AustLit

'There is still work to do be done to achieve transformative change in the discourse about Indigenous identity. To change we need a better balance in the stories we tell young people. For a while now, words of deficit have been affixed to Indigenous identity. These words have a negative effect on the way that Indigenous children feel about their abilities. Do you imagine that repeatedly telling them that they are disadvantaged, impoverished and the rest of it does not negatively affect how they feel about themselves? Malcolm Gladwell warns in, David and Goliath: underdogs, misfits, and the art of battling giants (2013), that in classrooms, self-concept shapes a student’s willingness to take on challenging tasks. He writes that the way young people feel about themselves in the context of the classroom is crucial to shaping motivation and performance. (Introduction)