The intersection between the Indigenous CCP and the GC of Intercultural Understanding

1. The intersection between the Indigenous CCP and the GC of Intercultural Understanding Joy Schultz SEAQ secretary SEAA committee member Presented on behalf of SEAQ

2. The intersection between the Cross Curriculum Priority and the General Capability • Cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in all learning areas. They will have a strong but varying presence depending on their relevance to the learning areas. • The content descriptions that support the knowledge, understanding and skills of the cross-curriculum priorities are tagged with icons. The tagging brings to the attention of teachers the need and opportunity to address the cross-curriculum priorities at this time. Elaborations provide further advice on how this can be done, or teachers can click on the hyperlink which will provide further links to more detailed information on each priority. • General capabilities are also tagged with icons and can be observed at the same time.

3. To see the icons go to any curriculum area on the ACARA website and click on “icons” at the very beginning (before Foundation level) • http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10

5. Your reaction What do you know about Adam Goodes? How do you feel about what happened to him? • What are the implications for our society?

6. Program for this session In this session we will: • Look at the elements of the CCP • Look at the elements of the GC of IU • How those elements interact • How we can make it happen in schools

7. The Cross Curriculum Priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priority provides opportunities for all learners to deepen their knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. This knowledge and understanding will enrich their ability to participate positively in the ongoing development of Australia. http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-histories-and-cultures

8. A conceptual framework based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ unique sense of Identity has been developed as a structural tool for the embedding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures within the Australian curriculum. This sense of Identity is approached through the interconnected aspects of Country/Place, People and Culture. Embracing these elements enhances all areas of the curriculum.

9. Elements of the CCP Organising Ideas Country/Place • Australia has two distinct indigenous groups, Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities maintain a special connection to and responsibility for Country/Place throughout all of Australia • Aboriginal and Torres Trait Islander Peoples have unique belief systems and are spiritually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways Culture • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have many Language Groups • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years and experiences can be viewed through historical, social and political lenses People • The broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies encompass a diversity of nations across Australia • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have sophisticated family and kinship structures • Australia acknowledges the significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people locally and globally

10. The General Capability of Intercultural Understanding In the Australian Curriculum, students develop intercultural understanding as they learn to value their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of others. They come to understand how personal, group and national identities are shaped, and the variable and changing nature of culture. The capability involves students in learning about and engaging with diverse cultures in ways that recognise commonalities and differences, create connections with others and cultivate mutual respect. http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Intercultural-understanding/Introduction/Introduction

11. Organising elements of IU The Intercultural Understanding learning continuum is organised into three interrelated organising elements: • Recognising culture and developing respect • Interacting and empathizing with others • Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility

12. Model of IU inter-relationships

13. The learning continuum for IU http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Intercultural-understanding/Continuum#page=2 • The continuum is organised into six levels from Foundation to Year 10 • At each level there is a description of what students typically can do with each of the three elements • These descriptions, and the icons in each curriculum area, can be used to develop programs that embed Intercultural Understanding.

14. Interaction of the three elements of the GC

15. Element 1: Recognising culture to develop respect How did cultures develop? What is culture? – some models What is the difference between culture and race? Aboriginal culture

16. How did cultures originally develop? • Cultures develop as a way of fulfilling human needs • The Human Genome project has shown us that all humans have 99.9% genes in common and we all have the same needs. This accounts for the similarities among cultures. • The variety of ways that humans have found to fulfil their needs depends on their environment, history, the inventiveness of individuals, and outside factors. This accounts for the differences among cultures. Now let us go back in time ……

17. The Journey of Mankind http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey. Consider: • When people first reached Australia • What climatic changes directed the human journey and how they affect Australia • Population expansion probably urged them forward • Agriculture is developed quite late in the journey, so …. • NOW imagine ……………..

18. The Genographic project • How do we know about the makeup and influence of genes? – Genome Project • How do we know the movement of people out of Africa? What are the implications for understanding our differences? – The Genographic Project • Also, is there an elephant in the room? ****** (Alert)

19. Some definitions These are often confused: • Culture – Culture is transmitted in a society; it is learned as children are socialised by their family into shared ethnic meanings; it changes and evolves; people can learn to adapt to living in another culture. • Race – Racial features are inherited biologically and cannot be altered. Anthropologists no longer accept that there are 4-5 different races – there is more variation within each of those previous categorisations than between them. Differences relate only to appearance (not IQ, morals or culture etc). *******

20. Culture is learned • Byenculturation – socialisation into a culture through our family, school and other institutions • By acculturation – This occurs when a person goes to live in another culture and adapts to it. The amount to be learned depends on how similar the cultures are. • Everyone has a culture that they have been socialised into. It becomes part of our identity, and thus is very difficult to change. It shapes how we see ourselves and the world around us (our world view), and influences how we behave. Some acculturate faster than others.

21. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

22. Needs Elements of Culture All cultures have the same five elements which develop as responses to specific human needs: • The need for food, shelter and clothing – Economic system • The need for safety and decision-making – Political-legal system • The need for love and group support – Social Structure • The need to communicate and to educate – Language, arts and education • The need for explanation about the world – Belief system

24. Material and Non-material culture • Material /observable/visible culture: E.g. (clothes, tools). This is the least important part of a culture. It can change quickly (think modern communication technology). It is developed from the ideas of relatively few innovative individuals . ****** • Non-material/ non- observable/non- visible culture: This is the most important part of any culture. It is based in the core values, which change very slowly (think belief in the value of democracy), and in the shared meanings, norms, customs and folkways which children are taught. This invisible culture is the basis for how we see ourselves in relation to other nations/groups and part of our identity. It is the basis of intercultural misunderstandingbecause we are often unaware of its influence in our lives, or that other cultures do not necessarily have the same beliefs and behaviours. *********

25. Culture Model – Iceberg (from the Asia Education Foundation website)

26. Cultural lag • There is a period of adjustment when non-material culture struggles to keep up with material changes. • Non-material culture resists change and promotes ethical discussion about perceived benefits. • An example is genetically modified food. This may have the potential to solve problems of food security in the future, but is resisted because it seems un-natural. • The development of new cultural values, norms and beliefs usually lags behind the available technology (social media). • This term also helps to explain the adverse effects on traditional societies when colonisation forces them to change very quickly. ******

27. Varied cultural values

28. Do all primitive people have Type B values(?) ****** • All people belong to the human race (homo sapiens sapiens). All have the same range of intelligence, artistic ability, inventiveness etc. There are NO primitive people. • The word primitive may be used to describe the technologyused by people, but even then the inventiveness involved needs to be recognised. (e.g. different types of stone tools) • The cultures of people such as traditional hunters and gatherers or subsistence agriculturalists are very complex. Their material culture may be limited, but their non-material culture is very rich. If there is no written language, everything has to be remembered. If there are no law-enforcement officers, then methods must be developed to ensure stability and harmony.

29. Uncle Ernie Grant’s model My Land My Tracks: A framework for the holistic approach to indigenous studies was developed by Ernie Grant, Dijirabal/Djirrabal Elder and statewide cultural Research Officer, and published by the Innisfail and District Education Centre. The approach to indigenous studies that it provides has been incorporated into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies syllabus, most notably in section 5, Course organisation. The holistic approach to learning that both the syllabus and the My Land My Tracks framework advocates is especially useful to teachers and students when developing units of work, and individual learning experiences. http://learningplace.com.au/uploads/documents/store/resources/res_39505_uncle-ernies-framework.pdf http://8ways.wikispaces.com/Cultural+Analysis+Tool

30. HOW TO Teach Students to: Recognise culture and develop respect

31. To recognise culture: Students need to understand – • a model of culture that can be used as a basis for comparison; • that culture develops in response to needs • material and non-material culture • that core values are the most important part of culture • that culture forms the basis of our sense of identity • that culture is learned and we can learn to live in new cultures • that culture is holistic and change to one part will lead to changes in other parts • that material culture changes more quickly than non-material culture and this can lead to ‘culture lag’ and confusion

32. To develop respect: Students need to understand - • that the basis for cultural similarity is that all humans are trying to fulfil the same basic needs • that the reasons for cultural difference are because of adaptations to different environments, different history etc • that as humans moved out of Africa, various physical adaptations occurred that led groups to have a different appearance • that all humans have 99.9% genes in common and all groups have the same range of intelligence, creativity etc • that Aborigines have been here for at least 60,000 years and have a vast knowledge of this land and its resources. (We have been here for less than 250 years) • that the non-material culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is very complex and rich and equally valid to ours

33. Element 2. Interacting to develop empathy The importance of feelings (the affective dimension) What is empathy? Forms of interaction The historical lens Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination

34. The affective dimension If empathy is to be developed, then students will have to develop an affective response to people or stories. This may involve change of attitude, but attitudes are difficult to change. Even negative interactions can be used as they are sure to involve feelings, but would need to be handled carefully. (e.g. Adam Goodes case)

35. What is empathy? • Empathyinvolves understanding what others are feeling because you have experienced it yourself or can put yourself in their shoes and feel what they are feeling. It is the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective. • One may need to have a certain amount of empathy before being able to experience accurate sympathy or compassion. • Empathy goes beyond sympathy, which is a feeling of care and understanding for the suffering of others and providing comfort and assurance.

36. Forms of interaction • The ideal form of interaction is face-to-face. However, with Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders forming les than 3% of the population, many non-indigenous people are unlikely to ever have close interaction with an indigenous person • Schools can invite local indigenous people to talk to students but they must observe the required protocols. Also many indigenous people are shy or don’t have happy memories of schools.

