Working Together: Module 1
Introduction to Intercultural Teaching
and Learning Leadership
Module 1 - Working Together
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Introduction to Intercultural Teaching
and Learning Leadership
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2
A Note on Terminology .................................................................................................................... 2
Learning Outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 3
Module Topics .................................................................................................................................. 3
General Program Overview .............................................................................................................. 4
Background ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Why Staff Teaching in Indigenous Cultures and Health need to be Intercultural Teaching and
Learning Leaders .............................................................................................................................. 5
The National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian
Universities................................................................................................................................... 5
Leadership Models ........................................................................................................................... 7
The Linking Worlds Intercultural Leadership Framework............................................................ 7
The Academic Leadership Capability Framework ........................................................................ 8
Program Outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 9
Reflective Journaling – An Important Tool for Developing Intercultural Leadership ................ 11
Required Readings ......................................................................................................................... 15
Additional Resources ..................................................................................................................... 15
Reflective Journaling .................................................................................................................. 16
References...................................................................................................................................... 16
Appendix 1: Reflective Journal Rubric for Indigenous Cultures and Health 130 - INTERCULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE VALUE RUBRIC ......................................................................... 18
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Introduction
Welcome and we look forward to your participation in this ground-breaking intercultural
leadership program titled Working Together. The aim of the program is:
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to enable you to become confident in your leadership role
to gain competencies so as to create educational environments which are respectful to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, within an Aboriginal Terms of Reference
to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in higher education
to improve health outcomes through ensuring services provide culturally safe care
to increase the numbers of intercultural leaders
A Note on Terminology
‘Intercultural’ and ‘leadership’: both these terms are contested and will be explored during the
course of the program. You will be given the opportunity to reflect on your own ideas and discuss
with others how they intersect with different views of leadership. You will also be introduced to
Australian educators, Frawley et al. (2010) who have worked in remote settings with Aboriginal
communities and developed a model of intercultural leadership, which will be discussed in the
program.
In Working Together we have chosen to use the terms ‘Aboriginal’ and ‘non-Aboriginal’. Other
terms we discussed included: Indigenous and non-Indigenous, Noongar and Wadjela, and Original
Australian and non-Original Australian, among others. We came to our decision based on the:
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respectful opinion of the local Aboriginal community,
appropriate consideration of place, race, language and continuity
suitable concerns regarding the delivery of this program
Therefore, when we are talking about ‘intercultural’ in the context of this program the focus is on
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
The intercultural leadership program has been designed for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
academics. The overall aim is to provide a framework for educators to enable graduates’ to work
confidently in an intercultural environment, so education and health outcomes for Aboriginal
Australians can be improved. Specifically, it was developed for the intercultural academic
leadership skills of staff involved in teaching and coordinating the Curtin University Indigenous
Culture and Health 130 (ICH 130) unit, with the intention of improving the learning and teaching
experiences for the annual intake of first year students in ICH 130 (approximately 2300) unit. It is
believed that the program can be applied across a range of educational sectors which focus on
improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
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Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, participants will:
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consider a range of ways to articulate identity and shared history
recognise the importance of intercultural leadership and why as intercultural leaders you
are agents of change
understand the importance of Aboriginal perspectives within higher education
explore intercultural leadership capabilities
appreciate and utilise reflection and journal writing practices
Realise that many national bodies recognize the need and call for intercultural leadership
practices
Module Topics
In this first module, we will introduce you to Working Together and its learning outcomes. We will
discuss the general concepts of ‘intercultural’ and ‘leadership’, then locate them in the broader
theoretical context and learn how to apply them in practice. The program is experiential and
interactive, and key elements involve reflecting on your own experiences and understandings of
leadership, capturing, through journal writing, how and why such experiences have influenced
you. The activities will require you to work individually and in small groups to critically reflect on
how your own experiences intersect with broader theoretical constructs of intercultural leadership
within the university context.
This module gives a general overview of the program and introduces the need for intercultural
teaching and learning leadership and specifically, the module discusses why teaching staff are
intercultural teaching and learning leaders and agents of change. We will also discuss the optimum
ways in which to enhance intercultural leaders’ capacity by use of experiential learning, and
reflection tools.
We will examine intercultural teaching and learning leadership and the role of teaching staff
developing Aboriginal cultural competence in the higher education environment and introduce
some concepts for aiding leadership development.
