WHY AREN'T THEY AT SCHOOL?
Addressing the issue of secondary students' attendance at Yirrkala Community Education Centre, North East Arnhem Land

MASTER OF TEACHING INTERNSHIP 2000 CASE AUTHORING PROJECT

Abstract

Yirrkala Community Education Centre is a school in North East Arnhem Land that caters for Yolngu (Aboriginal) students from Pre-School to Secondary level studies. There are currently 234 students enrolled in the school. Most of the students live in Yirrkala while some students travel from the Gunyangara, Galupa and Galuru communities by bus each day.

Yirrkala CEC is a bilingual school where students initially learn Yolngu Matha (Yolngu language) and later, English. English is not the first language of any of the students at the school. The school is directed by its Yolngu School Council and Action Group and, its Balanda (non-Aboriginal) principal, Leon White. The staff at Yirrkala CEC, Yolngu and Balanda, work together to seek and create appropriate curriculum for the students.

It is encouraged that throughout a students entire school career they receive instruction from both Balanda and Yolngu so as they can understand, participate and contribute in contemporary Yolngu society. However, it had become apparent that some teaching practices had become disconnected form the realities of community life. Students, parents and staff had become disillusioned with the education students were receiving and an immediate ërethink' of our operation was needed.

My place in the school: Secondary Section

Somewhere along the way, between Sydney and Yirrkala while negotiating my placement at the school, the channels of communication had been weakened. I arrived at the secondary section to find they had no idea that I would be joining them for the term. Apparently the school thought that Kate, my fellow intern, and I were both to be working in the primary section. Thankfully the first day of term was a pupil free planning day so the team of two Yolngu and four Balanda secondary teachers, had one day to digest my presence.

There are 40 students enrolled in the secondary section all of whom are ESL learners. One of the primary goals in the secondary program is to cater to the English language needs of the students that will provide opportunities for the students to develop literacy and enable them to fulfill community aspirations. The ESL program is always developing, the section constantly faces challenges to cater to the needs of the students while having little appropriate ESL curriculum material available that meets the specific needs of secondary aged Yolngu students (Yirrkala CEC, 1998).

At the time of my arrival some ërethinking' of how the secondary section was run was underway and changes were to begin, effective immediately. The primary issues of concern were the low rates of attendance and retention in the secondary section. Daily attendance figures were ranging anywhere inside an average of 23/40 enrolled students per day in Term one, to 16/40 enrolled students per day in term two.

The average rate of daily attendance for term three, weeks two and three were 11/33 enrolled students. This is an attendance of just 33% of students. My first weeks at the school made concrete the issue of secondary attendance however, I also appreciated the opportunity it gave me, as a new arrival, to familiarise myself within a small group of staff and students.

Addressing attendance does not involve anything less than a holistic reflection of the school and its place in the Yolngu community and, the wider context of Yirrkala's place in Australia.

The schools curriculum programming is strongly guided by the vision statement of the school. The secondary team was assisted in their reflection by the schools Principal, Leon White. Leon is tirelessly committed to researching and implementing equitable educational curricula as a part of the movement toward achieving Yolngu self determination.

The message of the Vision Statement was to inform the secondary section of how to ërethink' its operations (refer to Appendix one for the Vision Statement of the school in full).

"Nambara Schools recognise and value the importance of developing a strong identity and self concept in the students. This will lead to confident, self-motivated, responsible students and will assist them to become "ralpa" adults".

(Vision statement of school, WÂli Wunungmurra, March, 1996)

Rethinking the section would address three main points; the ethos of the school, the issues of compartmentalising students and, notions of work in the community.

It was important to recognise that within the community context, secondary aged students are considered as adults. The section needed to consider what changes occur within the school when students go from the primary section into the secondary section. How do we, as staff, differentiate these years? Does the school give these students responsibilities and roles of adults within the school environment? In order for the students to value school, they need to be granted an identity that is similar to the identity they have in the community context.

Within the primary section students are in composite classes, the final stage being Damala class which includes years 5-7 (refer to Kate McCann's intern research for a discussion of Damala class). Previously, students would then move into secondary and be ëstreamed' into either Intensive English, Year 8 Bridging Class, Corrospondance classes or, VET. Students moved from being a whole class unit in the primary sector into being compartmentalised into different classes, and not given opportunities to work as a whole unit, in the secondary section.

The content of the different secondary classes is as follows. The Intensive English class caters for the ESL Learning Area Statements, level 1 for reading and writing. It teaches functional and situational English, and beginning literacy skills. Year 8 Bridging Class (ESL scales Levels 1-2/3) provides students with English language skills that will enable students to participate in mainstream secondary studies and VET studies. Years 8ñ10 Corrospondance School Classes (ESL Scales Level 2/3 ñ 5/6) provides students with literacy skills that will enable them to successfully complete year 8 & 9 learning outcomes in Math's, English, Social Education and Science (Yirrkala Community Education Centre, 1998).

