The Stronger Smarter philosophy

The three pillars of Dr. Sarras Stronger Smarter philosophy include fostering a positive Indigenous
(cultural) identity, committing to and embracing Indigenous leadership in schools, and fostering a
high-expectations relationship between teachers, students, and community ("Online Module -
Introduction to Stronger Smarter", 2016). Sarra distilled this program from his work as principal of
the Cherbourg State School in Queensland where the predominantly Aboriginal student population
faced many challenges in terms of attendance, misbehaviour, literacy, and numeracy. His goal was to
create an environment where the students have a strong cultural identity and use that as a
foundation to get smarter and be able to fully participate in mainstream Australian society (Sarra,
2010). This philosophy can be embraced in all Australian classrooms regardless of Aboriginal
presence due to the level of multi-ethnicity to be found there ("2011 Census reveals one in four
Australians is born overseas", 2016). This means that understanding the Stronger Smarter
Philosophy and implementing it in my key learning area [KLA] of Mathematics will be invaluable in
order to empower and enable all the students in my classroom. According the NSW Aboriginal
Education Consultative Group Incorporated [AECG] and NSW Department of Education and Training
[DET] (2004), bridging Aboriginal and Western ways of knowing in schools and communities has to
power to transform Aboriginal education. This supports the foundation of the Stronger Smarter
Philosophy. However, an evaluation of the Stronger Smarter learning communities (SSLC) project
found that the deficit thinking about Aboriginal students was present and continued, community
engagement was still problematic, and that there was no clear improvement in attendance or
achievement numbers (Luke, Cazden & Coopes, 2013).

In order to embrace the Stronger Smarter philosophy, teachers and educators need to be aware of
their self-perceptions and biases to external and internal input. Stacey (2003) in his Complex
Responsive Processes theory argues that there needs to be a shift in paradigm from a Systems view
of organization and interaction to a Processes means of relationships and communication. He
states the cornerstones of each paradigm as seen below:

Diversity, Creativity , and improved

Conformity through resolution self -understanding through dealing
of paradoxes in human relations Holistic approach
with the complexity of paradoxes
with boundaries
and hierarchies
Individualistic
Micro-local
focus on SYSTEMS
Social PROCESSES interactions
cognitivism, and
relationships in the
constructivism
perspective present

Linear time-line: past is known, future Non-linear timeline: past and future shape each
is unknown, present is the divider other through the lens of present expectations

Figure 1. Difference between Systems and Processes approach

Gorringe and Spillman (2008) subscribe to Scheins definition of culture as the conscious and
subconscious patterns of perceiving, thinking, judging, responding and behaving that characterise
groups of people (p. 2). By embracing paradoxes in the Processes paradigm, it becomes possible to
be the subject as well as the object of ones own perceptions, hence being the participant of the
drama unfolding while also being the observer in order to understand oneself more deeply in the
cultural sense. This enables the educator to more deeply connect with and understand other cultural
perspectives and explore how they react emotionally and subconsciously to these external
imperatives. This in-turn helps them change those reactions and brings the subconscious under
conscious control. In this manner, the educator can note the deficit and assimilationist
conversations that they undertake in terms of Aboriginal cultural ideas and begin to turn them
around and be enablers rather than disablers to students of cultures that differ from theirs (Price,
2015, p. 42-43).

Deficit conversations directly oppose the three pillars of the Stronger Smarter philosophy. They
subject Indigenous children to low expectations and increase students feelings of being in
contested space stuck between the Western classroom and their Aboriginal ways of knowing.
They disempower teachers and Indigenous leadership by introducing or increasing the feeling that
they cannot support Indigenous children succeed. Deficit conversations derail the strong identity
thrust of the Stronger Smarter philosophy by propagating negative stereotypes and undermining
self-worth. When educators can recognize the deficit conversation around them or propagated
unconsciously by themselves, they can consciously suppress the deficits and start conversations with
students and community members from a strength-based approach ("Online Module - Introduction
to Stronger Smarter", 2016). The basic requirement is to connect with the Aboriginal students and
community members as individual humans, rather than under the generalized umbrella of
Aboriginals. This cuts through the biases and also enables the educator to allow themselves to take a
different and more positive view of superficially understood concepts that were maybe considered
in derogatory ways before or dismissed entirely. By developing a deeper understanding of self, the
educator is thus more open to learning Aboriginal ways of knowing and thus having the language
to share the Western ways of knowing with Aboriginal elders and students and paving the way for
transforming the education system for Aboriginal students (NSW AECG & DET, 2004). All this directly
works into the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) Standard 1.4 Strategies for
Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students by understanding the cultural and linguistic
background, and the impact of school culture and classroom practices on the students identities
and attitudes as well as Standard 2.4 (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
[AITSL], 2011).