Module topics include:
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Program Overview
Background
Why Staff Teaching in Indigenous Cultures and Health Need to be Intercultural Teaching
and Learning Leaders
Leadership Modules
Program Outcomes
Reflective Journaling
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General Program Overview
This program for intercultural teaching and learning leaders is about improving your effectiveness
in your role, and to assist you to become more self-aware that much of what you do can be
considered leadership. In order to do this, you need to learn about:
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critical race and cross-cultural learning theories in a (post)colonial context
intercultural educational principles as well as leadership concepts
self-care and resilience for teaching in the intercultural space
working collaboratively with students and colleagues in an intercultural context
Some of you will find this program exciting and quite invigorating, others will find it a bit
challenging because you may realise a need for personal change in order to become a competent,
and therefore, a confident intercultural leader. However, you will find the development strategies
in this program, and the peer learning gained from interacting with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
colleagues in the same role, helpful in easing you through those challenges. In the end, you will
gain considerably by having a closer look at the following:
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intercultural leadership and its relationship to teaching and learning
interpersonal and intrapersonal communication
strategies for self-care and resilience for teaching in the intercultural space
theories of intercultural learning
principles of cultural safety, cultural security, cross-cultural awareness and cultural
competence
positions within racial identity models
intercultural conflict management and managing ‘resistance’
problem solving models and strategies to build influence and support a shift to an
intercultural space
initiating and facilitating intercultural learning
Strategies for responding to changing and unfamiliar circumstances and, how intercultural
teaching and learning leadership translates to leadership in other contexts.
Background
There are significant drivers to ensure universities engage better with Aboriginal issues and
include (but are not restricted to) Recommendation 30 of the Bradley Review of Higher Education
(2008). The review emphasises the urgent need for improvements in education access and
outcomes for Indigenous people. Another driver is the 2012 Review of Higher Education Access
and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (in response to Recommendation
30 and led by Professor Larissa Behrendt). Importantly, part of the terms of reference for the
Review is the recognition for the equivalence of Aboriginal knowledge in the higher education
sector, an approach that underpins this project.
Current research confirms that Aboriginal Australians bear the brunt of the legacy of colonisation
and that institutional and interpersonal racial discrimination have a profound effect on outcomes
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Larson et al. argue that “Increasing our understanding of
the ways that Aboriginal people experience racism and the pathways through which those
experiences have an impact on health is essential if there are to be any lasting improvements”
(2007, p.328). One approach that emerged from the United States was Critical Race Theory, a
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body of scholarship that interrogates the discourses, ideologies, and social structures that produce
and maintain conditions of racial injustice (Hatch 2008; See also Singleton & Linton, 2006). The
approach in our program is one of decolonisation, the aim of which is to revalue and bring
forward that which has been so profoundly and systematically devalued (Dudgeon & Fielder, 2006)
so Aboriginal cultures, knowledge and language can exist legitimately and safely (Battiste, 1996).
The notion of ‘whiteness’ within the context of the mainstream Anglo-Australian culture is
reflected on and interrogated as a specific form of privilege where discriminatory practices are
acknowledged and challenged to improve practice and strengthen Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal
relationships to be more equitable and respectful (Moreton Robinson, 2009; Pease, 2011).
Given the well documented health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians
(Pink & Albon, 2008), in 2008 Curtin was the first university to develop and implement a
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and committed to closing the gap in health between Aboriginal
and non-Aboriginal Australians. Part of the RAP commitment was to Indigenise Curtin’s curriculum
and as part of the RAP the Faculty of Health Science introduced ICH 130 across the Faculty’s 19
disciplines. This Intercultural Leadership workshop is modelled on the successful intercultural
leadership demonstrated by Curtin’s School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONM) and the Centre for
Aboriginal Studies (CAS), and was recognised in 2010 with the Australian Teaching and Learning
Council Neville Bonner Award, suggesting a proven framework for engaging in the intercultural
space.
Working in this intercultural space can, nonetheless, be uncomfortable and confronting. Nakata
(2007) reasons that the cultural interface is the contested space between two knowledge systems
where things are not clearly black or white, Aboriginal or Western. Histories, politics, economics,
multiple and interconnected discourses, social practices and knowledge technologies come
together in this space and influence how we all come to look at the world, how we come to know
and understand our changing everyday realities, and how and what knowledge we bring into
practice in our daily lives (Nakata, 2007). This suggests a rich and productive, if somewhat
challenging, space to explore intercultural leadership.
