Ie #1 2014

the professional voice of the Independent Education Union

issue 1|Vol 44|2014

Building a better world Safety messages that resonate|Sustaining sustainability programs|Bully free workplaces|Lessons in adaptability

Let’s give our kids a brighter future Friday 1 August

SAVE THE DATE Friday 1 August 2014 Your school can help cure childhood genetic diseases affecting 1 in 20 Aussie kids.

Register your school’s interest in Jeans for Genes Day now and help the Children’s Medical Research Institute create a brighter future for all kids.

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jeansforgenes.org.au/Pre-Register-School

Proudly supporting Children’s Medical Research Institute Celebrating 21 years of Jeans for Genes

Executive Editors John Quessy Deb James Terry Burke Managing Editor Tara de Boehmler Editorial Committee Cathy Hickey Michael Oliver Gloria Taylor Tara de Boehmler Sue Osborne Journalists Tara de Boehmler Sue Osborne Michael Oliver Design Chris Ruddle About us IE is a tri-annual journal published by the NSW/ACT, VicTas and Qld/NT Independent Education Unions for members and subscribers. It has a circulation of more than 65,000. IE’s contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the IEU or the editors nor imply endorsement by them.

Email NSW: ieu@ieu.asn.au VIC/TAS: info@ieuvictas.org.au QLD/NT: enquiries@qieu.asn.au IE online www.ieu.asn.au/publications/ Contributions Contributions and letters from members are welcome. Printing does not reflect endorsement and contributions may be edited at the editor’s discretion.

Email iemagazine@ieu.asn.au Advertising Chris Ruddle (02) 8202 8900 Advertising is carried in IE in order to minimise costs.

Advertising does not in any way reflect endorsement of the products or services.

Subscriptions IE is available free to members of the IEU, or by subscription.

Kayla Ordanoska: (02) 8202 8900 Print Post Number 100007506 Printing Print & Mail: (02) 9519 8268 ISSN 1320-9825

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Building a better world

Safety messages that resonate

Cracking the code to engaging science classes

P16

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Editorial Kaleidoscope Australia wide

Voices for the future

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Poetic licence – Elizabeth Broderick

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news from the states and territories

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Reconciliation

Flexible learning creates opportunity

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Feature

Building a better world

Walking the talk

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Teaching + learning

Gift that changes everyone’s lives

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Happy class happy world

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All change - Teaching adaptability

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P16 Cracking the code to engaging science classes P18 P20 Cairns Kindergarten REAPs rewards

The Holocaust – Book review

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Sustaining sustainability programs

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Leadership

Bully-free workplace culture starts from

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the ground up

Diverse roles Technology Legal Diary|Letters Talking point Review

First aid in schools – not a bandaid solution

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Best education bloggers

P28 P30 P31

Professional and industrial

Risky business

Legal liability – Passing the buck not an option Doing the rounds How much is too much government intervention?

Turning the focus on art house cinema

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Voices for the future Students often seem to have better moral compasses than our most successful business and political leaders so it is commendable that many Australian schools are empowering them to have a say in building a better, fairer and more sustainable planet.

In many parts of the world, getting one’s voice heard can be a deadly task. Take the case of Malala Yousafzai from the Talibancontrolled Swat Valley in Pakistan. She was shot in the head over comments she made in her blog in support of girls’ education, yet not even this could silence her. “…I began to see that the pen and the words that come from it can be much more powerful than machine guns, tanks or helicopters. We were learning how to struggle and we were learning how powerful we are when we speak,” she says of her blog for the BBC’s Urdu website.

The students from Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview, Overnewton Anglican Community College, Melbourne, and St Clare’s High School, Taree, are a world away from students like Malala. They live and are educated in ‘the lucky country’, where free speech is often viewed as a right and equality is legislated (with a few notable exceptions).

But like many Australian students, they don’t take the fortune of their geography for granted, nor do they shy away from exposing injustice within their own nation or working to improve the lives of others.

Thanks to the support, education and encouragement of their teachers, these students are working towards a more sustainable and more equitable future and encouraging others to do the same. Their stories plus an examination of social justice education by Monash University’s Dr Joseph Agbenyega are featured on pages 10-13.

Also in this issue we unpack the latest IEUcommissioned workplace bullying research (p24), we share some groundbreaking safety campaigns that are resonating with young people (p16) and we highlight a manual for making sure those school sustainability programs are themselves sustainable (p22). And of course, there is so much more, so flick through, enjoy the read and let us know what you think.

We are always interested in hearing about programs that you are involved in, or suggestions for articles you would like featured in IE. If you would like to contribute, please email iemagazine@ieu.asn.au 4|independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

Elizabeth Broderick Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick talks with IE Journalist Michael Oliver about the role education played in shaping her own beliefs and the role it can play in fighting sex discrimination for future generations.

I attended Meriden Anglican College in Strathfield (Sydney) and did my HSC around 1978. I had a fabulous time. It was a small school. We only had about 60 girls in the final year, and I think because of the size of the cohort it was a very nurturing school. It definitely took the view that its girls could do anything. It was a very aspirational school for its students.

One teacher I remember in particular was our mathematics teacher Mrs Wilson.

We would have only had 10 girls in the mathematics class. She was phenomenal and believed in every one of us, and it is because of her that I still have such a strong love of Maths and Science. The more I see the research and see young girls opting out of Maths and Science, it makes me think we need more teachers like that. My school, and Mrs Wilson, only ever encouraged my love of mathematics.

Certain subjects are associated in people’s minds with either men or women. Does that come from deeply held stereotypes of men and women? Even in Australia today, being a strong man often means being good with numbers and having economic power. Strong femininity is not associated with economic power, nor that you would be strong in the Maths and Science side. From the minute we put our feet on the ground and see what mum is doing and what dad is doing we are internalising the things that make up our gender schema.

Addressing gender imbalance in education It is gender diversity that delivers optimal outcomes. Having all women or all men in any profession doesn’t produce the best outcome. Education, as much as boardrooms, or the upper echelons of business, needs gender equality.

Education, and in particular early childhood learning, is feminised. Because the remuneration is unreasonable, it is not as attractive to men as we still live in a society in which men are viewed with the belief that

they should be the main breadwinners. That is breaking down, but it is a slow process.

We came from a time in which we thought a woman’s income was all discretionary spending, but we now know it is just as important for paying the mortgage and paying for living expenses.

If you earn less than your partner are you in some way emasculated? I think gender stereotypes impact negatively on both men and women. I am speaking to hundreds of men who have taken parental leave trying to get back into paid work. Because of their caring responsibilities they are not perceived as a main player.

Education promoting gender equality I think education has a key role in this. One of the main projects we have been working on is having input into the national curriculum for the ages of five upwards.

That’s been a fabulous project to build gender equality principles into the national curriculum. Even when starting at age five, the examples that are given in picture books — of women as engineers and scientists and men as carers — show kids what respectful relationships look like. One of the key research findings is that men who believe in gender equality have zero propensities to commit violence against women. So we are trying through the curriculum to show a whole range of men and women in nontraditional roles. We are trying to help people understand what respectful relationships look like. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of children growing up in violent households, then unless you are educated as to what respectful relationships look like, violence becomes normalised.

This is why early childhood learning is so critical. It is not a baby minding service, it is about helping those children at risk to have some kind of future, and not see violence as part of their life.

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NSW Insulting pay for prac expertise The NSW/ACT IEU has launched a campaign for an increase in pay rates for members supervising trainee teachers during their practicum. As a first step, teachers in Catholic systemic schools are endorsing a pay claim raising the current prac rate of $21.20 per day to $39 per day. Current rates are an insult and have not been updated for 20 years. In the

case of secondary teachers one method is as low as $12.45 per day.

The IEU considers the rates should be increased in line with the CPI. The Union is recommending members not accept student teachers on the current rates from Term 2, 2014. The IEU has advised universities of the urgency of our claim. Universities receive indexed

funding to support the practicum.

The supervision of trainee teachers involves professional consultation and should be suitably compensated. It’s time for recognition of the critical role teachers play in sharing their expertise with those entering the profession.

Victoria Teachers excluded The year began with an unfortunate start on the education front. Without any prior consultation, Minister for Education Martin Dixon introduced a new Bill into Parliament to make a number of changes to the Education and Training Reform Act which specifically deal with the registration of teachers in the State.

The most controversial change is to the way in which the VIT Council will

be constituted. Currently half of the 12 members of the Council are elected by and from their respective government, Catholic and independent school sectors.

The Bill amends the Act to remove the election process and replaces it with Minister appointed persons. The Bill also proposes to amend the Act to include the required registration of early childhood Teachers. By 30 September 2015 all

teachers employed in early childhood settings will need to be registered.

Other amendments to the Act make changes to the processes and content of the publication of disciplinary hearing outcomes. The education unions are opposing the removal of the election of teachers and are making representations on this. The Bill was due to be debated at press time.

Tasmania Legislation changes ahead Following more than two years of intense lobbying from stakeholders, and negotiations between the Government and the ‘independent’ upper House, an amendment to the Anti-Discrimination Act passed both Houses of Parliament.

Faith-based schools and the churches were seeking the capacity to discriminate in relation to admission to their schools.

Attorney-General Brian Wightman agreed to an amendment to the Anti-Discrimination Act to allow for this exemption. In what he describes as a ‘sensible and balanced approach’ Mr Wightman has announced that the exemption would be available at the point of admission. Examples would be: if a class is full the school could refuse to accept an enrolment from a student not of that

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particular religious belief or affiliation; if there was only one place available and two students seeking to enrol preference could be given to the student of that particular religious belief or affiliation.

Students who are already attending a faith-based school could not be excluded.

Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act Tasmania is the last jurisdiction to get ‘Working with Children’ legislation, so arguably this draft legislation is well overdue. This reform will introduce a compulsory background risk assessment and police checks for people looking to work with children and vulnerable people.

A centralised screening process will also be established.

Unfortunately the introduction of this legislation was marred by a very poor consultation process. There was little awareness on the part of the Minister for Human Services and drafters of the Bill of the registration provisions of the Teacher Registration Act. It is unclear as to whether teachers will have to be registered twice – under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2013 as well as under the Teacher Registration Act as there is no exemption for registered teachers. The IEU will be making a submission as the regulations are developed to avoid this unnecessary duplication. The IEU is also concerned about the fee that education support staff will have to pay.

Australia wide

Queensland & Northern Territory Launch of new Beginning Educator Network The IEUA-QNT has launched a beginning educators network (BEnet) to provide opportunities for Union engagement and support.

The BEnet will be comprised of members who are in the first five years of their career in education. The network is designed to allow early career members to network, share and learn during what is often an overwhelming time.

Research has shown that the teaching profession is losing some of its best and brightest members within the first five years due to a range of reasons such

as differences between expectations and reality, excessive workloads and lack of support.

BEnet Coordinator Caryl Davies says the program is designed to increase member engagement within this group and promote understanding of what it means to be union.

“The BEnet will offer recent graduates the opportunity to attend professional development sessions, meet other new educators and have a place to go when they need to ask questions or have concerns.”

The BEnet is open to teachers, school officers and associate members currently studying education.

“BEnet will have meetings across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

There will also be an extensive range of online resources available for those in rural and remote areas.”

To get involved, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/ beginningeducators or email BEnet@ qieu.asn.au.

South Australia Union formed on the footpath Prior to 1984 teachers employed in Catholic and independent schools, who considered membership of their industrial and professional association important, had no choice but to belong to the South Australian Institute of Teachers (SAIT) now the AEU. This was the Union that all teachers, irrespective of the school sector, were able to join. This relationship endured for some years, with the teachers from the non-government schools forming their own sub group called the Association of Teachers in Independent Schools (ATIS) to ensure that their professional and industrial interests were developed and maintained.

ACT

In 1984 SAIT lobbied the government to withdraw any funding to non-government schools. The DOGS (those in Defence of Government Schools) and the members who taught in non-government schools came to loggerheads. This led to a particularly heated council meeting which culminated in the ATIS members being ejected from the meeting and the building.

These members held their first meeting as an unregistered association on the footpath outside of the SAIT building, but went on to become a registered union. Some years later it was renamed the Association of Non Government Education Employees and broadened

its membership to include general staff.

Ten years ago they became the IEUSA. The rest, as they say, is history and IEUSA will mark its 30-year anniversary by celebrating the work and commitment of these foundation members and their equally enthusiastic successors with a number of projects, including a DVD and dinner for past and present members.

Time to start logging learning

When the Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) was established in 2010, the IEU lobbied to have the annual teacher registration fee waved for two years and the maintenance of accreditation process delayed by three years.

This year will be the first in which all teachers will need to log their professional learning for accreditation purposes.

The importance of continuing Professional Learning (PL) for ACT teachers is now recognised through accreditation linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers or Standards for Principals.

All teachers (including casual and part time) need to start recording and

reflecting on a minimum of 20 hours of their PL throughout 2014 to meet the requirements for registration renewal in 2015. This must be recorded by each teacher through their Professional Learning Profile on the TQI portal.

• each year must include 20 hours, with a minimum of five hours of Accredited Programs and a minimum of five hours of Teacher Identified Activities.

Teachers are expected to: • keep a central record of all their PL on the PL Profile, not just the 20 hours needed for registration purposes.

• make up the 20 hours needed for registration renewal from a combination of programs accredited

by TQI (Accredited Programs) and other professional learning (Teacher Identified Activities), and independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|7

Flexible learning creates opportunity Responding to demand from the Indigenous community, Charles Sturt University Dubbo has made its Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) teaching degree more accessible to students from rural and remote areas, IE Journalist Sue Osborne writes.

The Indigenous Teachers Education in Community (ITEC) program has been in operation for two years, with its first batch of graduates expected to be teaching by 2016.

The degree supports students through a blended mode of delivery. Students come to campus for four weeks a year. The rest of the time they stay living and working in their communities.

The majority of the 26 students on the course are Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) who range in age from school leavers to a 58-year-old.

Faculty of Education Lecturer and ITEC Liaison Officer Maria Bennet works with students in the field three times a year and the University’s Rural and Remote team provides additional face-to-face support.

Practicing teachers are employed to act as tutors for the students. Students can access lectures and tutorials on line.

“What helps significantly is that most of the students are working in schools, so they understand how the theory plays out in the classroom,” Maria says.

Many of the students are likely to be employed as teachers at the schools where they work as AEWs. “The schools have been very supportive, encouraging their AEWs to complete degrees,” she says.

Charles Sturt Dubbo has a number of other programs designed to forge strong links with the Indigenous community.

Small groups of pre-service teachers, sometimes in subject or year cohorts, engage

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with schools and community, such as supporting school-based reading programs.

“The students need to understand the students and education providers in their community. This is an additional layer on top of the professional experience placements which provide a deeper understanding.”

DEEWR PaCE funding has enabled Maria to provide after school reading tuition for Aboriginal children in the Dubbo area.

Children and their parents come to classes at the University twice a week for 10 weeks. Preservice teachers and community members act as tutors.

“The aim is to up-skill the parents to understand literacy, particularly reading, and help them develop strategies to support their children with the western practices used in schools.”

The funding support for the program from the NSW Education Department has grown during the three years that DEEWR has funded this program, and Maria says she would “dearly love” to secure more funding to support children for a two-year period, to enable long-term reading support for children to make a sustained difference to their learning.

“That would provide them with a sound basis to go on with their education at a high level.”

Additionally, the School of Teacher Education is publishing a series of books called Childhood Memories.

“It was difficult to find material on local Indigenous nation groups, particularly the Wiradjuri, so to get around that we started the process ourselves.”

Maria has interviewed a number of elders and created teaching materials for primary schools consisting of a ‘big book’, smaller books and teaching resources.

Aunty Doris’ Book of Childhood Memories has been published and five other books are in draft format.

Towards reconciliation

It’s no secret that Aboriginal people relate better to other Aboriginal people, so the more Aboriginal teachers in class the more benefits to students.

From try line to classroom Joe Williams says he has dreamt of being a primary school teacher for as long as he can remember, but the “bright lights” of a career as a professional sportsman distracted him from his dream.

Joe left his hometown of Wagga Wagga to play with the NRL, representing South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Sydney Bulldogs and Penrith Panthers during his 10-year career.

But now he has retired and returned to his hometown to take up a position as an Aboriginal Education Worker with Mater Dei Catholic College. He is also in his first year of primary teacher training at Charles Sturt University.

Joe has not given up sport entirely, as he now boxes professionally.

“When I had the interview with the College I made it clear straight away I wanted to train as a teacher, and the College has been very supportive of me,” Joe says.

“The distance learning at Charles Sturt has its positives and negatives.

I can’t speak highly enough of the support I get from Maria and all the staff.

“They are always checking up to make sure we are getting the work done and we have tutors at home.

“It’s good to be able to stay with the family and have their support and the community’s. I can also talk to other teachers at my school about the coursework, although I work in a high school and am doing primary training.

“On the other hand when we go into campus four times a year we are faced with very intense workloads.

“It’s also hard to get into a rhythm of study when you are working at home.

“But I know some of the women on the course with children really appreciate being able to stay at home, and some of the younger ones straight out of school.”

Joe says it’s crucial that more Aboriginal people train as teachers.

“It’s no secret that Aboriginal people relate better to other Aboriginal people, so the more Aboriginal teachers in class the more benefits to students, who can relate to them culturally, and have that connection with land and identity.”

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Students building a better world Wherever they are schooled, whatever their socio-economic backgrounds or their nations’ political systems, young people demonstrate an innate desire to actively work for a better world. When they speak out, their voices carry a power and a purity that begs our attention. When they act, they inspire us to follow.

Walking the talk Encouraging students to ‘live social justice’ creates adept decision-makers and helps them become active participants in democratic and civil systems. But schools need to lead by example, Dr Joseph Agbenyega from Monash University’s Faculty of Education tells IE Journalist Tara de Boehmler.

For social justice education to take hold it must be taught as a way of living, rather than limiting it to isolated projects, Dr Agbenyega says. In practice, this involves asking every student what they want their schools to be like.

“Very young children must also be included – all must be able to make a contribution,” he says.

“At primary and secondary schools, students who have been included in decision making will perceive themselves as part of the school community and will hold themselves accountable when part of rulemaking. This also drives them to participate in the classroom.”

Dr Agbenyega says there are various roles that schools can play, including:

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• capacity building according to the different capabilities and abilities which individuals can use to help them escape from disadvantage • building students’ strength by focusing on ability rather than deficits, as a deficit focus can lead to exclusion • creating transformation in personal agency, building an ability to act with intent • building a range of new relationships, ensuring students meet with different types of people and transform the way they see the world • developing students’ emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing by linking with families so schools know what students are going through, and

Feature

• everyday education that provides a convivial atmosphere leading to personal skills and development.

Dr Agbenyega says relationships within schools are fundamental to a functional school. He also suggests intercultural and multicultural – not monocultural – buddy systems to help students learn about each other’s culture while providing academic support.

Learning from Mandela The legacies of Nelson Mandela provide key principles for living social justice, Dr Agbenyega says. These principles include: • look at me, myself, and then you learn from me • education is living and living is education • use education as a platform for sustainable living • where children cannot speak for themselves advocacy is vital, and • being relentless in pursuit of our dreams and what we believe in.

