Cows, students and learning: from the Edge of the World to the Middle Kingdom

1. Cows, students and learning: from the Edge of the World to the Middle Kingdom Dr Fleur Fallon School of Tourism Management Sun Yat-sen University Zhuhai PR China Email: fallon@mail.sysu.edu.cn

2. Overview: Three questions • What can we learn from dairy cows in Tasmania that gives us clues about new learning & teaching strategies in China? • What are the drivers for change and how can we be creative to allow opportunities for innovation? • So what?

3. Dairy cows in Australia • http://www.savewater.com.au/ uploads/images/dairy-map.gif • Population of cows: • in Australia: 1.6 million – 23 million people (1:14) • In Tasmania: 150,000 – 500,000 people. • Number of cows in Tasmania is to increase by 60,000! (1:3.3 to 1:2.4)

4. 40-42 degrees latitude Small island state, with no large land mass between the west coast and South America. Windy, high rainfall, average 1390+/-200 mm per year; in west-north-west 1500-2000mm.

5. Tasmania • Rich red volcanic soil; perfect for vegetables- potatoes, peas, parsnips, carrots, onions, opium poppies, pyrethrum…and cows! Isolated; high transport costs for export and import Images: Tasmanian Devil; carrots, Rockcliff family farm, Sassafras

7. Dairy cow basics • Average herd size =300 cows; 450 farmers. • Each cow produces 5,000+ litres of milk a year: 13.5 litres a day. • New cheese factory and milk products processing factory in North-West Tasmania Dairy products image: www.dairytas.com.au Cows, Pyengana Dairy Farm, North-east Tasmania

8. What is driving demand? • China demand for dairy products: • Milk • Yoghurt • Baby milk formula • Cheese (small but growing fast) • Due to higher education, health awareness, food security issues, mistrust of local producers due to health scares.

9. Life on a dairy farm • Traditionally, cows are milked twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, every day. • Automated milking machines rely on human labour to oversee process, attach to cows’ teats, ensure cleaning and health. • Low education standards, reliability, consistency, weather- cold, wet, windy and long hours create many variables in process and results • Hand milking image: Myvillalife.blogspot.com • Cupping teats image: http://www2.kenyon.edu/projects/farmschool/food/milking1.htm

10. To meet increasing demand • Larger farms have invested in fully automated milking machines to reduce variances. • This reduces reliance on humans and reduces room for error. • Farmers have been amazed at the way their cows have adapted to the change

11. Cows being milked in Tasmania at the world's first Automatic Milking Rotary, Dornauf family farm, near Deloraine NW Tasmania. • Image: News Limited • http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/11/06/1226754/552130-3f64a5c2-46a5-11e3-b6cf-917abbb54065.jpg

12. Farmer response to change • “I didn’t realise our cows were so intelligent!” • Farmers have time to observe cow behaviour. Nick Dornauf with hay bale Image from:www.delaval.ru

13. How did the cows change? • Self-managing • Responsible • Sociable, contented • The machines ensure equal pressure to extract milk from each teat • The cows can come and go when THEY please, entering and exiting through one-way automated gates, rotating into different paddocks • The process is hygienic and consistent • Image: Brand Tasmania Newsletter, July, 2013, Issue 140 http://brandtasmania.com/photos/issue140_Cows.jpg

14. Conclusion • The demand for dairy products has pushed the change in how to milk cows (managing the milking); • Innovation and technology change • A process of unlearning and new learning takes place

15. Link to students and learning • If cows can happily adapt to a different way, and become self-managing, then why not students?

16. Global drivers for change • Global challenges: • Political • Economic • Social-cultural • Technology • Law • Natural environment: food, water security, peak oil, deforestation, climate change, drought…poverty • Travel demand Image: Opium poppies, wind turbine, Nicholls’ Chicken farm Tasmania

17. Graduate attributes in 21st century • Critical and proactive thinking • Systems and ‘big picture’ holistic thinking • Emotional Intelligence • Collaboration with teams, networks, partners • Cultural sensitivity; knowledge of other languages • Practical problem solving • Applied knowledge –to manage risks, crisis, contingencies, decision-making • Source: Professor Frank Go, keynote speech, Tourism Education Association China meeting, December 2013

18. Challenge for teachers & students: Shift in teaching and learning style- cultural • From teacher-centred– source of knowledge, text-based, passive learning, relying on memory and repetition, driven by tests: high school, Gao Kao, post-grad entrance, CET 4/6, extrinsic motivators • To student-centred– active, interdependent discovery learning, experiential, kinaesthetic, engage multiple senses and emotions, intrinsic motivators

19. Shifts in the way we do things • Teacher shifts from lectures to dialogue, conversation, debate, guidance, facilitation. • Student shifts from listening, reading, remembering, note-taking to data gatherers, researchers, interpreters, translators, teachers, creators, innovators DEBATE QUESTION: Should we go slowly, step-by step incremental change, or radical, swift change?

20. Could we say • I didn’t know our cows were so intelligent! • I didn’t know our students were so intelligent!

21. Bingham, Libby 2012, Milking revolutionised, the Advocate, 15 May, http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/81748/video-milking-revolutionised/ • McCrann, Terry, 2013, Dairy gold is up for grabs as Warrnambool Cheese and Butter fight continues, Herald Sun, 6 November, http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/dairy-gold-is-up-for-grabs-as-warrnambool-cheese-and-butter-fight-continues/story-fni0d8gi-1226754552159 • ABC Landline 2013, Innovation Island, presenter Pip Courtney, 5 October • www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2013/s3863064.htm