37. Forms of interaction (cont.) The suggested forms of interaction in the IU continuum • Engage with others different from themselves • Engage with texts that represent a range of cultural perspectives; listen and ask questions • Look for / describe shared perspectives with people they see as different, and different perspectives with people they see as similar • Interpret cultural differences that are taken for granted by us but may be considered differently by others • Look for areas of agreement and recognise the possibility of misunderstandings; seek clarification

38. Understand culture shock • People create and transmit meaning through shared symbols; without these symbols, meaning is lost and depression, anxiety, and paranoia arrive. Specifically, culture shock occurs when one is placed into an environment with different symbols and with different notions of types of and acceptable levels of risk than what is 'normal' in one's own culture. • Loss of identity occurs as one becomes integrated into the new society with its symbols and meanings. Overall, as the individual is unable to produce and share meaning, he or she is isolated from the community or society. Psychology treats meaning as an individual experience; anthropology recognises it as a shared and corporate entity.

40. Interrogate historical interpretations • History is usually written by the victorious side • Much that was not admirable used to be omitted (e.g. massacres, rape of Aboriginal women on properties, stolen children) • Look back at Ernie Grant’s model over periods of Pre Contact, Contact, Post Contact and Contemporary • Understand that indigenous people within Australia have had a great variety of different experiences over time

41. Interacting with difference • Ethnocentrism • Attitudes: • Beliefs - Stereotype • Feelings - Prejudice • Actions - Discrimination

42. Ethnocentrism • People born into a particular culture that grow up absorbing the values and behaviors of the culture will develop a worldview that considers their culture to be the norm.[6] • If people then experience other cultures that have different values and normal behaviors, they will find that the thought patterns appropriate to their birth culture and the meanings their birth culture attaches to behaviors are not appropriate for the new cultures. However, since people are accustomed to their birth culture, it can be difficult for them to see the behaviors of people from a different culture from the viewpoint of that culture rather than from their own.[ • Ethnocentrism may be overt or subtle, and while it is considered a natural proclivity of human psychology, it has developed a generally negative connotation

43. Components of attitudes • Beliefs – Stereotype.A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing: "sexual and racial stereotypes". • Feelings – Prejudice. Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion. An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts. • Actions – Discrimination. The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, esp. on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

44. HOW TO Teach Students to: Interact to develop empathy

45. Forms of interaction • With people – specifically local indigenous people if they are available • With history and stories – understand the periods of interaction in Australia; fit the experiences of people’s life-histories into the historical narrative • With each other – in classroom and personal interactions, use the terminology of cultural understanding (cultural difference, perspectives, world view, ethnocentrism and the components of attitudes). Beliefs can be challenged and behaviour can be changed.

46. To develop empathy • Students can practice role-plays of appropriate behaviours for interacting with people who are different from them (e.g. BafaBafa or RafaRafa simulation game) • The idea of “making the familiar strange and the strange familiar” can be developed by using analogies (e.g. the aliens analogy for looking at ourselves) • Encourage students from different background to work together (e.g. as in sport or projects; get them all together to have fun; mix them up as much as possible; give those discriminated against something to be proud of as in a particular skill) in order to overcome stereotypes • Use attitude continuums where students need to justify the positions that they take

47. Role play examples of familiar/strange • Ask students if they have ever had a sleep-over at a friend’s house or at a relative’s – Did their hosts do things the way they are done at home? How did they feel in that situation? • Use an analogy – e.g. the Aliens • At home - spaceship arrives in street- aliens with weapons • What is your immediate reaction? • They take your property – you find somewhere else to live • They make decisions about how you live; round you up • They take your children to acculturate them; new language • What are your feelings? Compare to initial reaction.

48. 3 . Reflecting on experiences in order to take responsibility Reflect on own attitudes Reflect on local history Reflect on social attitudes in your school and community Reflect on experiences from other societies Reflect on what could be future relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people What actions could be taken to ensure better relations How to take responsibility

49. ACARA –Reflecting to take responsibility • Students use reflection to better understand the actions of individuals and groups in specific situations and how these are shaped by culture. They are encouraged to reflect on their own responses to intercultural encounters and to identify cultural influences that may have contributed to these. They learn to ‘stand between cultures’ and mediate cultural difference. • To cultivate respect, students need to reflect on and to take responsibility for their own behaviours and their interactions with others within and across cultures. They understand that behaviour can have unintended effects on individuals and communities, and they identify situations requiring intercultural understanding. In developing responsibility, students learn to respect the human rights of others and the values of democracy, equity and justice

50. Reflecting in the IU learning continuum Students are asked to • Reflect on their own intercultural experiences and what they have learned from them (personal and vicarious) • Reflect critically on how cultural and racial groups are represented in texts and the media • Reflect on their own attitudes and values in how they respond to other groups and their impact on others