AISNSW Creating Cohesive Communities Podcast

SNIPPET:

It is natural to feel not very confident when you are embarking on this intercultural understanding journey … that means it's the first step towards developing your intercultural empathy and understanding.

JULIA:

Welcome to the AISNSW Creating Cohesive Communities Podcast series, developed by the Association of Independent Schools NSW.

Today we are joined by Doctor Robyn Moloney, honorary senior lecturer at Macquarie University, and Doctor Maria Lobytsyna, researcher and teacher. Both Maria and Robin are prominent academics, educators and researchers in language and intercultural learning of students, teachers and communities.

Their combined expertise and research has forged the way for several groundbreaking journal publications and books regarding building inclusive school communities through innovative intercultural practices in our very diverse Australian schools.

Join us as we discuss whole school approaches to developing intercultural understanding through practice and research to build cohesive school communities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY:

Before we begin, we would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands and airways in which we are meeting and broadcasting today as we share our learning, we also pay respect to elders both past and present, as it is their knowledge and experiences that holds the key to the success of our future generations.

JULIA:

Thank you so much for making it today.

We just wanted to know what was the inspiration behind your research around whole school approaches to develop teachers into cultural understanding.

ROBYN:

Hello, everyone. Yes, well, there's I think we're inspired by the existence and the evidence of ongoing research which shows the racism that is still occurring in schools.

The key to defeating it absolutely lies in building teacher skills in inclusion and in supporting every child's identity in the classroom and the playground there well-being an achievement at school. So we devised.

Our solution - small scale solution - was to devise a professional learning program, which we ran in five different schools, diverse schools, and in that program we really tried to open up teachers, personal abilities in intercultural understanding, and this did translate into creative new ideas for their classrooms and wider school environment.

And because it was research, we could actually show that it did produce significant shift in teachers' practice and long-term commitment to inclusion.

So, then the result of putting the research together in this book is that we're able to offer you a blueprint to be able to run this PDF yourselves in your school. Every detail of the PDF is supplied in one of the chapters of the book, so you could very easily run this course and achieve some of the same outcomes yourself.

JULIA:

So, can you tell us about some of the attributes for teachers, intercultural understanding capabilities?

MARIA:

Yes, our findings based on interviews and surveys with primary and secondary school leadership and teachers helped to identify the seven attributes that really make a difference in teaching the cultural understanding and whole staff change. These attributes include both individual teachers' attitudes and the whole school approach.

Their qualities include intercultural efficacy, personal experiences and global perspective, the importance of school wide. Sport is identified as the key attribute in the context of a whole school environment.

JULIA:

Amazing that the whole school approaches is a a theme that comes up time and time again in terms of developing and strengthening the learning outcomes and well-being of school communities and how pivotal that is in terms of the intercultural understanding education. As well and it is a driving force, isn't it? With your linguistics and languages background, Robin, how important is the use of language regarding building cohesive classrooms and how can this be used in teacher PL. to assist with some practical strategies?

ROBYN:

For us, language is the key, Julia, because it is the greatest contact with children's identities and families. Where I live in my suburb in Sydney, 103 languages are spoken according to the SBS Census Explorer, but in Broken Hill, similarly, 50 languages are spoken, so it is right across rural and urban environments. This diversity that we're sometimes slow to acknowledge.

In the book we talk about how our program was focused on enabling teachers to devise creative strategies which tap into children's languages and cultures, backgrounds and the knowledge bases that are involved in those languages: indigenous languages, immigrant community languages and so on, for example. In terms of knowledge bases, perhaps we could think in science. Are there alternative ways of seeing? And of course, naming the stars in different cultural systems.

There are certainly different chemistries and biologies different approaches to any energy use and sustainability in different countries. In mathematics, different counting systems which represent life in different countries, what would your life be like, if you had a counting system that was 123 a lot.

