(2007). Big Worry: Implications of Anxiety in Indigenous Youth. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v36 suppl p74-80. Excessive anxiety and worry can prevent young people from participating fully in school and life opportunities. Anxiety can involve fear of being apart from significant people or being left alone; avoidance of certain situations or activities for fear of embarrassment; worrying about normal life issues; repetitive thoughts and behaviours used as protection against something bad happening; or panic attacks and fears of recurring attacks and their effects. It has been shown that unusual behaviours such as obsessional activities, the need for reassurance, low self-esteem, poor concentration, fatigue, headaches, stomach aches and other reactions from excessive anxiety can hinder a child's academic success at school and affect their social relationships. Furthermore, anxiety is linked to depression that, in some cases, leads to suicide. This is significant for Indigenous youth as suicide rates in this group are significantly higher than the Australian national average. Not only are there… [Direct]
(2007). The Interface between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Systems of Knowing and Learning: A Report on a Dharug Language Programme. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v36 suppl p81-87. This paper reports on the processes experienced in the development of a language programme in a high school in the western suburbs of Sydney in 2006 and represents the ideas and views of the two key participants. We consider the different perspectives held by the key participants on the project and how these need to be worked through in order to come to a place where the two (or more) systems of knowing and learning can be symbiotic rather than pushing against one another. The two systems being referred to are, in brief, a Western academic position, held by the linguist on the project, and an Indigenous intuitive position, held by the language tutor on the project. We report on the steps forward and backward in this process and how the participants felt and dealt with the emotional and intellectual demands incurred throughout the process. Much of this "two steps forward, one step back" process has resulted from the struggle for the non-Indigenous linguist to understand the… [Direct]
(2007). The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions and Ambivalences in the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v36 suppl p129-136. The recent hype and ascendancy in the discourse of community capacity-building has generated a lot of heated debate among development and policy experts on its applicability in various contexts. In particular, questions have been raised on the presuppositions inherent in the discourse and, more so, the tension that exists between theory and practice. This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debate about the politics of capacity-building. While the paper begins by deconstructing the theoretical principles that underpin capacity-building, it seeks to show how the concept is covertly used to subjugate and create power imbalance between the "builders" (supposedly those with the power) and the "beneficiaries" (those assumed to be powerless), in the name of development and empowerment. Specifically, the paper seeks to respond to the following questions: What is "capacity"? Who needs capacity? Capacity to do what? Whose interest(s) is/are served when… [Direct]
(2007). Knowledge Management as Enterprise. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v36 suppl p137-144. Indigenous people have been for a long time deprived of financial benefit from their knowledge. Campaigns around the stolen wages and the "Pay the Rent" campaign highlight this. As does the endemic poverty and economic disenfranchisement experienced by many Indigenous people and communities in Australia. Recent enterprises developed by Indigenous people, such as the sale of art works, can be seen as examples of people receiving remuneration for tangible products deriving from their knowledge. Also, tourism involves the sale of selected knowledge in context. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a rich and expanding area of enterprise development which supports the development of knowledge and its use in enterprise. While such work depends on the owner's, or in this case Indigenous, control of the knowledge, it can open up new avenues for enterprise development. Knowledge about local land can be included in children's computer games, knowledge about successful… [Direct]
(2019). Applying Ayittey's Indigenous African Institutions to Generate Epistemic Plurality in the Curriculum. Transformation in Higher Education, v4 Article 68. Background: South Africa's institutions of higher learning are currently experiencing a dispensation in which calls for curricula transformation and decolonisation reverberate. While the need for curricula evolution is generally accepted, there appears to be a lack of awareness of methodologies which are applicable to changing curricula. To this end the study proposed the incorporation of Ayittey's text Indigenous African Institutions into mainstream curricula for the following reasons: It is a rich source of indigenous African knowledge and includes history and information which relate to all disciplinary faculties and their areas of teaching. Aim: The following conceptual study aimed to highlight the value of George Ayittey's seminal text, "Indigenous African Institutions" of 2006, towards implementing curricula in South African universities that are epistemically diverse. Setting: This study is contextualised in higher learning spaces in the African context. Method: The… [PDF]
(2019). Place-Based Learning Communities on a Rural Campus: Turning Challenges into Assets. Learning Communities: Research & Practice, v7 n1 Article 6. At Humboldt State University (HSU), location is everything. Students are as drawn to our spectacular natural setting as they are to the unique majors in the natural resource sciences that the university has to offer. However, the isolation that nurtures the pristine natural beauty of the area presents a difficult reality for students who are accustomed to more densely populated environments. With the large majority of our incoming students coming from distant cities, we set out to cultivate a "home away from home" by connecting first-year students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to the communities and local environment of Humboldt County. To achieve this, we designed first-year place-based learning communities (PBLCs) that integrate unique aspects and interdisciplinary themes of our location throughout multiple high impact practices, including a summer experience, blocked-enrolled courses, and a first-year experience course entitled… [PDF]
(2019). The Role and Function of Small VET Providers. Research Report. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The aim of this research was to gain a better understanding of the role and function of small providers in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system in meeting the needs of learners. Small providers — those with low numbers of students — account for almost one-third of the total, thus justifying a closer look at this segment. In 2017 there were 1130 registered training organisations (RTOs) from a total of 3573 non-school RTOs with fewer than 100 students. RTOs were categorised into three sizes: (1) small providers (those with fewer than 100 students enrolled in VET); (2) medium providers (with between 100 and 999 students); and (3) large providers (with 1000 or more students). The authors selected providers that were in the same size category in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Schools were excluded from the analysis as they are RTOs in only some jurisdictions. Accordingly, the findings reflect VET delivered by non-school RTOs with a stable number of students in terms of… [PDF]
