School Travel

Image retrieved from https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/programs-and-projects/walk-to-school

Travelling to and from school is a concept that has increasingly changed over the past thirty years, this may be due to ideas and opinions surrounding sustainability and global warming becoming more prevalent. Therefore many have been supporting the idea of sustainable active transport, to not only help the environment, but also in some cases to help our general wellbeing. However not everyone in Australia is choosing to follow this trend with many people still choosing to use their own car to drive to and from school and work. According to Dr Jan Garrard from the Victorian health council (2009) Australia, along with the USA, and the UK have the lowest levels of active transport. In 2008 Baslington reported that during the last three decades more than double the amount of families are choosing to drive to school, rather than walk, ride a bike or scooter, or catch public transport (Baslington, 2008).

Image retrieved from http://www.gvftma.com/news/?id=1107

For students to have strong links to their local communities they need to have opportunities to act as global citizens. Opportunities such as recycling, walking to and from school, and making changes in the home can allow this to happen (Bradbury, 2013).

The activity highlighted on this blog is based on the concept of the former Australian wide walking school bus project (Travelsmart, 2007; Vichealth, 2015). There are many reasons why families are choosing not to include active forms of transport as part of their routine. Some of these may include: parental fear/caution, lack of opportunity, time constraints, or heavy reliance on car travel (Cook, Whitzman and Tranter, 2015). However parents should not let these obstacles stop them from allowing their children to get much needed exercise, and freedom. The idea of the walking school bus may put some parents worries to rest, the walking school bus allows students to meet at one of three designated meeting spots and make the commute to school as a group with supervising adults present.

The lesson is based on the curriculum outcomes ACHCS033 and ACHCS034 (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authoirity, 2015).

Students will be shown the following to introduce the idea of the walking school bus:

After this students will, in alignment with the civics and citizenship curriculum devise a plan to implement a walking school bus in their own community. Students will need to identify roles, create routes, and finally create a persuasive presentation explaining to staff and families what a walking school bus is, and why it is beneficial. Emphasis should also be placed on the cross curriculum priority of sustainability, as students will need to consider social, cultural and environmental sustainability (ACARA, 2015b).

To promote this ideas as a whole school initiative students can invite family members, local government bodies and local press to the school to launch their initiative with a presentation highlighting the positives of the walking school bus. This build links between not only the students and their school community, but also the school and the local community.

References:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015, May 15). Humanities and Social Sciences: Civics and Citizenship curriculum, v. 7.5. Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/civics-and-citizenship/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Baslington, H. (2008). School travel plans. Transport Reviews, 28(2), 239-258. doi: 10.1080/01441640701630863

Bradbery, D. (2013). Bridges to global citizenship: Ecologically sustainable futures utilising children’s literature in teacher education. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 29(2), 221-237. doi: 10.1017/aee.2014.7

Cook, A., Whitzman, C., & Tranter, P. (2015). Is ‘Citizen Kid’ an independent kid? The relationship between children’s independent mobility and active citizenship. Journal of Urban Design, 20(4), 526-544. DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2015.1044505

Garrard, J. (2009). Active transport: Children and young people. Retrieved from https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aWpKDkAI5LwJ:https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/~/media/resourcecentre/publicationsandresources/active%2520travel/active_transport_children_and_young_people_final.ashx+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

TravelSmart (2007, September 4). Walking school bus – a guide for parents and teachers. Retrieved from http://www.travelsmart.gov.au/schools/schools2.html

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History and Culture: Cultural Investigation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (TSI) people have strong links to their culture, and cultural practice. This in turn strongly influences their idea of identity, including their likes and dislikes, beliefs, and ideas and opinions about spirituality and many other aspects of life. Much of Aboriginal and TSI peoples cultural practices focus upon the food that they eat, their art works, the clothing they wear, the languages they speak, and the music that they listen to and create. As well as these their strong links and connection to the land and the place in which they live also strongly impacts their sense of identity (Reconciliation Australia, 2017).

Image retrieved from http://blog.queensland.com/2013/07/01/laura-aboriginal-dance-festival/

Throughout the lesson discussed in this blog students will increase their understanding of the importance of Indigenous culture and practices on not only the lives of Indigenous people, but for all Australian people. As Australia needs to have strong recognition of these practices, and respect their importance. The lesson is based upon the grade four English curriculum (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2015a, ACELA1488, ACELY1687, and ACELY1689). As well as the grade four humanities and social sciences curriculum (ACARA, 2015b, ACHHK077), and has strong links to the cross curriculum priority Aboriginal and TSI Histories and Cultures (ACARA, 2015c).

Image retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/can-an-aboriginal-school-break-the-vicious-circle#axzz4crpY6yNs

Increasing students knowledge of the topic of Aboriginal and TSI histories and cultures allows their knowledge of Australia as a country to improve, as well as teaches them how to remain considerate and respectful of these cultures, as well as all other cultures around the world and in their home country of Australia (Goodwin, 2012). 

Image retrieved from http://www.smart-start.com.au/

During the lesson students will be asked to create and present a powerpoint presentation about one of the following topics based on Aboriginal and TSI culture: Art, Music, Food, Language, Dance, and Clothing. Students will complete this task in pairs, and work with their partner to choose a topic and complete the presentation. Students will also be given some guiding questions to inform their research, and guide their learning. These questions include: 

What does your topic look like? (Describe it in words, draw a picture of it, or find an image online or in a book).

Why is your topic important? 

How is your topic used/done? (Include a video, diagram, or write about it in words).

What did you learn about your topic during you report?

