Module2 /Post 3: Aboriginal children’s social-emotional health and development
Our thoughts, emotions and behaviors that formulate our personalities are deeply influenced by our culture. It shapes our perceptions in different ways, which affects our learning attitudes and styles, as well as expectations and all-round performance in education. Therefore, teachers’ awareness and encouragement of the cultural diversity among students are critical to incorporating an inclusive teaching approach that accommodates various beliefs and cultural notions each student bring to school; building an inclusive learning environment, especially in culturally diverse classrooms, is key to students’ success in school.
In the article “Aboriginal Perspectives on Social-Emotional Competence in Early Childhood,” factors that comprise Aboriginal children’s healthy development, specifically focusing on social-emotional development, will be identified and discussed. Findings in “Differences between values of Australian Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal students” are consistent with previous research on the worldview of traditional Aboriginal people, suggesting that even among younger, more Westernized representatives, collective values are likely to be strong determinants of behavior among the Aboriginal group.