SOSE Programme: Recognition, Respect, Reconciliation

Society and Environment EDU286

1

Due Date: 21st May, 2012

Student: Sharon McCleary

Student Number: 31886735

Lecturer: Professor Barry Down

SEMESTER 1 2012

EDU286 – Primary Curriculum IV

(Society and Environment, Science)

SOSE Programme


2

SECTION 1: Topic Title

Unit Title: “The 3R’s -‐ Recognition, Reconciliation and Respect”

Year Group: Year 5/6 (Current Practicum Year Group)

Themes: Reconciliation, Sustainability (Social, Economic, Cultural, Ecological),

Active Citizenship.


3

SECTION 2: Rationale

This topic has been chosen to fit in with the recommended Year 5/6 curriculum of Colonisation, and the topical themes of Reconciliation and Sustainability: National Sorry Day is on 26th May, followed by National Reconciliation Week (27th May-‐3rd June) and NAIDOC Week (1st-‐8th July). The United Nations has nominated 2012 the International Year of Sustainability, which is a concept that includes several dimensions: ecological, social, economic and cultural, each of which can be studied in relation to Indigenous heritage and culture.

The National Reconciliation Week discussion topic for 2012 is “Let’s Talk Recognition”, which lends itself to investigating Recognition as the first step in building respect and deepening understanding of Reconciliation, which is essential for social sustainability. The programme uses Role-‐play to create links to students’ personal experiences of recognition, reconciliation and respect/disrespect, allowing students to express their feelings/reactions in different ways and build empathy with the experiences of Indigenous people. In this way it is democratic, participatory and affective, and emphasises the interdependence of self and society (Shor, 1992).

Active inquiry into historical events is used to enable students to gain an understanding of the skills and processes required to critically evaluate various perspectives, determine how to detect stereotypes and bias, and develop insight into how past events affect the present day. By considering historical or topical issues (i.e. Canning Stock Route), problematising their representation through a single-‐cultural perspective (i.e. inverting hegemony), students are encouraged to critically view everyday accepted culture, and challenge or better it by incorporating different perspectives, striving for social justice and sustainability. This aims to move students “beyond simple understandings and tolerance of others to a much more respectful inclusion of a range of different values and traditions of others” (Netherwood et al., 2007, pg 105), and the realisation that multicultural perspectives enrich their own world-‐views and have the power to improve their life and society as a whole.

The inquiry process is intended to illustrate to students that questions are generative, invariably leading to more questions, uncovering additional layers of knowledge and providing a deeper understanding of the issues behind why things are the way they are. Collaborative learning strategies encourage students to explore their own values in relation to the context, learn how to effectively articulate and communicate these in various ways, and compare/contrast them with others’ values. Journaling allows opportunity for evaluation, reflection and realisation that values are complex, situated in a sociocultural world, and can change as a result of increasing knowledge and understanding.

The experiences are essentially democratic, allowing students the autonomy to select their preferred topic for deeper inquiry, to voice their opinions in their chosen form and be exposed to the opinions of others, learning to accept and value them. In this way, students are empowered through acquiring knowledge, skills and values to enable participation in the world, connect different perspectives and develop civic responsibility and social competence. These outcomes correspond directly with those presented in the Society and Environment Syllabus.


4

SECTION 3: K-10 Syllabus

The topic is relevant to several K-‐10 Syllabus Learning Outcomes (DET, 2007) for Middle Childhood (Year 5/6), investigated through the main Social Science disciplines of Sociology, Anthropology and History. The relevant overarching understandings and outcomes are given below:

1. INVESTIGATION, COMMUNICATION & PARTICIPATION:

Planning: Preparing for an investigation – ways to reflect on current understandings of a topic; ways to identify factors to be considered.

Conducting: To relate, compare and evaluate information gained from sources; to judge the reliability of evidence; to identify cause and effect.

Processing and Translating: How to process and translate information and develop critical thinking-‐to interpret a variety of sources; to make links between elements and describe cause-‐effect relationships; ways to present information; acknowledge and respect the views of others.

Applying and Communicating Findings: How to apply and communicate findings by reflecting on, applying and sharing information with an audience-‐findings from an investigation may lead to further investigation; findings may include different perspectives.

4. CULTURE: Students understand that people form groups because of their shared understandings of the world, and, in turn, are influenced by the particular culture so formed.

Beliefs & Culture: Cultural groups demonstrate their values, beliefs and culture in different ways.

Personal, Group & Cultural Identity: Australian identity is presented using iconic stories, events, people and symbols.

5. TIME, CONTINUITY AND CHANGE: Students understand that people’s actions and values are shaped by their understanding and interpretation of the past.

Understanding the Past: Methods for sequencing the past – how sequencing chronologically helps to identify relationships between people, events and ideas.