Image retrieved from http://australianativeart.com/

It is quite often that parents are cautious or reluctant to discuss the topic of Indigenous people in Australia. This may be due to limited understanding, or some previously held biases that parents do not want to pass on to their children. However sometimes these biases can be passed on unintentionally through imitation, this is the main reason it is important for parents to discuss this topic with their children (Sheffield, Morris et. al. As cited by Moges and Weber, 2014). The following are some guiding questions that allow parents to consider and research what topics they need to approach and discuss with their children:

What is appropriate and inappropriate terminology?

What is the best way to communicate with Indigenous people?

What cultural events and dates do we need to be aware and cautious of?

How have Indigenous people impacted Australia?

Key Information about Indigenous people can be found on the following websites:

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/other-subjects-and-projects/history/aboriginal-australia

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/face-facts/face-facts-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples

https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/#axzz4crpY6yNs

References:

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015c). Cross curriculum priorities. Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015a). English. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level4

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015b). History. Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/history/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#cdcode=ACHHK077&level=4

Goodwin, J. (2012). Indigenous culture: It’s everybody’s business. Every child magazine, 18(1). Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-18-1-2012/indigenous-culture-everybodys-business/

Moges, B. & Weber, K. (2014). Parental influence on the emotional development of children. Retrieved from https://my.vanderbilt.edu/developmentalpsychologyblog/2014/05/parental-influence-on-the-emotional-development-of-children/

Reconciliation Australia. (2017). Our culture. Retrieved from http://shareourpride.reconciliation.org.au/sections/our-culture/

Controversial Topic: Olympic Games

The environments and homes in which people live in are the main influencers of ones health and wellbeing, and are closely linked to our identity and belonging (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2015). Global education is vital allowing students to improve their understanding of inter-connectedness of place (Dyer, 2005). Through the understanding of their own country and culture as well as others around the world. The Olympic games allows this to happen, it encourages countries to work together as a team to promote the idea that their country is prosperous, strong and healthy. For many the values that the Olympics hold can be a philosophy of life, blending sport with education and culture to create a way of life based upon the value of good examples in the spotlight, and the respect for universal ethical principals (The International Olympic Committee, 2017). However it is questionable whether this is truly the case with some unethical situations taking place within the Olympics.

Image retrieved from https://bruceherwig.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/rio-2016-olympic-logo-design/

During the lesson students will understand the impact that hosting the Olympic games can have on the host country, especially if that country is impoverished. This lesson is based on the year six Geography curriculum, focussing mainly on the concept of differences of economic and social characteristics of countries (ACARA, 2015a, ACHGK034). As well as this students will also consider the stereotypes and characteristics of Brazilian people as shown in the media. This relates to the civics and citizenship curriculum (ACARA, 2015b, ACHCS041). 

Image retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/world-cup/brazils-olympic-challenge-n135036

The introduction to this lesson will see students watching the following video from the Beijing Olympics, an impoverished country much like Brazil (Olympic Channel, 2012).

Unlike many Olympic education lessons in schools this one does not aim to endorse the ideas of strength, power, and excellence shown by Olympic athletes (Lenskyj, 2012), but rather on the viewpoints, and opinions that surround the Olympic games, and how to critically analyse and evaluate these view points. 

 After watching the video students will consider and answer the following questions, including:

Do you think the Olympic games are important, why?

What are some similarities between Beijing and what you already know about Rio?

Will the Olympic games affect the lives of Rio's people, how?

How do you think the lives of the athletes change when they go to the Olympic games?

Citizenship education allows students to view issues such as injustice, and conflict (Bickmore, 2006), and create their own points of view about these issues. To allow students to compare and challenge the idea of the Olympics students will be shown the following two videos. The first the conventional view of the Olympics shown by the 2016 Olympic trailer (Toon Explainers, 2016). The second, a less conventional view of the true characteristics of Rio (Vox, 2016).

At the conclusion of these videos the teacher will ask how the Olympics are being portrayed in each video, these answers will be recorded in two columns. Students will be asked to consider and compare these ideas and discuss and present the following questions:

How are people being affected by the Olympic games?

Are the Olympic games as glamorous as the media are portraying?

How can this situation improve?

Students will complete a two minute oral presentation on their understanding and research of the 2016 Olympics, students will present this to their peers.

References:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015, May 15). F-10 curriculum: v. 7.5. Humanities and Social Sciences key ideas.  Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/geography/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Australian Curriculum,  Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015a, May 15). F-10 curriculum: v. 7.5 Geography-year 6.  Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/geography/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015, May 15). F-10 curriculum: v. 7.5. Civics and Citizenship- year 6.  Retrieved from http://v7-5.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/civics-and-citizenship/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

Bickmore, K. (2006). Democratic social cohesion (assimilation)? Representations of social conflict in Canadian public school curriculum. Canadian Journal of Education 29(2), 359–86. Retrieved from ERIC.

Dyer, J. (2005, November). Opportunities and challenges for global education in social education curriculum. Paper presented at the AARE Annual Conference, Parramatta, Sydney.

Lenskyj, H. J. (2012). Olympic education and Olympism: Still colonizing children’s minds. Educational Review 64(3), 265-274. DOI: 10.1080/00131911.2012.667389

Olympic Channel. (13 December 2012). Beijing 2008: Olympic Legacy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds6RN3BP3dM&t=9s

The International Olympic Committee. (2017). Promote olympism is society. Retrieved from https://www.olympic.org/the-ioc/promote-olympism

Toon Explainers. (22 July 2016). Rio 2016 Olympic Games - New Trailer. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfN1DqhS4vs

Vox. (27 June 2016). 2016 Olympics: What Rio doesn’t want the world to see. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_zM7koJy8