Learning versus education: Rethinking learning in Anangu schools
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2013
Authors
Osborne, S.
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Journal article
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Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2013; 42(2):171-181
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Abstract
In the remote schooling context, much recent media attention has been directed to issues of poor attendance,low attainment rates of minimal benchmarks in literacy and numeracy, poor retention and the virtual absenceof transitions from school to work. The Australian government’s recent ‘Gonski review’ (Review of Fundingfor Schooling – Final Report 2011) also strongly advocates the need to increase investment and effort intoremote education across Australia in order to address the concerns of under-achievement, particularly ofIndigenous students. Large-scale policies designed to improve access to services have caused a significantincrease in services delivered from external sources, policy development at all levels of government, andtight accountability measures that affect remote communities and in turn, schools in various ways. Remoteeducators find themselves caught in the middle of this systemic discourse and the voices and values that existin the remote communities where they live. Within this complex environment, the purpose of this article isto amplify Indigenous community voices and values in the discourse and by doing so, challenge ourselvesas educators and educational leaders to examine the question: ‘While we’re busy delivering education, isanybody learning anything?’ This article focuses on the Anangu (Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara) context of theNorth-West of South Australia, southern regions of the Northern Territory and into Western Australia. Thisregion is referred to as the ‘tri-state’ region. Using a qualitative methodology, this article examines threePitjantjatjara language oral narrative transcripts where Anangu reflect on their experiences of growing upand learning. By privileging these Anangu voices in the dialogue about learning in the remote Aboriginalcommunity context, key themes are identified and analysed, highlighting important considerations for remoteeducators in understanding the values and cultural elements that inform Anangu students in their engagementwith a formal education context.
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Copyright 2013 The Authors