Contesting spaces for Indigenous knowledge in university teaching and learning

Teaching and learning indigenous knowledge (as opposed to “modern” knowledge) is inherently a political and moral act. Indigenous Australian knowledges areas are as diverse as its geographical landscape. Making space for Indigenous knowledges in academia should not merely be a question of social justice or equity; the focus needs to shift to restoring pedagogical justice. This chapter provides insights for possible frameworks for embedding Indigenous knowledges and draws from experiences of teaching critical Indigenous Studies at one Australian university.

The Threshold Learning Outcome on self-management for the Bachelor of Laws degree : a proposed focus for teaching strategies in the first year law curriculum

The Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Discipline Scholars for Law, Professors Sally Kift and Mark Israel, articulated six Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for the Bachelor of Laws degree as part of the ALTC’s 2010 project on Learning and Teaching Academic Standards. One of these TLOs promotes the learning, teaching and assessment of self-management skills in Australian law schools. This paper explores the concept of self-management and how it can be relevantly applied in the first year of legal education. Recent literature from the United States (US) and Australia provides insights into the types of issues facing law students, as well as potential antidotes to these problems. Based on these findings, I argue that designing a pedagogical framework for the first year law curriculum that promotes students’ connection with their intrinsic interests, values, motivations and purposes will facilitate student success in terms of their personal well-being, ethical dispositions and academic engagement.

Perceiving the interactive body in dance: Enhancing kinesthetic empathy through art objects

Through a consideration of audience experience of embodiment in contemporary dance performance, this project used kinesthetic empathy as a theoretical construct to inform choreographic decision-making. The research outcome challenged the traditional performer/audience relationship through an interactive dance performance work entitled Planets. This acted as a platform that allowed both audience and performer to collaboratively listen to, process and form movement in a shared kinesthetic state. This connection was enabled through the distribution of interactive art objects, which responded to the shifting proximity between performer and audience. The performance was thus experienced through following a shared goal as instigated by the interactive technology. Through practice-led research, knowledge from kinesthetic empathy, embodied cognition and the mirror neuron system were used to develop the project’s aim in encouraging interactive audiences to engage in movement. This aim influenced studio explorations of movement through an enquiry into the kinesthetic self in dance. Investigations used movement quality, tension, mobility and acceleration to access a familiar movement vocabulary appropriate for a broad interactive audience. This informed the role of the researcher as performer. Planets was developed as a collaborative project between Michael Smith and interactive visual designer Andy Bates and performed over three nights at the Ars Electronica Festival 2014 in Linz, Austria. Supported by documented footage from Planets and audience responses to the performances, this paper draws together the theoretical underpinnings behind the development of the work and includes the experiential perspective of the performer.

John Andrews : Architecture a Performing Art

The distinguished Australian architect surveys his career and examines how his architectural theories are expressed in his designs.

Teaching manufacturing engineering at tertiary institutions in conjunction with engineering design and engineering materials

Tertiary institutions now face serious challenges. Modern industry requires engineering graduates with strong knowledge of modern technologies, highly practical focus, management skills, ability to work individually and in a team, understanding of environmental issues and many other skills and graduate attributes. Institutions in the tertiary sector change courses and modify curriculum to reflect challenges of the modern industry and make engineering graduates better prepared for the “real world”. Queensland University of Technology in the recent years introduced an innovative structure of engineering courses with a common core for Bachelor of Engineering Mechanical, Infomechatronics and Medical, where manufacturing is taught in conjunction with engineering design and engineering materials. In this paper we discuss the innovative curriculum structure, teaching and learning approaches of coherent delivery of manufacturing in conjunction with engineering design and

Art and the anxious city: Public art, public interest and the public good

While public art is often considered a key hallmark of a creative city, artworks in the public realm also have the capacity to act as lightening rods for social anxiety at times of perceived crisis. This paper considers recent debates about government-sponsored public art projects in Queensland in light of three international case studies: Rodin’s Thinker in Paris, Tilted Arc in New York and Vault in Melbourne. It considers whether consensus positions on public art are possible or desirable in light of issues of spatial control, and proposes that well-negotiated anxieties about public art may be an indicator of creative vibrancy and dynamism that will assist in the future understanding of Queensland’s experiment with government-mandated public art.

Caught in the headlights: Designing for creative learning and teaching in higher education

This study was an exploration of the different ways that educators conceptualise and approach creative learning and teaching. The research revealed theoretical and practice-based insights, demonstrating that exemplary teachers adopt an ecological approach to designing for student creativity; this approach acknowledges and works with the complexity of the higher education environment and the dynamic relationships between students, peers and teachers. The inquiry confirmed the value of using learning design patterns to uncover hidden creative processes.

