Effective Leadership

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Effective Leadership
for Early Years educators of Indigenous students
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Understanding ourselves is central to leadership

• The most important of all voyages
• is the discovery of self,
• and without it,
• all the rest are not only useless,
• but disastrous
• Thomas Merton American Author 1915-1968

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(No Transcript)
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• What traditional significance do
• snakes or serpents
• have for Aboriginal Cultures?

What is the artist saying by depicting the
snake in a specimen jar ?
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Identifying Critical Factors
Pertinent Learning for Indigenous Children in
The Early Years(3-8 years of age)
What do you consider to be critical elementsfor
successful learning in the Early Years?
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Recognised Critical Factors

• Identifying, acknowledging, valuing/respecting
  Cultures
• Strong family and community partnerships
• Effective home school connections
• Curriculum Pedagogy (A holistic approach)
• Source Foundations for SuccessGuidelines for
  an early learning program in
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
  communities

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Identifying, acknowledging, valuing/ respecting
Cultures
The Language Sounds Words Meanings Intonation
/ stress Grammar Text Structure Form
The WAY language is used (The Pragmatics)
Two-Way English role of listener
speaker economy of words rules for
speaking social protocol assumed
knowledge questioning time and measurement
The World View Values Beliefs Attitudes What
the Aboriginal child brings to the classroom.
Language is a carrier of world view
(Konigsberg Collard,2000) -Ways of being, Ways
of Talk page 91Department of Education WA 2002
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Identifying, acknowledging, valuing/ respecting
Cultures

• Group Activity (optional)
• spilt into groups
• each group discussing one of
• the quotes provided
• share ideas with whole group
• (ie a jigsaw activity - putting the learning
  together)

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Identifying, acknowledging, valuing/ respecting
Cultures
When leaders are credible and inspiring they
build
Leaders learn

• about self
• about Cultures
• from Community

a culture of respect and high expectations for all
Leaders support and influence others to build
Leaders manage
in a collaborative and inclusive way
understanding and respect for Cultures
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Identifying, acknowledging, valuing/ respecting
Cultures

• Leadership is about influencing others

How can the leadership group ensure that the
learning opportunities provided in the Early
Years are not dominated by mainstream culture?
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Acknowledging and Valuing Culture

• Successful Indicators include
• Continual presence, involvement and credible and
  authentic engagement of families and community
  members in programs
• Working collaboratively with families to support
  students to acquire the knowledge and skills to
  feel proud and confident to successfully walk in
  both cultures i.e. sharing knowledge about what
  it is children need to learn
• Cultural icons are numerous and visibly displayed
  in environment
• Demonstrating a belief that cultural interaction
  has the capacity to enrich all of our lives
  (reciprocal learning promotes cultural harmony)

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Acknowledging and Valuing Culture

• Successful Indicators include
• Understanding and following cultural protocols
• Acknowledging the importance of Cultural
  Business
• Respecting and celebrating home language(s)
• Supporting parallel development of home language
  and Standard Australian English
• Providing opportunities for culturally based
  activities
• Celebrating Cultural events and achievements

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Identifying, acknowledging, valuing/ respecting
Cultures

• The leadership group is responsible for managing
  curriculum
• What does the leadership group need to know and
  do to make sure the curriculum is culturally
  comprehensive and appropriate?

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Cultural appropriateness

• Educators need to know about the following
• The effects of trans-generational loss
• The effects of long term exposure to trauma on
  brain development and spiritual well-being
• The impact of local histories and culture
  specific knowledge e.g.the importance of
  kinship to all that is natural
• i.e. the Kanyini principles of connectedness
  through caring and responsibility related to
• Family Land Belief System
  Spirituality
• The orate nature of Indigenous Cultures
• Also often highly skilled in non-verbal forms of
  communication

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Strong family and community partnerships

• Credible leadership involves reciprocal learning
  with families and community members to develop
  strong partnerships.
• Identify the critical factors involved for
  leaders to develop and maintain quality
  reciprocal partnerships with family and community
  members.

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Strong family and community partnerships

• Participation is democratic in nature
• true voice exists about operations
• open to suggestions so that operations evolve
  according to the expressed views of children,
  families and community groups
• curriculum activities are built upon culturally
  valued learning and that practice reflects the
  importance of family/relationships/partnerships

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Effective home school connections

• Leaders need to connect with families within the
  community to establish credibility and to ensure
  that people feel that they can trust their
  children will be physically and spiritually
  safe at the learning centre.

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Effective home school connections occur when

• Children develop positive attitudes towards
  learning
• The staff cohort includes respected Indigenous
  community members
• Family members feel welcomed and comfortable in
  remaining with children and sharing in the
  learning activities
• When parents/family members see how new
  learning experiences are explicitly explained
• Relevant, inclusive and effective communication
  practices portray a culture of respect e.g. the
  quality of promotional materials, oral and
  written information and the presentation styles
  and formats give out important messages
• Involvement in community activities builds
  successful partnerships

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Curriculum Pedagogy (A holistic approach)

• Leaders have a responsibility to develop a rich
  learning environment
• What infrastructure do the leaders need to
  establish to achieve this?

