Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Part A: Experiences Of Australian Values

15 minutes

Part B: Values In The AFL

30 minutes

Part C: AFL Case Study

5 minutes

Reflection

Homework Task - Values Survey: Prior to starting this lesson, students will need to complete a homework task where they survey three people about Australian values using set questions. You could choose to use the below Example Survey, or students could develop their own (also see Extension Task in The Final Quarter - Identifying Values - Civ & Cit - Year 7). Depending on the resources available, the surveys could be completed digitally or on paper.

Example Survey:

Gender:
Age Bracket:
Which of these values do you associate with being an Australian value?
- freedom, respect, inclusion, civility, responsibility, compassion, equality, a ‘fair go’, tolerance (Source: Australian Curriculum)
Give examples of when you think these values are visible or present in Australian society.

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Students understand...

the values people identify as being Australian and experiences associated with these values
that people can have both positive and negative experiences associated with values
the important role that community and sporting organisations have in promoting social cohesion
the importance of AFL events and community programs that challenge social norms and promote social inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
how the AFL is promoting the values of ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ through its community programs.

Students can...

collate and discuss survey results
explain how people’s experiences impact upon their values
use the AFL case study to identify ways sporting organisations promote social cohesion
identify and explain significant AFL events that challenge social norms and promote social inclusion
explain how the AFL promotes the values of ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the AFL and in the wider community.

Part A: Experiences of Australian values

Step 1

Introduce this lesson by asking students to get out their survey responses from the homework task and ask them to share how successful they were with collecting their data. This can be an opportunity to check who has completed the homework and to gauge how many responses were collected in total.

Step 2

Invite students to start collating their responses to the set questions.

If students have completed the surveys digitally (e.g. Google Forms, Crowdsignal, SurveyMonkey), the program will be able to collate the data for the students automatically.
If data has been collected via paper surveys or through conversations, data can be collated via wall posters as per below.

To collate the data required for this lesson, create a wall poster for each Australian value and hang them around the room. Invite students to mark on the posters their survey responses and provide examples of when people think these values are visible in Australian society. You might like to use these Values Wall Posters for each of the values listed in the Example Survey.

Step 3

Once all data has been added to the wall posters, invite students to walk around the room and read the examples and the number of responses for each value. Allow 2-3 minutes for students to read the responses and then ask them to stand in front of one poster, ensuring students are distributed evenly across each poster.

Step 4

Invite the students standing at each poster to tally up the results and share the experiences – both positive and negative – that people associate with the values.

These informal presentations can be used as revision to ensure students understand what each value means.

Step 5

Using the poster already with each group, invite students to highlight any experiences that are linked to sport or community organisations. Encourage students to add other examples of experiences to their poster and then share them with the class.

Part B: Values in the AFL

Step 1

Explain to students that the next part of the lesson will focus on the important role that community and sporting organisations (in particular, the AFL) play in promoting values that are shared by different social and cultural groups.

Invite students to think about and share with the person next to them the values that they think a sporting or community organisation should promote. Encourage them to draw upon their own experiences to identify specific values.

Step 2

Ask students to share their responses with the class and have someone write the values discussed on the board.

Step 3

Once all students have had an opportunity to share their ideas, read through the values written on the board and circle the Corporate Social Responsibility values that the AFL demonstrates through their community programs:

Progressive – we are committed to taking on real issues that matter to our game and that promote social cohesion
Fair – everyone should have a chance to play, to shine, to achieve their best
Accountable – our commitment to community must be able to be measured and have substance.

If those values aren’t on the board, you can write them on the board and invite students to consider what they might look like in practice.

Optional: You might like to share these definitions with students:

Progressive: “Progressive ideas or systems are new and modern, encouraging change in society or in the way that things are done.” (Cambridge Dictionary)
Fair: “Treating someone in a way that is right or reasonable, or treating a group of people equally and not allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment.” (Cambridge Dictionary)
Accountable: “Responsible for what you do and able to give a satisfactory reason for it.” (Cambridge Dictionary)

Step 4

Explain to students that the AFL has worked hard to recognise the important contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the AFL community and that there is growing recognition of AFL as an Indigenous sport, rooted in the traditional Aboriginal game called Marn Grook.

They will soon watch a clip from the documentary The Final Quarter that celebrates the 20th anniversary of Nicky Winmar’s stand against racism in the AFL. It is a significant event as the AFL was challenged at that time by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make sure they felt safe, included and respected in the sport. Ensure students understand that this call arose out of years of racist abuse directed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players on and off the field.

