Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Part A: Introducing Equality and Equity

10 minutes

Part B: Unpacking Equality and Equity

25 minutes

Part C: Working Together With Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Communities

25 minutes

Part D: Deep Listening

35 minutes

Part E: Social Action

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Students will...

understand that relationships and commitment to the community are key in building trust and safety within a community and, reciprocally, that trust and safety in a community are key to building relationships
understand the importance of actively listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to support them in achieving their needs and aspirations
understand that they can take individual and collective action to ensure that all people in their community feel safe, valued, protected by law, and free from racism and other forms of persecution

Students can...

explain why relationships and commitment are important for trust and safety
explain the connection between listening to people from a community and meeting the needs of that community
invite a connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives

Part A: Introducing Equality and Equity

Step 1.

Invite students to sit in a chair circle or at their desks and participate in a Popcorn Share about the term 'reconciliation'.

Step 2.

Inform students that, according to Reconciliation Australia’s research, reconciliation in Australia can be looked at through five dimensions:

Race Relations
Equality and Equity
Institutional Integrity
Unity
Historical Acceptance

Step 3.

Hand out or display the Five Dimensions of Reconciliation. Invite students to read through it.

Advise students that understanding the difference between equality and equity is a key ingredient in understanding reconciliation and contributing towards it. Let them know they will be exploring this difference shortly. You might like to invite students to ask any other questions they might have about reconciliation or the five dimensions.

Step 4.

Define ‘equality’ as: the state of being equal (Macquarie Dictionary)
Define ‘equity’ as:
1. the quality of being fair or impartial
2. that which is just and fair (Macquarie Dictionary)

Show the following image on the whiteboard.

Equality and Equity Image - Angus Maguire

Source: Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire. interactioninstitute.org and madewithangus.com

Invite students to discuss its meaning in pairs. Invite pairs to contribute their ideas to the whole group.

Possible answers: you can’t always make people equal by offering them the same thing if they have different needs. It is necessary to recognise difference before deciding how to go about achieving equity.

In summary, explain to students that it is necessary to encourage, and provide opportunities for people to recognise and/or celebrate their differences in order to create equity. For example, a society is not equitable if everyone has to speak the same language. It is far more equitable if people are allowed to speak their different languages. Invite students to give other examples of equity.

Part B: Unpacking Equality and Equity

Step 1.

Hand out the Student Worksheet and invite students to watch the following clip and fill in the diagram (below) placing the points made by Adam Goodes and Andrew Bolt under each name.

Play this clip from The Final Quarter:

Constitutional Recognition (https://vimeo.com/352633947/c2997ee3c1)

After viewing the clip, ask students to draw lines from each argument to the relevant term at the bottom of the activity: equality, inequality or equity.
Advise students that there are no right answers to this diagram. It is just a tool for collecting their ideas and exploring how the terms relate to each of the issues raised.

Step 2.

Clarify the meanings of the terms equality and equity again. Equality is achieved by providing the same rights, rules and/or experiences for everyone. For example, the right to vote. Equity (which can also be called ‘true equality’) is achieved when opportunities are provided according to differing needs. For example, by providing ramps and lifts so that people who rely on a wheelchair can access multiple levels of a building and are not excluded from doing so.

Step 3.

Hold a class discussion including the following questions:

What is Andrew Bolt saying about equality and does he consider the concept of equity?
What does Adam Goodes’ campaign for constitutional recognition say about the importance of promoting equity, as well as equality, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?
What is the relationship and yet distinction between equality and equity in this example?
How and why is fostering equality and equity important to building stronger race relations (or reconciliation) in Australia more broadly?

Optional Learning Activity

Note: If students are not aware of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, you may like to introduce this document to them at this point in the lesson.

Provide each student with a copy of the Uluru Statement From The Heart (from the primary Source https://www.1voiceuluru.org). Invite one student to read the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the class.

These could be laminated for students so that they are more durable.

View the video on this webpage:

Explainer: Uluru Statement from the Heart (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-history-of-naidoc-week-and-what-voice-treaty-truth-means-to-indigenous-people)

Extension opportunity: For a more detailed explanation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart you may wish to show students the following clip, Uluru Statement from the Heart - Secondary Education Tools (https://vimeo.com/346347606)

Explain to students that the Uluru Statement from the Heart came about after the 'Recognise' movement (that Adam Goodes was involved in) was unsuccessful in its aims for acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the constitution.

