Supporting Aboriginal students

Diverse Cultures and Communities

Aboriginal students in NSW are part of the oldest continuous living Cultures in the world.

Aboriginal students have diverse Cultural and Community needs. They are well-supported in school when other people show understanding and respect for:

• Aboriginal Cultural Knowledges
• the contemporary impacts of colonisation histories.

Regular opportunities are needed to engage with Aboriginal Cultural Knowledges, skills and understandings and Cultural programs. This supports Aboriginal students to maintain and further develop their Cultural identities.

Strategies and considerations

Curriculum strategies and considerations for teaching Aboriginal students include:

• recognition of individual Aboriginal student identity, Cultural Knowledges, Language learning, Community connection and/or responsibilities
• knowledge and valuing of Aboriginal English in its various forms as a dialect of English
• teaching and learning that reflect local Aboriginal Languages, Cultural Practices and Communities
• teaching and learning that reflects the knowledge and interests of Aboriginal students
• understanding of the linguistic, Cultural and economic diversity of Aboriginal Peoples in NSW
• understanding of sociocultural and economic factors that may affect some Aboriginal students and their families
• adjustments for health conditions that affect learning, such as otitis media
• goal-setting through personalised learning that:
  • is negotiated between teachers and individual students
  • involves parents or carers to ensure individualised strategies for engagement and improvement
  • for some students, includes post-school aspirations
• knowledge, valuing and inclusion of Culturally responsive teaching practices
• use of current terminology:
  • in teaching and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Priorities
  • for school communication
• all students learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Priorities through content in syllabuses.

Supporting additional learning needs

Some Aboriginal students require literacy and numeracy support, or have additional learning needs. Find more information about:

• Students learning English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D), including advice on supporting students whose first language is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language, or Aboriginal English.
• Students with disability and collaborative curriculum planning.
• Gifted and talented students.