Step 5

Invite students to arrange themselves so that they are seated where they can see the screen. Play this clip from The Final Quarter:

Nicky Winmar (https://vimeo.com/378672446/21c9d2b4e1)

Step 6

After watching the clip, facilitate a class discussion using the following questions as prompts to explore the event and the impact that it had on Adam Goodes.

Why do you think Nicky Winmar’s stand against racism had such a mixed reaction, some positive and some negative?
Why do you think the Collingwood President Allan McAlister was made to apologise after saying “As long as they conduct themselves like white people - well - off the field, everyone will admire and respect them”?
Why do you think Adam Goodes wanted to recreate the iconic photograph of Nicky Winmar?
What values are evident in this clip? Are the values of ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ represented? When and in what way? If not, provide evidence of how the values were disrespected.

If students have limited knowledge and understanding of the AFL and the events shown in the clip, it may be beneficial to show the clip again to help students think about how the values are represented. It is also worth mentioning that the values of ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ were updated between then and now and so may not have been the same in 1993, when this event occurred. You might like to ask students why they decided to choose these values and how the introduction of them might have changed things for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players.

Part C: AFL case study

Step 1

Provide each student with a copy of the Student Worksheet and read through the Significant AFL Events for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples timeline.

Alternatively, use pre-cut dates and events from the Significant AFL Events Factsheet and hand out the nine events to nine different students. Then invite them to arrange themselves in chronological order and read out the year and event details.

Step 2

After reading each of the event details, facilitate a brief class discussion to find out what students already know about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their inclusion in the AFL. The following questions may help guide the discussion:

Which events had you heard of? How did you find out about them?
Which other events could be added to the timeline?
What values are implied by these events?
Is the AFL still upholding these values or have they changed? How? What evidence do you have?

Step 3

Use the responses from the class discussion to assess student interest and prior knowledge of the AFL and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues to help create research groups for the following task.

Step 4

Explain to students that the following research task will require them to work collaboratively to investigate what the AFL has recently done and is doing now to promote ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Draw the students’ attention to the AFL Values Task on the Student Worksheet (provided below) and read through the research task requirements.

AFL Values Task

As a group you are to investigate what the AFL has recently done and is currently doing to promote ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and identities. Some areas where the AFL is doing this include:

The expansion of events already celebrated
Support for current and past players
Development of grassroots clubs and community programs
Governance and policy-making at AFL and club level.

Once you have found three examples of how the AFL is promoting ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, you are to create a brief summary for each in the table below. As a group you will report your findings back to the class (dot points accepted).

Example	Brief summary of what the AFL is currently doing
Creation of the Indigenous Players Alliance https://nit.com.au/past-indigenous-afl-stars-aspire-to-be-an-asset-to-the-industry/ https://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-28/indigenous-past-players-to-support-future-generations
Creation of an Indigenous Players Map https://www.aflplayers.com.au/article/afl-players-launch-2019-indigenous-map/
Richmond Football Club’s Korin Gamadji Institute https://www.kgi.org.au/
All AFL clubs creating and wearing Indigenous jumpers https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-05-21/your-clubs-indigenous-guernsey-vote-on-your-favourite
Appointment of Indigenous Commissioner https://www.sbs.com.au/news/helen-milroy-appointed-afl-s-first-indigenous-commissioner

Step 5

Ensure each group has access to a web-enabled device to complete their research and encourage students to work together to find interesting and relevant information.

Note: The amount of time allocated for research will vary depending on the group and their level of understanding of the topic before starting. This website may be useful as a starting point for students who require extra support: https://community.afl/indigenous.

Use the research time to move around the room and encourage collaborative group work. It is also important to be available to guide students’ research and provide prompts for students to think deeply about their investigations.

Step 6

When the research time is up, give each group 5-10 minutes to collate their ideas and finalise their summary points.

Select groups to present their findings to the class. This could be completed digitally and displayed for the class to see or in a less formal discussion with the class.

As each group presents their investigations, encourage students to list on the Student Worksheet other areas in which the AFL has promoted ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and identities.

Reflection

Invite students to reflect on what they’ve learnt from this lesson by completing the below reflection pyramid on the Student W orksheet:

What are four pieces of information from this lesson that was new to you, and why is this information important to have learned?
What are three values that a sporting club or organisation should promote? Explain your reasoning.
What are the two most important things you think the AFL is doing to promote the values of ‘progressive, fair, accountable’? Justify your choices.
What is one question or issue that you could investigate further, and why do you think it is important to carry out this further learning?

Differentiated Learning

Extension - In Part C, students could select one of the examples of how the AFL is promoting the values of ‘progressive, fair, accountable’ (with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) and create a written report to present to the class. Alternatively, students could select a different sporting or community organisation to investigate.

Provisions for Learning Support

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

The Final Quarter - Promoting Shared Values

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