Australian citizenship report: Australia in the 21st century Stage(s): 4–5 Sydney Technical High School: School Forest Rd, BEXLEY NSW Address: 2207 Telephone:02 9587 5899 Facsimile: 02 9553 8315 Contact: Peter Heath Rationale, aims and objectives This project aimed to effectively engage students with the civics and citizenship component of the Stage 5 Australian History course, especially in relation to the changing rights and freedoms of marginalised groups such as Aborigine peoples, women and migrants. The project aimed to make citizenship issues meaningful to students by encouraging them to undertake original research with people in today’s world. This involved interviewing members of marginalised groups and discussing their experiences of discrimination, disadvantage and injustice in Australian society as well as their hopes and dreams for a better Australia in the twenty first century. An important part of the rationale for the project was to counter common misconceptions among students that citizenship issues were irrelevant, politically correct, theoretical constructs, with little relevance to their own lives. As part of their research, students interviewed a range of people as first hand oral sources. Often the interviewees were from ‘their own backyards.’ These included family members, such as mothers and aunts who shared their experiences of being a woman, migrant or both in the 1960 and 70’s; fathers, uncles and neighbours who candidly told their stories about migrating to Australia; or discussions with Aboriginal people about the pain of being a ‘stolen child’. The benefits of the project include a much better understanding amongst participating students about citizenship issues facing marginalised groups in Australia. Students responded that by talking to real people (especially those whom they knew well) and listening to their stories, they were able to empathise more readily with their experiences of disadvantage and discrimination. Participating students gained ‘deep knowledge’ by undertaking Best practice in civics and citizenship NSW Discovering Democracy professional development http://www.abc.net.au/civics/democracy/default.htm original research using oral sources, something which would have been much more difficult using written sources alone. Project description The project directly addressed the Stage 5 History Syllabuses’ Focus Issues 3 and 4 (What has been the changing nature of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations in Australia? How have the rights and freedoms of various gender, cultural, social and economic groups changed over time?); knowledge and understanding objectives (changing nature of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations in Australian history, the changing rights and freedoms of various gender, cultural and economic groups) skills objectives (interpretation, analysis and empathy), research and communication objectives; and values and attitude objectives (commitment to informed and active citizenship and commitment to a just society). It also effectively fulfils a wide range of syllabus’ outcomes. The project required all Year 10 Australian History students at Sydney Technical High School to complete a research task entitled: ‘Australian Citizenship Report.’ The task was one of the components of their School Certificate assessment program in Australian History for 2003 and required students to write ‘a report for the Federal Government’ based on their wide knowledge and research (including interviews with oral sources) of marginalised groups in Australia in the twentieth century. The report was also to include a section on future directions for each group addressed in terms of ‘recommendations for the government’ on how it could best redress any current injustices or disadvantage for each group for the twenty first century. The actual task is outlined below: Scenario The Australian Federal Government is seeking advice from a range of experts on citizenship issues, especially discrimination and injustice, in order to make Australia a fairer place for all citizens in the twenty first century. As a historian and expert in the field, you have been researching marginalised groups who have struggled for rights and freedoms over the last century, especially indigenous (Aborigines), gender (women) and cultural (migrant) groups. You have been asked to provide a historical perspective and to give you views. The Task Best practice in civics and citizenship NSW Discovering Democracy professional development http://www.abc.net.au/civics/democracy/default.htm Compile your findings, based on thorough research, into a report to be submitted to the Federal Government entitled: Australia in the Twenty First Century: Towards a Just and Fair Society. A Report on the Rights and Freedoms of Aborigines, Women and Migrants in the Twentieth Century. The report should be organised for each marginalised group (Aborigines, women and migrants) into two parts: 1. Changing Rights and Freedoms in the Twentieth Century (400 words) Outline the key changes in the rights and freedoms, explain how and why these changes have occurred and identify some of the rights and freedoms gained by each group by the end of the twentieth century. 2. Recommendations for the Twenty First Century (100 words) Make brief recommendations on future directions for Australian society in the twenty first century eg What, if anything, still needs to done to redress injustice, discrimination or disadvantage? Hints, ideas, comments Use a range of different types of sources in your research including; primary and secondary, electronic and textual, oral and written. Use at least three primary oral sources (one for each group i.e. Aborigine peoples, women and migrants). You could consult with interest groups or interview friends, relative, neighbours. Interviews may take a variety of forms eg face to face, by phone, by e-mail or online chat. Include a list of questions carefully compiled beforehand eg a relevant question might be to ask ‘How successful have changes been?’ Use the information skills process, locate, select and organize an investigation in which you answer the question above. You should plan your task using a research proposal Correctly reference your task using the Harvard or author/date/page method At the end of your task you should include a bibliography which is annotated (i.e. comments on) three sources explaining their perspective or interpretation and usefulness for you as a historian researching this topic (20-30 words each). One should be oral and one a web site. The task was assessed using four key criteria. These included, demonstrated ability to: explain key historical events and issues in Australian history; explain and uses sources for historical inquiry, including oral sources; explain different Best practice in civics and citizenship NSW Discovering Democracy professional development http://www.abc.net.au/civics/democracy/default.htm perspectives and historical interpretations; plan and conduct historical research with some independence; use appropriate written forms to communicate. The completed tasks were marked by one member of the History faculty. All Year 10 History staff (three teachers) were involved in helping students resource and research the task. In some cases, other staff members at the school were interviewed for the project. However, students were encouraged to show initiative and to interview people outside the school in the wider community. This meant speaking to their parents, relations, neighbours or even contacting various interest groups. A range of resources was provided outside their class text. These included a list of useful websites and organisations which could to be consulted. Implementation The duration of the project was approximately ten weeks from when the task was first issued to the final marking and feedback. There were three main steps in implementation of the project: a. Explaining and researching the project. Students in all Year 10 classes were issued with the task and the components, procedures and marking criteria were explained. Students were then assisted by teachers to locate and research appropriate resources, which included written, electronic and oral. b. Organising, synthesising and evaluating sources. Students synthesised their research material for each marginalized group sequentially in Part 1(Changing Rights and Freedoms in the Twentieth Century) from 1901 to the present. They then used the historical understanding gained to evaluate the present situation and speculate about the future needs of each group by making appropriate recommendations for the twenty first century (Part 2). Finally, students evaluated three of their sources (including oral sources) by annotations explaining their perspective and usefulness. c. Assessing and providing meaningful feedback. Students were provided with meaningful feedback in the form of verbal and written comment from their teachers. Written feedback was provided in two forms: first, through a set of marking guidelines and comments on each of the four marking criteria; second, by providing students with copies of exemplar tasks and discussing their key features. Evaluation Best practice in civics and citizenship NSW Discovering Democracy professional development http://www.abc.net.au/civics/democracy/default.htm While there was no formal evaluation of the project, a qualitative evaluation was conducted by informal discussions with staff and students. As with any project involving a large number of students of varying abilities and interest there was range of responses. A small proportion of students appeared to find the task challenging both in terms of the higher order skills involved in researching and synthesising significant amounts of material and hypothesizing about the future. However, significant numbers of students clearly demonstrated that they not only clearly understood many of the issues facing marginalized groups in the past but made insightful recommendations for the future. A number of students commented that they had gained a much better understanding of the experiences of marginalized groups through face to face or phone interviews. Teachers were in no doubt that it was the direct engagement of students with their subjects which had enabled them to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of citizenship issues and an enduring desire to ensure that Australia remained truly a just and fair society. Best practice in civics and citizenship NSW Discovering Democracy professional development http://www.abc.net.au/civics/democracy/default.htm