It had become apparent to the team and the school unit that this streaming and compartmentalisation was not suitable within the schools context nor was it flexible enough to cater for the various needs and abilities of individual students. The structure of the secondary section meant that staff and students were fixed into meeting guidelines set out by the Northern Territory Department of Education, but they just weren't working. So as of term 3, half way through the year, something different had to be done to address the problems.

The final issue for immediate reflection was the notion of djama (work). The word djama comes from the Macassan influence in this region (Indonesian trade that has been conducted for hundreds of years, well before white invasion) and means ëreciprocity'. Life in Yirrkala is indeed communal with shared responsibility and reciprocity at its core. The djama in the school therefore should somehow involve the students with responsibilities and working ëon tasks'. The school environment teaches the routine of the Balanda school institution. It teaches students how to present themselves in English orally, in the written form and in answering questions. These things are not always a part of the everyday world of the students or their work in the community and it is only on the rarest occasion that English is used outside of school. Tasks within school therefore needed to be related to real things within the community (White, personal communication, 2000).

To the Yolngu, it is an evil person who walks alone. Yolngu are never alone in the community however, school as an institution tends to individualise people, this is wholly a western concept. As Balanda, we do have roles for the individual, and to work for the benefit of the group but we do not encourage the collective in the same way. For school to become meaningful to Yolngu students it needs to be less teacher centred and needs to empower students more as a whole group and, as a group within the community (White, personal communication, 2000).

We needed to get students working on "things that would develop their academic skills, but also engage them in thinking about their future lives, their ability to work and their motivation and interest in working for their community. This is the question of ralpa and dungdung .One way would be to have the children doing much more research sort of things in the community. The students should go out a lot more talking with people about these things" (Raymattja Marika-Mununggiritj, 1991).

My journey to Arnhem Land had become even greater. Not only was I to try and digest my new surroundings, this new culture and the Territories curriculum, all for the first time, but I was also a part of a planning process that aimed at addressing why the section in its current state was not working within the community context. I felt totally unprepared and ill equipped. I was to be working in a school with 100% ESL, with no ESL training, our degree had not addressed Aboriginal education, I did not know Yolngu Matha nor was I familiar with the local culture and was only ever so slightly familiar with the Territories Learning Area Statements. As a new member of the secondary team, I was now to reflect on why things are not working and, how they could be improved. My head was spinning.

Leon set out the guidelines for our reflection. This indeed was a journey and the questions we were to consider would hopefully inform new improved learning programs. The secondary team consisted of myself, having arrived in Yirrkala 3 days before, and a team of four Balanda staff who's time in Yirrkala CEC ranged from two terms to one year. During this first week of ërethinking' of the section we did not have our two Yolngu staff present so the task at hand was understandably very daunting. After some brain-storming and much brain-draining this is what the team came up with as a comment on terms one and two;

Question 1. Our starting point: This section comments on how the secondary section had been operating in Terms 1 & 2, 2000.

Where are we now?

<sum> Due to the different sections within the Secondary department, fragmentation and compartmentalisation and isolation between classes, between sections, from the whole school and the community have been felt. Classes have been streamed quite rigidly, based on English literacy levels, age and other criteria, but there are some aberrations <sum> The attendance has been very poor <sum> We seem to be always working towards criteria set by outside institutions, the criteria are generally not met due to the context we are working in <sum> The existing skills of staff and students are not being used to their full potential or being developed further <sum> Our teaching has been disconnected from the reality of community life. Students, parents and staff don't seem to have a vision of how the education they receive will lead into life after school <sum> Outcomes have not been satisfactory and a rethink of our operations is needed <sum> Currently there is no Yolngu Matha / cultural program operating and a very limited amount of Yolngu input and presence <sum> The section is cohesive, with good communication and willingness to collaborate, with a good rapport between students and staff <sum> There is a very wide range of ability in terms of literacy and numeracy.

(Secondary Section Staff, Yirrkala Community Education Centre, 2000)

To articulate the above was a great achievement but the next step was to address the issues raised. With the vision of the school and the words given by Raymattja above, as well as the immediate need to address low attendance, a plan was devised. Credit must be given at this point to the four staff of the secondary section who at this stage were working without their Yolngu staff. I congratulate their combined talents, when faced with limited resources; to their spontaneity and ability to work under pressure, when a solution had to be found ëyesterday' and to their wisdom when working in a context outside of their cultural own.