Legacies in the making When looking for inspiration for social justice teaching, Dr Agbenyega says many people are still making legacies.

Ertharin Cousin As Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program, Ertharin continues to advocate that there should be zero malnutrition and that no child should go hungry on any day. Bringing food to children in war-torn countries and those impacted by environmental disasters and other issues is vital.

If children are hungry they cannot talk about social justice.

“Children can’t learn when they are hungry so education and social justice must go hand in hand,” Dr Agbenyega says.

Zhan Haite This “ambitious girl growing up in rural China” is standing up to the government policy that rural children must remain rural educated and cannot be admitted to the better resourced city schools”, Dr Agbenyega says.

“She migrated to Shanghai and in response to the exclusionary policy is advocating and mobilising around it. She is now having great breakthroughs,” he says.

“Our schools and educators can transform the way our society is today by ensuring all students are included, and by diversifying and valuing all subjects equally.

“We live as role models so students learn how to come to the next level.”

Remember where you came from In the lead-up to the 2013 Federal Election a group of students from Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview, made headlines when they wrote a public letter to the nation’s Jesuit-educated political candidates, calling for a more compassionate approach to asylum seekers.

In August 2013 the Saint Ignatius’ College student advocacy group sent a letter to Jesuit-educated candidates, including Tony Abbott, Bill Shorten, Joe Hocky, Christopher Pyne and Barnaby Joyce. The students wrote: “As students in a Jesuit College standing within a near five century tradition of formation of head, heart and hands, we feel compelled to write to you, having shared this formation ahead of us, and now offering yourselves as future leaders of our nation.

“An Ignatian education has always embraced and esteemed growth in competence, conscience and compassion, the mission of the Jesuits and all their ministries is ‘the service of faith and the promotion of justice’. We share that with a

passion. The currently proposed solutions to the so-called ‘refugee problem’ by both the Labor Party and Liberal-National Coalition are inhumane and unjust. They betray our national character of being large-hearted, of giving someone ‘a fair go’, and of ‘helping the battler’. They lack moral courage and, in the light of our international obligations, may be illegal.

“We feel compelled to express our disappointment that, as graduates of our Jesuit schools, you would allow those principles, cultivated in our common tradition, to be betrayed. We look for heroes among our alumni, for insignes (generous and influential people, as Ignatius styled them). Instead we see only allegiances to parties that trade human lives for political expediency, that choose the lowest common denominator to woo the populace, and that speak of economic problems rather than the dignity of the human person, especially the most vulnerable.” (abridged)

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Students building a better world

Gift that changes everyone’s lives While we understand how much we impact the people of Chibobo, we also recognise the incredible gift we receive through their friendship.

By Mike Lampard, Teacher, Overnewton Anglican Community College Overnewton Anglican Community College (OACC) has been associated with the Chibobo Orphange in Zambia for over 10 years. In conjunction with St Mary’s in Sunbury, the community has raised funds, sponsored children and completed projects on visits to Zambia every second year.

Chibobo is a community in northern remote Zambia. The Orphanage was set up by the Help Ministries Project and 63 orphans live in the centre. They are cared for by a dedicated group of staff who are aware of the fragility and vulnerability of young people in Africa today. Their vision is to provide not just a stable and healthy lifestyle but one that enriches the minds and hearts of the young people they care for; thus the emphasis on Christian values and education is paramount.

There have been some amazing highlights throughout our association over the last 10 years and one of the most significant achievements was the building of the Chibobo medical centre which services the whole area. Over the last few years OACC has been raising money to facilitate the building of a high school near the Orphanage. Students from prep to 12 and their families are well aware of this connection with the Orphanage.

Students from Senior School, in particular, are given the opportunity to visit Zambia every second year and go with a specific project in mind to complete. Last year seven current students, three ex-students, two parents and three staff went across to help with the painting of all the buildings in the Chibobo compound. Students came back inspired and enthusiastic about making our connection even stronger. They have now initiated the sponsorship of four children, one for each of the Senior School Houses, and look for ways of fundraising for the high school.

While we understand how much we impact the people of Chibobo, we also recognise

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the incredible gift we receive through their friendship. Here are some reflections of the students who went last year: Tahni The people in the Chibobo Orphanage share a bond with each other like no other community I have ever seen before; the way they interact with each other, the way they speak to each other and just the way that each individual values their association with the community. Their respect and love of their caregivers, their friends, and also Overnewton Anglican Community College, gives off a great atmosphere and I felt grateful for being able to share this close connection with them.

What I admired most was how every little thing was precious, not just what was theirs, but other people’s possessions as well.

Selin The children of Chibobo made the whole group look at life from their eyes, which they believe is a beautiful place. This was such a contrast to here in Australia where I see so many people who look at life and think that it is a burden on them. Meeting different orphans who have no parents and no money made me rethink my own life and it definitely made me appreciate it so much more. Before leaving Australia I thought that what I was doing would make such a big difference in the orphans’ eyes, but what I wasn’t aware of was how much they would change my life.

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Students building a better world

Happy class happy world

By David Clarke, Teacher, St Clare’s High School, Taree Research points to incredible future challenges for the students we teach and for their children. They will have a right to ask of us: ‘How could you have known and done nothing, as you stole our future and passed costs onto the environment and those yet unborn’.

Many don’t realise every dollar spent is a vote for a particular economic system - fair or unfair.

Students in my Year 10,11 and 12 Economics, Commerce and Japanese classes decided to deconstruct the energy, economic and political aspects of our cultural systems and build a possible world in our classroom. Following an anonymous survey to identify their hopes and dreams, they created a world to fulfill them.

It was similar to projects in Jeffrey Sachs book, Economics for a Crowded Planet: Common Wealth where the low cost of simultaneously solving poverty, disease, population and environmental problems in the developing nations was demonstrated.

We installed solar panels and a ‘pedala-watt’ pushbike power generation unit as well as electricity consumption meters in the classroom. Demand-reduction strategies included taking out every second light bulb and storing hot water in a thermos.

Pedaling produced another positive outcome. We were 1.5kg away from our ideal collective Body Mass Index after the first fortnightly data collection period.

The electricity expenditure saved was redirected via World Vision and Caritas into genuine development aid. We supplemented this amount and helped supply a developing country family with a goat. Using a scanning ‘app’, students were able to witness the difference the goat brought to the lives of a family in Zambia.

We also built in ‘demand side’ reallocation.

Many don’t realise every dollar spent is a vote for a particular economic system – fair or unfair. Based on Jeffrey Sach’s calculations that global poverty, environmental problems and disease could be dealt with by a reallocation of income equal to 2.4% of Advanced Nations’ Gross National Income (GNI), we surveyed our collective class income and then our expenditure on fair trade and ethical products each fortnight.

This expenditure, combined with our reallocated electricity savings, was calculated as a proportion of our class

income. In all survey periods this was above the 2.4% of GNI required. We saved as we spent – not going without, but reallocating in such a way as to solve issues holistically.

Using participatory democracy, our judicial and political and monitoring systems were instituted. Each fortnight we assessed the extent to which our actions embodied gender equity, were inclusive both culturally and linguistically, whether opinions were accepted, whether students felt they had the right to speak without fear, whether they felt a sense of belonging and whether learning was relevant.

We imbedded ‘functional citizenship’ nudges and indicators and considered our Economics and Commerce and Japanese results and assessment tasks to be our economic ‘output. It was classified as Gross Learning Outcomes.

Finally, measurement was critical. Each of the systems, nudges and actions was scored, producing a result out of 10. The 10 indicators were weighted by the students’ values and combined to form an index number between 0 and 1.

Our number includes environmental, social, economic and political indicators – a synthesis of elements of the UNDP’s Human Development Index, the Measure of Economic Welfare, the Human Suffering Index, the Genuine Progress Index and others.

Inspired by Nic Marks’ Happy Planet Index, we called our indicator the Happy Classroom Index (HCI).

In class we display the running index numbers from zero to one with a statue of St Clare. Her statue slides along the numbers depending on the extent to which we embody our ideal world. She started at 0.645 and now sits at 0.836. (Coincidentally the exercise also satisfied the 10 Genuine Happiness criteria contained in the behavioural economics literature.)

As students leave the room, a poster on the back of the door reads: ‘Beware, you are now entering the past!!!’ independent education| issue 4|Vol 44|2014|13

All change Teaching adaptability With change the only constant in life it is little wonder that adaptability is emerging as a key ability. The good news is that it can be taught, University of NSW Professor of Educational Psychology Andrew Martin tells IE Journalist Tara de Boehmler.

Much is said and written about the importance of resilience, but adaptability is emerging as an area of equal importance, Professor Martin says.

“We can speculate whether adaptability may be activated even more often than resilience. It’s certainly right up there.”

It was the study of resilience that led Professor Martin and his colleagues to realise the significance of adaptability.

“We had been researching young people’s resilience for a few years, in particular young people responding to adversity in their academic lives and how they bounced back from it.

“The further we got into researching that, the more we saw there’s a difference between adversity on the one hand, and change, uncertainty, transition, novelty and variability on the other.”

There is a range of everyday transitions and changes – not necessarily adversities – that students need to adapt to, such as a casual teacher coming in for a day, working in a new group, interacting with different students or moving from proper fractions to improper fractions.

“The well-rounded student is able to deal with adversity but, just as importantly, they are able to deal with change and have the ability to transition when it comes along.

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“That’s what makes for an adaptable child and young person,” Professor Martin says.

Professor Martin was among researchers from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Education and Social Work collected data on young people’s adaptability from almost 1000 independent and Catholic systemic schools in 2010 and 2011. They have continued to collect notational and international since then.

