs to be
developed neurologically to allow children to read and write therefore children need to be
stimulated in the language they speak, it helps them to learn better.
There needs to be promotion of aboriginality in the classroom setting. When new
educators promote healthy cultural representation, all the children indigenous and non-
indigenous children are able to learn more in a multicultural setting. Therefore, it is essential
that beginning teachers, promote aboriginality and the children receive an education that

LEARNING NEEDS OF STUDENTS3
promotes their culture (Lowe & Yunkaporta, 2018). Educators must ensure there is a positive
open dialogue on racism, where they can teach the younger generation of what happened in
past but should never happen in the future. Community is very important to the indigenous
group; young teachers can involve aboriginal children in more collective practices, rather
than focusing on individual achievement. For example, in Looma Remote Community School
situated in Derby, uses community interactive learning between the students and their parents
or caregiver, where they play games, share lunches together. This helps to build a collective
activity for them and they can learn better (Korff, 2019).
Educators must build a relationship of trust with their student, it is important that they
understand the issues that students face at home, such as neglect, domestic violence and other
dysfunctional situations. As a result of which indigenous children often have problem
focusing on tasks at school. This can be challenging for a new educator, hence they must
ensure that the children receive pastoral care that helps them develop trust, self-worth and
feeling of being valued. When a teacher successfully build a trust system around the child, it
helps them to be scaffolded towards a better learning process.
In schools educators quite often do not have access to appropriate teaching materials
this can certainly be an issue. In many rural communities, there is a serious lack of
infrastructure in rural communities, where most do not have an access to a proper classroom
or the classrooms are not equipped to fill a larger number of students. Research shows that
the government spends about forty-seven dollars on the education of a child in a rural
territory such as Wadeye, whereas in other institution the government spends about a dollar
on a child in the Northern territory. Indigenous parents do not have good experience with the
school system; this inhibits parents from sending their children to school. When schools do
not have any indigenous representative in the school faculty, it further promotes a sense of
cultural disharmony within the community (Fernando & Bennett, 2019). These are some of