Quiz – 30% – due end week 4

The quiz will consist of 10 questions. The questions will be multiple choice and will refer to content covered in lectures one, two, three and four.  You are required to choose the most fitting response to the question based on what you have learned and read to date.

Participation - 40% - ongoing week 2 -11

NOTE This task has TWO parts

Part One:  Each week commencing in week two, a piece of text or quote from one of the readings will be posted on the iLearn forum.  Students will post a 200 word ( or within 10% of)  response to the post which will

• Demonstrate they understand and can critically engage with the quote
• Demonstrate academic prose at MA level, and referencing where appropriate (i.e.if you use another citation to support a point, reference it).

Here is an example of how your response might look to the following statement:

Quote: “Pedagogy which begins with the egoistic interests of the oppressors ( an egoism cloaked in the false generosity of paternalism) and makes of the oppressed the objects of its humanitarianism, itself maintains and embodies oppression. It is an instrument of dehumanization”. (Freire POTO, 39)

Response: 

Freire suggests that oppressive forms of pedagogy can be identified by a form of egoism that pretends to be ‘humane’ but is, in fact, characterised by paternalism.  We can see this form of paternalistic pedagogy operating throughout the history of Indigenous education in Australia, for example, where policy has ‘included’ Aboriginal people without consultation, and where Aboriginal students have become the objects of a dehumanizing education that completely erases all prior forms of knowledge. Freire’s statement questions the very concept and practice of humanitarianism and suggests we need to be wary of what he calls “false generosity.”   What Freire points to is the way in which colonizers in many nations have condescended to Aboriginal people under the guise of ‘inclusion’  - (humanitarianism) but have, in reality, maintained the power relations that structure and sustain western knowledge and its oppressive colonial force.  This is evident today if we look at the education statistics for Aboriginal students at all levels; generations of being systematically excluded from the education system continue to influence considerably lower outcomes.   The most important thing to remember when reading Freire’s work is that he saw education as a liberating force for all students that is political in nature and always subject to transformation.

PART TWO  Following submission of your post, you will identify and select another student’s post and provide a 50-60 word feedback statement to that student on their comment.  Each response must provide your name and must use the student’s name, i.e. introduce yourself!  This is an interactive exercise to (a) help students get to know each other and (b) to teach us how to provide productive feedback to our peers – i.e. it is a demonstration of your ability to teach and learn effectively! You need to read the post carefully and make a considered and succinct response – see the example provided.

Both parts of the task (the online post and the feedback) must be completed to pass the task.

Example of response to another student:

Hi Mary Blogs, this is Joe Smith.  I found your post interesting because you gave examples that I could easily relate to regarding the work of Martin Nakata.  I would add, though, that the concept of “the cultural interface” is not easy to understand but refers to a productive site of interaction where new knowledge can be produced.   

Major essay - 30% -   2500 words

The major essay will respond to one of the questions below and will adhere to the following criteria:

• Demonstrated ability to research the topic (including sources outside of course readings)
• Demonstrated ability to construct an academic essay appropriate to MA level (e.g. academic prose, correct referencing/citation, essay structure, grammar, adherence to word count, punctuation etc.)
• Critical engagement with content/demonstrated understanding and response to the topic

Essay Questions:

1. What does Nakata teach us about Australian Indigenous education?
2. What is critical pedagogy and how can this body of knowledge be applied to Indigenous education in Australia?
3. Can the work of Paulo Freire teach us anything about Indigenous education in Australia? In your response consider the similarities and differences in Indigenous contexts, and the possibilities for applying Freire’s models to Australia.
4. Issues of race and gender have implications for all students.  Discuss using the work of bell hooks.