The study showed how adaptable students were more likely to report greater life satisfaction, and a greater sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. It also revealed four major parts of young people’s adaptability: • ability to adjust thinking in uncertain or changing situations • ability to adjust behaviour when something new or different arises • ability to adjust emotions, and • ability to focus on what one can control in a situation.

Andrew says there are a number of ways that teachers can encourage students to be adaptable in scenarios such as going on a camp or starting high school.

“Teachers might encourage students to adjust their behaviour when they are about

Teaching and learning

The wellrounded student is able to deal with adversity but, just as importantly, they are able to deal with change and have the ability to transition when it comes along.

to start with a new set of people so that they listen and avoid jumping in too early, to listen to other ideas, to wait their turn to start contributing thoughts on the situation and to cooperate.

“Adjusting one’s thinking might mean adjusting expectations or attitudes regarding a particular situation.

“They might encourage students to see the upside of a new situation. For example, working with different students may give them the chance to make new friends and learn something about someone else.

“In terms of emotion, they might be disappointed they are not in the same group their friends are in so they may need to manage that disappointment, fear or even their excitement. If it’s the latter they might be encouraged not to get silly or overreach and dominate the situation.”

The findings of the study also suggest there is a role for teachers in encouraging students to focus on what they can control in a situation, and not so much on the things outside their control.

“What they can control is their effort, strategy – the quality of their effort – and their attitude about situations,” Professor Martin says.

“We can discourage thinking about what they can’t control, such as good or bad luck, the task, or other people’s attitudes.

Diminishing what can’t be controlled can also be a good way of helping them adapt to a situation.”

The fifth major area where teachers come in is in maintaining good, functional, respectful working relationships between teachers and their students, he says.

“The extent to which students will be receptive to teachers’ advice, encouragement and guidance on how to adapt will very much depend on the quality of their relationship with their teachers.

“In this way a teacher knows enough about students to know how to get things done, how to individualise, when to push and when to back off and what examples and scenarios to use.

“Having said this, we need to know a lot about some students – such as learning difficulties, home life, how things travelled last

year and what worked for other teachers.”

Professor Martin says some teachers and principals have indicated that a teacher’s ability to guide and encourage adaptability can also depend on the teacher’s capacity to be adaptable. He says this too, can be developed.

“The best place to start is through selfreflection – by asking ‘Where am I on the scale?’ and ‘How do I handle new situations?’.

Sometimes that self-reflection is important even just to understand how hard it is.”

Self-review might also provide teachers with appropriate scenarios to share about how they faced change in their own schooling or sporting activities “There is a lot of evidence to show that children, young people and adults can change their thinking about a situation. They can change their behaviour and they can attend to how they feel about it. They can focus a bit more on what they can control and they can focus less on what is out of their control. We can learn to be adaptable.

“Later in life what we do know is that there are lots of things we educate our students for that will be irrelevant, outdated or will not even exist by the time they reach adulthood,” he says.

“But the one thing we can be sure of is that things will change in their lives and maybe even more rapidly than it does now, so this is a guaranteed investment.”

Adaptability: How students’ responses to uncertainty and novelty predict their academic and non-academic outcomes (published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol 105(3) Aug 2013) was conducted by Professor Andrew Martin (lead author), Mr Harry Nejad, Dr Susan Colmar and Dr Gregory Liem from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Education and Social Work. independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|15

Risky business How do you make safety messages palatable to young people, while encouraging them to curb risky behaviours?

IE Journalist Sue Osborne looks at a couple of safety education campaigns and asks what works and why.

A 2007 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey found that 19% of 18-24 males had engaged in high risk (binge) drinking at least once a week. In 2005-6 more than 15,000 people aged 15-24 were hurt in a transport accident, with males twice as likely to get injured as females. In the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey 23% of 15-24 year olds reported using illicit drugs in the previous 12 months.

The Writing’s on the Wall Melville Council, which governs a suburb of Perth, has produced educational resources aimed at cutting down on risk-taking behaviour by its youth, hoping to prevent crime and expense for the Council, as well as keeping young people safer.

Some six years ago the Council produced Six Mates, stories for young men. More recently it made The Gathering, a DVD aimed at 15-18 year-olds about a party, which goes badly wrong. The resource aims to tackle binge drinking.

Its most recent effort, out last September, is called the Writing’s on the Wall (www. melvillecity.com.au/twotw), a script for high school students aimed at tackling graffiti tagging, but relevant to other risky behaviour.

Council Health and Wellbeing Coordinator Janet Armarego says the resources have been successful and are engaging for students because they are workshopped with students, and have realistic language and scenarios.

The Writing’s on the Wall is a script to be read in class. Janet says feedback from

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teachers and students has been good.

“It’s an early intervention tool in relation to graffiti tagging, but really it applies to any unhealthy risk taking behaviour,” Janet says.

The story involves a male student who has moved away from his familiar area to a new school. He becomes disengaged and ends up with the ‘wrong crowd’ and involved with risk taking behaviour. There are problems with the family, including drinking and violence.

“Comment we have had is that the students enjoy the whole class activity, boys are quite keen to read and the discussions afterwards allow students who may be having similar problems at home talk about that,” Janet says.

Janet says she believes this resource is successful because of the student input.

“It’s paramount the scenarios are all realistic and believable. What we are creating reflects what young people are doing.

“Our aim is to promote coping behaviours and help-seeking mechanisms, it is not about appointing blame.

“The subject of tagging is incidental. It’s more about the circumstances that surround this young man, and you feel real empathy for him as he goes down the path he does.

“Young people get an understanding of what led him to the risky behaviour, and they can talk about the choices he made and his parents’ choices. They can discuss what other choices he could have made and how he could have sought help.

“It gets young people to think outside the box and looks at what alternative strategies could have been used.”

Teaching and learning

Use your private parts as PIRANHA bait Eat MEDICINE that’s out of date Invite a PSYCHO killer inside Run across the TRACKS to the other side

Use your private parts as PIRANHA bait Eat MEDICINE that’s out of date Invite a PSYCHO killer inside Run across the TRACKS to the other side

Use your private parts as PIRANHA bait Eat MEDICINE that’s out of date Invite a PSYCHO killer inside Run across the TRACKS to the other side

Watch the video and download the song

dumbwaystodie.com

Watch the video and download the song

dumbwaystodie.com

Watch the video and download the song

dumbwaystodie.com

Young males hate being told what to do with Newtonian force, but this is what most safety campaigns try to do.

Dumb Ways to Die Dumb Ways to Die is Metro Trains Melbourne’s ground-breaking campaign aimed at stopping risky behaviour around trains, following a growing number of accidents and deaths in previous years.

Dumb Ways to Die, which consists of a song, game and video as well as accompanying resources for the classroom, has ‘gone viral’.

The song has been viewed 65 million times on YouTube, the smartphone app has been downloaded 27 million times, the game went to number one in 18 countries and the app was number one in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Ten thousand copies of the book were distributed to Victorian classrooms.

This popularity is unprecedented for a railway safety campaign. But has it worked?

McCann Australia devised the campaign for Metrorail. Group Account Director Adrian Mills says they planned for the campaign to be big.

“We wanted to take dry information and make it interesting for 12-20 year old males primarily,” Adrian says.

“This campaign is the opposite of most safety campaigns. Young males hate being

told what to do with Newtonian force, but this is what most safety campaigns try to do.

“Safety campaigns tend to talk down to people rather than up to them: ‘Do this, don’t do that, or you will die’.

“We actually wanted this campaign to work, so our strategy was simple: If you have a message you want people to hear, make sure it’s a message that people want to hear.

“This campaign was beautifully executed, so the characters are fun but they have an edge to them as well.

“It’s black humour that is actually funny and therefore gives people credit. The fact that it’s a train safety campaign gives it that ironic edge.”

Three months after the campaign was launched Adrian says there was a drop in the number of accidents recorded on Victorian trains.

Research was carried out which showed 53% of young people would behave in a safer fashion around trains due to the campaign.

Adrian says the conclusion is simple: Don’t force your message on to your audience; think about how you can communicate your message in a compelling way. independent education| issue 4|Vol 44|2014|17

Cracking the code to engaging science classes

In a bid to bring genetics lessons to life, IEU member and St Josephs Catholic College Broken Bay Teacher David Terry hit the mark using live mice. But if you lack a supply of pure breed rodents, his multimedia simulation has a similar effect, writes IE Journalist Tara de Boehmler.

The Biology, Science and Technology Teacher has spent about 30 years building up a collection of pure breeding mice and chickens, which take up prime real estate out the back of his family home.

“I became interested when I was working in Milperra, in Sydney, and the Science Coordinator – a nun – told me genetics was boring and that I needed to make it more interesting. I obtained some white mice and some black mice from the CSIRO and asked my students to guess what would happen if we crossed them.”

The exercise surprised David and captivated his students.

“I expected them all to be black and most of my students predicted that the first batch would be grey. All of them turned out to be grey. We then crossed the greys and got three quarters non-grey (black, grey, brown and cinnamon) and the rest were albino.

“Science education is about changing kids’ understanding of genetics by providing them with credible evidence, but this also showed that things are not always as simple as we think.

“The kids were so interested and engaged,” David says.

“The traditional way of teaching Science can often be about students learning answers rather than asking questions.

Students are asked to read this or look at that diagram and answer these questions but the research is saying the students are not

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getting the benefit from these approaches.

Concrete, first hand experimental investigation is the way to go.”

David started collecting pure breeding mice from pet shops and the CSIRO – and people began giving them to him.

When he started teaching at all-girls’ school Mount St Joseph’s College, he found his students were just as interested and his collection reached impressive proportions.

But now he is downsizing and, with the Animal Research Act making it impossible for others to source pure breeds for similar purposes, he has developed a technologybased solution.