The Fair Go Project (2006) emphasizes the need for students to be empowered by having a strong
voice in school matters, for teachers to commit to engaging students while having high expectations
of them and for the school to openly promote a culturally inclusive environment where the
community has an active voice in decisions and shares responsibilities. This goes hand in hand with
Sarras Stronger Smarter philosophy for Aboriginal students. The need for a strong positive sense of
Aboriginal identity is highlighted as a necessity as otherwise mainstream Australian thought will
automatically stamp a deficit label on them as inferior and Indigenous youth will automatically
subscribe to the thought due to intergenerational trauma ("Growing our children up strong and
deadly", 2016; Sarra, 2006). However, it was possibly easier for Sarra, an Aboriginal man, to identify
with his Aboriginal students, and hence have the language necessary in order to bring up their sense
of identity. For a non-aboriginal teacher, the path to helping Aboriginal students improve their sense
of identity is a longer one. The non-aboriginal teacher, such as myself, will need to first gain a fair
understanding of Aboriginal culture and language and be seen to be respectful of Aboriginal culture
through displaying meaningful relationships with community elders, possibly through liaising with
the AECG or the Aboriginal Community Liaison officer. Another means of displaying respect for and
thus demanding respect for Aboriginal culture, would be through implementing Aboriginal practices
in the classroom and naming them as such. I would create an acknowledgement of country with my
students to be displayed prominently in my classroom, have regular Dadirri sessions also explained
in terms of mindful moments, invite Aboriginal elders and Song men, and parents/caregivers into my
classroom to use song, dance, and yarning to parallel mathematical (Price, 2015, p. 115) and science
stories, regardless of the Aboriginal population in my class, as these methods will enrich the
classroom learning. This builds into APST standard 2.4. Through these means, I would be able to
show the Aboriginal student in my class that being of Aboriginal descent is something to be proud of.
By engaging with the community, parents and caregivers, I will also be embracing APST standards 3.7
and 7.3.

Community involvement goes a long way in bolstering students self-identity and self-worth. By
actively seeking Indigenous leadership through using Aboriginal sites as extensions of curriculum,
involving community Elders and having a space reserved for them in the classroom or school, inviting
community voice in tailoring curriculum to be more welcoming and diverse to the classroom, and
other such paths, the Stronger Smarter philosophy states that the community will be more willing to
voice concerns, ask for help, support and further students education at home, and be more involved
in school events ("Online Module - Introduction to Stronger Smarter", 2016). This can be conclusively
seen in the various case studies in What Works (2011). This will indirectly bolster Aboriginal
students sense of pride in their identity as they see the value that is placed on their culture.
Students of other cultures will also be exposed to Aboriginal culture and will thus be enabled to have
more meaningful and respectful relationships with Aboriginal students while at the same time
enriching their own cultural and world understandings (NSW AECG & DET, 2004). This in turn will
promote a classroom atmosphere of tolerance and respect and more time can be spent on learning
rather than classroom management. This leads to classroom where all students, including
Indigenous students, can thrive and strive for high quality outcomes, where they can have a strong
sense of self-worth and self-efficacy ("Online Module - Introduction to Stronger Smarter", 2016).

Programs and spaces for deep listening and yarning are also necessary within the school, especially
for Aboriginal students. It is necessary, in these spaces, to critically analyse the prevalence of
domestic violence, abuse, and alcoholism within the Aboriginal community. It would be advisable to
have a community Elder lead these topics as otherwise the students can get defensive. The students
need to consciously realize that these issues are a product of historical, political, and sociological
processes (for example: the stolen generations), rather than a legacy of being Aboriginal (Sarra,
2006; "Online Module - Introduction to Stronger Smarter", 2016). It is possible to create a quite
niche within the classroom for such spaces, but it would be better if it was a school initiative to help
Aboriginal students across classes, a place where dialogue, conversational circles, and strength-
based conversations are the norm. By using these spaces, students can gain a stronger sense of self,
and educators can build upon their knowledge of Aboriginal students and use this as a base to
enable high-expectations relationships with the students.

High-expectations relationships, within the Stronger Smarter philosophy, need to be fair and firm.
Fairness requires the ability for deep listening and understanding students ideas of the world and
how they see their place in it, understanding their ways of knowing with an open mind, and being
supportive. Firmness involves the ability to challenge and intervene in students lives or problems if
necessary. Through fairness, trust and safety are built into the relationship, and through firmness is
seen the courage to challenge mindsets of all parties involved (High-Expectations Relationships A
Foundation for Quality Learning Environments in all Australian Schools, 2014). Again, a non-
Aboriginal educator such as myself needs to implement this, it needs to be begun under the auspices
and with the blessings of caregivers and/or community Elders who the students respect. This can be
difficult to start but will be worth all the effort once the relationship is starting to grow. The Stronger
Smarter approach also advocates building high-expectations relationships with other teaching staff
as well as the community.

The Stronger Smarter philosophy is a strong approach to use to underpin classroom pedagogies and
school-wide strategies to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal students. The only problem
with this philosophy, which is also a problem with the Aboriginal Education and Training Policy of
NSW Department of Education, is that there are no concrete methods stated with which to cement
these ideas in a school. A lot of generalizations are presented but the clear statement is provided in
the Stronger Smarter introduction that each school and each set of Aboriginal students varies and
hence the solution much be found which caters specifically to that schools needs ("Online Module -
Introduction to Stronger Smarter", 2016). This document has stated some specific pedagogies as
well as re-emphasizes the need for the Stronger Smarter philosophy to be whole-heartedly
embraced within all schools.
References
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Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2011). Australian Professional
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Gorringe, S., & Spillman, D. (2008, December). Creating stronger smarter learning communities: The
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Growing our children up strong and deadly. (2013). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing
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