Indigenous Knowledges in STEM Pathways

Editor's Notes

• #4: STEM skill shortage in workforce Declining interest in the study of STEM disciplines in senior secondary school; Declining performance of Australian school students in science and maths Gap in subject selection and achievement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in important STEM subjects Limited growth of science, engineering and information technology at tertiary level especially in: natural and physical sciences, branches of engineering and information technology Poor retention of Indigenous tertiary students Women leaving STEM in unacceptably high numbers at secondary, tertiary and early-career level . Office of the Chief Scientist - International research indicates that 75 per cent of the fastest growing occupations now require STEM skills and knowledge. Students engaging with an education in STEM will develop skills in creative and critical thinking and communication skills which are all relevant and highly valuable to an increasingly wide range of occupations. The vision for Australia must include an education system that expects and achieves a high level of student achievement, mastery, enjoyment and innovation in science, technology and mathematics, ear after year – through well resourced, knowledgeable, inspiring and passionate teams of teachers
• #5: In the workplace: We know that higher education is a key to economic development for Indigenous Australians. Employment outcomes are vastly better for Indigenous Australians with degree-level qualifications: Imperative that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students be a part of Australia’s economic future. . In 2013, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council acknowledged that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to achieve parity of STEM subjects to other fields of study, the government, among other things, must support more Indigenous content in curricula and better cultural competency for teachers. The Office of the Chief Scientist (2014) agree that there must be a well-resourced, knowledgeable, inspiring and passionate team of teachers leading.
• #6: In schools: Data from standardised testing shows Indigenous students in schools are performing significantly worse than their non-Indigenous peers. While the Government’s agenda for increasing school attendance for Indigenous school students is an important part of improving outcomes, there is more work to be done on improving what happens inside the schools to ensure better performance in STEM for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students.
• #7: What does this mean for our Aboriginal and Torres Strati Islander students? – 2 – 2.5 years behind our Non-Indigenous counter parts Teachers need to be better prepared for teaching maths and science to Indigenous school students, and more Indigenous teachers are essential.
• #8: PISA p.234-241 looks at the student awareness and understanding of environmental issues and epistemological values beliefs about science PISA 2015 – SURVEYED in AUSTRALIA - 758 schools, 14530 students of this 2807 were Indigenous Environmental awareness The study of science at school plays an important role in informing, building and shaping students’ environmental awareness, attitudes and their sense of environmental responsibility. The scientific skills and knowledge they gain equip them to assess environmental situations and instil a level of awareness and understanding to engage in active participation in the protection of the environment. To measure students’ environmental awareness, students were asked to respond to seven environmental issues and indicate how informed they were about each issue: Î  the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere Î  the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) Î  nuclear waste Î  the consequences of clearing forests/other land use Î  air pollution Î  extinction of plants and animals Î  water shortage. Reference Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L, & Underwood, C. (2017). PISA 2015: Reporting Australia’s results. Australian Council for Educational Research. PISA 2015: Reporting Australia’s results https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=ozpisa Attitudes towards science p21 The scientific literacy assessment framework recognises the role that individuals’ attitudes play in the interest and response to science and technology in general and to issues that may affect them. In PISA 2015, students’ attitudes towards science were measured through the Student Questionnaire and evaluated in three areas: interest in science and technology, environmental awareness, and valuing scientific approaches to enquiry.
• #9: PISA p.234-241 looks at the student awareness and understanding of environmental issues and epistemological values beliefs about science Figure 7.28 presents Australian students’ epistemic beliefs about science by demographic characteristics. Indigenous students reported showing significantly more knowledge of how science beliefs are constructed than the average for all OECD countries Value beliefs about science (epistemological beliefs) Students’ epistemological beliefs about science, that is how knowledge of science is constructed, are closely related to students’ general values of science and scientific inquiry (Hofer and Pintrich, 2002). Students were asked to indicate their level of agreement to a series of six statements about their knowledge of how value beliefs about science are constructed. Students responded on a four- point scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree). The value beliefs about science statements were: Î  A good way to know if something is true is to do an experiment. Î  Ideas in science sometimes change. Î  Good answers are based on evidence from many different experiments. Î  It is good to try experiments more than once to make sure of your findings. Î  Sometimes broad science scientists change their minds about what is true. Î  The ideas in science books sometimes change. Reference Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L, & Underwood, C. (2017). PISA 2015: Reporting Australia’s results. Australian Council for Educational Research. PISA 2015: Reporting Australia’s results https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=ozpisa
• #10: In the 2015 PISA (Programme for International student Assessment) survey, Indigenous students compared to non-Indigenous students in Australia Had significantly higher awareness of environmental issues Had significantly more knowledge of how science beliefs are constructed. Were more optimistic about environmental issues The PISA study says that, in general, there is a positive relationship between these measures of understanding and student achievement. And yet there is an achievement gap where Indigenous students in PISA achieved around 2.5 years of schooling lower than non-Indigenous students.