His ‘MouseGen’ program simulates cross breeding experiments with live mice. Using video clips, photographs, animations, audio and annotated photographic diagrams, David says it “allows numerous students to access a learning experience that had previously only been provided for a single class at a time”.

In a PhD he completed through the University of Newcastle Adolescent females assessment of and learning gains from researcher developed mouse genetics multimedia simulation (MouseGen), David spells out the benefits of using a multi-media simulation.

“Unlike a first-hand investigation, the mouse breeding simulation can be explored in a short period of time, like three 50-minute

Teaching and learning

There is so much to learn through trial and error and stumbling across it. I am also still learning all the time.

lessons. Given that most students will not participate in a real monohybrid genetics investigation in their high school science experience, the MouseGen multimedia simulation offers an opportunity for students to engage in an experiment which their classroom teacher is not able to provide.”

David is in the process of developing an app and says the internet has proven to be a “powerful tool” for his work.

“Now everything I do is based on the internet. I put videos on YouTube and would like to make more of this available for other kids around the world.”

But while apps and the internet have their place, David’s main advice is to “get everyone off their bums and have them do something first hand that’s experimental”.

They might want to bring chickens, rabbits, frogs or lizards in to observe and, while breeding experiments using live animals might be out, David says there are plenty of opportunities to involve students in investigations using plants.

“The fruit shop is a great resource for studying genetics. I tell students to check out the different shapes and colours of tomatoes, eggplants and capsicums. Later they can

look up what they’ve discovered.”

His own garden poses many questions, such as ‘Why do some chilies grow up while others point down, and which gene is dominant?’ along with genetic peculiarities like stripey tomatoes, black corn and purple peas.

He even proffered a box of blue and green eggs during his IE interview.

“There is so much to learn through trial and error and stumbling across it. I am also still learning all the time.

“Students just love to connect with living things.”

Resources Mouse Genetics Animation, by David Terry www.slideshare.net/dterry7/mouse-geneticsanimation iSpring Free – the program David uses to bring his presentation to life www.ispringsolutions.com Southern Biological – innovative products tailored for Science teachers www.southernbiological.com Diggers Club – for ordering plant seeds www.diggersclub.com.au

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independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|19

Cairns kindergarten REAPs rewards

Cairns Community Kindergarten in North Queensland received more than $1,700 to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resource collection following their successful bid for funding under the REAPing Rewards Program, IE Journalist Michael Oliver writes.

The REAPing Rewards program is administered by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR). The foundation was established as a partnership between philanthropists, government and business to stimulate rural renewal in Australia. The program supports locally-driven projects and programs that directly benefit the education of young people. Grants can be up to $10,000.

Cairns Community Kindergarten is located in Manunda, a central suburb of Cairns.

Erica Conroy is the Co-Director at the kindergarten. She said the grant will serve as just the boost needed to get the Indigenous cross cultural study program they have planned for so long up and running.

“We have always had a very multicultural group at the kindergarten, but few Indigenous children attend because we are situated near an Indigenous kindergarten called Boopa Werem. I think it is vital then that we find ways to increase our children’s exposure to Indigenous culture.”

The Cairns kindergarten acknowledges the custodians and first people of this country and respects their ongoing relationship to the land and sea. In order to extend this respect by exposing their children to the art and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Australians, the kindergarten made a grant application to the REAPing Rewards program.

“We hope to buy puzzles and big books for group reading, and standard sized books for home borrowing by the children. National, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and bunting will also be displayed prominently to encourage talking points and discussion.

The resource collection will be used during significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dates throughout the year. By incorporating more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander themed learning materials into the curriculum, the service will gently and respectfully expose kindergarten children to the lives and cultures of Indigenous

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Australians, who constitute more than 10% of the local population.

“This exposure to culture, stories and art may often be the children’s first exposure to Indigenous Australia. By providing a positive and early recognition of the Indigenous community at the kindergarten it is hoped a firm foundation is laid for later attitudes of social inclusion and good citizenship.

“The staff here have been through all the necessary professional development on how to embed Indigenous culture. We just needed the resources now to make this happen, so this grant is great news.”

“I would encourage other kindergartens in regional and rural areas to look at the grants and see if they can get the funding to make their ideas a reality.”

Cairns Community Kindergarten received its funding in the second round of the REAPing Rewards program There are a huge variety of projects that can be funded by the REAPing Rewards program. Some of the most commonly funded items included: • technology to enable kindergartens to comply with requirements of the Early Years Learning Framework • equipment to encourage outdoor play and physical activity • preschool infrastructure • cultural immersion programs • arts and music programs • literacy programs • student leadership programs • early intervention programs • mathematics and science extension, and • programs in high schools To find out more about the FRRR or the REAPing Rewards program, visit their web site at www.frrr.org.au. The fourth round of funding under the REAPing Rewards program closes 25 August 2014. Outcomes will be announced in late November.

Teaching and learning

The Holocaust: The Nazi Genocide against the Jewish people Review by Tara de Boehmler

We might say ‘never again’ but if the crimes and suffering of the Holocaust are forgotten our chance to learn from them is lost. To ensure it retains its immediacy, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies has produced a classroom resource on the Holocaust.

The Holocaust: The Nazi Genocide against the Jewish people uses facts, photos, documents and the words of those involved to provide a concise yet detailed overview of the atrocities visited upon the Jewish people, largely during World War II. But the resource goes back further, outlining Europe’s history of persecution of the Jewish people, including the two revolts in 70CE and 130CE that saw them expelled from Israel; the adoption of anti-Semitism as the official ideology of the German Christian Social Workers Party and the League of Anti-Semites in the late 19th century and the incorporation into German law by the Nazis of the theory of racial hierarchy headed by Indo-European ‘Aryans’.

Chapters deal with the isolation and persecution of Jewish people from German society; World War II and “the simultaneous War of Extermination against the Jews” which robbed the lives of an estimated 6,000,000, including some 1,500,000 children; the Resistance; those who showed compassion and assisted Jewish people; perpetrators, collaborators and bystanders; the human toll and after the Holocaust.

It is the words and often graphic photos of those involved that provide students with the most immediate sense of the suffering of the victims, the courage of their protectors and the culpability and occasionally the remorse of perpetrators.

In the words of Jankiel Wiernik, one of the few survivors of the death camp of Treblinka: “I was put with a group that was assigned to handle the corpses. The work was very hard because we had to drag each corpse … for a distance of approximately three hundred metres….

“We had to carry or drag corpses on the run, since the slightest infraction of the rules meant a severe beating. The corpses had been laying around for some time and decomposition had already set in, making

the air foul with decay.”

Military Brigadier and medical officer HL Glyn Hughes describes the scene the British found on liberating Belsen: “The conditions in the camp were really indescribable; no description or photograph could really bring home the horrors that were there outside the huts, and the frightful scenes inside were much worse...”

In an August 1941 letter to his wife, German officer Helmuth von Moltke writes: “What will happen when the nation as a whole realises this war is lost … with a blood guilt that cannot be atoned for in our lifetime and can never be forgotten.”

The book sums up the Holocaust’s warning that must echo throughout time: “While the Holocaust was unique, its lessons about the essential fragility of human civilisation are universal. The Holocaust is a warning to every generation about the human potential for evil, especially as a consequence of racial hatred, and about the inherent evil of totalitarian regimes. It teaches us that every generation owes to itself and to future generations to cherish, and if necessary to fight to defend, the sanctity of human life, dignity and freedom.”

As the book says so well, in conclusion: “It remains important that we should all be on our guard to ensure that the calculated incitement of racial hatred and the oppression and mass murder that it has too often produced in the past never again presents a danger to the survival of human civilisation.”

For Year 9 and 10 students learning about the Holocaust, the Sydney Jewish Museum provides curriculum-friendly tours, which can be adapted for younger students. For more information about The Holocaust: The Nazi Genocide against the Jewish people and to order copies, contact Suzanne Green on 02 9360 1600 or via suzanne.green@nswjbd.com. independent education| issue 4|Vol 44|2014|21

Sustaining sustainability programs One of the most important keys to the continued success of the program was to give these two staff members the resources — including the release time and allowances — to perform their roles to the best of their ability.

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Sustainable Classrooms

A new guidebook produced by researchers at RMIT called Conversations on School-Community Learning Partnerships for Sustainability (A Guidebook) offers a practical manual for schools looking to set-up or expand sustainability programs, IE Journalist Michael Oliver writes.

The book examines the pitfalls and advantages of sustainability programs using real life case studies.

The main finding of the book is that although the benefits of sustainability programs are well-documented, the majority are dependent on the work of a single staff member — dubbed a ‘champion teacher’.

Succession plans are necessary for the longterm success of any sustainability program.

St Jude’s in Langwarrin, Victoria, was one of the schools used as a case study for the guidebook. It has run a sustainability program for more than 14 years, receiving a Five Star Sustainable School certification from the Frankston City Council in 2007.

Roderick Shaw was formerly the Sustainability Coordinator at St Jude’s and is now a Deputy Principal. He helped oversee transformation of the program from its small beginnings to the vibrant and multi-faceted program it is today.

Rod says the program’s importance to the school reflected the centrality of stewardship of the Earth within Catholic teaching. This centrality was emphasised in the call from the late John Paul II for the creation of an “ecological vocation”, and for the faithful to “devise programs for the protection of the environment and ensure that they are properly put into effect”.

“A huge amount of the success we have had depends on letting the kids have ownership of the program. The primary purpose is always to educate future sustainability leaders,” Rod says.

While the program aims to create sustainability-aware community leaders, the results come in tangible and nontangible, as well as immediate, delayed and sustained, forms.