Why Staff Teaching in Indigenous Cultures and Health need to
be Intercultural Teaching and Learning Leaders
The National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in
Australian Universities
Universities Australia collaborated with the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council and the
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to develop a best
practice framework for embedding Indigenous cultural competency in Australian universities. This
Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities (p.3) is:
“founded upon the premise that a fundamental pre-condition for the development of Indigenous
cultural competence and long-term sustainable change is a sector-wide commitment to:
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the review and implementation of appropriate accountability and reporting structures,
policies and procedures
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cultural competency training of university staff
increasing institutional engagement with Indigenous communities and organisations
Indigenisation of the curriculum within sound pedagogical frameworks
pro-active provision of support and services to Indigenous students and staff
and, the widening of Indigenous involvement in the life and governance of the university
through the inclusion of Indigenous cultures and knowledge as a visible and valued part of
university life and decision-making.” (Universities Australia, 2011, p.3)
The Framework includes five guiding principles which relate to the themes of:
1. University governance – Aboriginal people should be actively involved in university
governance and management
2. Teaching and learning –all graduates of Australian universities should be culturally
competent
3. Indigenous research - research should be conducted in a culturally competent way that
empowers Aboriginal participants and encourages collaboration with Aboriginal
communities
4. Human resources - Aboriginal staffing should be increased at all appointment levels and,
for academic staff, should cover a wider variety of academic fields; and
5. Community engagement - universities should operate in partnership with local Aboriginal
communities and should help disseminate culturally competent practices to the wider
community (Universities Australia, 2011, p.5-24).
In order to achieve the aims of the Framework, and given the lack of education historically
provided to university students and academics on Aboriginal history, culture and knowledge, there
is an urgent need to improve the cultural competency of academic staff, particularly in relation to
culturally sound pedagogies for teaching both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. In providing
intercultural leadership practices it is hoped that university graduates will leave having gained the
knowledge, skills and attributes of Aboriginal cultural competency and thereby help to close the
gap of disparity for Aboriginal people.
Extending the concept of cultural safety from a health delivery context to higher education, by
developing academic leaders capable of understanding and creating more culturally appropriate
learning environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, results in more positive
education and health outcomes. The provision of intercultural leadership will assist non-Aboriginal
students to attain cross-cultural awareness and develop an understanding of cultural safety and,
crucially create an attractive and affirming work environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander educators. The involvement of more Aboriginal academic leaders will support Aboriginal
student learning, build the capacity of staff to Indigenise curriculum and generally improve
Aboriginal cross-cultural awareness by increasing the number of academic cultural knowledgeholders.
If the objectives for better outcomes for Aboriginal people are to be realised, we need more staff
members to attain intercultural leadership capabilities in order to achieve the outcomes referred
to in the Universities Australia’s best practice framework.
Please note: The Universities Australia (2011) document is listed as required reading and a
hardcopy is in your folder.
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Leadership Models
In this program we conceptualise leadership development from two perspectives:
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the Linking Worlds Research Project (Frawley et al., 2010), which identified the skills,
knowledge and attributes required to be an effective leader in intercultural education. The
Project emphasises the need for non-Aboriginal staff to learn to be intercultural teachers
and leaders as well as the needs of the system to work interculturally for both Aboriginal
and Western outcomes. Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people must be willing to step
into this intercultural world (the intercultural space) where new leadership practices can
be learned and are required. (Frawley et al., 2010, p .1)
the Academic Leadership Capability Framework (Scott et al., 2008) which considers the
capabilities required for effective leadership
There are many different theories on leadership, models and styles. Daniel Goleman, an
international expert on leadership, has found that the more leadership styles a leader
demonstrates, the more likely they are to create a positive climate and better outcomes
(Goleman, 2000). Aboriginal leadership is another form of leadership which, although contested,
provides an alternative to Western leadership frameworks; an understanding of Aboriginal
leadership is highly relevant to this intercultural space (Foley, 2010).
The Linking Worlds Intercultural Leadership Framework
In the Linking Worlds’ model, teaching leadership for intercultural capabilities is achieved through
the development of five key capabilities designed to integrate values and culture into decision
making. The capabilities are:
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Personal capabilities—a sense of self within an intercultural world and development of
self-reflection in relation to teaching and learning and the community which guides their
work
Relationship capabilities—the ability to nurture intercultural relationships between staff
and students
Professional capabilities—the development and application of personal skills to be
effective in unfamiliar and changing circumstances; in particular the ability to exercise good
judgement when faced with contested values and application of ethical principles in
complex situations
Organisational capabilities—ability to respond to complex situations with confidence and
to actualise skills and abilities
Intercultural capabilities—which are founded in the pedagogy of intercultural teaching and
permeate through the other capabilities and enable individuals to work within intercultural
overlaps creating opportunities for real engagement and conversation between teaching
staff, students and community members (Frawley et al., 2010, p.14).
In a Western context, these capabilities most closely align with exceptional interpersonal skills and
emotional intelligence.
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The Academic Leadership Capability Framework
Scott et al. (2008) identified key capabilities and competencies required for effective academic
leadership in a conceptual framework as shown in the figure below.
