“The dance around world view”

(Nakata, Nakata, Keech and Bolt, 2012)

Concepts of cultural literacy are introduced, however rather than fixed ‘knowns’ about a particular culture, students are introduced to the process-based concept of cultural responsivity (Halbert and Chigeza, 2015). Klump and McNeir (2005) emphasise the dynamic nature of the term responsivitity, requiring acknowledgement of unique situations, the need to take action to address these and the importance of adaptation as situations change over time. Muller (2006) describes globally literate citizens as possessing ‘informed tentativeness’ over defined cultural knowledge. In turn, in this program, students study both culture and urban place-making through relational systems thinking. It is argued that both culture and the urban realm are in a constant state of flux, and both require an engagement with complexity and interconnectivity. In practice this means students are asked to explore meaning in situations encountered, to investigate and create processes over end-products, and to be flexible in their conceptions of self and peer identity in collaborative work.

Halbert, K., & Chigeza, P. (2015). Navigating discourses of cultural literacy in teacher education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 40(11), 155.

Klump, J., & McNeir, G. (2005). Culturally responsive practices for student success: A regional sampler. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from www.nwrel.org/ request/2005june/textonly.html

Muller, W. (2006). The contribution of ‘cultural literacy’ to the ‘globally engaged curriculum’and the ‘globally engaged citizen’. Social Educator, 24(2), 13-15.

Nakata, N. M., Nakata, V., Keech, S., & Bolt, R. (2012). Decolonial goals and pedagogies for Indigenous Studies. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society, 1(1), 120–140.