Clarify that the Uluru Statement from the Heart is a message to the Australian public from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that explains a way forward for recognition and healing. They seek three primary things:

A First Nations voice to parliament, enshrined in the constitution
A Makarata Commission to supervise agreement-making between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the government
Truth telling about First Nations history.

Invite students to contribute to a respectful class discussion on the statement “Having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in parliament is an important step toward achieving equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia”.

Part C: Working Together With Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Communities

Teacher note: Please ensure you have read the teacher content information on Cultural Safety and Respect, Equality and Equity and Deep Listening before completing this section of the lesson.

Step 1.

Whist watching the following video, instruct students to fill in the below table (on Student Worksheet). They should take note of the advice for engaging effectively with First Nations communities in the solutions column. Encourage active listening - focussing and giving full attention to the complete message of the speaker. Possible solutions have been included for your reference.

A radical and successful approach to working with indigenous communities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKhVX1JF2n8)

CHALLENGES OF COMMON MODELS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH REMOTE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITIES

CHALLENGE	NOTES FROM VIDEO	SOLUTIONS
Lack of relationship	Possible answers: Community leaders wouldn’t talk to government representatives. Fly-in-fly-out method doesn’t work.	Possible answers: Work alongside the community. Acknowledge local expertise.
Lack of trust	Possible answers: The idea that the community would trust the government was ludicrous because of the history of government treatment.	Possible answers: Trust the knowledge of the community and Elders. Engage the community in decision making.
Lack of consultation (listening)	Possible answers: Lack of proper and deep listening to local community.	Possible answers: Stay in the community. Listen and ask questions with respect for local knowledge.
History	Possible answers: Previous governments have taken land, wages and even children from communities.	Possible answers: Acknowledge past history, don’t ignore it and make reparations and compensation.
Government approach	Possible answers: Fly in and hold quick consultations. Fly out and make decisions about the community back in Government offices. This is the Government workers more than it suits the community.	Possible answers: Allow the community to hold influential positions and be the decision-makers. Make decisions from within the community.

Step 2.

Invite students to share their notes from the above table. Conduct a class discussion based around the following questions:

Why do you think the Puuya Project in the video worked for the Lockhart community?
Possible answers: because the project team lived in the community, care was taken to build the relationship in consultation with the community, the community was listened to.
Students may note the differences between urban and regional and remote communities. If so, ask:
Would the solutions suggested in the video also work for projects in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities?
A possible answer could be that the principles in the video would apply to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities; but also, that each community is different and may have different views about what is needed in their community.

Note: Encourage students to critically reflect on the culturally and contextually distinct needs and/or aspirations of their school’s local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. It is important for students to appreciate the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia and accordingly, the importance of identifying relevant and responsive means of working with these communities.

Step 3.

If possible, provide students with the names of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. Discuss the protocols for engaging with them.

Note: If your school has a relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, invite students to recall who their local community members are and remember times they have spent with them. If no relationship has been established, prior to the lesson contact your local Aboriginal Land Council or your local council to find out the names of local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community members and the protocols for engaging with them.

Step 4.

Invite students to create questions they would like to ask of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. Encourage depth of thinking about these questions considering that it is a special opportunity to spend time with the community members.

Part D: Deep Listening

Consider putting on some relaxing background music or conducting parts of this lesson outdoors.

Step 1.

Begin the lesson by settling the students and engaging them in taking deep breaths together, preferably with their eyes closed. Count 1-2-3-4 in, 1-2-3-4 out and repeat at least four times.

Step 2.

Advise students that they will be watching a video about an Aboriginal practice called ‘deep listening’. In the clip following, this practice is called ‘Dadirri’ (pronounced da-did-ee). This is a word from the Ngan’gikurunggurr and Ngen’giwiwumirri (click below for audio of pronunciation courtesy of Professor Nick Reid) languages of the Aboriginal people of the Daly River Region in the Northern Territory. This same practice has different words in other Aboriginal languages.

