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The Big Picture

Questions for discussion

From the statements and conversations in this piece, brainstorm the elements of a whole school approach for your school.
In your group, discuss Zell Dodd's statement about cultural diversity amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
What different groups exist within your community and within those groups themselves? How does this affect school-community communication?
Are you aware of the cultural diversity within the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students in your school? What school or classroom activities could you do with the students to acknowledge where they come from? One example could be to use a map of Indigenous Australia with the different clan groups, and invite students and parents to mark where they have come from using Indigenous flags.
What different cultural groups make up your school community? Who could you speak to to find out more about this?
How can schools acknowledge their students' different cultural backgrounds? What has worked well in your school?

Zell, Narelle and Jeff talk about the importance of developing and building on relationships with students. What qualities do they identify as important for assisting student learning? How does your school address these?

Further activities

Find the 'Health Promoting Schools' diagram on page 93 of the CommunityMatters booklet. Draw up a blank version of the three ellipses. In one colour, write down all the strategies you undertake. Note that different groups could undertake different ellipses.

In another colour, write down strategies that could be useful in the future and draw a strategic plan using the format on page 58 of the SchoolMatters booklet. Develop a curriculum or teaching and learning matrix, as in the example on page 95 of the CommunityMatters booklet. Share as a whole group.

See the 'Protective Factors Process' diagram from CommunityMatters, page 99.