• #12: HANSEN 2016 reading Behavioural engagement is evidenced by students’ participation in social, academic and extracurricular activities. Defined as a student’s effort, persistence, participation, and compliance with school structures. It typically refers to students who comply with behavioural norms such as attendance and involvement, and who do not display disruptive or negative behavior. students who demonstrate challenging behaviours at school are at increased risk of academic failure, delinquency, dropping out, gang membership and adult incarceration Emotional engagement is when students exhibit positive attitudes and reactions towards school, teachers, learning, and peers. a student’s interests, values and emotions, including his or her reactions to academic work (such as interest or boredom) and feelings about his or her school and teachers (such as liking or disliking) Much past research has indicated that the emotions that a student has with respect to school and education are related to his or her motivation to learn. Students who report positive emotions during academic activities learn more and experience deeper engagement. Conversely, students who experience negative emotions while learning, such as boredom or anxiety, are likely to avoid tasks in order to minimise these unpleasant feelings. Cognitive engagement occurs when students make a personal investment in learning in a focused, strategic, and self-regulating way. cognitive engagement draws on the idea of investment; it includes being thoughtful, willing to exert the necessary effort for comprehension of complex ideas and mastery of difficult skills regulating their attention and effort, and learning strategies, such as relating new information to existing knowledge, and actively monitoring their comprehension do better on various indicators of academic achievement
• #13: Notes from another SLIDE : SSiSTEMIK = Stronger Smarter Institute Indigenous Knowledges in STEM Meet Market Demand – emphasis on STEM and opportunity to serve that demand Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples were Australia’s First Scientists, First Mathematicians, First Engineers and First Technicians Equip educators with the ‘how’ to engage Indigenous people in STEM. Initial focus on Maths and Science then Technology and Engineering. Capitalise on national reach of the Institute’s +3,000 teacher graduates
• #15: Ik is central organizing idea – is the core of the program STAFF – designed, developed and delivered by Indigenous practitioners who have skin in the game - DISCIPLINE that is applied to ensure that not 1 person speaks the group, everyone brings their expertise to the table, lived experience personally and professionally 100 years, outstanding educators across all spaces in school environments. IK STEM EXPERTS – seeking and building mutually respectful relationshsips with those who are the leaders in this space. RESEARCH – Indigenous Research Methodology – privileging Indigenous voice – Indigenous people representing Indigenous people, working with not doing to. PROCESSES – utilization of Indigenous processes that the Institute has been working with for over a decade
• #16: What should it look like?
• #19: Leveraging of other SSI Programs - SSLP SSLP works with educators to understand underlying assumptions about Indigenous education Provides one part of the response to STEM – helping to promote high expectations and a positive sense of identity for Indigenous students. STEM - need to go deeper, look at the relationships between educators/students/ STEM. Educators need to examine their underlying assumptions about teaching STEM. Innovative ways of using new culturally responsive pedagogies. Emphasis on time it takes to develop curriculum and pedagogy!!!!!
• #20: The core themes which come through the literature in relation to Indigenous involvement and achievement in STEM are that teachers are the biggest influence over student outcomes (Hattie, 2003, Delpit, 1988, Perso, 2012, Lewthwaite, 2015) and that teachers need to use strength-based approaches like Culturally Responsive Pedagogies (CRPs) to begin to improve the educational outcomes for Indigenous students. The need to set the bar high – recognition of the so called deficits – literacy, numeracy, old pen and paper recording of knowledge – WHY NOT GATHER EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING THROUGH MULTIMODAL ways of recording. Increased capacity and confidence to teach Indigenous STEM Increased skills in the location, selection and evaluation of quality resources that ensure cultural sensitivities and appropriateness Increased knowledge and understanding of culturally responsive pedagogies – Goompi model and inquiry based learning NEW LEARNING IS A CHALLENGE – need for processing, to be challenged in your thinking, to be knocked off kilter – learn something new
• #21: NOTES FROM ENACTING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CURRICULUMS & PEDAGOGIES Culturally Proficient Teaching & Learning Proficiency is demonstrated through movement from CRPs & CRCs to Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Curriculum. Teachers need to know how to work in a Culturally Competent way i.e, how to enact CRP’s. This is core business at the Institute. It is offered through the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program (SSLP). The Institute currently has 3000+ graduates of the program who have and are influencing a nation of 60000 students. SSLP works in the Cultural Competence realm where behaviors, practices and filters are applied to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Indigenous voice is powerful and strong Aboriginal Professor of Education, Irabinna Lester (2017) notes that there is no evidence, to date, that supports that Assimilation (‘Closing the Gap’ deficit type scenarios) leads to academic success for minorities and Aboriginal peoples who have been colonised. He quotes the work of Sleeter (2011) “Deficit approaches while the most common are the least effective, while emancipatory approaches like CRP while the least common, have the most power to bring about lasting change for cohesion. As Perso (2012) describes it – “In a culturally responsive classroom, effective teaching and learning occur in a culturally supported and learner-centered context where the strengths students bring to school are identified, nurtured, and utilised to promote student achievement.” Rigney response to CRP (Current research in Adelaide) - Cultural difference is seen as an asset not an impediment to excellence – it’s the vehicle for excellence!
• #22: PURPOSE to Expose participants to current research in the area of Indigenous STEM Studies completed in Australia – Hackling, Byrne, Gower and Anderson (2015) The authors acknowledge that engagement through science is a way to provide opportunities for students to be physically and intellectually engaged which leads to learning. They note other key issues or considerations that need to be taken into account when delivering science programs to Aboriginal students:   An acknowledgement that the culture of schools reflects the values and beliefs of the dominant culture.   That science has its own language and ways of representing ideas which would require a cultural border crossing for students.   That some science concepts may not be able to be translated for Aboriginal students because there is no equivalent science concept in their first language.   Teacher’s capacity to teach science is an important consideration because they may not approach or interact with students in the most culturally responsive way resulting in particular students being more advantaged than others and lastly,   An acknowledgement that engagement is a multidimensional conceptwhich needs to have behavioral, emotional and cognitive components.As Fredericks, Blumenfeld and Paris (2004) note students are engagedwhen they are behaviorally involved in learning tasks, experienceenjoyment in science learning and are actively processing science ideas that motive them to learn more.
• #24: Inclusion of new elaborations into the cross curriculum priority A&TSI histories and cultures - SCIENCE
• #28: Sit under the  funding umbrella for the Indigenous Girls STEM Academy and we will be focussing in on the teacher elements and working to produce more Indigenous female STEM teachers “You can’t be what you can’t see” for role modelling to Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students.