Within the first week the ësecondary students' survey' was devised. This activity was the first one the section would do as a whole group, with all the staff and students involved. It aimed at addressing some of the points mentioned above in question 1. The initial focus of the survey was to investigate how many secondary aged students were in the community, and their attendance at school. Refer to Appendix 2 for a copy of the survey students conducted with every household in Yirrkala.

The most important aims of the survey were to develop students' confidence and to have them take more responsibility for their own education. In working together, it was hoped that students would feel they belonged to a group, as well as providing a sense of status as participants in the research. The students were responsible for collecting information from the community by visiting individual households.

In working together, the students would have a larger group of peers and it was hoped that this would reach a critical mass and students would enjoy coming to school rather than meeting at the shop or at the sports oval in Yirrkala.

While collecting data for the survey, students were using Yolngu Matha, giving value to their first spoken language. By visiting homes, the issue of attendance was made visible to the community. As mentioned, a lot of the Balanda staff were new arrivals to the community. Accompanying students around Yirrkala provided an opportunity for the Balanda staff to meet and talk to community members and also to see students outside of the classroom context (Secondary Section Staff, Yirrkala Community Education Centre, 2000).

The format of the activity enabled staff to meet many educational based outcomes but the nature of the project made it powerfully significant. It was not simply focusing on the present i.e., what outcomes can be covered >from the Learning Area Statements (NT Syllabus), but the activity also challenges and extends what currently exists. In conducting the activity, it was taking us to where we want to go to which is, outcome focused education, making learning more relevant for our students. This addressed the next question of our journey;

Question 2. Where are we going to?

The survey activity covered many cognitive outcomes. These include literacy and numeracy learning outcomes such as: "constructing and interpreting graphs, asking questions, recording information, collating data, presenting to an audience, writing a negotiated recount and developing oral proficiency. Some of the secondary students were also enrolled in the Office Skills unit from the VET course. These students could meet their course outcomes by producing a book on the survey. These students were using computers, a scanner and photocopier" (Secondary Section Staff, Yirrkala Community Education Centre, 2000). Please refer to the internship poster presentation for a copy of the student produced book titled ëWhy aren't they at school'. In addition to these cognitive outcomes, important social outcomes, as listed above were also achieved. They aim at working towards the vision statement of the school.

My first weeks at Yirrkala CEC will always be highly valued by me, as I was able to witness works in progress that were concerned with addressing issues needed for change. Schools have a need to be adaptable however, this seems even more necessary when the school itself is operating in a different culture to the one its structure tends to cater for. Again, it is entirely due to the individual talents and professional experience of the secondary team, Yolngu and Balanda, that made identifying issues for change and the mode for change, a possibility.

The survey was born out of an immediate need however, the achievements of the learning processes of the survey were directly linked to an evolving pilot project within the NT Department of Education regarding a professional development area titled ëCurriculum Frameworks'. Curriculum Frameworks aims at addressing the problems staff across the Northern Territory experience with the Learning Area Statements (NT syllabus). Currently, teachers work towards education based outcomes which is, working directly from the Learning Area Statements to achieve outcomes. This focuses on the present, and does not challenge what exists within those documents. Curriculum Frameworks aims at taking education to ëwhere we want to go to' which is; outcome based education. The shift of focus is on precisely where do we want our students to be when they leave school and, how we may provide relevant teaching practices to get students to those goals. It is suggested that no singular theory should underpin the NT Curriculum Framework, its aim is to maximise, in the most appropriate way, learning for all students. Therefore it needs to remain open and flexible to provide progressive and meaningful educational practices.

The problems that have been experienced with Yirrkala secondary section are also experienced throughout the entire Northern territory. The NT Department of Education therefore needs to address why its Learning Area Statements are not functioning as intended. Curriculum Frameworks hopes to address what it is that inhibits teachers meeting the needs of their students. The secondary students' survey is an example of one possible solution to these obstacles as it focuses on ëoutcomes' that are relevant to the students in their environment. It addresses the key competencies that we want all students to acquire, and the skills that make them ready for work and for being active members of their community.

It was the beginning of a very exciting term. A home visitation program, conducted by one of the Yolngu staff members with a local liaison officer, saw an increase in our attendance figures. Simultaneously, the secondary team continued its search to try and cater for what we thought it was that the students and the community wanted school to be like.

I would greatly like to expand on the projects that have been conducted in the past weeks at Yirrkala CEC as well as those that are to come in the following two weeks. However, word limitations would not allow me to do justice to the importance and relevance of these sessions. The reader may however, refer to the accompanying ëposter presentation' for a brief depiction of the events of the Yolngu Culture Days; guku (bush honey) hunting and, the Yothu Yindi Foundation Music Workshop.