Interrelationships between people, events and ideas: How historical narratives reflect the range of people, social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity in different time periods and places.

Interpretation and perspectives: Interpretations and perspectives of history may vary; -‐ there are different historical narratives about people, events and ideas that reflect differering perspectives; -‐ why as more information is gathered, personal perspectives may vary.

7. ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP: Teach the use of the democratic process to evaluate social situations, decisions and change.

Identify actions that can be taken, in independent/collaborative investigations. Critically reflect on planned actions and potential consequences when participating in

society – consider how it may impact on others and their rights.


5

SECTION 4: Learning Experiences (Teaching Strategies)

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 1: Tuning-in:

Role-play, Brainstorm & Fishbone:

Students will be given various scenarios for role-‐play (Groups of 4-‐6). The scenarios translate examples of past & present social injustice experienced by Indigenous peoples to familiar elements of students’ everyday lives, enabling them to experience feelings of oppression and injustice, and understand how everyday routines and practices contribute to social inequities (Reid, 1992) e.g. playground exclusion scenes discriminating due to superficial factors, bullying; parents/teachers asserting power-‐insisting who students can be friends with, unequal/unfair homework conditions; lack of recognition for difficult achievements etc. Students will collaboratively analyse and brainstorm the feelings generated by power-‐holders, the oppressed, and observers. Whole-‐class discussions will aim to examine the importance of ‘Recognition’ in the context of Reconciliation identifying cause-‐effect relationships using a fishbone diagram.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 2: Deciding Directions

Story-Response (Picture Book) & Time Line

Students will view and read “Once There Was A Boy” (Leffler, 2011). They will then work in pairs to discuss each character’s feelings, the main idea of the book (Reconciliation), and identify the analogy with colonisation, generating examples of key historical events (written/drawn) to place on a class timeline (e.g. Indigenous people living harmoniously on the land, arrival of first fleet, disputes over food, displacement from the land, Maralinga, exclusion policies, 1967 Referendum etc. Students will be guided towards accessing various resources and verifying the reliability of the sources (e.g. Reconciliation Australia Timeline, government & museum websites, books, interviews). Focus questions will enable students to discuss the impact of colonisation on Indigenous peoples, the role of Recognition in the Reconciliation process, the importance of Reconciliation in healing damage and being able to move forward as a nation.


6

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 3: Organising Ourselves

Photographs & KWL (Know, Want-to-Know, Learn)

Students will be shown photographs of people and places that represent Australia, past and present, including non-‐Indigenous and Indigenous people who have contributed to our shared history, and asked to “Recognise” them (e.g. Governor Phillip, Yagan, Truganini, Cathy Freeman and less known figures-‐World War I&II soldiers, inventors, Joan Winch etc). Discussion will focus on contribution to society, different forms of recognition, stereotypes and biases and why recognition is important. Students will collectively select a biography to read, which will be used to illustrate ‘Recognition’ as the first step, and promote the realisation that even when we think we know, there is always more to find out. Students will then select a person or event in Australian history (e.g. Canning Stock Route, Maralinga, 1946 Pilbara Strike), and working in pairs, use a KWL Chart to identify what they know, and want to know about it.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 4: Finding Out

Exploring Different Information Sources - Bias Identification

Students will be introduced to methods for detecting bias in information sources, including considering authorship (who’s perspective is being presented?), context (time-‐period it was written), stereotypes (references to genetic or cultural superiority). The main emphasis will be on conducting comprehensive research (i.e. finding alternative information sources such as interviews, biographies, websites, articles) inclusive of different perspectives, particularly those of ordinarily suppressed minority groups. Students will be encouraged to uncover multiple realities and investigate the diverse social, cultural, and historical experiences of people, in order to demystify cultures and remove barriers to find commonalities. The embedded nature of respect and care for country in Indigenous culture will be used as a prominent theme to promote inter-‐cultural knowledge exchange as a process which enriches and assists all people in addressing common problems (such as sustainability).

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 5: Sorting Out

Graphic Organisers, Compare & Contrast, Jigsaw

Students will be introduced to various relevant graphic organisers useful for presenting different types of information effectively. They will be asked to compare and contrast the diverse social, cultural and historical perspectives investigated above in order to create connections between the experiences and produce valid and comprehensive historical accounts. Students will be required to communicate their findings to the class, through a method of their choosing i.e. powerpoint presentation, art, poetry, music, posters, oral presentation, written report, graphs/tables, comic strips, photographs, plays etc, indicating where their topic fits on the timeline. In this way the class will collaboratively exchange in-‐depth research on a variety of topics, expanding overall the knowledge base and exposing students to various methods of research and presentation of findings.


