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Research and Inquiry Methods: Major Project

Welcome Overview Consultation & protocols Research methods Assessment Copyright & cultural ownership Student work	Consultation & protocols   Community consultation How to start community consultation Advice and strategies to consider when working with your community Advice to consider when inviting guest speakers Respecting Aboriginal protocols Sharing of material and intellectual property OUTCOMES H4.1 investigates, analyses and synthesises information from Aboriginal and other perspectives H4.2 undertakes community consultation and fieldwork H4.3 communicates information effectively from Aboriginal perspectives, using a varity of media Community consultation Community consultation and the Aboriginal Studies Syllabus Aboriginal Studies Stage 6 aims to be a study in partnership with Aboriginal peoples rather than a study of Aboriginal peoples. It is important to understand that Aboriginal people are the custodians of their own cultures and as such have the unique knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to give authenticity to Aboriginal Studies within schools. Written accounts of Aboriginal peoples' histories and experiences can only ever complement the first-hand knowledge, skills and experiences provided through oral accounts related by Aboriginal community members. Successful implementation depends upon negotiation with Aboriginal people in all aspects of the course, including planning, programming, resourcing and evaluating. This will involve outlining the syllabus to community members when the course is introduced and at appropriate times throughout each year, for example, by presenting the criteria for assessment to Aboriginal community members involved in contributing to the marking of the project. This could be organised at the individual school level or with the assistance of the District Consultant in Aboriginal Education or Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer on a school district level if appropriate. Principals could negotiate with their Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness (ASSPA) Committee to assist in funding such information workshops. Community consultation is a process requiring both students and teachers to be aware of community views and sensitivities. This will involve teachers getting to know members of the local Aboriginal community(ies) before beginning to teach the course, and making people aware of what is happening in the school. This can be achieved through informal get-togethers within the community. Students will need to learn the protocols of consultation before they can undertake community fieldwork, and in the initial stages teachers might lead such consultation. Teachers need to be aware of the subtleties of Aboriginal relationships and communication styles. Family, kin and extended family are very important to Aboriginal people. An event affecting one member of the community may have repercussions for other families or even the community as a whole, and this may be for an extended period of time. This must be accepted and understood, as it might prevent people from being able to provide knowledge and assistance. Be prepared to be flexible in consulting with the community(ies). It is also important to be sensitive to the history of the area and to consider the impact it has had on Aboriginal peoples including the ongoing effects of invasion and colonisation. The key to all consultation is establishing respectful and mutual relationships. Consultation must be ongoing - the sharing of knowledge is a two-way process, and therefore the members of the Aboriginal community(ies) must be shown respect and be acknowledged for their time and assistance. How to start community consultation In NSW there are around 70 different Aboriginal language groups. As a result of past government legislation, practices and policies, many Aboriginal people were dispossessed of their land and forced to resettle in different designated areas, often on the promise of a better quality of life with access to jobs, housing, education and health services. Such forced relocation of individuals and family groups has contributed to the current diversity within many communities. In some cities and towns, Aboriginal peoples who lived either within the urban area or on missions, reserves or as fringe dwellers, identify themselves as distinct Aboriginal communities. Many Aboriginal people identify with more than one community. To determine your local Aboriginal community(ies) for the community case study you will need to identify people who can advise you. Some schools have large and accessible Aboriginal communities where communication between the school and the community has been well established, or they have Aboriginal students and their families, an Aboriginal Education Assistant (AEA) or other Aboriginal staff. These schools will find it easier to initiate community consultation than schools that do not have an identifiable community nearby, Aboriginal students or experience of working with Aboriginal communities or peoples. Teachers in government schools should contact their district office. Each district has: an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer (ACLO) a Consultant in Aboriginal Education an Aboriginal Education Officer. The Catholic Education sector also has a network of Aboriginal personnel including: Aboriginal Education Officers Aboriginal Education Workers. These officers can be contacted through the Catholic Education Commission and the Diocesan Directors of Schools.   