(2021). Mathematics Educators' Perspectives on Cultural Relevance of Basic Level Mathematics in Nepal. Journal on Mathematics Education, v12 n1 p17-48 Jan. The main purpose of this paper was to explore mathematics educators' perception of the cultural relevance of basic level mathematics in Nepal. The design of this study involved an interpretive qualitative approach by administering in-depth interviews with five purposively selected mathematics educators teaching at five higher education institutions in the Kathmandu valley. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed for coding and constructing themes. The major themes that emerged were teaching in a mother language, contextualized Ethnomathematics, and the local knowledge in the curriculum as a teaching approach. The findings of the study can be helpful to curriculum designers and teachers at the basic level of mathematics. The study also adds to the literature of cultural aspects of mathematics teaching and learning and curriculum design…. [PDF]
(2020). Exploring the Implementation of Local Wisdom-Based Character Education among Indonesian Higher Education Students. International Journal of Instruction, v13 n2 p179-198 Apr. Samin is an Indonesian tribe at Mount Kendeng, exactly in the cities of Blora and Bojonegoro. Samin people reject school, fez, polygamy, long trousers, and trade. Although they look like out of date, they have 7 good characters i.e discipline, honesty, responsibility, cooperation, tolerance, social care, and environmental care. This research aimed at investigating the strategies for implementing local wisdom-based character education among Indonesian higher education students by focusing on the values sated in Jamuskalimasada book of Samin Community. The data of this phenomenological research were collected by observation, interview, questionnaire, and documentation. The findings demonstrated that teaching character education in the higher education based on local wisdom could be conducted by integrating values and aesthetics in the course, internalizing positive values to students, habituation and training, providing example and model, creating characterized-situation based on local… [PDF]
(2020). Sustainability Learning Pathways in the UBC Teacher Education Program: Destination Cohort. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, v23 n1 p50-67. With the recent and dramatic changes to our K-12 curriculum in British Columbia (B.C.), there is an essential need for pre-service teacher education to lead the transformation of practice in our schools and communities. Education with sustainability as a core foundation is also gaining traction in B.C. and around the world. At the University of British Columbia (UBC), we initiated the Sustainability Learning Pathways in Teacher Education Project to explore possible pathways for the growth of sustainability in our education system. The project has culminated in a new Education for Sustainability teacher education cohort at UBC that launched in September 2018. In this paper, we share the story, consider the challenges, and imagine the possibilities as we work to transform teacher education with sustainability in mind…. [PDF]
(2020). Summary of the 2020 Review of the "Disability Standards for Education 2005". Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment In 2020 the Australian Government reviewed the "Disability Standards for Education 2005" (the Standards). The Standards help to make sure students with disability can access and participate in education and training on the same basis as students without disability. This includes preschool, school, vocational education and training, and higher education. The Standards explain the responsibilities education providers have under the "Disability Discrimination Act 1992." During the 2020 Review of the Standards students with disabilities were heard from, as well as their parents and carers, disability advocacy groups, educators, and education providers. The Review had a focus on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their families. It was found that some parts of the Standards need to be changed and that more people need to know about and understand the Standards. Four areas where changes will be made are highlighted in this summary…. [PDF]
(2019). Pastoral Education: The Missing Link in Uganda Education System. Educational Research and Reviews, v14 n7 p240-253 Apr. Pastoralism is a production system closely linked with cultural identity that relies on raising livestock on pastures. Studies indicate that over 30 million people in the Great Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda) practice pastoralism and agropastoralism as a major source of livelihoods. Livestock are their social, cultural, spiritual and economic assets providing food and income for the family within and between generations. Yet this important production system of livelihood as well as socialisation mechanism is missing in the school or university curriculum of these countries including Uganda. With the exception of Tanzania and Ethiopia that have recently designed a curriculum on pastoral studies in their university curriculum, pastoral education has been missing in the school and University curriculum of the Great Horn of Africa school systems yet most of these countries livelihoods depend on pastoralism. From the… [PDF]
(2021). Aboriginal Children's Health, Playgroup Participation and Early Learning Outcomes in Two Remote Northern Territory Communities. Health Education Journal, v80 n5 p596-610 Aug. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the impact of early health risks on young Aboriginal children's attendance in playgroups and their early learning outcomes. Design: The study used a cross-sectional design to identify associations between children's early health characteristics, their attendance at a Families as First Teachers (FaFT) playgroup and their early learning outcomes. Setting: A total of 128 Aboriginal children from two remote Northern Territory (NT) communities attending FaFT playgroups participated in the study. Method: Health data were coded as risk factors and associated with children's attendance and learning outcome data. Results: Children in the cohort experienced relatively high rates of health risks: ear infections (otitis media, 57%), anaemia (37%), skin infections (28%), low birthweight (22%), low weight for age (19%) and a high proportion were born to teenage mothers (26%). However, these rates were lower than previously recorded rates for Aboriginal… [Direct]
(2024). Education and New Developments 2024 — Volume 1. Online Submission This book contains the full text of papers and posters presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2024), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (WIARS). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the most important contributions resides in what and how we learn through the improvement of educational processes, both in formal and informal settings. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the processes, actions, challenges and outcomes of learning, teaching and human development. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between teachers, students, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and… [PDF]
(2024). Education and New Developments 2024 — Volume 2. Online Submission This book contains the full text of papers and posters presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2024), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (WIARS). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the most important contributions resides in what and how we learn through the improvement of educational processes, both in formal and informal settings. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the processes, actions, challenges and outcomes of learning, teaching and human development. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between teachers, students, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and… [PDF]