We're especially big fans of a book by Corey Tutt, the first scientists, which is a wonderful portrayal of indigenous science knowledge in Australia. But there are so many ways to tap into our families, knowledge bases and skills and talents to include, which is a way of capturing and valuing children's identities.

JULIA:

I love that I love the way that language really is a window into a student's reality and values and how important that plays out in a classroom as well. But responding to that. In an appropriate way to build upon well-being and learning outcomes? It's amazing. So, Maria, why is intercultural understanding capabilities so important in building inclusive school communities feel like we're starting to build upon that, but I'd love to hear. More about it.

MARIA:

We know that schools continue to be a place at which students experience exclusion and races and their urgent calls for new holistic approaches to interculturality in educators, teachers and students. Due to increased diversity in the classroom. However, this critical work is still only recently recognized and is an emerging stages. And we know that many Australian school populations feature high percentage of children from diverse spiritual and cultural backgrounds in both rural and urban centers. So, there is an increasing need for a school to be an inclusive place which supports shared in the cultural. Goals and what is also very important supports our students mental health and emotional and social welfare. Technologies have enabled the shift for many educators to innovative online spaces, participation and dialogues. But may have. Left little time for critical reflections on inclusive education. And it was really satisfying for us to see change in a staff coming together, sharing pleasure in the cultural work, their surprise at students enjoyment. And I would like to refer to one example in our lower socio economic school with low school self esteem and a weak culture. Teachers and kids mapped all their origins, language and stories and instead of feeling like the one undesirable. Eight blocks, they said. You can see the whole. World from here, all roads lead to us.

JULIA:

Ohh wow, that is so beautiful and profound and I just love that uncovering of all the assets and the gemstones and the strengths that are part of that community that would totally reframe perhaps the way they have been viewed or labeled and that. You know there's possibilities to then open up and build upon that. That's incredible. Thank you for sharing that. Just in terms of regional and remote areas, cause they've been mentioned a bit and we did, you know, Robin, you did highlight that there is diversity in fact, you know when we when we do look at remote areas, although sometimes we might not assume that, but when we are considering schools in regional and remote areas.

What would be some of the whole school practical approaches to build intercultural understanding in the classroom and beyond?

ROBYN:

Well, I think first and foremost like our standards say it's to know your students and their families, whether this comes from leadership or at the classroom level, it's extremely important. One of the principles in our study, for example, has found the value of. Testing quite a lot of time in enrollment interviews, so she really spends a lot of time with every family collecting information and knowledge about their backgrounds. And that is a very good investment of time. So know your students. Do you have the accurate data? That you need about their backgrounds, their languages, the festivals, they're going to celebrate their religions. No, your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their family. And their situations, their socioeconomic situations, their language, whose country is your school sitting on? Have you researched its location and its connections? Do you know where the elders are in your area? 3rd we would strongly advocate as a leadership initiative. Supported by staff. The introduction or strong maintenance of a language program as a whole school initiative because the language program is such a strong catalyst for experiencing otherness, experiencing another fellas way of life that it is. Not just the learning of French or Japanese or some other language, it is a catalyst for experiential learning of other people's lives, and that has a fundamental value in whole school change. And I think, fourthly, take a walk around your school. Make a walk and look at what is represented or not on the walls, the doors, the corridors, the surface of the playground. It is surprising. The difference between schools? So some schools absolutely rejoice and exhibit the diverse identities of their children and students. Right through the school, their trophy room has examples of diverse achievements, not just sport. Although sports great. But yeah, that, that. Sort of diversity of representation and achievement right throughout your school is extremely important. To the support of kids' identities in that school. There's some of the things that we would recommend.

JULIA:

Thank you. And it's just so profound. Just having something that's so visually representative of the cohort of the school community and beyond, how important that is. And as you said that that sense of. And joy and rejoicing in terms of the diversity when it is outwardly displayed, the impact it has inwardly, for, for students and families and communities, and really encouraging that sense of belonging and feeling welcomed and so. Thank you for sharing all those they're really quite important and quite profound.