These personnel can provide advice about making contact with a range of appropriate local and regional Aboriginal people and organisations including the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), Aboriginal Land Councils, Aboriginal Medical Services, Aboriginal Health Workers within the Department of Health, Aboriginal Corporations, Police Liaison Officers, Juvenile Justice Centres, Department of Community Services, Aboriginal units within universities and TAFE colleges, Aboriginal Liaison Officers in various government departments and other relevant organisations. As community-based organisations, the NSW AECGs are able to provide advice and guidance for teachers in the delivery of Aboriginal Studies in government and non-government schools. While not all schools will have a local AECG, the district contacts listed above will be able to provide details of the school's nearest AECG.   In determining your community(ies) case study you will need to consider: the original people who occupy or occupied the area - traditional connections to the area the Aboriginal people who are members of the local community(ies) - they may have historical connections (any time from pre-contact to the present) to the local area Aboriginal students at the school and their families - they may have traditional or historical connections to the local area the Aboriginal organisations which are present in your local area, e.g. AECG, Aboriginal Land Council, Aboriginal Medical Service, Aboriginal Legal Service. Note: There are different ways of spelling Aboriginal language-group names because Aboriginal languages were not written; consequently words were spelt phonetically by Europeans. It is appropriate to check the spelling and pronunciation preferred by your community. Some examples of differences in spelling are: Gamilaroi/Kamilaroi, Murawari/Morowari, Barindji/Baarkinji, Wiradjuri/Yuadjuri. Advice and strategies to consider when working with your community Schools will need to approach consultation with their community(ies) in the way that works best for their own circumstances. You will need to establish a rapport with members of your Aboriginal community(ies). Be aware that people might not offer their knowledge at first. The process might take time and must be based on mutual respect. This rapport can be achieved a number of ways, such as school staff members attending local AECG meetings and organising informal get-togethers with community members. Decide on an appropriate place to meet. It should be non-threatening and not necessarily at the school. Alternate the venue for get-togethers. Have several in the community before you organise a meeting within the school. Have a clear understanding of the purpose of the consultation and who the people are you need to consult. Do not make liaising with the community the responsibility solely of the AEA, an Aboriginal teacher or other Aboriginal personnel in the school. On the other hand, it is advisable for an Aboriginal person to facilitate the initial meeting. Appropriate payment should be made to Aboriginal community members or representatives of Aboriginal organisations who contribute as speakers, storytellers or dancers etc. Once community links have been well established, you could consider the idea of asking individual community members to act as mentors for students as they undertake research activities within their course work. Ask speakers coming to the school if assistance is needed with transport. Introduce guest speakers to the principal and other relevant staff members. Provide refreshments for guest speakers. Consider setting up a network with other local teachers of the subject to avoid placing too great a strain on community people and organisations involved in your consultation. Acknowledge the contribution made by members of the community, (e.g. through a thank you letter, in the school newsletter or at the school assembly). In the case of ongoing participation, the means of acknowledging community members should be negotiated to include monetary payment. This will affirm respect for the community members' knowledge. Advice to consider when inviting guest speakers Some people may feel more comfortable in a group. Consider a seminar approach involving several speakers. Make the purpose of the visit clear to guest speakers and discuss the most suitable site for the visit. The guest speaker may prefer the class to come to him or her. Consult with community members or Aboriginal staff about the development of a register of guest speakers. Discuss the questions to be asked beforehand - make sure speakers know before the visit about any changes to what was initially planned. If possible, meet with guest speakers before the day of the visit. Confirm the visit close to the actual day. Consider the possibility of inviting the faculties of other subjects to share the speaker/s and the cost.     