(2016). Playing the Game of School Mathematics: Being Explicit for Indigenous Learners and Access to Learning. Intercultural Education, v27 n4 p321-336. Drawing on studies of successful remote schools in one region of Australia, it was found that two key strategies were common in the approaches at these schools. First, to make the strategies and expectations being adopted explicit to all those involved in the learning enterprise, and second, that consistency in approaches was crucial. Bourdieu's theoretical project is used to understand how the practices are being adopted by the schools and how they contribute to the success of learners of mathematics…. [Direct]
(2020). Local Wisdom-Based Dance Learning: Teaching Characters to Children through Movements. Elementary School Forum (Mimbar Sekolah Dasar), v7 n3 p304-326 Dec. The character education implementation in every school becomes a program of national education system policy in Indonesia. Its orientation is more focused on advancing national character development based on local wisdom and unique culture in Indonesia. The authority of the Indonesian education system policy program in strengthening character education covers religiousness, nationalism, independency, mutual cooperation, and integrity with the development of local wisdom-based learning materials. The purpose of this research is to discover the process of dance learning implementation in students' character education development. This research employs quantitative with descriptive statistics data analysis. The data were collected through an observation of 22 primary school students during a dance learning process and in-depth interviews to two dance teachers to obtain data regarding local wisdom-based dance learning implementation to develop students' characters. The findings show that… [PDF]
(2015). Training Tribal Lay Advocates at Sitting Bull College. Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, v27 n2 Nov. Students in Sitting Bull College's lay advocate program develop a well-rounded understanding of the law, enabling them to represent defendants in tribal courts. The program offers legal training for its students–and illustrates how American Indian nations can broaden legal representation for Native defendants in tribal courts. It is one of only three tribal colleges or universities (TCUs) in the United States that offers lay advocate certificates or degrees. A brief overview of the program is presented in this article…. [Direct]
(2015). Aboriginal Student Stories, the Missing Voice to Guide Us towards Change. Australian Educational Researcher, v42 n5 p613-625 Nov. Despite decades of policy and practice oriented at improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal students in Australia, achievements on most measures indicate that there is a long way to go in this endeavour. One avenue for improving Aboriginal education that has received little attention is accessing the views of Aboriginal students themselves about best practice in engaging Aboriginal students. While there is a body of research in education that attempts to privilege "student voices," little work has explicitly focussed on accessing the voices of Aboriginal students. This paper reports on my study that involved asking Aboriginal students their views on schools, teachers and the curriculum in culturally safe discussion spaces. The Aboriginal students highlighted the need for their culture to be represented at schools and the recognition of their Aboriginality in safe environments at school. These findings reinforce the importance of engaging with Aboriginal people in the… [Direct]
(2017). The "Tse Tsa Watle" Speaker Series: An Example of Ensemble Leadership and Generative Adult Learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, n156 p9-19 Win. This chapter examines an Indigenous speaker series formed to foster intercultural partnerships at a Canadian university. Using ensemble leadership and generative learning theories to make sense of the project, the author argues that ensemble leadership is key to designing the generative learning adult learners need in an era of ambiguity…. [Direct]
(2017). A Curriculum for Whom? Rereading 'Implementing the Australian Curriculum in Rural, Regional, Remote and Distance-Education Schools' from a Rural Standpoint. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, v27 n1 p43-61. This paper builds upon the evolving methodological perspective of a rural standpoint (Roberts, 2014b), and its related method of strategic eclecticism (Roberts & Green, 2013), to re-analyse existing data behind a previously published paper by Drummond, Halsey and van Breda (2012). It does this through an examination of the role of the rural in the Australian curriculum, drawing upon work that raises the lack of recognition of rurality in the curriculum as an important social justice issue (Roberts, 2014a; Roberts, 2015; Roberts & Downes, 2016). Through the re-analysis the paper illustrates that the rural educators who responded to the initial study had a concern for local places, and a perspective that an Australian Curriculum has the potential to marginalise local knowledges, and rural and remote schools more generally. Furthermore the re-analysis shows that age, time teaching in a rural or remote setting, distance from a major centre and jurisdiction of the school all… [Direct]