JULIA:

Robyn, sometimes it can be tricky to find opportunity to foster intercultural understanding in some curriculum areas. Can you give us some practical examples of how intercultural understanding has been fostered in areas such as history or geography?

ROBYN:

Yes, right across the curriculum. In fact, Julia, we're continuing to explore examples of creative strategies for teachers across the curriculum. So I think there's increasing recognition of different knowledge bases in science knowledge, the. You of indigenous knowledge in how to care for a country often embedded in the language of that country, new respect for indigenous fire strategies to look after country and in many other areas in geography, I think there's a new recognition. Of the importance of a sense of place and how everything starts with place, what grows and lives and succeeds in a certain place with a certain climate and geography shapes the life in that place. So we are all products. Of place, if you like. There are lovely intersections between. Mathematics and for example, are different traditions in visual arts, so the geometry involved in Middle East and mosaic work and art is of interest in both fields, both KLA's. In history, there are new explorations of different histories, which are. You know, held by those different cultural groups and that need to be considered in historical work. There are enormous opportunities in English through the use of a text from different countries and the exploration of commonalities. The fact that. Fairy tales and stories. Very similar ones occur in so many different cultures across the world.

JULIA:

Ohh, I love that. I love that. How the yeah, that fairy tale can be played out in multiple cultures with a, you know, particular themes that aren't patched but are universal but loving that you mentioned the the opportunity for the multiple and diverse narratives that you can now find in history. It's not just one story or a. A story and that intersection, you know, and I love those connections you made that might not have been so. So obvious, you know, maths with visual arts, so it's incredible and how it's all richly connected with culture and so on in terms of all and language. You know, I don't know if there's anything else you wanted. To add there.

ROBYN:

UM. There is one interesting thing it's not. Actually in the. But it's been something that I've been thought thinking. About since the book. Came out that. In terms of indigenous art, indigenous art can function as a visual arts, but it also in many indigenous artists, perception it is also history and geography and story. And so there there's a lot to explore there.

JULIA:

That is incredibly rich and profound and so valuable. And definitely when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities and cultures, how important it is that that's now. Honored and in. You know, is it? It's not an afterthought. You know, it's actually part of. Everyone's business. And everyone's education and it's and how rich it is as well in terms of knowledge and funds of knowledge. Yeah, and. Favourable, thank you so much for sharing Robin. Maria, can I just ask in your book, you mentioned that it's a very important that teachers have a positive disposition when it comes to intercultural understanding, education, something we've kind of covered a bit already, but do you have any tips for those teachers? Whose colleagues might be a little bit hesitant or unsure to embark on their intercultural understanding journey.

MARIA:

Yes, and this is very common to have to feel some discomfort and lack of confidence in our current schools school environment. But any staff at any level can be a leader in this work and generally speaking principles and. All staff are open to inspiration and new ideas, and they all want to produce well-being and achievement for their students. I believe we just have to light this little spark in teachers of everyone's own personal, intercultural story and responsibility to get it going. And also we have used the specific phrase in our book productive discomfort and it can be acknowledged as a teaching skill.

JULIA:

So can you tell us more about productive discomfort?

MARIA:

I believe that what we have just discussed, that it is natural to feel not very confident when you are embarking on this intercultural understanding journey and we believe when teachers and students, when they have this feeling that means it's the first step towards developing your intercultural empathy and understanding, so you should in a way feel this kind of discomfort because it's a very personal journey and sharing personal stories with other people.

JULIA:

So sort of sitting in that uncomfortable space is actually part of the learning and growing process, but not.

MARIA:

Very true. Ohh.

Speaker

I get it wrong.

JULIA:

And that kind of probably starts to unlock it a bit. And I really love that what you touched upon also in terms of how powerful. Everyone's stories to contribute towards that journey as well, which is so important, so that probably leads me to a really beautiful question. I'd love to hear the two of you respond to.