7

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 6: Drawing Conclusions

Value Line & Fishbowl Debate

Students will be presented with the question “Are gestures such as The Apology and National Sorry Day meaningful?”, and asked to stand on a Values Line to represent their view (i.e. continuum from Extremely Meaningful to Pointless). Students will then engage in a fishbowl debate, discussing issues, and presenting different perspectives which they have gained from their investigations. If these events are meaningful – how? Have they had a positive effect on “bridging the gap’ and achieving equality in health, education and employment for all Australians? If not, why not? What is the role of Recognition and Reconciliation in this process? Following the debate, students will be asked to re-‐evaluate their position on the values line, providing reasons why.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 7: Considering Social Action

5 Step Decision Making Model, Elimination Draw

Students will be asked to work in groups of 4-‐6 to identify how they as individuals, and as a class/school, could contribute to achieving supporting the Reconciliation process in Australia, and improving social justice and sustainability? The 5-‐step decision making model will be introduced: A-‐ssess problem, B-‐rainstorm alternative solutions, C-‐onsider consequences of each, D-‐ecide and act, E-‐valuate the consequences. Each group will contribute to the brainstorm, with alternative solutions listed on the board, and an Elimination Draw (voting system) held to identify the preferred course of action. Resources such as the Reconciliation Action Plan from Reconciliation Australia, can be used to assist the students with ideas for action, such as a School/Community Reconciliation Wall, Welcome to Country ceremony, public forums, letters, extending school relationships to build connections with Indigenous schools/organisations.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 8: Reflection and Evaluation

Whole Class Discussion & Journaling

Students will be asked to collaboratively and individually reflect on their learning and the implementation of their knowledge to promoting social justice and sustainability using the 5R’s Model (Bain et al., 2002): Report, Respond, Relate, Reason, Reconstruct. How did their actions contribute to society, influence social justice and promote Recognition, Reconciliation and Respect for Indigenous people and their culture? How has it broadened the perspectives and world-‐views of non-‐Indigenous people and assisted their ability to solve problems in society? How do they think their own opinions have changed since investigating histories from an Indigenous perspective? Has the inquiry process increased their respect and value for the longevity and resilience of Indigenous cultures? What kind of on-‐going changes will this knowledge make to their everyday lives?


8

REFERENCES Bain, J., Ballantyne, R., Mills, C. & Lester, N. (2002). Reflecting on practice: Student

teachers’ perspectives. Flaxton, Queensland.

Department of Education (2010). K-10 Syllabus: Society and Environment. Department of

Education, WA.

FORM, (2012). Canning Stock Route Project. Retrieved from

http://www.form.net.au/aboriginal-‐development/canning-‐stock-‐route-‐project,

May 2012.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder. New York.

Healey, J. ( 2001). Issues in Society: Towards Reconciliation, Volume 140. The Spinney

Press. Sydney.

Holland-‐McNair, L. (2007). Red Dust in Her Veins: Women of the Pilbara. University

of Western Australia Press. Australia.

Kincheloe, J. (2008). Critical Pedagogy, 2nd Edition. Peter Lang Publishing. New York.

Leffler, D. ( 2011). Once there was a boy. Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation.

Broome. Western Australia.

Martin, G. (1998). Society and environment: Conducting investigations in the primary

classroom. Perth: Murdoch University.

Ministry of Education, Victoria (1987). The Inquiry Process: Social Education Framework,

P-10. Victorian Ministry of Education.

MOADOPH (Museum of Australian Democracy Old Parliament House). Marnti

Warajanga: a walk together. Retrieved from www.moadoph.gov.au, May

2012.

Netherwood, K, Buchanan, J., Palmer, D., Stocker, L. & Down, B. (2007). Valuing Diversity

in Children’s Voice – Case Study of the Western Australian Cluster. In T. Lovat & R.

Toomey. (Eds) Values Education and Quality Teaching: The Double Helix Effect.

David Barlow Publishing. Terrigal. NSW.

Reid, A. (1992). Critical teaching? Education Links, 43, pp9-‐12.


9

Reynolds, R. (2009). Teaching studies of society and environment in the primary school.

Oxford University Press. Melbourne.

Shor, I. (1992). Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change. The

University of Chicago Press. Chicago.

Stevens, L. & Bean, T. (2007). Critical Literacy: Context, Research and Practice in the K-12

Classroom. Sage Publications. United States.

Weber, T. & Nichols, R. (2010). Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route. National Museum

of Australia.

Yalata and Oak Valley Communities & Mattingley, C. (2009). Maralinga: The Anangu

Story. Allen & Unwin Press. Australia.

Additional Websites:

http://reconciliation.org.au

http://www.naa.gov.au (National Archives)

http://www.pictureaustralia.org

http://www.uncommonlives.naa.gov.au

http://www.nma.gov.au

http://www.hyperhistory.org

http://www.nationalwomenslibrary.org.au