Transcript Dealing with Intercultural Mis

Joy Schultz
SEAQ secretary
SEAA committee member
Presented on behalf of SEAQ
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 crosscurriculum 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.
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/Cur
riculum/F-10
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?
Program for this session
In this session we will:
1. Look at the elements of the CCP
2. Look at the elements of the GC of IU
3. How those elements interact
4. How we can make it happen in schools
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/CrossCurriculu
mPriorities/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islanderhistories-and-cultures
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.
Elements of the CCP
Organising Ideas
Country/Place
1.
2.
3.
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
1.
2.
3.
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
1.
2.
3.
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
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/I
ntercultural-understanding/Introduction/Introduction
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
Model of IU inter-relationships
The learning continuum for IU
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilitie
s/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.
•How did cultures develop?
•What is culture? – some models
•What is the difference between culture and
race?
•Aboriginal culture
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 ……
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 ……………..
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)
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). *******
Culture is learned
 By enculturation – 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.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
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
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 misunderstanding because we are often unaware of
its influence in our lives, or that other cultures do not necessarily
have the same beliefs and behaviours. *********
Culture Model – Iceberg
(from the Asia Education Foundation website)
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. ******
Varied cultural values
Values about …
Type A
Nature
Time
Aspiration
Work
Saving
Change
Explanation
Competition
Mastery
Future
Success
Hard
Hoarding
Rapidly
Scientific
Aggression
Individuality
Self-realisation
Type B
Harmony
Present
Work a little, rest a little
To satisfy present needs
Sharing
Tradition
Non-scientific
Cooperation and
humility
Group identification
Type C?
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 technology
used 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.
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/reso
urces/res_39505_uncle-ernies-framework.pdf
http://8ways.wikispaces.com/Cultural+Analysis+Tool
Recognise culture and develop respect
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 nonmaterial culture and this can lead to ‘culture lag’ and
confusion
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
•The importance of feelings (the affective dimension)
•What is empathy?
•Forms of interaction
•The historical lens
•Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
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)
What is empathy?
 Empathy involves 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.
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.
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
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.
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
Interacting with difference
 Ethnocentrism
 Attitudes:
 Beliefs - Stereotype
 Feelings - Prejudice
 Actions - Discrimination
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
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.
Interact to develop empathy
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.
To develop empathy
 Students can practice role-plays of appropriate
behaviours for interacting with people who are different
from them (e.g. Bafa Bafa or Rafa Rafa 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
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.
• 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
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
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
Taking responsibility in the IU
learning continuum
Students are asked to:
 Explain the impact of stereotypes and discrimination
on other groups
 Challenge the representation of groups in media and
texts
 Try to address issues of discrimination etc in ways that
respect cultural diversity
 Consider ways of reaching understanding between
groups and reconciling different cultural values
 Respect the human rights of all and the right to be
heard
Is race important?
Reflections by President Obama on
the Trayvon Martin case (2013)
 I think it's important to recognize that the African-American
community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences
and a history that doesn't go away.
 There are very few African-American men who haven't had the
experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks
click on the doors of cars. That happened to me, at least before I
was a senator.
 And that all contributes, I think, to a sense that if a white male
teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, then from top to
bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been
different.
 It's important for all Americans to do some soul-searching about
their biases, not through a stilted White House-sponsored
conference, but with honest conversations in homes, workplaces
and churches.
Representations in texts
Reflect in order to take responsibility
To reflect
Encourage students to:
 Know their own local history of the impact of colonialism
 Understand the symbolic importance for indigenous
people of Mabo, land rights, the Apology, Constitution
 Consider their own attitudes (including racism and
ethnocentrism) and their impact
 Give examples of stereotyping an discrimination from the
media, texts and current news
 Reflect on their own intercultural encounters, including
those in the school (positive and negative)
 Learn more about cultures and differences within
 What it means to live in a multicultural society with the
ethic of a fair go
To take responsibility
Encourage students to:
 Challenge simplistic interpretations of the impact of
colonialism and official policies on indigenous people
 Challenge stereotypes, bullying and discrimination base on
culture or race
 Explain to others the importance of understanding the
validity of different cultural values
 Be informed and take action on public issues (e.g. Closing
the Gap, recognition in the Australian constitution,
destruction of sacred sites) – join campaigns, write letters
 Take action to help reconcile cultural differences within
their own school and community
Make a commitment
 To understand more about culture and practice IU
myself
 Our website – action learning
 Sharefest – come and share
 Take part in future webinars