1. DARE TO LEAD NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2008 Student Attendance and Engagement The role of the teacher

2. Acknowledgement of Country We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay our respects to the elders both past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal Australia. We must always remember that under the concrete and asphalt this land is, was and always will be traditional Aboriginal land.

3. Rules for communication Let one person speak(and be heard) at a time, respect what they have to say. Be non-judgemental, honest, and trust the goodwill of the other participants. Give a faithful interpretation of ideas. Develop and clarify tasks together, using non-jargonistic language. Respect diversity and different ways of doing things. Stephanie Armstrong

4. Te Kotahitanga: Presentation to the Aboriginal Schools Conference Mere Berryman

5. 21.4% of all students in the compulsory sector are Māori 85% are in English medium 14% are in Māori medium 17% of Māori school-leavers enroll in tertiary. Ministry of Education, 2005: Ngā Haeata Mātauranga

6. Suspensions by ethnicity Ethnicity Percentage of population Percentage of suspensions Pākehā 62%40% Māori21%47% Pacific8%11% Asian6%1% Other3%1% MOE, April 2003, Stand-down and suspensions report 1 January to 31 December 2002.

7. Percentage of school leavers with little or no formal attainment (Briefing to the Incoming Minister: MOE, 2005)

8. In 1993 4% of Māori gained an A or a B Bursary 33% of Māori left school without qualifications. In 2002 4% of Māori gained an A or a B Bursary 35% of Māori left school without qualifications

9. From 1994 to 2003 Retention rates for Māori boys to age 16 declined by 12.4% Retention rates for Māori girls declined by 7.1% However Non-Māori boys declined by 0.7% Non-Māori Girls increased by 1.4%

10. Te Kotahitanga: Raising the Achievement of Years 9 to 10 Māori Students

11. Background 2001 We spoke with people who were most intimately involved with the education of Year 9 and 10 Māori students: The students themselves Their whānau (extended family) Their principals Their teachers

12. We found that these groups drew on three discourses to explain their experiences and from which to offer solutions Child, home and community School structures and systems In-class relationships and interactions

13. Tally of discourse unit ideas showed Discourses Explaining Māori Achievement: Students, Whānau, Principals and Teachers © 2003 Ministry of Education

14. Te Kotahitanga: Discursive Repositioning Discourses (theoretical positioning) explaining Māori students’ educational achievement ● Child/Home Structure Relationships Discourses in terms of “educator agency” Deficit Structural Relationship No agencyLimited agency Agentic position (Bishop, Berryman, Tiakiwai & Richardson, 2003) (Bishop, Berryman, Tiakiwai & Richardson, 2003)

15. Te Kotahitanga: The Effective Teaching profile For these Māori students, the most effective teachers were culturally appropriate and culturally responsive.

16. Culturally Appropriate In visible ways, teachers create settings that are culturally appropriate for Māori students’ learning. If the teacher demonstrates cultural knowledge it has an effect on the children. They see the teacher as an individual who respects them and knows where they are coming from. The children see those teachers who have made an attempt to try and get on the same thought patterns, wavelength as them. (Parents, School 1)

17. Culturally Responsive Teachers create a context that is responsive to the culture of the learner. I’m a Māori, they should ask me about Māori things. I’ve got the goods on this but they never ask me. I’m a dumb Māori I suppose. Yeah they asked the Asian girl about her culture. They never ask us about ours. (Engaged students, School 1)

18. Culturally Effective Teaching Profile Culturally appropriate and responsive teachers demonstrate the following understandings on a daily basis : a) They positively reject deficit theorising b) They are committed to and know how to bring about change in educational achievement

19. What does this look & sound like to Māori students? He’s not a good teacher He’s not exciting He’s boring, just the way he teaches us is boring Oh, she’s always nice to us with our marks and our reports, she says I’m going to be strict this report. Get our reports … Excellence, Excellence, Excellence. So do you think you’ve earned that excellence? I think I’d get a Non Achieved and she’s given me a Merit, it’s like, I didn’t deserve this. Who said he is a good teacher? He’s just good at teaching. Yeah he is all about teaching and not about actually connecting with the students. She’s dedicated to what we do in our class I think it’s just her passion, that she likes seeing kids achieving instead of failing Feels cool, that we’ve got someone who’s gonna help us get through school. Low implementer No Caring implementer Yes No High implementer Yes Learning implementer No Yes Teacher types Caring Learning

20. What do we need to do to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students ? A brief summary of data from Dare To Lead School Collegial Reviews Based on the work of Russell Bishop and Mere Berryman Te Kotahitanga Project, Waikato University The Question

21. Process 12 School Reviews Interviews of Students, Parents, School Executive and Teachers Every comment noted as a strategy/issue attributed to either: a)Home or Community b)School Structures/Organisation or c)The Classroom

22. Parents Responses

23. School Executive Responses

24. Student Responses

25. Teacher Responses

26. Staff development Karratha Swan Hill Thornbury Bairnsdale

28. In 2007 a team of people contributed to the development of a plan designed to improve the Educational Outcomes of the Koorie Students at Bairnsdale Secondary College. The outcome was: The Koorie Education Plan.

29. These people were: Dare to Lead, Australia: Cliff Downey & Brian Giles-Brown Dr Chris Sarra: Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, QLD Daryl Andy: Koorie Educator Dot Moffat: Koorie Education Development Officer (KEDO) The Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (LAECG) Representatives of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI) Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Gippsland Region in Consultation with the Regional Koorie Education Committee (RKEC) & Dare to Lead.

30. What does good practice look like? What staff behaviours promote positive relationships and improved outcomes for Koorie students? Note one behaviour you aim to increase or improve and examples of how and where you’ll use it. Note how you could get feedback about your progress in putting it into practice.

31. Best Practice “How’s you’re Aunty May?” “Saw your mum down the street” “Get that finished by recess” “I think you’d make a great doctor” “How did Rumbalarah go on Saturday?” “What could you improve about this piece?” “I’ll think about what you said and look into it” “That’s my flag”.