(2017). Transmission and Transformation in Higher Education: Indigenisation, Internationalisation and Transculturality. Transformation in Higher Education, v2 Article 12. There have been various approaches to the transmission and transformation of systems, practices, knowledge and concepts in higher education in recent decades, chief among which are drives towards indigenisation, on the one hand, and towards internationalisation, on the other. After briefly discussing and dispensing with radical versions of these, theories that reject any claim to validity or legitimacy by the rival approach, this article examines more nuanced accounts that deserve appropriately serious consideration. Thus, in the former instance, there is an emphasis on the local that nonetheless acknowledges a debt to the global, whereas conversely the emphasis on the global is seen as compatible with an acknowledgement of diversity, difference and particularity. What is gained and what is lost in these various approaches to educational transmission and transformation? After reflecting, in this regard, on lessons from both Africa and Europe — in particular, on the debates in South… [PDF]
(2022). Talking Together: How Language Documentation and Teaching Practice Support Oral Language Development in Bilingual Education Programs. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v25 n4 p1451-1466. When an endangered or minority language is spoken by children and taught in schools, both oral and literacy skills are crucial for continued language maintenance. In school settings, literacy skills are often prioritised to support the transition to second language literacy, and rich oral language development is overlooked. This paper presents a transdisciplinary collaboration between a language researcher, curriculum support staff and educators in Warlpiri schools, designed to address this. In the project, language documentation research was re-purposed to support professional learning for oral first language development. Educators increased their metalinguistic knowledge and understandings of children's oral language development. They planned programs to meet the learning needs identified from children's data and mapped these to curriculum documents. They enhanced their capacity to develop the Warlpiri language skills of their students and promote children's bilingual, and… [Direct]
(2022). Digital Storybook to Transform Character Education of Local Wisdom Figures for Elementary School Students. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, v13 n4 p250-264. This study addresses teachers' and students' needs for digital picture storybooks based on "Punokawan" puppet characters in elementary schools in Sukoharjo Regency. The Wayang "Punokawan" storybook media was developed based on a needs analysis in Sukoharjo Regency elementary schools implementing the 2013 Curriculum. This qualitative study indicated Sukoharjo elementary schools' needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, learning occurred online via Google Meet and with strict health protocols offline. Field study data were obtained through interviews and observations at several elementary schools in Sukoharjo Regency. Fourth graders and their teachers were studied. Technical and data triangulation were used to validate data, and data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing were used to analyze it. The results showed that the initial condition of storybooks at elementary schools in Sukoharjo Regency was good, but it was inadequate to satisfy all parties,… [PDF]
(2019). Comparative and Critical Analysis of Competency Standards for School Principals: Towards an Inclusive and Equity Perspective in Qu√©bec. Education Policy Analysis Archives, v27 n112 spec iss Sep. This article presents the results of a comparative and critical study of the competency standards of Qu√©bec school administrators compared with seven other education systems within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). An inductive-type analysis has made it possible to identify the social categories targeted in the standards, the vision of school leaders as well as the competencies that are likely to help advance educational and societal goals of equity, inclusion, and social justice. Three contrasting perspectives emerge from this analysis. In Australia, California, and the United States, principals are explicitly encouraged to take action against structures and practices that undermine the educational success and social recognition of minority groups. In British Columbia and New Zealand, statements about social diversity focus more on the transformation of individual practices. Finally, in the standards of England, Texas and Qu√©bec, only a few generic… [PDF]
