(2017). Enhancing Training Advantage for Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Learners. Research Report. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in very remote parts of Australia are increasingly participating in vocational education and training (VET); however, completion rates remain low and employment outcomes are not improving. This project identifies how retention and completion can be improved and what other indicators of success are important outcomes of training in remote communities. Using a case study approach to investigate five unique training programs in remote areas of Australia, the report finds a that range of factors contribute to retention, including: (1) trainer qualities and characteristics of delivery; (2) family, personal, community and cultural factors; (3) training coordination and support; (4) supportive relationships with other students; (5) local community ownership of training; and (6) training that is connected to culture and local knowledge. A literature review is appended. [For a related Support Document, see ED574709.]… [PDF]
(2016). Cultural Interface Theory in the Kenya Context and Beyond. Issues in Educational Research, v26 n2 p298-314. Yunkaporta's (2009) pedagogical "eight ways" conceptual framework, inspired by Nakata's (2007) cultural interface theory, provided the platform for interpretation of the data in the current study. Here we considered the transferability of the framework to a current initiative in Kenya and its usefulness in preparation for an expansion of that initiative to other developing world countries. The current study considered to what extent the work of these Australian authors, concerned with enhancing the engagement and educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners in the Australian context, would be applicable in contexts far removed from Australia. This paper describes the context of the current study: groups of teacher education students from the University of Notre Dame Australia undertaking some weeks of teaching in the Aberdare Ranges School in Kenya. As the University seeks to expand service learning opportunities to countries other than Kenya, the… [PDF]
(2016). Beyond Play: Learning through Science Investigation. Teaching and Learning Research Initiative The science learning area of the "New Zealand Curriculum" (NZC) (Ministry of Education, 2007) requires students to learn about "features of scientific knowledge and the processes by which it is developed" and "carry out science investigations using a variety of approaches." Investigations are mostly, but not always, practical in nature (Gott & Duggan, 1996). A science investigation is just one form of practical work and contrasts with a "recipe following" practical activity in which students simply have to follow a set of written or oral instructions. Evidence suggests that New Zealand students' experience of science investigations is limited. While students undertake some practical science investigation in schools, there is little evidence that they learn much by doing it. Students tend to see practical work as fun but disconnected from their science learning (Anderson, 2012). The authors examine what New Zealand students are learning from… [PDF]
(2016). Every Student Succeeds Act Primer: American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Students. Alliance for Excellent Education The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 includes several provisions that target the education needs of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students. This brief primer discusses how ESSA relates to the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the state tribal education partnership, cooperative agreements, consultation with tribes, Alaska Native Education (ANE), Native Hawaiian education, and Native language immersion…. [PDF]
(2013). Hopa Mountain and the Idea of Highlander: A Mission Driven by a Philosophy. Journal of Adult Education, v42 n2 p14-20. Hopa Mountain is a nonprofit organization committed to developing citizen leaders in rural and tribal communities in the Northern Rockies. The mission of Hopa Mountain is rooted in the principle that the local people have within themselves the strength and wisdom to bring about community change. This mission was inspired by the broader philosophy of Myles Horton that has been implemented for over 80 years at Highlander Folk School. This philosophy challenges individuals and organizations to work toward creating a world as it "ought to be" rather than on how it is presently…. [PDF]
(2012). A Postcolonial Perspective on the Systemic Theory of Gifted Education. High Ability Studies, v23 n1 p39-41. A systemic theory of gifted education, and in particular the notion of the actiotope receives surprising support from an epistemology until recently largely unrecognized and undervalued–that of Australian Aborigines. As part of an ongoing transdisciplinary collaborative research practice, a group Yolngu (north east Arnhem Land Aboriginal) elders have been advising education authorities on culturally appropriate approaches to the education of young people in remote communities, including the education of gifted children. Yolngu grow up speaking Australian languages within communities which maintain traditional cultural and ceremonial lives. Their knowledge authorities work to ensure that the practices of schooling enhance rather than undermine the always ongoing traditional collective practices of remaking strong Aboriginal culture into the new generation. In this article, the author first shares a story, then provides three comments on the systemic theory. (Contains 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2016). A Rose by Any Other Name: Repressive Tolerance, Burnout, and Hope in the New West. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, v21 p57-71. In this article I reflexively explore my recent experiences as a M√©tis environmental activist, educator, and academic with the historic rise of the New Democratic Party in Alberta, Canada which was quickly followed by the victory of the federal Liberal Party, toppling conservative dynasties at both levels. This autoethnograhic inquiry also considers activist educator burnout and insider/outsider dynamics through a lens informed by Marcuse's theory of repressive tolerance. This line of theoretical inquiry and reflection is significant due to the unprecedented shift in government that recently occurred in Alberta, a region under intense environmental scrutiny, which bears implications for the rest of Canada, North America, and the world…. [PDF]
(2016). Transnationalism in the Australian Curriculum: New Horizons or Destinations of the Past?. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v37 n3 p327-340. Educationally, it is arguable that transnationalism has been primarily framed around course delivery by educational institutions within international contexts. However, it is a more complex notion, incorporating ideas such as global citizenship and intercultural understanding. Consequently, if the Australian Curriculum is the national substantiation of Australia's educational priorities, designed to prepare young Australians for a globalised future, it should reflect such transnationalist elements. This paper contends that, despite contrary impressions, the Australian Curriculum is more of a protective reinforcement of older conceptions of a "Western" community than one centred on forward-looking global principles. Its codifications dominate at the cost of acknowledging other points of reference that represent a collective transnational sensibility, and thus it embodies a lost national opportunity. Recent criticisms that the Australian Curriculum fails to adequately reflect… [Direct]