Just a few of these benefits include: • cost savings • improved buildings and grounds • enhanced reputation and attraction for enrolments • strengthened staff relationships and morale • improved parental relationships, and • improved student attendance and behaviour.

The savings that come with the reduction in energy and water use alone can be of considerable interest for any school wishing to pursue a sustainability program.

“During the [John] Howard era we received grants to install some rainwater tanks that we plumbed for use in our toilets, and a bank of solar panels. These measures had immediately improved the school’s bottom line — which is always good news for principals and administrators.

“We also achieved further cost reductions by changing the behaviour of students.

Making some of the students ‘Power Rangers’ and putting them in leadership positions

regarding energy usage has reduced power consumption by a considerable amount.

“In fact, the program has been close to self-funding at times, through the use of grants. However, grant applications can take considerable time.”

The champion teachers often undertook most of the work and handled the administration of the program in their own time.

“Establishing a succession plan was very important to continued success at the school,” Rod says.

“Now that I have moved on from the Sustainability Coordinator role, we have two staff members running the program — a teacher and a teachers aide working together.

“One of the most important keys to the continued success of the program was to give these two staff members the resources — including the release time and allowances — to perform their roles to the best of their ability.

“This is not to say that these two staff members are not going above and beyond to deliver these programs at the school.

And it is unlikely the allowance and release time truly captures the amount of time and dedication given, but we are careful at the school not to deplete or depend solely on their good will.”

Many schools, including St Jude’s, have focused on embedding sustainability into the curriculum, rather than having it seen as an optional extracurricular activity for students at lunch-time or after school. While extra-curricular clubs aren’t necessarily less successful, there are some disadvantages.

Students must choose between other outside school activities such as sport, and occasionally miss lessons so that they can do sustainability club activities.

“It is vital that we keep the program within the curriculum fresh,” Rod says. “A different facet of sustainability must be covered at each year level otherwise the kids and staff will turn off.”

Rod says some of the students at the school who perhaps in other environments would have been left behind have benefitted.

“It is often the not so socially connected kids who seem to get the most out of the program,” he says.

“These kids are in their element when they are pottering around the garden. It gives them a reason to come to school, and improves their abilities when they come back to the classroom.

“For that reason alone the program is invaluable.”

A copy of the guidebook Conversations on School-Community Learning Partnerships for Sustainability is available through the RMIT web site at www.rmit.edu.au/ northernpartnerships/research/schoolcommunity-partnerships/guidebook. independent education| issue 4|Vol 44|2014|23

Bully-free workplace culture starts from the ground up Every member of the school staff, whether they be principal, executive staff member, support staff or teacher has a leadership role in eliminating workplace bullying. This can be achieved by everyone building a positive and supportive workplace culture where bullying is recognised for what it is and is eliminated, write Dan Riley, Deirdre J Duncan and John Edwards of Workplace Bullies Research.

Importance of distributed leadership in tacking bullying In combating bullying of staff, a vital factor is leadership. We suggest this is not just formal leadership such as that exercised by the Principal but what is necessary is that everyone should exercise leadership i.e. it is distributed across the school. The value of this kind of leadership in relation to bullying of staff is the fact that it is about the exercise of leadership rather than about leaders and their roles. It is leadership based on how people interact with each other regardless of whether they are support staff, teachers, department heads or the principal etc. So it is how staff show leadership in any situation in which they find themselves that matters. This allows us to take account of the context in which we find ourselves.

A pertinent question becomes ‘How is this related to the elimination of bullying of staff?’

Firstly it is related to the culture of the school, as leadership that is distributed across the school requires a change in culture away from the ‘top down’ model of leadership, to one where everyone takes on responsibility for ensuring the culture is one that is bullyfree. It also requires a climate of trust and collaboration, both of which, if genuinely achieved, leave no room for bullying of staff.

If everyone takes on a leadership role, in the sense of it being distributed across the school, it should lead to a supportive and connected workplace culture where the dignity and worth of each staff member is respected and bullying is non-existent.

Results of a 2013 IEU survey on distributed leadership and supportive culture A recent survey we conducted for the IEU assessed to what extent a distributed leadership committed to building a bully-

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free workplace culture in schools was evident in the 25 schools surveyed. Such a distributed leadership is listed as the first of nine elements within the National Framework for Building a Bully-free Workplace Culture in Schools. (See www.schoolbullies.org.au/ NationalBullyfreeFramework.pdf.)

Of the 31 indicators in the survey, six of them tested for evidence of a distributed leadership committed to a bully-free workplace culture. Disappointingly, only two of the six indicators showed any evidence that the notion that a distributed leadership was present in schools. The remaining four indicators left little doubt that respondents could not see any evidence for it. This strongly suggests that building a distributed leadership in schools is a high priority for staff wishing to achieve a bully-free workplace culture.

A further four indicators in the survey tested for evidence of a supportive and connected workplace culture which has zero tolerance for staff bullying. Such a supportive and connected culture is listed as the second of nine elements within the National Framework for Building a Bully-free Workplace Culture in Schools.

Encouragingly, three of the four indicators show a strong degree of support from respondents that positive, respectful and supportive relationships exist among staff.

Ironically, the missing ‘element’ from the environment was evidence that the school exhibited zero tolerance for bullying. The implication of this being that either schools tolerate bullying of staff or perhaps even that bullying of staff exists within them. Clearly, zero tolerance must be a stated and agreed upon aim within a school if it is to be achieved, which suggests that a degree of planning and a coordinated program, such as adopting the National Framework, are needed.

Leadership

Strengthening distributed leadership and building a supportive and connected workplace culture To focus the efforts of all members of a school to establish and maintain a bullyfree culture, there needs to be achievable objectives which resonate with those involved. For leaders distributed across our schools these achievable objectives are stated in the nine components of Element 1 of the National Framework for a Bully-free Workplace in Schools. These include acceptance by staff to maintain a bully-free workplace culture, a clear vision of what a bully-free workplace culture is, staff planning to sustain the vision and implement it, and awareness of the forms of staff bullying as it occurs in schools and so on.

These leaders, wherever they are located within the school, who have this crucial knowledge have the power to bring about change to existing practice. It will take time, commitment and monitoring, but the process and its achievement will bring untold rewards.

Change is not easily achieved unless individuals make a difference in their daily behaviour.

To help distributed leaders build a supportive and connected workplace culture, a further seven components or steps are identified in Element 2 of the National Framework for a Bully-free Workplace in Schools – A supportive and connected workplace culture. For such leaders the challenge is not just to ‘talk the talk’ but actually to ‘walk the talk.’ That is, it is not a matter of ‘do as I say’ rather than ‘do as I do!’ It is common knowledge that one is judged not by what one says but by what one does.

As members of a school our professional values are displayed everyday as we give witness to what we are committed to. If we accept that we are individuals of character focused upon enhancement of our school and that each of us is a leader committed to the establishment and maintenance of a bully-free culture, then these two elements of the National Framework detail a way forward to achieve our objective of having a bullyfree workplace culture.

Steps to a bully-free workplace Having a bully-free workplace at school requires more than simply putting up a sign saying “No bullying of staff allowed!” although doing so is perhaps not a bad start.

But it is only a start, for what is further required is building a bully-free workplace culture and that requires all staff to be involved.

It also requires a leadership that is not only shown by all but shared by all - a distributed leadership whose objective is a bully-free workplace culture. How to achieve this is set out in the nine elements of the National Framework for Building a Bully-free Workplace Culture in Schools. The first two elements, to get the ball rolling, are a distributed leadership and a supportive and connected workplace culture.

This is the challenge set before schools which the Framework helps them to achieve as it sets out concisely, in 41 components or steps, what is needed to get there. When it comes to achieving a bully-free workplace culture it is very much the case that many hands make light work, both in giving leadership on striving for a bully-free culture and in articulating a clear vision of what that entails.

independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|25

First aid in schools Not a bandaid solution Schools are complex places. They are dynamic learning and play environments for active children and young people, and they are the worksites for a wide range of occupational groups of employees. First Aid is one of those key areas of responsibility where care and legal responsibility meet.

IEU VicTas Assistant Secretary Cathy Hickey takes a look at the work of three First Aid School Officers.

Long gone are the days when bone fractures, sprains and gashed limbs were just part of the rough and tumble of one’s school days, a badge of honour featured in many an author’s (albeit male) biography.

Schools, like any workplace, must adhere to the relevant Health and Safety legislation, must follow the compliance codes or guidelines on First Aid, and are required to provide adequate facilities for the welfare of those at the workplace.

School systems in all states overlay this legislative framework with school specific policy and guidelines. Schools at the local level will have their own ways of clarifying policy and practice – drawing up protocols, staff training, website information, parent information and the like. But for all schools, risk management and trained staff are the key.

First Aid Officers – central to effective management of first aid IE spoke with First Aid Officers in three Victorian schools to take the pulse on the complexity and skill required in this important role. Carmel works in a Catholic primary school and Margaret and Heather work in Catholic secondary schools.

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Student health issues can vary from complex to relatively minor. What type of student health needs do you come across?

Carmel Over the years I have dealt with a range of complex student health needs, all with the support of various organisations such as The Royal Children’s Hospital, Asthma Foundation, Diabetes Australia etc. I have had students with haemophilia, diabetes, anaphylaxis, severe asthma and students in remission from leukaemia.

Heather We have students in our school who have diabetes. Several of them are very serious and need to test at regular intervals during the day. Management of these students requires them to come to the first aid area and test. This is recorded every time they test.