Respecting Aboriginal protocols What are protocols? Protocols are appropriate ways of behaving, communicating, consulting and showing respect for diversity of history and culture. Protocols may vary from community to community. As the most effective teaching of Aboriginal Studies occurs when there is a partnership between the school, teachers, students and the Aboriginal community, it is vital that cultural protocols are acknowledged and respected. Students will need to be given the opportunity to practise and develop their expertise in using locally determined protocols. The people in the local community will be able to guide you in finding out about specific protocols that will need to be incorporated into your teaching program. However, the following are generally agreed: Introductory protocols are important. Be prepared to spend some time sharing personal background information about yourself and the purpose of your visit. Be patient when asking questions. Look, listen and learn as it may take time for some community people to discuss a point. Some people might work towards it by talking about other issues or stories first. Do not expect every Aboriginal person (including Aboriginal students in the school) to know about, or want to talk publicly about, Aboriginal culture, history or issues. Some Aboriginal people might not openly express an opinion. Some people may choose to talk indirectly about an issue if they do not agree with a previous speaker. There are different types of knowledge - for example, spiritual knowledge and scientific knowledge - and these may conflict. One should be sensitive to these differences when talking to an Aboriginal person about issues and experiences. Do not force a point of view which may offend the individual or group with whom you are meeting. Use language that avoids jargon but that respects the integrity of the person or group with whom you are meeting. Be prepared to accept that some questions may remain unanswered, (e.g. sacred or secret knowledge or knowledge from people who have not grown up with their cultural ties). Non-verbal communication The use of non-verbal communication is practised in many Aboriginal communities in NSW. Be aware of non-verbal language and the messages that can unintentionally be relayed. The use of silence should not be misunderstood. It may mean people do not want to express an opinion at that point in time, or they are listening and thinking about what has been said. In some communities, direct eye contact may be expected and accepted because of your teaching role; in others, however, it may be considered offensive. The use of direct eye contact differs from community to community and individual to individual. Protocols will need to be determined for specific cases. Sharing of material and intellectual property Ethical practices when recording people's knowledge or stories Bear in mind that: knowledge may be community knowledge or personal knowledge individuals may be custodians of aspects of culture permission needs to be gained from the community(ies) before knowledge is passed on.   When writing up someone's story always ask the speaker how they want their story written and ask if the person wants to have time to review the draft before the next visit. Invite the person being interviewed to have a family member present during the interview. There should be a minimum of two visits to the interviewee - the first to note the information and the second to have it verified as being accurately recorded. Negotiate how the speaker wants the story edited; for example, do they want the notes to be left as spoken or written with standard spelling? Who will do the editing - the speaker or interviewer or both together? Make the purpose of any interview very clear so the interviewee knows how their knowledge or material will be used. If an interviewee moves to another location or becomes ill or dies before the project has been completed, permission to continue should be sought from the person's family.   Strategies for collecting oral histories Oral histories may be collected by teachers for course work or by students for the major project. Students should consider taking a community person, an Aboriginal member of staff or their parent/s with them on at least the first meeting. The venue and dates should be negotiated with the person being interviewed. The person's own home might be the most suitable location and the most comfortable for them. Students need to understand that issues of sensitivity could arise when interviewing community members. Students should be encouraged to discuss the questions they want to ask of community members with their teacher, the Aboriginal Education Assistant or class peers before the interview. The support document for the HSC course provides further advice about the major project.  The interviewer should ask open-ended questions that require a detailed response or description, for example, 'What was it like?' or 'Why did you do that?' rather than closed questions that can be answered with yes or no. The interviewee should know the content of the questions before the interview takes place. Seek permission if you want to record the interview on audio or video tape. This should be done at the time of making initial contact, before the interview takes place. If an agreement is made to record the interview, make the purpose is clear, e.g. it is necessary so that it can be replayed to record the details, or it is needed as part of the final presentation for the submission to the teacher. It is important to make your intention clear because of issues of ownership and the issue of what will happen to the recording when the person passes away. Introductory protocols are important so be prepared to spend some time sharing personal background information when you make a visit. Having negotiated the list of questions beforehand, be flexible and allow the person to talk on new topics if they so desire during the interview. Offer the opportunity for the person to read, view or listen to the material when it is completed and to recommend any necessary changes. All material on this page reproduced with the kind permission of the Board of Studies NSW