Indigenous Issues

Retention rates of indigenous students within the education system have traditionally always been low.   Attitudes have therefore involved feelings of alienation and distrust towards schooling and the education system. One of the ways this can be improved is to teach Indigenous people in ways that suit their specific learning styles and make schooling a time and place where young Indigenous people experience success on a regular basis.
The aim of this essay is to establish just what these learning styles are that are commonplace amongst the indigenous culture.   I will look at what teaching methods can be employed and why it is important for a teacher to incorporate them into their teaching style.
To be able to identify Indigenous learning styles we first need to be able to understand the recognised learning styles. There are three basic types of learning styles. The three most common are;
‘Visual’, learning through seeing,
‘Auditory’, learning through hearing,
‘Kinesthetic /Tactile’ learning through moving, doing and touching
(Groundwater-Smith, Ewing and Le Cornu, 2003, p. 69).
To learn, we depend on our senses to process the information around us. We may use each sense at various times but most people tend to use one of their senses more dominantly than the others.

The multiple intelligences theory developed by Howard Gardner in 1983 proposes eight different ways to demonstrate intellectual ability. These being:
1. Visual/Spatial Intelligence- ability to perceive the visual.
2. Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence- ability to use words and language.
3. Logical/Mathematical Intelligence- ability to use reason, logic and numbers.
4. Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence- ability to control body movements and handle objects skillfully.
5. Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence- ability to produce and appreciate music.
6. Interpersonal Intelligence- ability to relate and understand others.
7. Intrapersonal Intelligence- ability to self-reflect and be aware of one's... [continues]

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