Developing creative citizens through experiential learning environments in applied drama

The Seoul Agenda (2010, p.8) recognizes the value of arts education in enhancing creative and innovative capacity in young people. It goes so far as to suggest that applying arts will “cultivate a new generation of creative citizens”. This paper documents a specific area of arts education in university level drama degrees. In a case study approach, it discusses the outcomes of a work-based learning approach for students of applied drama. It explores the drama student‟s experience and considers how engaging in the study of applied drama and applied performance and having the support and opportunity to transfer these skills in real contexts acts to develop creative capacity and to contribute to consolidating the students‟ identities as citizens

Exploring cultural inclusion: perspectives from a community arts organisation

Using focus group interviews and individual stories of participants from secondary data, we  illuminate the role of Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) in Australia in how it promotes cultural  inclusion through programs of social and civic service. Our findings confirm the significance of  cultural inclusion and the potentially useful role of arts in creating inclusive organisations and  communities. We further develop a framework of cultural inclusion in the workplace to provide  a holistic understanding of the cultural inclusion process that can lead to the development of  inclusive workplaces. As social inclusion is central to Australia’s national identity, this article helps  researchers and practitioners to understand how cultural inclusion and inclusive organisational  theories collide and complement each other to create inclusive organisations.

Revisionist historicism theory and practice: challenging national metanarratives

 This thesis demonstrates the interdependence of theory and practice in re-envisioning Australia’s past: the postmodern methodologies explored in the exegesis inform my fictional reassessment of history. The thesis argues for revisionist historical fiction’s legitimacy in resurrecting lost voices. It looks beyond the colonial archives to reconfigure Australia’s history in more inclusive ways.

Ethics of teaching with social media

This paper goes beyond the commonly held concerns of Internet safety, such as cyberbullying. Instead, it explores the ethical dilemmas we face as teachers when using social media, in particular social networks, in the classroom. We believe old ideas of respect and culture of care for children and young people need to be reconstructed around new media. This paper draws on the authors’ experience in teaching with, and researching students’ use of, social media in the classroom. In this paper we explore the ethical issues of consent, traceability, and public/private boundaries. We tackle the complex issue of the rights around virtual identities of the students followed by a discussion on the ethics of engaging students in public performance of curriculum and their lives. Finally we discuss the ethical dilemma involved in recognising and responding to illicit activity. While we reflect on our own response to these dilemmas and propose a dialogic process as the way forward, we also return to the argument that the e ethical choices are dilemmas in which most, if not all, options are unpalatable or impracticable.

Tracks to advocacy: journalism studies, animal rights and Australian media law

This article considers the role of animal rights-based journalism and its connection to teaching media law and ethics to undergraduate students in an Australian university arts faculty. An anecdotal discussion of a reflective practice informing the teaching of an undergraduate course in a journalism major relates questions of ethics and law to broader considerations of the role of advocacy in and around journalism, and media practice. It is argued that animal rights-related stories have a role in training media professionals, and also in inspiring journalists to envision their own work as part of the democratic mechanisms of social and legal reform in Australia.

Lifelong learning for farmers - the changing world of agriculture

Farmers must understand the intricacies of export markets, futures trading, share markets and global politics. Farmers are often living and working in isolated locations where the opportunities for professional development are limited. Yet they seem able to acquire knowledge and successfully apply it, with the result that agriculture is a growing and vigorous industry. In this paper I wish to acknowledge the unique learning environment of farmers by exploring their relationship with lifelong learning.

Interview with Lubna Algadrie

Lubna Algadrie is an Indonesian who studied in Australia at Sydney University in 1977 and again in 1984-1985. This dataset includes an audio recording of a whole-of-life interview conducted with Lubna, which details her personal experiences as a participant in Australian-sponsored tertiary education scholarship programs - the Colombo Plan and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB) Scholarship. The timed summary is based on the audio recording. The interview was conducted in English by Dr Jemma Purdey of Deakin University. The interview was recorded on 31 May 2014. This set comprises: an interview recording, a timed summary of the interview, and a photograph of Lubna Algadrie - Indonesian alumni 1970 and 1980 cohorts.

Factors influencing students' choice of mathematics at university

 This study investigated what motivated current undergraduate mathematics students to choose to study mathematics at university. It found a diverse array of factors perceived by students as having informed their decisions. These included background factors, situational factors, self-perception, and perceptions of mathematics as a discipline

The rise of the Anglican orthodox church in Solomon Islands

 This research examines an Anglican schism in Melanesia which led to the rise of a new church and argues that the new church was a response to the fundamental importance of territory. The result is a new social formation called the segmentary church society.

National and international disability rights legislation: a qualitative account of its enactment in Australia

In this paper, a detailed analysis based on the lived experiences of the study participants and the researcher (each with vision impairment) in education, post school and in the pursuit for employment is developed. The policy discourses of disability legislation - both at national and international levels - are explored with particular reference to their enactment in Australia. The analysis focuses on the collective indifference to detached others, which is evident in the linguistic construction of people with disabilities in the United Nations [(2006). Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York: United Nations] and the Australian Standards for Education 2005 [Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. 2006. Disability Standards for Education 2005 Plus Guidance Notes. Accessed March 12, 2012. http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-7692.]. Together, these elements reflect the neoliberal principles that cast a shadow over the discourses of the disability policies.

Theorizing the imaginary character in David Holman's the small poppies

For this project, I focus on David Holman's The Small Poppies (1989) as a case study to highlight the significance of the imaginary character in a stand-out Australian theatre-in education (TIE) play. The main premise of the article is to extend the study of imaginary characters and its association with young children, using a reflective inquiry that is based on an artist-in-school practitioner's viewpoint. Holman's play negotiates the competing forces between a child's positive notions about the imaginary companion and society's varied comprehension of such imaginings, which at times is unflattering. The story of Clint and his imaginary dog, Digger, in The Small Poppies emerges as a micro-socio-psychological phenomenon in the form of: (1) an invisible, known identity; (2) an emotional stabilizer; and (3) shared imaginings. In this study, the analysis pivots solely on the imaginary character at particular performative "turning points" (Bullock and Ritter 2011) within the play. The theorization of the imaginary character in The Small Poppies offers a new perspective for young people's relationships with imaginary characters from the field of Australian TIE.

A cross-cultural study of somatic countertransference

Somatic countertransference is a valuable clinical tool in psychoanalytic practice, which provides the clinician with clues about the emerging, inter subjective and relational field of the analytic dyad. This thesis explores how somatic countertransference occurs and how best to work with from a cross-cultural perspective.

Mathematically-rich interactions in early childhood centres

 This study investigated children’s engagement in mathematically-rich interactions in early childhood centres. While mathematically-rich interactions were found to be occurring with regular frequency, educators sometimes had difficulty identifying mathematical concepts in their planning. These findings may be used to inform the content of pre- and in-service early childhood education courses.

New Zealand primary teachers’ ICT professional development and classroom practices

This research presented fifteen New Zealand primary school teachers’ stories about the impact professional development in using information and communication technologies (ICT) had on their classroom practice. These teachers made changes to their classroom practice in accordance to appreciating the need for change, changes in their pedagogical thinking, their beliefs about teaching and learning, overcoming barriers to, and their skills and confidence in using ICT in the classroom.