ERIC Number: ED225778
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1981-Dec-2
Pages: 31
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Innovation and Aboriginal Education.
McConnochie, K. R.
After defining educational and cultural terms and establishing a model representing cultural reproduction, case studies illustrate how three Aboriginal communities are educating and socializing their children. Strelley, a community in Western Australia, has a history of determined independence that has resulted in a unique level of economic and social independence. Classes at the camps are based on traditional Aboriginal moiety divisions, pupils and teachers (one European and one Aboriginal per class) sit on woollen blankets in traditional Aboriginal circles, and the curriculum emphasizes traditional Aboriginal activities. At Hermannsburg, where the Aranda have substantially moved away from the mission and reestablished themselves as small, traditionally structured kinship groups, the out-stations operate as autonomous communities, dependent on social security benefits and on Hermannsburg for the provision of services. European teachers (resident at Hermannsburg) typically teach two 2-hour school sessions per day with the curriculum being very tightly structured around English and mathematics. The Aranda provide instruction in aspects of traditional culture. The Yipirinya community lives in extreme poverty around Alice Springs and co-exists with the dominant non-Aboriginal society. Teaching is done by untrained Aboriginals (who are being trained on-the-job), who teach literacy, numeracy, and cultural development. Implications of these developments are substantial and have not been given the prominence they deserve. (BRR)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: New Zealand Association for Research in Education, Wellington.
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A