Educator's Views 3

The Australian Education System and Polynesian Students Interview with Mike Horsley

Things that teachers should be aware of when teaching Polynesian students

Teachers should be aware that many of the Polynesian students who attend high schools in Australia have come here via New Zealand. They may have spent quite a few years in schools there, and are thereby acculturated into western society before reaching Australian schools. Through this process they have become aware of what they can get away within schools in western countries such as New Zealand and Australia, ie the form of punishment here seems quite minor in comparison to the corporate punishment that is dealt out in Polynesian schools and homes for misbehaviour.

The way Polynesians are taught in schools in their home countries is very different to how they are taught in Australia and this may take the students some time to get used to when they begin school here. In Polynesia the teachers is seen as the one with all the power because of position and age. Respect is therefore shown to the teacher, something that is not always apparent in some Australian high schools. The Polynesian students are not used to the freedom there often is in the Australian classroom for expression of their own ideas. In Polynesian schools, generally, there is much more rote learning; perhaps a comparison could be made with Australian schools of the sixties and earlier. So, if a Polynesian teenager comes straight from his/her own country to Australia, teachers will be aware of the high respect that is initially shown to them by such a student, but this quickly breaks down when the Polynesian students that the structure they are used to does not exist to nearly the same extent in most Australian classrooms.

Polynesian students are not used to informal ways of learning such as discussions and group work. They will be quite unwilling to express their own opinions because they have been brought up to believe all they need to know will be passed to them through the words of their teachers.

The parents

Polynesians come to Australia with high expectations for their childrens future. These expectations come in the form of hopes for high achievement at school the parents hope their children will perform well because they are in schools where the teachers are highly trained, especially in comparison with a lot of the teachers in Polynesian schools.

The parents are largely unaware before they arrive in Australia of the structure of the education system, unless they have been living in New Zealand.

They have difficulty in communicating and therefore may not become fully aware of how their childrens education is being undertaken depending on how much about school the children communicate with their parents.

Some preventative measures to stop problems occurring

There needs to be a period of orientation for Polynesian students when they enter Australian schools. Their parents also need access to information they want about the education.

There should be more communication between the schools where there are Polynesian students and the Polynesian community ie clergymen, elders from the Polynesian community and parents. There should be Polynesian liaison officers to deal specifically with the Polynesian students.

Ways to help Polynesian students performance in the classroom

Teachers should be aware of these students need for highly structured lessons, especially when they first enrol in a school.

Organisation of the classroom needs to be carefully considered because Polynesians will not be used to working in group situations or sitting in groups.

The needs of Polynesian students should be considered separate to those of other students because of their unique background. Teachers cant presume that all students will respond in a way that is usual for Australian students because they have come from a country where the cultural patterning is completely different, for example if a Polynesian is reprimanded and is being spoken to by a teacher it is not a sign of disrespect if the Polynesian is not looking into the teachers eyes in their culture to show respect requires that they dont look into the reprimanders eyes because this would be seen as a show of defiance.

Corrective discipline

Generally speaking, the usual forms of discipline in schools: picking up papers, detention, suspension and notes home to parents, are not effective for Polynesian students. The Polynesian community should become involved in cases where discipline is required.

If an appointment is made for a parent or guardian to see someone at the school about discipline problems with their child it is likely that they will not turn up. They may feel embarrassed about their competency in English, or they may feel that it is the schools responsibility to discipline their child while he/she is in their care and therefore their presence at the school is not necessary and will not help with any problems that their child is experiencing at school. If this is the case a community member needs to become involved; someone who is more able to come to terms with the difficulties being experienced by the student, ie a Polynesian liaison officer.