'Learning through country : competing knowledge systems and place based pedagogy'
Date
2010
Authors
Fogarty, William
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This thesis exposes the dichotomies and binaries that have characterised theoretical
and political discourses in the provision of remote Indigenous education in Australia.
The research finds that ideological tensions and over simplified notions of
biculturalism in Indigenous affairs have dominated policy settings, resulting in
compromised pedagogy at the classroom level. The research also finds that a
structural disconnect exists in remote Indigenous education between schools,
community and work at a local level. This disconnect is perpetuated by a failure of
remote educational provision to develop pedagogic frameworks that are able to be
inclusive of Indigenous knowledge and remote Indigenous development aspiration.
The thesis demonstrates that remote Indigenous developments, and their associated
employment roles, have specific pedagogic needs that cannot be met solely through
generic pedagogy, nor can they be met through the provision of education based
solely in ‘culturalism’. Rather, the research shows that there is a need for pedagogic
frameworks that can cater for inherent tensions and complementarities in the
transmission of knowledge. This is based in a notion that all knowledge is contested
and, as such, it is the way that pedagogy is designed and which sets of knowledge are
valued that ultimately decides what is learned. Towards this end, an analysis of the
knowledge foundations of a remote Indigenous development is used to generate a
model that can be used to assess educational and training requirements.
Through detailed ethnographic and qualitative data, this thesis also provides an
analysis of the social, physical and economic characteristics of one of the largest
remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, Maningrida in Western
Arnhem Land. This is then used to develop a ‘pedagogic device’ that can link ‘place
based pedagogy’ with generic pedagogy. Finding that ‘Country’ forms a basis for
social organisation and knowledge transfer in the region, the thesis describes the
development of a localised ‘Learning through Country’ program which uses land as a
‘pedagogic device’. The thesis then moves from ‘Learning through Country’ to
development and employment in ‘working on Country’ and ‘caring for Country’
programs. This section of the thesis analyses the development of Indigenous land and
sea management programs in the Northern Territory. It also details their place in remote employment, as well as a quantification of activity and a training history of a
large Indigenous land and sea management program. Finally, the preceding research
is combined with research on land and learning models of education in the NT to
create an applied pedagogic framework that has the potential to provide space for
Indigenous knowledge in learning, as well as mediating the dichotomies in pedagogic
provision for remote Indigenous students. Ultimately, this framework has the ability
to reconnect remote Indigenous education with local communities and work.
Description
Keywords
learning through country, caring for Country, pedagogy, indigenous studies, indigenous education, classroom, knowledge, Northern Territory, Arnhem Land, Maningrida
Citation
Collections
Source
Type
Thesis (PhD)
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
License Rights
Restricted until
Downloads
File
Description
Whole Thesis