Share this quote with the students:
"Dadirri is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call 'contemplation'." - Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann - Aboriginal writer and senior elder (Source: https://www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au/about-dadirri)

Step 3.

View this video about dadirri:

DADIRRI (Official Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Video) :: 3 minute promo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8)

Provide some silent time for students to sit quietly and reflect or be still, practicing dadirri.

Gently invite students to turn to a partner and discuss the following:

What did you notice about the quiet time and your own responses to the video?
Were you reminded of any other traditions that use similar practices to dadirri?
Why is it important to spend time in contemplation?

Explain to students that dadirri can also be practiced when listening to others, not just as an internal process.

Ask them to discuss in the same pairs:

When listening to others, what would dadirri look like in practice?
Why might it be important to listen in this way?
Why do you think it might be important to listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in this way?
Provide students with the Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann Quote (Source)

Invite students to go into the school grounds and, in a pair, find a quiet place to sit. One student will read the quote out loud and then both students are to sit quietly for around 5 minutes in contemplation.

Step 4.

Hold a class discussion: Why is it important to actively listen to the voices and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and what are some ways you can ensure that you are listening effectively/respectfully?

Step 5.

Show this clip from The Final Quarter:

Media Watch Debunking Andrew Bolt (https://vimeo.com/352635106/608471eda9)

Invite students to write their own answers to the following questions, then hold a class discussion including the following questions:

How would deep listening have contributed to a greater understanding of what Adam Goodes was saying here?
Possible answers: listening to whole sentences rather than just taking a few words, listening to the feeling of what is being said as well as to the meaning of the words being said.
What is the connection between listening and judgment?
Possible answers: when we don’t listen fully or deeply we come to quick conclusions and judgments, when we listen at a shallow level we are more likely to respond with our own opinion than really consider what the other person is saying and take it on board.
How does failure to listen contribute to controversy?
Possible answers: failure to listen is the foundation of controversy. When people truly listen to each other there is more likely to be understanding, especially where cross cultural issues are involved. Rumours spread when people aren't interesting in gathering all the facts and this leads to controversy.

Invite students to return to the classroom and to share their experiences.

Part E: Social Action

Step 1.

Explain to students that they will now be developing a proposal for a project that could complement a local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation’s goals.

Step 2.

Invite students to research (local) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations that might be interesting to partner with for a project. Ask students to consider how they could work alongside the organisations to support them to achieve their goals. Draw on support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members to determine which groups or organisations would be most open to this kind of project.

Step 3.

Divide students into groups of four, then invite them to use the following project map (on the Student Worksheet) to brain-dump project ideas:

Step 4.

Invite students to draft an email to their chosen organisation. Students should invite the organisation to visit or video conference with the class so they can discuss how their class could play a part in helping the organisation achieve its goals.

Step 5.

If you are able to arrange a meeting with the organisation, invite students to ask the community organisation which project ideas from the brain-dump they think would be most effective. Mark these ideas with stars. You can also place arrows next to the project ideas that will require a significant time investment. Based on these ratings, work together to select one idea to use.

Note: During this process encourage students to be open to new ideas that they had not originally thought of. This is the nature of good collaboration.

If you are not able to arrange a meeting invite students to move on to another organisation and start back at Step 4

Reflection

Depending on the timing and connection with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, you might like to invite students to answer one or both of the following questions on the Student Worksheet:

Why do you think that deep listening is essential in achieving equality and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and achieving reconciliation between all Australians?
What have you learned from ‘listening’ to your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members?

Differentiated Learning

Extension - After students select their favourite project, you could provide the following activity as extension:

Your local council is offering $1000 of funding for a project that creates stronger relationships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Write a 200-word application for funding that includes the aims, costs and timeline of your project.

Provisions for Learning Support -

Where classes are not able to meet with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members due to geographical or other barriers, consider seeking out online communication between your school and members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. This may not include directly communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members but can foster the beginning of a dialogue between the school and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
This lesson requires teacher sensitivity to student’s feelings and experience in relation to racial discrimination, bullying and harassment. Teachers are encouraged to create an environment where students feel supported in their emotional response throughout the lesson and after the lesson.

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 - Working Together

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Summary

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