(2019). Toward the Implementation of a Multifaith Approach in Religious Education: A Phenomenological Guide. Religious Education, v114 n2 p130-142. This study explores phenomenology of religion as a potential guide for the implementation of a multifaith religious education curriculum in Zimbabwe. The study relies on document analysis, in particular the 1999 Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training report, the Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education (2015-2022), and literature on multifaith religious education and phenomenology of religion. While these documents recommend the adoption of a multifaith approach in religious education, they are silent on the methodological framework. As such, I posit that principles of phenomenology of religion are a potential guiding framework for teachers to effectively engage multifaith syllabi…. [Direct]
(2019). Decentring the 'Places' of Citizens in National Curriculum: The Australian History Curriculum. Curriculum Journal, v30 n1 p8-23. There is debate internationally about the production of curriculum texts and the epistemologies underpinning the knowledge legitimated in national curricula. National History curricula in particular are a source of contention bounded by calls for coherent and unifying national narratives that are inclusive and reflect the complexity of the discipline and historical consciousness of the nation to which they are bound. This paper uses critical spatial theory to highlight the 'spaces' and 'places' of the Australian Curriculum History (years 7-10) which organise and disorganise representations of identities in and out of the centre of the national narrative. Interrogating the impact of these representations within purported inclusive and cohesive national narratives draws attention to the notions of belonging presented to Australian citizens. We argue that resistance to normative national narratives and colonial legacies presented with place-based identities can reinhabit the curriculum…. [Direct]
(2019). Exploring the Informal Learning Experiences of Women in a Pastoral Community in Ethiopia: The Case of Pastoral Women in "Karrayyu". Studies in the Education of Adults, v51 n2 p250-267. In Ethiopia, there has been increasing recognition of the differing educational needs and experiences of pastoralists as compared to 'settled' agricultural communities. Although the starting point has usually been how to integrate such marginalised groups into mainstream schooling, research has revealed important insights into learning outside educational institutions and the ways in which people in pastoral communities learn informally from a young age how to lead a pastoralist life. Building on a qualitative study conducted in the "Karrayyu" (also spelled as "Kereyu," "Karayu," "Karrayu," "Karrayyuu") pastoral community of Ethiopia, this article explores how Karrayyu women are engaged in intergenerational and informal learning. It considers a range of knowledge and skills learned through informal means and examines traditional midwifery in depth through a 'community of practice' lens. While the Karrayyu value their knowledge and… [Direct]
(2020). The Learning Passport: Curriculum Framework Adaption Guidance. Making Progress Possible: Improving the Quality of Education for Vulnerable Children Everywhere. Cambridge Assessment The Learning Passport (LP) curriculum framework acts as an underpinning framework for local curriculum development in education in emergency contexts. The LP framework is not a curriculum in itself, instead it provides the underpinning structure on which a curriculum can be developed. Developing a curriculum based on this learning framework requires local and regional education experts to adapt, expand, and integrate additional elements to the existing LP framework. The guidance provided in this document is intended to support local and regional education sectors in developing their bespoke local curriculum by providing a series of high level contextualisation principles which should be considered when development the LP framework into a complete and deliverable curriculum. Each principle is discussed in detail, providing relevant underpinning research and specific contextual examples. [This work was produced in partnership with Cambridge University Press.]… [PDF]
(2018). The Bedoun Archive: A Public Archive Created for the Northern Tribes Bedouin of Kuwait. Education as Change, v22 n2 Article 3435. This article describes the creation of the Bedoun Archive at the Australian Data Archive, managed by the Australian National University. The Bedoun are a Bedouin minority comprising stateless members of the main tribes of Kuwait. They have been subjected to "Othering" in scholarly literature, indicative of both Orientalism and neo-Orientalism, approaches that have contributed to their oppression by the state and omission from the official histories of Kuwait and the academic literature. The theory and methodology behind the creation of the Bedoun Archive, based on the principles of humanistic sociology and collaborative research with Indigenous Peoples, are discussed. The archive provides safe storage for data analysed in the project, which can be used by others in future. This article contributes to improving understanding of the impact of Orientalism and neo-Orientalism on perceptions of the people and history of the Middle East in general, and the Arabian Gulf and Kuwait… [Direct]