Can you share any inspirational moments or an aha moment that you've come across during your research or professional learning with teachers and students?

ROBYN:

Well, I'd like to throw in with great respect, the staff member, senior staff member. Who hadn't actually noticed that the walls in his school were completely bare until we took a picture of it? That was a catalyst for him just to very openly and you know very graciously, completely accept that and turn around his practice and he sent us photographs after the PD, he sent us photographs of the students work displayed in stairwells and all around the school. I thought that was a good outcome.

JULIA:

It's amazing, transformative shifts, something that you know doesn't have to be complicated. As well, but how beautiful I've got these goosebumps.

ROBYN:

And as Maria said, when there. Was when we went back. Maria did quite a lot of this work of going back and talking to the whole staff ten weeks after the PD course, because they'd been they had designed and then implemented some classroom units of work or ideas in their classrooms. And so, we went back and they were really enjoying. You could see that it had generated staff enjoyment of each other and of. Enjoying the surprise that they had encountered in seeing the kids pleasure in the inclusive work, they were really surprised it might seem strange, but they were very surprised that kids were so excited about having, for example, I think there was a measurement. Lesson and instead of measuring between Sydney and Brisbane, you know how many kilometres it was between Istanbul and somewhere else, and just that simple. Act of localism. A simple measurement lesson in another place that was familiar to kids had a was a catalyst effect. Again, there were so many small and big things.

Another school did a mapping of where all the staff had come from, including the office staff, and that engendered a lot of interest. Another school simply created multilingual signage. Or the senior staff doors. So the principal and the deputies had posters made for their doors, introducing themselves in the six major languages of the school. Those things made a tremendous difference, and the teachers were excited to see the difference that they made.

JULIA:

Incredible. Lovely.

MARIA:

And I think we might just come back to the question about the key role of language learning and language awareness in teachers, because one of our school's case studies especially showed that having a language program. And they had three languages, community languages within the primary school environment as compulsory, compulsory subject. So these language programs have greatly increased teachers positive disposition towards intercultural understanding. So there was a groundwork of understanding. And openness there. Uh, there was no anxiety about including and trying out kids, family, languages.

It was OK to approach parents who helped to make bilingual books. And there were so many positive examples. Within the context of this particular school, which refers really to the fact that only 15% of NSW schools have a language program. Within the primary school environment and we believe it's a significant factor in racism, that it's such a limited number of schools.

JULIA:

Ohh, it's yeah, that's really quite telling, isn't it? In terms of that fact, but really, really appreciated the positive effects, inclusive strategies play out in the classroom. Basis and what you actually witnesses as part of your research. And as part of the influence of your book’s approach as well. So, thank you for sharing those.

Before we wrap up. Have we missed anything that may further highlight the achievements regarding your research or other research projects that value add to whole school approaches to developing intercultural understanding?

ROBYN:

I would just encourage schools to do their own research if they have time and inclination, but the model of setting out to create change and having a means of observing change is very satisfying and. I think it's a very important activity that a school professional activity that. That a school can. Learn a lot from in terms of. Knowledge and understanding of their own environment in. That every school is unique and. Has a unique set of factors.

JULIA:

Great. Thank you, Robin.

MARIA:

And I think. Would be happy if there any questions if any school would like to approach us. I would be very happy also. So create a dialogue with schools as well.

JULIA:

Thank you so much to both of you, Robin and Maria. And just to confirm, as part of our show notes all your contact details and reference to your book will be available so people can connect. And hopefully continue this amazing journey in terms of fostering intercultural understanding and whole school approaches within classrooms and beyond. So thank you so much for joining us today.

ROBYN:

Our pleasure. Thank you.

JULIA:

Thank you for listening to this episode. For further information on the AISNSW Community Cohesion Podcast series and project or any of our guests, please see our show notes.