‘Home-grown gifts’ Our Victorian story.

1. ‘Home-grown gifts’Our Victorian story. Identifying and catering for the Gifts and Talents of Indigenous Students in Victoria. October 23, Adelaide 2009

2. Delsie Lillyst is a Gunditj-Mirring Traditional Elder through her mother’s people, the Gunditjmara in south-west Victoria. Her father’s people are the Boonitj-Iwaidja clans from the East Alligator River area of north-west Arnhemland. Dr Susan Nikakis (Catholic Education Office Melbourne) Gifted education officer. Presenters

3. Acknowledgement of Caurna Identification measures specifically related to indigenous students How many indigenous students are formally identified in Victoria? Deficit model Issues in assessment of gifted Indigenous Australians Outline

4. The underachieving gifted Aboriginal student. (Coolabah) Correlation between international research on minority groups (use Cathcart) Optimizing the learning of gifted Aborigininal students. Initiatives for the future. Outline continued

5. Giftedness is not the prerogative of any racial, ethnic, social class, or any residential area. It may lie untapped in some and under some conditions, but no populatiion has either monopoly on or any absenvce of talent. (Passow, 1972) Opening philosophy

6. Aboriginal students throughout Australia are chronically underrepresented in programs for the gifted. Victorian teacher are not being made ware of the specific learning styles of Indigenous students. Challenges

7. Before European settlement, Aboriginal people lived in undisturbed isolation for a staggering period of time. During that period or time a rich culture and unique intelligences evolved, with aptitudes shaped by environments and lifestyles. History

8. From the beginning, the various Indigenous tribes valued gifts in their people and prepared their special dskills and knowledge in areas such as healing, lore, storytelling, religion. Music. Crafts, hunting tracking, navigation and kinship.

9. Research has shown us beyond any doubt that similar numbers of students with exceptional abilities are found in all cultural groups. ( NZ Treaty of Waitangi Network) Yet very few of our Indigenous students are recognised in our schools as having exceptional abilities. Identification measures specifically related to indigenous students

10. To identify gifted students from a minority culture we need to; Discover the skills and knowledge valued by their culture and then Look for these students who are displaying high levels of ability in those areas. Traditional Identification methods failing our Indigenous students.

11. Cartoon

12. What generalized conclusions can we draw from the following NAPLAN graphs in relation to Indigenous students? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. Year 3 Literacy Quartiles

15. It is time for the knowledge apartheid gap to be recognised and then consigned to history.It is time for the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders culture and tradition in this country to be acknowledged through the curriculum –to be brought back from the fringe, into this millennium. (Mark Rose) called this the ‘silent apartheid’.

16. Interesting African American correlation

17. Our traditional identification procedures have failed abysmally in identifying the aboriginal students with exceptional abilities. This is because ‘People are most likely to display high levels of ability in skills that are highly valued by their culture.’ Something to think about

18. To identify gifted students from a minority culture we need to; discover the skills and knowledge valued by that culture and then use the bicultural and multicultural inventories which have already been developed for this purpose. Therefore;

19. An example of good practice at Parade College Case study

20. If our concern is to bridge the gap between cultures, it may help us to remember that a bridge is always designed to be crossed in two directions, even if not always at the same time. Something to ponder

22. (Acknowledgement: Renzulli et al, 1976) See hanouts attached Checklists for the Identification of Gifted and talented Aboriginal Students.

23. Schools in the USA have difficulty attracting and keeping the best and brightest teachers as the indigenous schools are often geographically isolated. These teachers often use the ‘Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices’. (chosen as it is non verbal nature) Interesting African American correlation

24. It seeks ‘to determine the learning potential of an individual. Rather than to establish long term cognitive change’. Test notion replaced with sense of fun. Feedback is given leading to self efficacy development. How is the Coolabah different?

25. The NSW Coolabah dynamic testing is one outstanding example of appropriate identification for Indigenous students. Victoria does not differentiate between gifted identification tests so we are comparing apples with oranges. Identification/Testing

26. Gifted Aboriginal communities understanding the term giftedness in a variety of ways. Identification for all gifted students must be multifaceted. Definition hindering identification

27. Melbourne Declaration

28. One way understandable, but undesirable outcome of the unrecognised masking of gifts and talents id that teachers may develop unrealistically low expectation of a students academic potential and abilities. Challenges

29. If our concern is to bridge the gap between cultures, it may help us to remember that a bridge is always designed to be crossed in two directions, even if not always at the same time. Something to ponder

30. To identify gifted students from a minority culture we need to; discover the skills and knowledge valued by that culture and then use the bicultural and multicultural inventories which have already been developed for this purpose. Therefore;

31. Our traditional identification procedures have failed abysmally in identifying the aboriginal students with exceptional abilities. This is because ‘People are most likely to display high levels of ability in skills that are highly valued by their culture’. Something to think about

32. Aboriginal students often present differently from the stereotype. They need different checklists for identification of Gifted and Talented Aboriginal students. Masking Aboriginal Giftedness

33. The Harslett Rating Scales and Peer Nomination Inventory was developed through extensive consultation with Indigenous adults and students in Western Australia. Non verbal tests are used occasionally in Victoria (Ravens Standard Progressive Matrices) has international support as culturally sensitive. Identification

34. Provision of targeted support to address the learning and developmental needs and mobilize tailored services from outside the school

35. Attracting high quality principals and teachers to remote Indigenous areas, Establishing an intergraded child and family centre where there is a significant Indigenous population. And by;

36. Committed to: Improving educational outcomes for indigenous youth…How you might well ask? By: Providing increased access to quality early childhood education programs for Indigenous students. Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for young Australians (December 2008)

37. Teachers must be made aware of culturally related issues and information and they must design appropriate curriculum and delivery strategies. Learning is: Informal Person orientated Imitative Culture specific information and community participation