Overcoming Racism in Australian Schools: Strategies and Theories

This essay addresses the issue of racism in Australian schools, particularly impacting immigrant students, and explores strategies to mitigate its negative effects. It highlights the increasing prevalence of racism, often manifested through online and social media platforms, and its detrimental social, economic, educational, and psychological consequences for students. The essay proposes several strategies, including professional development for school staff to foster intercultural understanding and cultural diversity. Additionally, it suggests applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs to create a supportive classroom environment where students' basic needs are met, promoting a sense of belonging and self-esteem, ultimately enabling them to reach their full potential. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of teaching friendship skills and valuing each student to reduce isolation and foster inclusivity within Australian schools. Desklib provides access to similar essays and resources for students.

Racism prevalent among schools of Australia: strategies to overcome
from such problem
It is true that most of the Australian think that the multicultural is best for Australia. According to the
report published by Scanlon, around 86 per cent of the Australian thinks that various cultural people
in Australia is good. As compare to this, only 15% people believed in racism a problem. Around 800
Australian secondary school students also found that racism is the huge problem that causes the
various mental health impacts on the young people. All these impacts also tend to reduce the
students ability to study as well as work. They also face disturbance in achievement of their future
goals.
The recent reports published on racism stated that racism among the school students are on rise
through online and social media. About 70 per cent of the school student has experienced the
several forms of racism ranges from violence to verbal comments. Among these, around 67% per
cent of the incidents are done in schools. All the students although states that Australia is
multicultural society but the fact is that racism is a serious problem faced by school students
specially immigrants. Due to the increasing racism in schools of Australia, students have to face
negative social, economic, education, and psychological impact in their whole life span. This also
leads to several mental problems in the community (Cropley, 2017).
Several strategies or theories can prove to be effective in order to reduce the problem of racism in
schools (Charles et al,2016). It is true that most of the racist incident seen in the school and those
students are likely to complain these to the school staff. In this way, professional development of
school leaders, teachers and administrative staff can prove to effective to reduce the problem of
racism for immigrants. Training can also be provides to the school leaders or teacher for
understanding the importance of diversity (Fahd & Venkatraman, 2019). In addition to this,
development workshops can be arranged for the teacher related to intercultural understanding and
cultural diversity. These strategies can prove to be effective form reducing racism in schools of
Australia.
In addition to this, Maslow hierarchy theory can also bring to reduce the negative impact racism in
Australian schools. It has suggested that it is essential to fulfil the basic needs of student before any
people meet the full potential; they are required to satisfy the various needs. It states that when
employees are entering the classroom without their physiological needs meeting. It also states that
all the students are meeting the physical needs. The basic needs of individual include sleep, water,
food, warmth, and oxygen. After the satisfaction of such needs, the next stage is safety. If all these
needs will be fulfilled, student will learn in a better way. Afterwards, it also put emphasis on the
belongingness and loves in the classroom. In order to feel good and away from racism, they will feel
that they belong to the group. The next level is esteem that means that students are feeling good
about themselves or not. The final stage Maslow need theory is self-actualization. It state that if all
the prior stages are met by the student, it will become easy for them to create and achieve the fuller
potential.
It is also found that Maslow need of hierarchy is the best known among the many education. As a
teacher, they are required to introduce the students to Maslow theory so that it becomes easy for

the student to learn the factors that impede and support the development (Bodkin-Andrews &
Carlson, 2016). There are various resources that needs to discuss how to effectively apply the
Maslow need theory to the classroom. In reduce to reduce the racism in schools; teacher can
support the children by discouraging the isolation, teaching the friendship skills to students. The
teaching of such skills will help the students to feel free to talk to anyone and behave in friendly
manner with anyone. Through understanding the esteem need, schools can value the each student
whether he or she is outsider (Kline, 2012).
In this way, it is clear that Australian schools are facing the problem of racism. In recent time,
specially immigrants are facing this problem in schools. In order to effectively reduce such problem,
several measures can be taken. The adoption different strategies and Maslow hierarchy theory will
reduce this problem in some extent.

References
Charles, C., Mahoney, C., Fox, B., & Halse, C. (2016). School principals and racism: Responding to
Aveling. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 37(2), 230-244.
Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B. (2016). The legacy of racism and Indigenous Australian identity
within education. Race Ethnicity and Education, 19(4), 784-807.
Fahd, K., & Venkatraman, S. (2019). Racial Inclusion in Education: An Australian
Context. Economies, 7(2), 27.
Cropley, A. J. (2017). The education of immigrant children: A social-psychological introduction. United
Kingdom: Routledge.
Kline, T. (2012) Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of need in the classroom. Retrieved from:
http://www.changekidslives.org/actions-4

References