Competence includes:
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relevant skills and knowledge that are delivered to a set standard in a specific context
ability to deliver/perform
ability to deliver set tasks in specific and relatively predictable situations
a focus on the present
and working productively and efficiently in situations that are unstable
Capability includes:
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the ability to figure out when and when not to deploy these competencies and a capacity
to refine, update and develop them
the ability to learn
creativity
the ability to deliver new approaches in complex, uncertain situations
a focus on the future
working productively with instability and change
Figure 1: Academic Leadership Capability Framework (Scott et al. 2008, p.18)
Scott et al. (2008) suggest all five dimensions are necessary for effective teaching and learning
leadership. Personal and interpersonal capabilities focus around emotional intelligence and being
able to manage one’s emotional reactions to uncertainty and discomfort – a key attribute for
teaching and leading in intercultural contexts.
Personal Capabilities include; commitment to teaching and learning excellence and wanting to
achieve the best outcome (leading by example and taking responsibility for intercultural teaching
and learning and outcomes, being determined, pitching in when things are not working out as
anticipated); self-regulation (deferring judgement and not jumping in too quickly to resolve a
problem), understanding one’s personal strengths and limitations, being willing to learn from
mistakes, bouncing back from adversity, maintaining a good work-life balance, remaining calm
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under pressure or when one’s racial identity is challenged, and decisiveness (being willing to take
hard decisions, confidence to take calculated risks, tolerating ambiguity and having integrity).
Interpersonal Capabilities include; attributes of empathising and working productively with
students, staff and community members from a wide range of backgrounds, listening to differing
points of view before making a decision, developing and contributing positively to teams, being
transparent and honest in dealings with others, and influencing people’s behaviour and decisions
in effective ways (working with Aboriginal community members and very senior people including
internal and external stakeholders without being intimidated, motivating others to achieve
positive outcomes, working constructively with people who are ‘resistors’ or are over enthusiastic,
developing and using networks of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal colleagues to solve problems, and
giving and receiving constructive feedback to/from work colleagues and others).
Cognitive Capabilities include a leader’s capacity to diagnose accurately what is happening in an
intercultural context and taking action, recognising how seemingly unconnected activities are
linked, recognising patterns in complex situations, identifying from a mass of information the core
issue or opportunity in any situation, developing strategy (identifying and acting on an opportunity
for a new direction, assessing consequences of alternative courses of action, using previous
experience to figure out what’s going on when the unexpected occurs, thinking creatively and
laterally, having clear, justified and achievable directions, seeing the best way to respond to a
difficult intercultural situation, setting and justifying daily work priorities, determining whether the
intercultural problem is worth addressing in detail and then having the ability to match an
appropriate course of action to this diagnosis), flexibility and responsiveness (making sense of and
learning from experience, adjusting a plan of action in response to intercultural issues which arise
during implementation of a course of action, knowing that there is never a fixed set of steps for
solving intercultural problems).
Generic and Role-specific Competencies include learning and teaching knowledge (understanding
how to develop and deliver an effective intercultural learning experience, having a high level of
current knowledge of what engages university students in productive learning, understanding how
to design and conduct an evaluation of intercultural learning, understanding how to successfully
implement a new intercultural teaching and learning initiative, being on top of current
developments in intercultural teaching and learning, knowing how to identify and disseminate
good intercultural learning and management practice across the area); understanding university
operations (risk management and litigation, industrial relations issues and processes, helping staff
learn to deliver necessary changes effectively, chairing meetings effectively, sound administrative
and resource management skills), good self-organisation skills (managing one’s own professional
learning and development, using IT effectively to communicate and perform key work functions,
organise work and effective time management, present effectively to a range of different groups).
Program Outcomes
Cross-cultural education is a specialised area in learning and teaching which requires particular
skills as “cross-cultural learning and identity development are complex processes that involve
many factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, race, social-class, and sexual orientation” (McAllister
and Irvine, 2000, p.6). Furthermore, given Australia’s dominant historical discourse and the failure
of school curriculum to adequately represent an Aboriginal perspective on the “settlement” of
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Australia and its creation as a nation state, the teaching of Aboriginal Australian culture and health
presents multiple challenges. As students are introduced to an Aboriginal “version” of Australian
history, they move through various stages of cross-cultural awareness and development as they
recognise their culturally specific world view, biases, ethnicity and associated privilege (Helms,
1990). This teaching has a significant level of emotional labour for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
staff and this is particularly so for Aboriginal academics whose own identity and value is under
attack with racist (whether intentional or not) remarks as students move along the cross-cultural
continuum (Behrendt, 1996). As a result, Aboriginal academics often feel most comfortable
teaching within Aboriginal studies centres (Page & Asmar, 2008). In order to support and increase
numbers of academics willing to teach in an intercultural setting there needs to be a scaffolded
approach to building confidence, resilience and leadership capacity.