Margaret Our students encompass complex health needs such as the management of anaphylaxis, Type 1 diabetes, cardiac and renal disorders, students recovering from operations, students on crutches and in wheel chairs, students who have emotional disorders, students who come to school from challenging family backgrounds. Injury issues include broken bones, dislocations, rolled and twisted ankles and knees, and soft tissue

Diverse roles

problems, ‘white out” splashed into eyes, sewing machine needles through finger tips and cuts, abrasions from using equipment.

Head injuries can result from falls and sporting impact.

What are the other kinds of health/injury issues?

Carmel The most common injury, which I see every day, is head injuries, either from balls, falling off play equipment or just running around and tripping over. Another common injury which I would deal with is fractured or broken bones in children who have fallen off the monkey bars, if they were banned in schools sick bay wouldn’t be so busy!

Heather Working in a boys school there are always injuries. These range from falls to sports injuries. We deal with concussions, breaks, dislocations, anxiety related issues and general illness.

What are some of the most difficult or challenging health management issues you have had to deal with?

Heather The most difficult and challenging health management issues are head injuries. We have a lot of these.

Margaret The most challenging issues for me include an unconscious head injury student resulting from a fall, a partial finger amputation, tending to an attempted medication overdose, caring for a suspected stroke (staff) and a possible spinal injury. Ongoing student issues include eating disorders and post surgery mobility, chronic fatigue and glandular fever.

In your experience, what are the key skills/knowledge/personal attributes First Aid Officers need to manage the diverse health issues in schools?

Carmel One of the key skills a person needs to have in First Aid is to have the knowledge and confidence in your abilities to administer first aid properly and effectively. Having a lot of patience and compassion helps in every situation.

Heather First you need to have attended a first aid course. Secondly you need to be very calm and patient. Thirdly you need to be able to work in a team environment.

Margaret Always have an open, listening ear that is not judgemental. Many students have the need to establish trust before sharing information. Always have the issue at hand as the point of discussion, not prior difficulties, infringements or behaviour.

Maintain professional development to progress with upcoming trends in care.

Liaise with others in the field to share methodology and ideas that function well in a school environment. Have a referral list of health professionals and medical centres available for parents and staff.

Keep contact with teaching staff and particularly home room staff regarding the needs of students. Little things to adults may be huge to a student. Use humour, laugh and always expect respect to be returned. Always have an open door!

Do you think schools in general are equipped/staffed to really manage the First Aid/health needs of students?

Carmel I think schools that only have a first aider (not a nurse) in sick bay are quite capable of managing the ‘general’ first aid/health needs of students. However, if a school was presented with a student who has very complex health issues then I would have to say no, as our training does include managing/assisting children with long term illness/health issues.

Heather Overall no I do not think that schools are well equipped to manage first aid health issues. We have over 900 students at our college and it is the prime responsibility of the receptionist and student receptionist to deal with all first aid issues as well as our normal role/ day to day duties.

Some situations can be very stressful and school life is busy, so we just have to get back to work. All our staff are level one first aid trained, however, most do not deal with any incident or injury, everything is referred to the front office. This can be very frustrating when an injury happens on our oval which is quite a distance from the front office. Valuable time is wasted getting to the student. We have no problem calling an ambulance if we think it is necessary.

Margaret My sense is that school communities are dealing with an increase in pre-existing health conditions that can and do impact on learning. My sense is that in schools where there is not a specific staff member available for health, accidents and injuries, they would perhaps need to rely more heavily on parents and/ or ambulance. independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|27

Best bloggers A professional teacher regularly reflects upon their teaching through critical thinking.

Collegial collaboration with other teachers is often the best way to sound out new ideas and learn from more experienced teachers, IE Journalist Michael Oliver writes.

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The knowledge gained from such collaboration can be limited by the number of teachers around.

The internet is now playing an important role in closing the gap between teaching professionals, with many sharing their experiences in online blogs.

IE focusses on three Australian teachers who have improved their craft, and the craft of others, through blogging and sharing their experiences online.

Corinne Campbell is an Assistant Principal at a primary school in NSW. She blogs at aboutteaching.net — a wide-ranging blog dealing with all teaching issues from behaviour management and pedagogy, to the use of ICTs in the classroom and advice for beginning educators. She has been blogging since 2009.

“I was having lots of discussions with other teachers over Twitter. That is what originally gave me the trigger to create this blog as it was impossible to answer their questions in 140 characters or less.”

Corinne stresses that what she likes most about her own blog is that it shares her experiences as they happen.

Technology

I think it is really important for teachers to know that we are all going through the same experiences every day.

“I think my blog is a contrast to some other blogs that seem to offer solutions and tell teachers how to do things perfectly, rather than offering a tale of day-to-day teaching — warts and all.

“I find that presenting only the perfect scenario often adds to teacher anxieties and makes things worse. I think it is really important for all teachers to know that we are all going through the same experiences every day.”

Corinne’s blogging doesn’t just improve the skills of others; Corinne insists the most marked benefit has been seen in her own teaching.

“I find writing a blog helps my teaching so much. For instance, last year I was trying to wrap my head around a new rewards program at my school. I couldn’t figure out how to hand out all the certificates. But writing about it through a series of posts really helped me find out how to use the rewards for best effect.”

Reflections on kindy Louise Fitzpatrick Leach is a kindergarten teacher in rural Victoria. She has blogged about her experiences since 2009 under the title Tales from the Sandpit.

“My blog is incredibly reflective and has improved my teaching immeasurably.

Granted there are times that I am in a rush, and time is at a premium, but I feel this is so important that I make the time.”

Tales from the Sandpit is directed at parents whose children attend the kindergarten, but Louise has received messages from many other teachers who say they have learned a lot from her posts.

“I have had other teachers come up to me at conferences telling me they are fans of the blog, which is so nice to hear.”

However, Louise says she doesn’t blog for popularity.

“I do not get hung up on it. I do this because I just want to show what is happening at my kindy. However, when I hear a parent say that they liked a particular photo or sent it on to some of their interstate relatives it really gives me a buzz.”

Positive approach Ian McLean is a passionate teacherlibrarian who has operated the blog Booked Inn – Heroic Adventures in TeacherLibrarianship since 2008.

“The main reason for starting the blog is that there tends to only be one teacher-librarian in each school. If you’re having a particular problem teaching a group of students you really have no one else to turn to who knows exactly how you feel.”

For Ian, it wasn’t just about sharing experiences with other people in the same situation, but positive experiences. He wanted to avoid getting bogged down in the negativity that can occur when teachers share their frustrations.

“I thought what I would love to be able to do is only ever post a positive angle on something. That’s not to say that sometimes I might not be really angry about something.

What I try to do is give you the problem, but then more importantly, how I attempted to make things better.

“I realised that the blog technology was actually really good for being able to articulate your thoughts on something because of its public nature. You have to stop yourself and say ‘what is a really positive way to say this?’ or ‘out of that horrible disaster that happened how can we improve ourselves?’”

So would these teachers recommend blogging as a way to improve the craft?

Louise says it has been a great help to her, but warns that it does take a lot of time to do it properly.

“I work part-time as a teacher, so I give a lot of my outside school time to do this. I would be impressed by any full-time teacher who could squeeze the time out of what would already be a very taxing week.”

Corinne gives an emphatic ‘yes’ – but with some caveats.

“It took a little while to figure out how to talk reflectively about my experiences as a teacher and not violate any students’ privacy or my school’s social media policy.

“Even if you don’t expect readers, people will find what you are writing. You should always assume that anything you write will be viewed by other teachers at your school, the principal, parents and students, and think about this before publishing anything online.”

However, Corinne insists it has all been worth it.

“If you think you don’t know what your passions are yet, just write. Looking back on the last couple of years of writing I can definitely see some themes and passions emerge that I didn’t think I had. You cannot be too niche if you are writing about what you love.”

Corinne Campbell’s blog About Teaching can be found at aboutteaching.net/ Louise Fitzpatrick Leach’s blog Tales from the Sandpit can be found at ouyenkinder. edublogs.org/ Ian McLean’s blog Booked Inn can be found at ianmclean.edublogs.org/ independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|29

Legal

Legal liability

Passing the buck not an option Andrew Knott, Specialist Employment Lawyer with Tresscox Lawyers examines some recent legal liability cases.

“Where students are in the care of a school the contracting out of the running of an activity does not relieve the school operator of its legal liability to the student.”

In 2011 the NSW courts awarded substantial damages to a student who had been injured in a ski accident during a school trip. In 2013 the decision was unsuccessfully appealed by the two defendants – the school’s legal entity and the resort.

The student sustained quite serious injuries after a skiing accident which occurred in 2006. In the course of a beginner’s skiing lesson, the student failed to negotiate a ‘ditch’ located towards the bottom of the slope. He somersaulted forward and was injured when he landed heavily on his back.

The basis of his claim against the resort (and, thus, also against the Trustees of the school) was that there had been a failure to take adequate precautions to prevent injury to beginner skiers by reason of the difficulty they would confront when negotiating the ditch.

As the court put it: “The basic problem for the Appellant (Perisher Blue Pty Limited) is that it put a novice skier in an area where there was a ditch and had either failed to conduct a proper pre-ski inspection or else failed to take note of the findings of the inspection team. In either case it is not what a reasonable person would have done in the circumstances.”

The case for liability against the school was that they had a ‘non-delegable duty of care’ and were liable by virtue of that for any failure on the part of the resort. For nongovernment schools it is, of course, important to insure against this risk.

The case is a reminder that where students are in the care of a school the contracting out of the running of an activity does not relieve the school operator of its legal liability to the student (provided, of course, that there is a breach of duty to the student by the operator).

The full decision can be found at: www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/ cases/nsw/NSWCA/2013/38.html?stem=0&syn onyms=0&query=perisher+blue Active steps to prevent bullying On 27 May 2013 the NSW Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by St Patrick’s College Campbelltown against a finding that there had been a breach of its duty towards a student who was the subject of bullying. The judgement placed particular emphasis on the need for schools to take active steps to prevent and manage bullying.

