Society and Culture- Social and Cultural Continuity and ChangeAboriginal society in AustraliaSince the Aboriginal people of Australia first came into contact with the Europeans that settled here there have been many positive and negative changes to the way they are educated today in contrast to how they were educated in their traditional society. Though many of the things being taught have changed, the ways of teaching them are being kept constant and being integrated into today's classrooms.The aboriginal people went through a major upheaval to their ways of life when European settlers arrived. From the children being taught their oral history by their elders, learning to hunt and gather by ...view middle of the document...
She believes that the ways of teaching aboriginal students today has improved since when she and even her children went through the education system. When she attended school it was irregularly, if she didn't attend it wasn't checked up on she only attended school from age seven and by the time she was 15 she was a mother. She then only returned to university in her late 40's to obtain an arts degree. Her children attended school but they were disadvantaged because they didn't attend preschool so thy started kindy a year behind. She remarked that a lot of koori children experience separation anxiety when they start kindergarten because before that they have lived in an extended family situation surrounded continuously by familiar faces. They also speak what they call koori English, a version of English that incorporates traditional language with English to gain a mixed language that is of no use to them when they start school, this throws up communication barriers between the kindergarten teacher and koori students. A koori preschool is now available to kids in the local area. Her grandchildren have attended it and it is most beneficial to their education.In the 1970's the percentage of aboriginal adults who had never attended school was 14% now it has fallen to 3%. The proportion of indigenous children to complete secondary school has doubled in the last decade but Aboriginal students are half as likely to complete secondary school as other students. Therefore the current Australian government is finding ways to raise the education level of Aboriginal people. The department of Education has identified 9 key focus areas of school to aid in the overall Aboriginal standards of living that are influenced by their education. These 9 key areas are;access and participationconducive hearing lossattendancenumeracyliteracyculturally inclusive curriculaaboriginal employment and professional developmentinvolvement of aboriginal parents and community in educational decision makingcross-portfolio initiatives and intersectoral collaborations.These 9 key areas will assist in raising the bar for the aboriginal adults of tomorrow.The ways of hunting and gathering have changed physically over the years since whit contact. Instead of gathering berries, yams and the like to eat the aboriginal women of today now still gather food for an extended family group but do it instead by buying bulk and buying specials and these ways are still being handed down the generations. The extended family group's situations still exist in today's society with three or more generations living under the one roof. Elders are still respected in the same way they were many years ago with some traditional gatherings happening in slightly altered ways. For example...