"Rebirth: Combined art performance"--Shirin Madg & Sweet Sound Ensemble

Vanessa Mafe-Keane was invited to participate as choreographer in Iranian singer Shirin Madg 's project, Rebirth: Combined art performance. This project integrated singing, music, visual-art, film, dance and is based on the dissident poetry of female Iranian poet, Forough Farrokhzad. The choreographic dance movement focused on simple, lyrical, flowing classical dance forms that also incorporated everyday gestures and actions performed by two Queensland dancers, Caitlin MacKenzie and Abby Johnson. The choreographic intention was not to attempt to re-create Iranian dance practices instead, to draw inspiration and reference specific movement qualities. This was achieved through the subtle inclusion of spinning movements and focusing attention on the dancers’ arms and upper torso. This fusion became an underlying theme reflected throughout the choreographic component. Additionally, this project presented an opportunity to draw on past experiences and problem-solve ways to construct choreographic work where the dancers and the musical assemble group could be staged side by side. This experience highlighted differing approaches to rehearsal protocols within disciplines, the practicalities of staging different artists, understanding musical cues and the diversity of audience engagement. Performances: BEMAC Multicultural Centre, Brisbane 06 February 2015 and Helensvale Cultural Centre, Gold Coast 07 February 2015

A different kind of studio: Reflecting on the open studio and the artist-teacher

For more than 15 years, QUT’s Visual Arts discipline has employed a teaching model known as the ‘open studio’ in their undergraduate BFA program. Distinct from the other models of studio degrees in Australia, the open studio approach emphasizes individual practice by focusing on experimentation, collaboration and cross-disciplinary activities. However, while this activity proves to be highly relevant to exploring and participating in the ‘post medium’ nature of much contemporary art, the open studio also presents a complex of affecting challenges to the artist-teacher. The open studio, it can be argued, produces a different type of student than traditional, discipline-specific art programs – but it also produces a different kind of artist-teacher. In this paper, the authors will provide a reflection on their own experiences as artists and studio lecturers involved with the two ‘bookends’ of the QUT studio program – first year and third year. Using these separate contexts as case studies, the authors will discuss the transformative qualities of the open studio as it is adapted to the particularities of each cohort and the curricular needs of each year level. In particular, the authors will explore the way the teaching experience has influenced and positively challenged their individual (and paradoxically) discipline-focussed, studio practices. It is generally accepted that the teaching of art needs to be continually reconceptualised in response to the changing conditions of contemporary art, culture and technology. This paper will articulate how the authors have worked at that reconceptualisation within both their teaching and studio practices and so practically demonstrate the complex dialogic processes inherent to the teaching of the visual arts studio.

Feminism and art in 2013 : a panel discussion

Brisbane-based artist and Founding Co-Director of LEVEL artist run initiative Courtney Coombs reports on a one day forum about Feminism and Art held at LEVEL on International Womens Day 2013. LEVEL is focused on providing opportunities for female visual artists and generating dialogue around gender and arts practice. To listen to podcasts from the event visit http://www.ciprecinct.qut.edu.au/archive/2013/feminism-art.jsp

UQ in Vietnam: Teaching journalism students foreign correspondence

The University of Queensland has developed Work Integrated Learning (WIL) courses for groups of 10 students at a time to travel to Vietnam to engage in intercultural learning and working as foreign correspondents for a dedicated UQ multimedia website. Their radio, television, print and photojournalism reports have also been made available to media around the world under Creative Commons arrangements. This article reports on the students' experience in both WIL courses where they were exposed to intensive, immerse and experiential teaching and coaching by a lecturer (the researcher who is a former foreign correspondent for the ABC) and two tutors with expertise in editorial and technical production.

ATAR scores only part of the picture for teaching

A common debate has resurfaced over teacher quality and the quality of teacher education in Australia. This time it was started by a leaked draft report into teacher education from the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) which the public can’t expect to see for at least another month. Media reports have all focused on one aspect of the wide-ranging report: teaching students' ATARs.

Robots, the internet and teaching history in the age of the NBN and the Australian curriculum

Have you ever wished you were Doctor Who and could pop yourself and your students into a Tardis and teleport them to an historical event or to meet a historical figure? We all know that unfortunately time travel is not (yet) possible, but maybe student and teacher teleportation just might be – sort of. Over the past few centuries and in lieu of time travel our communities have developed museums as a means of experiencing some of our history...

Investigating a model of mentoring for effective teaching

This paper investigates a five-factor model of mentoring for effective teaching. A survey was administered to 218 student teachers after student teaching to provide insights into their mentoring experience. Results indicated the five factors, namely, personal attributes, system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, and feedback, had Cronbach alpha scores of .93, .81, .95, .91, and .91, respectively with mean scale scores ranging from 4.20 to 4.60 (p< .001). Items associated with each factor were analyzed; the lowest percentage response was reviewing lesson plans (71%) and the highest percentage was modeling effective teaching practices (96%). Triangulated data from the survey results suggested that the practices implemented by the mentor teachers were perceived to have supported the student teachers’ development during student teaching. Implications of this study suggest that actively engaging mentor teachers who apply the principles outlined by the five factor areas will serve to ensure highly effective support for the development of student teachers.