The journey has only just begun, I have been most fortunate to witness the work of a team who demonstrate a commitment to keeping this journey going until it reaches the desired outcomes of the community and its students. I don't think this journey should or will, ever end and it is my greatest satisfaction to be in an environment where those around me believe that education is indeed a life-long journey and therefore educational practices must remain dynamic as well.

It has been an exciting ride for me, and will continue to be so in weeks 7 & 8, every day presents new challenges and inspirations. My intern period has been most valued as I have had a rare opportunity to witness change in progress and change that arose from need. It has introduced me to the realities of working in a remote environment such as Yirrkala as well as to the benefits and rewards that come from working with indigenous staff who intimately understand the heritage, culture and knowledge that the students, their kin, bring with them to school. Yirrkala Community Education Centre unites two worlds in a constantly evolving way and uses this unity to promote a life-long Balanda and Yolngu education journey.

REFERENCES



Marika-Mununggiritj, Raymattja (1991) in White, L. J., (1991) Aboriginal Secondary Education: From Yolngu aspiration to thwarted realisation. A study of appropriate forms of secondary education for Yolngu students in the North-east Arnhem area of the Northern Territory. School of Education, Deakin University.

Secondary Section Staff (August, 2000) personal communication. Yirrkala Community Education Centre.

WÂli Wunungmurra, (1996) "I honestly believe that our children can achieve anything" Vision statement of Yirrkala Community Education Centre.

White, L. J., (July-August, 2000) personal communication. Yirrkala Community Education Centre.

Yirrkala Community Education Centre. Yirrkala Community Education Centre Language Curriculum Support Document, 1998.



APPENDIX 1

Vision statement of Yirrkala Community Education Centre

" I honestly believe that our children can achieve anything" (WÂli Wunungmurra, March, 1996)

Yol\unydja yothu marrtji gurarrthirri mÂrrma'yu romdhu Dhuwayu ga Yirritjayu. Dhiya\unydja gakal'yu yukurra dhukarr-`akarama yol \ayi ga wanha\uru \ayi nh nhan\u gatjpu ga nh nhan\u birrkayunara ga nh \ayi yurru dhanu'yun mulkuru rom, ga nhaltjan \ayi yurru girri-\amathirri ga djarr'yun \unhiyi mulkuru rom.

|ilimurru mar\giku nhamirri walala girri-\amathirrina mulkuruwu gakal wu ga [Âlthirrina ralpathirri dhiyaku romgu, \anapurru \unhi gatjpu \a`apa`mirriwu djÂmamirri yamana.

Yol\u children grow up with two laws, Dhuwa and Yirritja. This foundational knowledge moulds who a person is, where that person comes from, what their vision is, how they think, how they will be able to deal with contemporary life and whether they will be able to sort out and analyse the new ideas they encounter in their lives in a balanced way.

As teachers we must be prepared for operating in the contemporary world in a strong and balanced way so that we will be able to achieve the visions and aspirations of our elders.

We see Nambara Schools as an important part of the community development process which has the goal of achieving a self-determining, self-managing community. Our school programs will encourage our students to develop skills, hope and vision for their future.

Nambara Schools need to develop strong Yol\u and Balanda curriculum so that students can develop all the skills they will require in the future. This includes the ability to use new technologies to access the knowledge that is required for a self-determining community.

Nambara Schools need to assist students to develop the skills required to understand political power and how this fits into community development.

Nambara Schools value the heritage, culture and knowledge that the students bring with them and use these as a starting point for the students' life-long education journey.

Nambara Schools believe the students are capable of learning high level knowledge and responding to the challenges required for employment and participation in local community life and in the wider national and international community.

Nambara Schools recognise and value the importance of developing a strong identity and self concept in the students. This will lead to confident, self-motivated, responsible students and will assist them to become "ralpa" adults.

Nambara Schools will help students achieve unity within the community by opening up issues related to difference, leadership and the skills needed to work collaboratively. Racism, sexism and the devaluing of students with special needs will be dealt with openly and in a constructive manner.

The culture of Nambara schools seeks to maintain a "bala ga lili" philosophy where community involvement plays an integral part. Within this school culture all participants in the educational enterprise will be valued and respected and feel that their ideas and views are important.





APPENDIX 2

QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDENTS SURVEY; "WHY AREN'T THEY AT SCHOOL?"



This house is in ...............road This house belongs to:............. How many children live in this house?

How many children are less than 5 years old?

How many children are between 5 and 13?

How many teenagers live in this house? What are their names:



When these teenagers don't go to school, what do they do? Hunting

Shopping

Sleeping

Visiting people/Talking with friends

Hang around the shop and oval

Work in a job

Watch TV and video

Look after a child