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Pedagogy

• Characteristics of 3-8 year olds
• Learn/acquire concepts through senses (keenly
  attuned to what stimulates their senses)
• Need to explore and make discoveries about their
  environment
• Enjoy being physically active in the learning
  process, (kinaesthetic)
• Dependence upon family
• Possess an inner drive/initiative, like to
  learn to do things for themselves
• Desire to develop awareness of what they can do
  with their bodies e.g. run, skip, jump,
  manipulate objects
• Learning/absorbing the social mores from their
  culture/society
• Period of greatest learning potential with a
  sensitivity to the learning of the language used
  by family/community i.e. home language
• SourceThe Absorbent Mind Dr Maria Montessori

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Indicators for a rich learning environment

• A holistic approach is utilised that connects
  with people, (children, families and community)
  and reflects the reality of their daily lives
• Children need to feel the support of their
  families and community for them to engage and
  participate Uncle Bob Randall, Educator from
  Uluru January 2010
• Opportunities are provided to explore cultural
  connections and thus strengthen personal and
  cultural identities i.e. utilise the four
  traditional lines of teaching techniques
• Story Song Dance Art
• Culture is valued as an integral aspect of
  personal identity
• It is acknowledged that students bring a wide
  range of skills, and knowledge to the school
  environment which provide the building blocks for
  further learning (i.e. working from a position of
  strength)
• It is recognised that culture strongly influences
  behaviour, attitudes and values and that
  differing cultural perspectives may cause
  confusion (e.g. a conflict of
  expectations), for families entering mainstream
  education

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ESL Course learning principles

• 1. Learning builds on existing knowledge,
  understandings and skills.
• (Prior knowledge)
• 2. When learning is organised around major
  concepts, principles and significant real world
  issues, within and across disciplines, it helps
  students make connections and build knowledge
  structures.
• (Deep knowledge and connectedness)
• 3. Learning is facilitated when students actively
  monitor their own learning and consciously
  develop ways of organising and applying knowledge
  within and across contexts.
• (Metacognition)
• 4.Learners' sense of self and motivation to learn
  affect learning.
• (Self-concept)

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ESL Course learning principlesAre sensitive to
and inclusive of students prior learning and
experiences.

• 5. Learning needs to take place in a context of
  high expectations.
• (High expectations)
• 6. Learners learn in different ways and at
  different rates.
• (Individual differences)
• 7. Different cultural environments, including the
  use of language, shape learners understandings
  and the way they learn
• (Socio-cultural effects)
• 8. Learning is a social and collaborative
  function as well as an individual one.
• (Collaborative learning)
• 9. Learning is strengthened when learning
  outcomes and criteria for judging
• learning are made explicit and when students
  receive frequent feedback on their progress.
• (Explicit expectations and feedback)

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Questions

• What new information would you consider important
  to incorporate into your work?
• Has anything in our session today challenged
  previously held values?
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• A question that an Aboriginal parent could ask
  the teacher
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• How comfortable are you in giving Aboriginal
  children opportunities
• to be successful at school whilst totally
  retaining their cultural identity?
• Has this presentation helped in answering this
  question?
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•  How comfortable do you think Aboriginal parents
  would feel about handing over the
  responsibility of their children to educators who
  were committed to the principles involved in this
  presentation?

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AcknowledgementThe following resources were
directly used in the compilation of this
presentation

• Foundations for SuccessGuidelines for an early
  learning program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
  Islander communities http//education.qld.gov.au/
  schools/indigenous/projects/foundations.html
• The Absorbent Mind Dr. Maria Montessori
• Australian Research Alliance for Children and
  Youth web-site (www.aracy.org.au)
• Charter for Victoria www.education.vic.gov.au/ab
  originalcharter http//www.aracy.org.au/publicatio
  nDocuments/TOP_Engaging_Indigenous_Families_in_
• Preparing_Children_for_School_2008.pdf
• Principals Australia Pre-School Checklist
• L5 School Leadership frame
• L5 At Work Module Leading schools in
  Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander education

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Acknowledging resources (continued)

• Kanyini DVD
• ESL Scales (Curriculum Corporation)
• http//www.det.wa.edu.au/education/esl/esd1.htm
• http//www.aracy.org.au/publicationDocuments/TOP_E
  ngaging_Indigenous_Families_in_Preparing_Children_
  for_School_2008.pdf
• Western Australian Health Institutes work by
  Fiona Stanley
• www.ichr.uwa.edu.au Refer to booklet
  Social and Emotional Well-being of Aboriginal
  children.
• Fraser Mustards Thinkers in Residence report.
  (Google)
• Early Years Learning Framework- Knowing, Being
  and Becoming
• www.deewr.gov.au/.../Policy.../EarlyYearsLea
  rningFramework.aspx
• Australian Research Alliance for Children Youth
• Engaging Indigenous Families in Preparing
  Children for School
• www.aracy.org.au/