Conducted 12/11/2015 11am
at the Student Services
S3 is a student enrolled in Class1
| LE: | Ok. First of all, thank you for doing that interview. A::nd e:hm what connection do you have with Aboriginality? () Is there any connection? |
| S3: | E:hm () I would probably say none cause I’m from the US. But ehm we do have ehm Native Americans in the US so I kind of () ehm often correlate the two cultures together and ehm just especially with like history and how it presented itself and () yeah kind of () () |
| LE: | Ok. |
| S3: | That. |
| LE: | Interest and curiosity? |
| =S3: | Yes. Yeah. Mostly. |
| LE: | E::hm so how would you describe the way knowledge is imparted in the lecture or in the tutorial? |
| S3: | E:hm () So for the tutorial () ehm I would say () L2 mostly tells ehm a lot of stories and personal aspects that I think make the ehm the class more ehm () I feel like I get more of learning out of it with her telling us that stuff instead of just reading from a textbook or watching videos about people telling that sort of stories. When she tells that stuff I feel like I’m getting more of an insight of that culture and ehm you know. She always points out where () ehm () things are on the map, like the different places she talks about and she’s always going somepla- she always goes places ((clears throat)) for different ehm Aboriginal things. Like I think there was a big footy tournament so she went to that and she talked about that and that was pretty cool. Ehm but in class it’s mostly like the () regular lecture ehm but ehm history and a lot of stories. […] |
| LE: | A::nd ehm () You already said a bit about that but maybe you can say more. How would you describe the way you learn in the course? |
| S3: | E:hm yeah. E:hm () I would say:: () a lot of my learning honestly comes from the tutorial more than the lecture. Ehm I feel like the lecture is a good place to get a knowledge base and understanding of what we’re going to be talking about kind of in the tutorial. But ehm () I would say the tutorial mostly and also I would ehm say when I was researching for my paper that’s where I found a lot of like information and it- That’s where I first like started like learning a lot of stuff I feel. Like () yeah. |
| LE: | Ok. E:hm do you notice any differences between this course and ehm other courses you’re taking here or at home? |
| S3: | Yeah. So ok. My && major is engineering so all my classes are pretty strict and rigorous and math-based, science-based so ehm this class is really nice because it is more personal, it’s more relaxed. I felt like it was more conversation in this class rather than just learning everything. I felt like ehm () yeah that () I was just getting more personal stories and ehm () () in-class participation than you would for my other classes. Yeah. () |
| LE: | Ok. E:hm () A::nd you:- Does that make it easier for you to learn? () Do you have the impression that it’s easier to learn in this class than in other classes? () () |
| S3: | E::hm () () () Kind- yeah, kind of. Ehm. () But my other classes I need them to be that way because they have so much information but for this class the way that the material was presented I think it was presented in the best way possible for us to learn. And not just be (talkative through) but also be taught the culture and why it’s so important and ehm everything like that. So () yes and no. |
| LE: | Mhm (positive). Ok. Ok. E:hm () () So does it feel like a a different experience? Ehm how you learned? Or |
| S3: | Yes. Yeah. Because I’m usually not that- taught that way. And ehm actually it’s also different from ehm an English class that I’m taking here. Because ehm in that class we’re just ehm lectured and there’s a little bit discussion but I feel like with this class ehm () they just really want us to understand like the culture but also ehm () also that they just want us to share stories and just show how ((clears throat)) their culture has manufactured by (competition) and just everything that we can do. To make sort of that reconciliation that they’re really trying to teach us about in the end. |
| =LE: | Mhm (positive). Ok:: ehm () So did you like the class? |
| S3: | I did. Ehm. () I did. This is fairly one of my favourite classes that I’ve taken. Ehm so far. Just because it is so different from classes I usually take. Yeah and it has kind of opened my eyes. More. Just realising ehm () you know some of the things I say and some of things I do and just how ehm () just how you need to respect other cultures more and stuff like that. And also you know something that really surprised me is () once I started researching for my presentation I was so surprised at how complex the ehm the Aboriginal culture is and () that’s when I realised just how amazing it is and I was just completely shocked and yeah. I really enjoyed this course. ((laughs)) |
| LE: | ((laughs)) Ok. Ehm the next thing is a kind of statement that we made in a different class I took last year. And it says ehm ‘Many methods used in universities world-wide can be described as Western and provide little room for example for storytelling or spirituality.’ Would you agree? |
| S3: | Yes. Yes. Definitely ehm kind of going- talking about the US again ehm in our classes we’re not allowed – the teacher’s not allowed to talk very much on spirituality or if they are they’re not allowed to put their views or input into that. So ehm () yeah definitely. I would agree with that statement. In this class they definitely opened up and they talked about their spirituality which is obviously the Dreaming. Just how that is not only about your spirituality but also it affects their whole lifestyle as well. So. |
| LE: | Mhm (positive). Ehm would you say it’s problematic that ehm most other classes don’t offer that room or that opportunity? |
| S3: | Ehm I think it depends on the class. But () ehm I think so. If you’re teaching ehm a history class about a certain culture or something like that I think it should be () that should be introduced into that class because it is such an important aspect for certain cultures so I I do, yes.
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