Within Aboriginal Terms of Reference*, as a result of this program participants will be able to:
1.
Apply the principles of critical race and cross-cultural learning theories in a colonial context
2.
Determine what leadership capabilities are required to facilitate Intercultural learning,
what best practice is, and the nature and level of commitment required
3.
Work confidently and collaboratively with colleagues and students in an Intercultural
context
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Develop strategies for self-care and resilience for teaching in the intercultural space
5
Develop and implement plans for improving intercultural teaching and learning
6.
Recognise the intercultural leader’s role as an opportunity to enhance career prospects
* Aboriginal Terms of Reference (ATR) is discussed in more detail in later Modules
The Working Together Program is structured around six modules and each module explores one of
these roles in relation to intercultural teaching and learning leadership.
Module 1 - Introduction to intercultural teaching and learning leadership
Module 2 – Mindfulness
Module 3 - Intercultural skills for facilitating learning
Module 4 - Relationship and personal skills for intercultural leadership
Module 5 - Professional skills for intercultural leadership
Module 6 - Organisational skills for intercultural leadership
The Working Together Program uses an experiential learning model (Kolb, 1984) which is a fourstage cycle that involves:
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4.
Having an experience
Reflecting upon that experience
Making conclusions from the reflection and the experience
Creating a new application for subsequent experiences
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Experience
Application
Debriefing
Concluding
Figure 3: The Experiential Learning Model
The experiential learning cycle is a useful model to follow to help you maximise your learning in
this program and your on-going development as an intercultural teaching and learning leader. As
you work through the experiences in this program and apply them to the intercultural teaching
and learning setting, take time to reflect on them. This can be done more strategically by noting
key learning outcomes and questions in a reflective journal.
Gaither (2004) proposes that leadership development is a continuous experience which requires
multiple opportunities for practice, and that ‘mistakes’ are learning opportunities which are an
important part of leadership development.
We trust that you will apply the principles of the experiential learning cycle. By implementing the
learning process from this program with reflective journaling practice you can expect positive
changes in your intercultural teaching and learning leadership.
Reflective Journaling – An Important Tool for Developing Intercultural Leadership
This section is adapted from The Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of Technology
Sydney (http://www.clt.uts.edu.au/Scholarship/Reflective.journal.htm )
Reflection, Evaluation and Documentation
Reflection and evaluation, the consideration of evidence, the determination of its validity is the
central ingredient of leadership. Engaging in open and collaborative discussion about our work
with a peer, and regularly writing up our learning in a journal or log book, is a process that will
enable us to become reflective teachers. The journal is parallel to the field book or laboratory
notes of the scientist. We not only record what happened or what was observed but in addition a
tentative hypothesis or the development of new understanding can be recorded, or writing can
help to make a new sense of phenomena. Reflective writing has the potential to provide us with a
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systematic approach to our development as a reflective, critical and constructive intercultural
leader. A journal can provide an opportunity to make explicit our position on a range of issues of
personal significance.
Used effectively, reflective writing will support you to make a personal sense of a diverse set of
experiences, and this is particularly important when intercultural leadership learning is to be
incorporated into every day practice. A reflective journal assists the reflective process. We ask
students to keep a reflective journal during the semester and a rubric outlining the expectations
on pages 15-17 of this module may also help to guide your reflections.
The benefits of regular reflective writing
Reflective writing enables the documentation of experiences, thoughts, questions, ideas and
conclusions that signpost our learning journey. A scholarly approach to intercultural leadership
requires critical inquiry into practice and into learning; change and improvement result after
reflection, planning and action. Keeping a journal develops this as part of everyday practice.
Scholarly intercultural teaching involves an appreciation of the teaching and learning process and
the ability to intervene purposefully and positively in the learning experience. Reflective writing
provides an opportunity to think critically about what you do and why. It provides
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a record of events and results and your reactions to them
data on which to base reflective discussion
an opportunity to challenge yourself and what you do and to free you to do it differently
and better
impetus to take action that is informed and planned
the means to develop a personal philosophy of intercultural teaching and learning
leadership
an opportunity to view intercultural teaching objectively and not see all problems as
personal inadequacy
an enrichment to your classroom because you are prepared to innovate
increased confidence through increased insight which enables you to trust students and
colleagues
basic documentation to support future entries in your teaching portfolio and for job
applications etc.
