Lorraine Beveridge P/T PhD student University of Newcastle Paper presented to AARE Brisbane 2- 11- 08. [email protected]1 Action Learning through Indigenous Literature This paper reports on using action learning to investigate authentic voice in Indigenous literature. The setting is a new regional primary school in New South Wales, Australia. The school needed to get Aboriginal Education on the agenda, in line with the mandatory Aboriginal Education Policy (New South Wales Department of School Education, 1996). At the same time, the Prime Minister of Australia had just apologised on behalf of the government to the nation’s Indigenous people for injustices of the past (Rudd, 2008). This was the micro and macro context that set the scene for the action learning project, “Action Learning through Indigenous literature”, that took place during term two 2008. Action Learning The term action learning is commonly accepted to mean learning from action or concrete experience, and taking action as a result of this learning (Zuber-Skerritt, 2001). Action research is the cyclical process which includes reflection in and on action (Schön, 1987). Further developments have added the notion of reflection for action which can act as a prelude to the action learning cycle (Grushka, Hinde- McLeod, & Reynolds, 2005). It is a “self reflective spiral” of planning, acting, observing then replanning, acting, observing (Carr & Kemmis, 1986, p. 184).
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Lorraine Beveridge P/T PhD student University of Newcastle
Reflection on Initial Action Teachers planned their lessons in relation to texts chosen with their buddy
teachers and implemented their learning plans in their classrooms. Mid
way through the term the team met to reflect on and revise their initial
plan, share their progress and collaboratively solve emerging technology
issues.
Figure 3: Second cycle of Action Research Cycle
This phase represented the beginning of the second cycle of the action
research model, in which teachers observed student projects and provided
initial feedback to each other, collaborated, reflected on their professional
learning and their students’ learning, and planned for the next stage of the
project.
.Observe beginning student multimodal tasks .Provide feedback to peers .Continue to work on projects in- class and with buddy teacher. .Reflective practice
.Collaboratively plan teaching/ learning activities for next phase of project with buddy teacher based on text studied and literacy needs of class. .Support each other’s technology needs
.Observe developing student multimodal tasks based on the texts they studied in class. .Reflect on teacher learning, student learning Revise initial plan
Lorraine Beveridge P/T PhD student University of Newcastle
This parent awareness raising was an intended project outcome,
suggesting some parents’ knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal
culture and issues may have deepened as a result of the action learning
project.
Figure 3: Third cycle of Action Learning Project
Project Evaluation Teacher Learning A staff survey was used to evaluate the project. All six members of the
action learning team were surveyed in relation to their perceptions of the
success of the action learning project. They were surveyed in relation to:
• What they learned from the project
• Whether their participation changed their pedagogy
• Their views on action learning as a model for professional learning
• Comments about the project generally
.Teachers collate teaching and learning activities across individual classrooms to make a whole school integrated teaching unit, utilising the Indigenous texts used in the project
.Celebration of Learning
.Share multimodal projects with wider school community .Student and staff evaluation of project
.Reflect on what was observed in terms of children, group, teacher learning.
Lorraine Beveridge P/T PhD student University of Newcastle
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Lorraine Beveridge P/T PhD student University of Newcastle
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