Both the trial judge and the court of appeal acknowledged the basic principle that the duty of schools is to take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of foreseeable injury and that “ the duty did not require the College to ensure that its students were protected from bullying but only to take reasonable steps to that end”.

The court of appeal rejected the submission by the College that bullying only occurred

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on isolated occasions and noted that while it “may not have been on a daily basis” it was “on a fairly regular and continuing basis”.

The Court also noted that the general duty of care includes actively identifying perpetrators and to take reasonable steps to prevent repetition of acts by those persons.

The Court noted that the College was aware for some time that the appellant was vulnerable in that she suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. Whether or not those attacks were brought on in whole or part by bullying, “it should have been clear to the College that (the student) was likely to be susceptible to psychological harm caused by such conduct” and that the risk of psychological harm, being both foreseeable and not insignificant, required the college to take “such active steps as were reasonable in order to prevent that risk from eventuating”.

In particular, the court noted that once a complaint of bullying was received, it required investigation and, if substantiated, action against the perpetrator, and that reasonable steps should have been taken by the relevant staff to “carefully investigate” the allegations and to “act on them if satisfied that they were justified”.

It was essential to the finding that the College was aware that the appellant was subject to ongoing bullying and that it failed to take reasonable steps to bring that conduct to an end.

The judgment can be read at www.austlii. edu.au/au/cases/nsw/NSWCA/2013/135.html.

Diary

Diary Activist Training Program NSW/ACT IEU 13-15 April, Leura, NSW The Union is running a residential program in the Blue Mountains during the Easter break for members seeking to become more active in the Union. The agenda will cover the role of trade unions, the place of the IEU in the wider union movement, its structure and representational forums and member based campaigning.

To register or for more information contact your school organiser or Marilyn Jervis via marilyn@ieu.asn.au.

Reflect, Shift Transform: Asia Pacific Conference on Creating Inclusive Schools, ACEL 1-2 May, Sydney, NSW The aim of the program is to challenge current practice and assist schools to support all learners.

Details: www.acelconference.org.au Dealing with Difficult Adults Teacher Learning Network 15 May 4.30pm-6.30pm, online This online program is free for IEU members across NSW, ACT, Queensland, NT, Victoria and

Tasmania. It will outline the social and emotional competencies needed to manage difficult people and will explore practical strategies you can use to deal with different types of people in your school environment. TLN programs are aligned with national teacher standards. Places are limited.

Details: www.tln.org.au/ieu Teach Survive, Thrive Conference NSW/ACT IEU 10 June, Sydney or 11 June, Fairfield, NSW Aimed at teachers in their first five years of teaching, this after school hours conference features a keynote presentation on Behaviour Management and Student Engagement by Glen Pearsall.

Details: www.ieu.asn.au Passion and Purpose Setting the Learning Agenda ACEL 1-3 October, Melbourne, Vic This conference provides a multinational platform to critically examine the direction education should take in the years ahead.

Details: www.acelconference.org.au

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independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|31

How much is too much government intervention in the curriculum?

Democracy not dictatorship Penny Waring, Social Sciences Teacher, St Rita’s College, Clayfield, Brisbane There are two key issues here: bias and practicality. Firstly, school curricula should be about a broad and balanced education that provides students with relevant knowledge and skills for adult life. This means giving access to a range of viewpoints and critical skills (not just those that are in favour with whoever is governing at the time).

Surely what is not in the best interests of students is to constantly move the goalposts regarding the nature of these skills and understandings at the whim of the government. After all, we live in a liberal democracy, not a dictatorship.

Secondly, how does the Government plan to resource schools in implementing yet another round of curriculum changes

in time for the Minister’s proposed 2015 deadline? The recently announced review is likely to be highly disruptive, so we have to ask, ‘Is it in the best interests of the students?’

Let’s get on with the job

Lucy D’Angelo, Deputy Principal, Penola Catholic College, Victoria The vision for developing a national curriculum has been in the pipeline for decades, with much time and energy being invested on a number of occasions, without a result.

Now that we are on the verge of full implementation from Years F-10, it is not helpful to be casting doubts about 32|independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014

the validity and future of the Australian Curriculum, or AusVELS, as it is known in Victoria. Although the road has been much longer and more challenging than expected, we cannot be dismissing it at this point in time. Many teachers and educational leaders see the merit in establishing an Australian Curriculum

framework which contributes toward defining what we stand for and value as a nation.

At the outset, there was much excitement about the numerous opportunities that a national curriculum could bring for students and teachers across the nation, with the intention of

Talking point

culminating in an Australian Certificate of Education. The task has been definitely ambitious and many compromises have been reached along the journey. Of course, the final product is not perfect, but it is now time to see the project through and evaluate it once we have had full implementation for a few years.

There is no doubt that government

intervention is essential and cannot be avoided in education. Without government intervention, this enormous, collaborative project would not have made it this far. However, now that we have reached this point, the intervention we need is in supporting the implementation of the original goal: to deliver a world class education for all

Australian children, as articulated in the Melbourne Declaration. Let us get on with the job of full implementation and do what teachers do best: inspire and nurture the development of the children and young adults in our care. Let us not get caught up in undermining each other and our profession.

No problems here

Larry Grumley English Coordinator and Auden tragic, Catherine McAuley Westmead, Sydney Why would we not want government bureaucracy to dictate educational goals and strategies? What could possibly go wrong?

I explain to many students that my class is a benevolent dictatorship at best and totalitarian regime at worst – and that I am a mere puppet to the vagaries of the winds that blow across the face of the syllabi and the marking done by the state.

I already have set times, set texts, set syllabi and an array of tests and statistics to let me know exactly what I have and haven’t done in a classroom. What could possibly be a problem?

A CTV is not needed in my room as every measure of my class and my performance within that class is taken by the numbers generated by the myriad of tests done on at school, system or state level. All of these are dictated – as a classroom teacher I have no chance to alter the administering of these signifiers of my students. But spring is mischief in me and I wonder why we meet to build this fence – sorry, I meant bridge. Surely the wise and powerful know what they are doing and I have yet to comprehend the basic idea that people are beings that can be quantified and categorised. Tyrell was right and the dove

probably died of acid rain and pollution!

We have to remember the Prussian idea of schooling and the key was regimentation for a workforce – doesn’t every employer want to know you can work within the system they set? Isn’t every musician yearning to imagine a chord already known? Every writer looks to government for inspiration and pines to know what the quality of their work is?

Are we free? Are we happy? The questions are absurd: If anything were wrong, we should certainly have heard.

independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014|33

Reviews

Turning the focus on art house cinema Think back to the last film you watched in a cinema.

Was it a major blockbuster, or a small, independent release? Have you seen many of David Lynch’s films? Would you call them blockbusters or smaller, specialised films? This will help you to understand the somewhat arbitrary distinction between art house and mainstream cinema.

So what is art house cinema? It’s generally defined as an independent film aimed at a niche market, usually low budget, and serious in tone, with a carefully defined screenplay. It is not a mass appeal film, could be experimental, and has a strong aesthetic focus.

The history of art house cinema dates back to the silent era, when a number of expressionistic, boldly visual films were made, ranging from Germany’s The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari (1919), to Sweden’s The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), to Russia’s Battleship Potemkin (1925), to Spain’s Un Chien Andalou (1929) and L’Age D’Or (1930), to France’s Entr’acte (1924).

These were all very distinctive, specialised films, using cinema in experimental and challenging ways. As sound developed in the cinema, filmmakers lost some of their art house trends in favour of making more commercial films. Jean Renoir’s classic symbolic film Rules of the Game (1939) demonstrated an art house approach to a standard anti-war story, while in 1961 Alain Resnais played with narrative structure and form in Last Year in Marienbad. From Italy, films like Rome-Open City (1945) and The Bicycle Thieves (1948), presented social issues in a neo-realist way to post-war audiences.

French New Wave directors like Truffaut, Chabrol and Rohmer deliberately broke out of the standard narrative shackles, questioning the usual approach to storytelling in the cinema. Ingmar Bergman’s deeply expressionistic films explored psychological concerns without compromising for mainstream audiences.

Applying the art house definition, a number of films and filmmakers fit this criteria. Terrence

34|independent education| issue 1|Vol 44|2014

Malick’s films are certainly art house: from the slow-burn murder spree in Badlands (1973), to the brooding romanticism of Days of Heaven (1978). Then there’s the trenchant anti-war philosophy of The Thin Red Line (1998), the contemplative early discoveries of America by the British in The New World (2005), the metaphysical exploration of existence in The Tree of Life (2011) and the melancholic look at an evolving relationship in To the Wonder (2012). Malick’s films are uncompromising, strongly visual, interior in tone, and certainly not designed for a mass audience.

Directors like Gus Van Sant, Andrei Tarkovsky, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, John Cassavetes, Wong Kar Wei, Bela Tarr and Nicholas Winding Refn have produced films that would not be regarded as mainstream and certainly have art house sensibilities. Indeed, Refn’s art house action film, Drive (2011), is a strongly visceral film that defies the usually action director’s approach.

Two of the best recent Australian films, The Rocket (2013), Kim Mordaunt’s beautifully observed film about a young boy and a family curse set in Laos, and Robert Connolly’s (with 17 other directors) innovative filming of the chapters of Tim Winton’s book The Turning (2013), are both specialised art house films that have managed to find broader audiences, thus defying our usual understanding of what an art house film is.

Peter Krausz is former Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, hosts a weekly three-hour film program on Melbourne radio, and is a film festival consultant, film critic and film journalist. He can be contacted via peterkrausz8@gmail.com

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