Shaping the journal to suit you
Learning occurs when you take in information, think about it, make sense of it, and fit it in with
what you already know. This may mean changing what you already know, or by rejecting the new
information confirming your older knowledge. Learning also requires that you can see how to
apply new information and where to apply it. This requires careful consideration before action.
Writing about what you do and have learnt, disciplines you to become more thoughtful, reflective
and analytic. The form your writing takes is up to you. Some possible structures and ideas to help
you get started are outlined below.
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Your journal could be structured:
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as a personal learning journey;, tracking and documenting an evolving understanding of
intercultural teaching and learning in higher education
in terms of issues, an example might be the integration of your own learning into a
personal intercultural teaching and learning strategy
a critical reflection on a staff development activity
Whatever structure you choose (and it might well be a mix of all of these), your writing
needs to demonstrate active and reflective engagement in the issues and ideas you
encounter.
Ideas for getting started on reflective writing:
1. Use an Agenda
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What is the current problem or issue? Describe the context
What additional information would be useful?
How is it related to other issues?
Who or what could help?
What are my racial/intercultural assumptions? How can I test them?
What can I do to create a change? Be as adventurous as you can
What are the possible outcomes of these?
What action will I take? Why?
List the outcomes you hope to achieve
Reflection on the actual outcome - What worked well?
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2. Focus on the experience
Take something you have read in the literature on intercultural teaching and learning, or take
something that occurred as part of your activities undertaking this program and use the following
questions to guide your reflection:
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How does this connect with an aspect of my practice?
What are the intercultural teaching and learning leadership principles that are involved?
What could I change in relation to this?
What would happen if I did?
What could I do differently next time?
I think…
X reminded me of…
X made me think about …
I wonder …
X made me feel ….
If … then …
I felt ….
When I (saw, heard, said…) … I felt …
I believe….
At first I … but now …
3. Focus on a critical incident that took place in your classroom.
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Describe the incident as objectively as possible
What were the racial/intercultural assumptions that you were operating with?
Is there another way to see this event?
How would your students or Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal colleagues explain this event?
How do the two explanations compare?
What could you do differently?
4. Taking stock of my learning
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What is the most important thing I have learnt about student learning in an intercultural
context?
What is the most important thing I have learnt about my teaching in an intercultural
context?
What is the most important thing I have learnt about my students in an intercultural
context?
How can I use my learning to improve student learning in my classes?
And from time to time...
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What has using this journal confirmed that I already know about my students’ learning and
how I effect that?
What do I need to do to improve the quality of what I do?
What might I do instead of what I do now?
What innovation could I introduce?
What professional development activities should I be seeking?
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Required Readings
Universities Australia (2011): Guiding Principles for Developing Indigenous Cultural Competency in
Australian Universities. Available at: http://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/lightbox/1313
Foley, G. (2010). Can we educate and train Aboriginal leaders with our tertiary education systems?
Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39, 138-150.
Additional Resources
Vincent Lingari
http://www.indigenousrights.net.au/person.asp?pID=970
http://www.freewebs.com/juswhe/files/Lingiari.pdf
Carolup Art
http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/childrens-view-of-the-world/story-e6freq7f1225710400852
http://www.tjyllyungoo.com.au/pages/carrolup-art-still-inspires
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/s1668994.htm
Bradley D (2008). Review of Australian Higher Education. Available at
http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Review/Pages/default.aspx
Paul Keating Redfern Speech:
http://www.antar.org.au/issues_and_campaigns/selfdetermination/paul_keating_redfern_speech
Indigenous Teaching at Australian Universities: Developing research-based exemplars for good
practice
http://www.indigenousteaching.com/html/exemplars_index.htmlThe resources on this website
are designed for anyone involved in Indigenous teaching in Australian Universities or beyond and
includes:




Teaching exemplars based on research interviews
Materials from a 2009 Forum on Indigenous Learning & Teaching
Supporting resources
15 approaches to Indigenous teaching
They define 'Indigenous teaching' broadly as:

both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff who are teaching Aboriginal students; or teaching
Indigenous curriculum to non-Aboriginal students
Curtin University Reconciliation Action Plan 2009-2013. Available at:
http://about.curtin.edu.au/409.htm
Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
(2012) – Led by Professor Larissa
Behrendtwww.innovation.gov.au/HigerEducation/IndigenousHigherEducation/ReviewofIndigenou
sHigherEducation/Pages/default.aspx
Module 1 - Working Together
Page 16
Reflective Journaling
Ballantyne, R & Packer, J. (1995). Making Connections: Using Student Journals as a
Teaching/Learning Aid, HERDSA ACT.
Boud, D; Keogh, R; & Walker, D, (1995). Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning, Kogan Page,
London.