(2016). Improving the Participation and Engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students in Business Education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, v38 n1 p19-38. Most Australian universities have among their goals to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at their institutions. In the Australian higher education context, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are seriously under-represented, particularly in business education compared to other disciplines. An understanding of why a larger proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students do not choose to study a discipline that provides promising employment opportunities, is fundamental to improving the status quo. This paper reviews the literature to identify key barriers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' participation and engagement in business education. Apart from multiple general barriers to participation in higher education, factors specific to business as a profession and as an academic discipline are also considered. The paper then discusses a number of strategies Australian educational institutions could pursue when… [Direct]
(2016). Community Arts as Public Pedagogy: Disruptions into Public Memory through Aboriginal Counter-Storytelling. International Journal of Inclusive Education, v20 n3 p261-277. Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) is a form of public pedagogy that seeks to intervene into the reproduction of meaning in public spaces. In this article, we explore the Bush Babies and Elders portrait project that sought to contribute to the empowerment of Aboriginal participants through counter-storytelling. Drawing on interview and survey data collected as part of a larger qualitative study, we examine Aboriginal participant's reflections on their participation and the meanings of the project. Anchored in a critical interpretive approach, thematic analysis of data resulted in the construction of two themes, cultural continuity and recognition and acknowledgement. These themes reflect the everyday politics of survival within a longer history of oppression and ongoing misrecognition. We discuss this project as an example of public pedagogy that expands spaces and resources for contesting exclusionary narratives that inform public memory, understood as a subject of… [Direct]
(2016). Why He Won't Send His Daughter to School–Barriers to Girls' Education in Northwest Pakistan: A Qualitative Delphi Study of Pashtun Men. SAGE Open, v6 n3 Jul. Resistance to girls' education in Pakistan has long been an intractable problem; the lowest enrolment figures are in Pashtun areas. This study focused on Pashtun men's perceptions of girls' education. Pashtun men of diverse backgrounds participated in a two-round Delphi exercise, followed by in-depth qualitative interviews in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. Although contradictory ideas from religion, culture, and politics were elicited, consensus developed on major barriers to girls' access to education: poverty, "Pashtunwali" (tribal code), religion, accessibility, resources, shortage of female teachers, curriculum, and political apathy and corruption. Understanding the barriers to girls' education could help development professionals overcome them…. [Direct]
(2012). Ohiyesa's Path: Reclaiming Native Education. Reclaiming Children and Youth, v21 n3 p27-30 Fall. As Natives have assumed increasing authority and responsibility for tribal and federally funded and administered schools, a more balanced and enlightened view is emerging. Notable among these events is the recognition of the critical need to shift emphasis to the untapped heritage of more recently recognized and acknowledged Native American philosophies of child rearing. Prominent among those who studied firsthand the practices of North America's tribal peoples are Erik Erikson (1993) and Abraham Maslow (1998). Erikson's eight stages of man or life cycle theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs are required reading in child development courses around the world. Both men attributed much of the development of their works to extensive personal exposure to tribal experiences, Erikson with the Lakota and Maslow with the Blackfeet and Yurok. Yet the applicability of this knowledge has been incredibly difficult to transfer to schools. There is critical need for a model addressing the ecology… [Direct]
(2018). Multicultural Education Past, Present, and Future: Struggles for Dialog and Power-Sharing. International Journal of Multicultural Education, v20 n1 p5-20. Using Kymlicka's analysis of conflicts between "imperatives of state control" and "objectives of social movements," I draw on my experiences with multicultural education to extrapolate some trends from the past and present that may inform the future. After briefly describing the origins of multicultural education (mainly within the United States), I situate struggles over education in the context of the global expansion of neoliberalism, critique "neoliberal multicultural education," then briefly describe some efforts that push back. This essay concludes with four recommendations for moving forward…. [PDF]
(2018). Po'aiapuni O Ka'aihonua: Using Voices of the Past to Inform the Present and Future. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Formal education–four walled classrooms with a single teacher and multiple children in a school setting–did not exist in traditional Hawai'i. Traditional Hawaiian learning resembled contemporary vocational schools or specialized institutions of higher learning. Within these structures, Hawaiians became strongly rooted in cultural and familial values through a support system that provided a firm foundation for their total well-being. Unfortunately, Western influences altered Hawaiian traditional ways of knowing, doing, and being, and the impact, predominantly negative, is prevalent and can be observed in Hawaiian communities, homes, and schools. My homeland, my beloved Wai?anae, was traditionally prized for its abundant resources and industrious people, and many traveled great distances to obtain goods from this land of plenty. In contrast, our coastline today is plagued by drug addiction, health issues, homelessness,and low performing schools. This cannot and will not continue to… [Direct]
(2020). Widening Participation and Linguistic Engagement in Australian Higher Education: Exploring Academics' Perceptions and Practices. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, v32 n2 p201-213. Language practices represent significant barriers to engagement in higher education for many learners from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. In Australia, such students may be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners, students from rural and remote locations, learners who are the first in their family to access higher education, from non-English speaking backgrounds, learners with interrupted schooling due to refugee or asylum seeker experiences, or first language speakers of English dialects that vary from the dominant forms privileged in the academy. While subject-specialist language and engagement with text can present ongoing challenges for many learners, such linguistic barriers–and the practical implications for academics engaged in teaching–often receive limited attention in institutional policy. This article reports on research that sought to critically examine how ten academics from different disciplines and university contexts perceive their role in the… [PDF]