Brookefield, S. D. (1995). On Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
Schon, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner; Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
References
Battiste, M. (1996, Sept/Oct). Indigenous knowledge and research: Enabling the autumn seed.
Paper presented at the Contemporary Issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Studies.
6th National Conference University of Technology, Sydney.
Behrendt, L. (1996). “At the back of the class. At the front of the class: experiences as an
Aboriginal student and Aboriginal teacher.” Feminist Review, 52, 27-35.
Dudgeon, P., & Fielder, J. (2006). Third spaces within tertiary places: Indigenous Australian studies.
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 16, 396-409
Foley, G. (2010). Can we educate and train Aboriginal leaders with our tertiary education systems?
Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39, 138-150.
Frawley J, Fasoli L, D’Arbon T, Ober R. (2010). The linking world’s research project: Identifying
intercultural educational leadership capabilities. Leading and Managing 16(1) 1-15
Gaither (2004). Developing Leadership Skills in Academia. Academic Leadership, 2(1).
Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review. March-April, 2000.
Reprint R00204
Hatch A. (2007). “Critical Race Theory” in The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology Online, ed.
George Ritzer. London: Blackwell.
Helms, J. (1990). Black and White Racial Identity: Theory, research and practice. New York:
Greenwood.
Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Larson, A., Coffin, J., Gilles, M., & Howard, P. (2007). It's enough to make you sick: the impact of
racism on the health of Aboriginal Australians Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public
Health, 31(No.4), 322-328.
McAllister, G., & Irvine, J. (2000). Cultural competency and multicultural teacher education.
Review of Educational Research, 70(1), 3-24.
Module 1 - Working Together
Page 17
Moreton Robinson, A. (2009). Talkin’ up to the white woman. Brisbane: University of Queensland
Press.
Nakata, M. (2007). The cultural interface. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education,
36(Supplement), 7-22.
Page, S. & Asmar, C. (2008). Beneath the teaching iceberg: exposing the hidden support
dimensions of Indigenous Academic Work. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education.
37(Supplement), 109-117
Pease, B. (2010). Undoing privilege: Unearned advantage in a divided world. London: Zed Books.
Pink, B., & Allbon, P. (2008). The health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
(ABS Catalogue 4704.0 AIHW Catalogue No. IHW 21). Canberra.
Scott, G. et al (2008) Learning Leaders in times of change: Academic Leadership Capabilities for
Australian Higher Education, University of Western Sydney and Australian Council for
Educational Research.
www.acer.edu.au/documents/UWSACER_CarrickLeadershipReport.pdf
Singleton, G., & Linton, C. (2006). Courageous conversations about race. Thousand Oaks,
California: Corwin Press.
Module 1 - Working Together
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Appendix 1: Reflective Journal Rubric for Indigenous Cultures and Health 130 - INTERCULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE VALUE RUBRIC
Student Name: …………………………………………………………………….
Student Number: …………………………………………
Intercultural Knowledge and Competence is "a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.” (Bennett, J. M. 2008.
Transformative training: Designing programs for culture learning. In Contemporary leadership and intercultural competence: Understanding and utilizing cultural diversity to build successful organizations, ed. M. A. Moodian, 95-110.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.) - (Assoc. of American Colleges and Universities contact value@aacu.org)
Capstone 5 marks
Knowledge
Cultural self- awareness
Knowledge
Knowledge of cultural worldview
frameworks
Skills
Empathy & Communication
Attitudes
4 marks Milestones
3 marks
Benchmark 2 - 1 mark
Articulates insights into own
cultural rules and biases (e.g.
seeking complexity; aware of how
her/his experiences have shaped
these rules, and how to recognize
and respond to cultural biases,
resulting in a shift in selfdescription.)
Recognizes new perspectives
about own cultural rules and
biases (e.g. not looking for
sameness; comfortable with the
complexities that new
perspectives offer.)
Identifies own cultural rules and
biases (e.g. with a strong
preference for those rules shared
with own cultural group and
seeks the same in others.)
Shows minimal awareness of own
cultural rules and biases (even
those shared with own cultural
group(s)) (e.g. uncomfortable
with identifying possible cultural
differences with others.)
Demonstrates sophisticated
understanding of the complexity
of elements important to
members of Indigenous cultures
in relation to its history, values,
politics, communication styles,
economy, or beliefs and practices.
Demonstrates adequate
understanding of the complexity
of elements important to
members of Indigenous cultures
in relation to its history, values,
politics, communication styles,
economy, or beliefs and practices.
Demonstrates partial
understanding of the complexity
of elements important to
members of Indigenous cultures
in relation to its history, values,
politics, communication styles,
economy, or beliefs and practices.
Demonstrates surface
understanding of the complexity
of elements important to
members of Indigenous cultures
in relation to its history, values,
politics, communication styles,
economy, or beliefs and practices.
Interprets & articulates
intercultural experience from the
perspectives of own and more
than one worldview and
demonstrates ability to act in a
supportive manner that
recognizes the feelings of another
cultural group.
Recognizes intellectual and
emotional dimensions of more
than one worldview and
sometimes uses more than one
worldview in interactions.
Identifies components of other
cultural perspectives but responds
in all situations with own
worldview
Views the experience of others
but does so through own cultural
worldview.
Asks deeper questions about
other cultures and seeks out
Asks simple or surface questions
about other cultures.
States minimal interest in learning
more about other cultures.
Asks complex questions about
other cultures, seeks out and
articulates answers to these
Total /25
Module 1 - Working Together
Curiosity
Attitudes
Page 19
questions that reflect multiple
cultural perspectives.
Initiates and develops interactions
with culturally different others.
Suspends judgment in valuing
her/his interactions with
culturally different others
Openness
Reflection
Reviews prior learning (past
experiences inside and outside of
the classroom) in depth to reveal
significantly changed perspectives
about educational and life
experiences, which provide
foundation for expanded
knowledge, growth, and maturity
over time.
answers to these questions.
Begins to initiate and develop
interactions with culturally
different others. Begins to
suspend judgment in valuing
her/his interactions with
culturally different others.
Reviews prior learning (past
experiences inside and outside of
the classroom) in depth, revealing
fully clarified meanings or
indicating broader perspectives
about educational or life events.
Expresses openness to most, if
not all, interactions with culturally
different others. Has difficulty
suspending any judgment in
her/his interactions with
culturally different others, and is
aware of own judgment and
expresses a willingness to change.
Receptive to interacting with
culturally different others. Has
difficulty suspending any
judgment in her/his interactions
with culturally different others,
but is unaware of own judgment.
Reviews prior learning (past
experiences inside and outside of
the classroom) with some depth,
revealing slightly clarified
meanings or indicating somewhat
broader perspectives about
educational or life events.
Reviews prior learning (past
experiences inside and outside of
the classroom) at a surface level,
without revealing clarified
meaning or indicating a broader
perspective about educational or
life events.
Reflective Journal Summary Rubric for Indigenous Culture and Health 130
- INTERCULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE VALUE RUBRIC
(Assoc. of American Colleges and Universities contact value@aacu.org)
Skills
Communication
Transfer
Capstone 5
Milestone 4
Milestone 3
Benchmark 2 - 1
Articulates a complex
understanding of cultural
differences in communication (e.g.,
demonstrates understanding of
the degree to which people use
direct/indirect and
explicit/implicit meanings) and is
able to skillfully negotiate a shared
understanding based on those
differences.
Makes explicit references to
previous learning and applies in an
innovative (new and creative) way
that knowledge and those skills to
demonstrate comprehension and
performance in novel situations.
Recognizes and participates in
cultural differences in verbal and
nonverbal communication and
begins to negotiate a shared
understanding based on those
differences.
Identifies some cultural differences
in verbal and nonverbal
communication and is aware that
misunderstandings can occur based
on those differences but is still
unable to negotiate a shared
understanding.
Has a minimal level of
understanding of cultural
differences in verbal and
nonverbal communication; is
unable to negotiate a shared
understanding.
Makes references to previous
learning and shows evidence of
applying that knowledge and those
skills to demonstrate
comprehension and performance
in novel situations.
Makes references to previous
learning and attempts to apply that
knowledge and those skills to
demonstrate comprehension and
performance in novel situations.
Makes vague references to
previous learning but does not
apply knowledge and skills to
demonstrate comprehension and
performance in novel situations.
Total /25
Module 1 - Working Together
Page 20
Format
Provides succinct summary of
Reflective Journal, articulating
journey & encapsulating essential
key concepts
Provides complex summary of
Reflective Journal with strong
reference to key concepts
Provides comprehensive summary
of Reflective Journal with some
reference to key concepts
Provides basic & fragmented
summary of Reflective Journal
entries
Application of knowledge
Articulates the application of
knowledge and key concepts to
inform practice as a health
professional working in an
intercultural context
Recognises the significance of
applying key concepts as a health
professional working in an
intercultural context
Identifies some key concepts that
can be applied as a health
professional working in an
intercultural context
Makes vague or no reference to
applying key concepts as a health
professional working in an
intercultural context
Degree of Reflection
Critical Reflection demonstrated
throughout
Reflection demonstrated
throughout
Understanding of content
demonstrated throughout
Non-Reflection evident
(Kember et al)