This description is derived from notes taken during class and my memories of the session.

As usual we start the tutorial with student presentations, or Talking Circles as they are called in the course outline. There is a different question for every presentation and up to three presentations take place per session. The students are asked to work as interactively with the class and be as creative as possible in their presentation techniques. Thus, the presentations today include group discussions, subsequent sharing of ideas and fake High School certificates being handed out to illustrate numbers.

After the first presentation L3 comments on some statements made by the presenter and recommends some further reading. At the end of the class we return to the discussion question on the lecture slides. Many students share their opinion and we lose the direct connection to the topic at some point. After a while L3 stops the discussion and sums up the results.

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This description is derived from a participant observation conducted in class on 29th November 2015.

As there are no presentations today, L3 does not really know what to do. He asks us whether there are any issues we would like to discuss but does not get an answer. He also remarks that there has not been any reading for this week. He starts to talk about the only source on the lecture slides’ reference list, admits that he should have uploaded it as a reading and finally leaves the room to copy it for us. When he comes back, we all flip through it and L3 points out aspects we discussed throughout the semester. Again he asks whether there are any more questions. When no one says anything, he talks about a few more aspects related to the document, today’s topic or the class in general. Then L3 informs us that there is probably only going to be one last presentation of someone who was ill in the next week and that he can absolutely understand if we do not want to come, especially if we have an assignment to finish or an exam to study for. He finishes the tutorial early by telling us that “if we go out into the world”, we have his email address and can contact him at any time if we need his help.

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This description is derived from notes taken during class and my memories of the session.

At the start of this week’s lecture, L3 briefly repeats the definition of Social Justice we learned the week before. He then gives some information about the Stolen Generations and apologises for having forgotten a name. Afterwards he briefly shows a satirical comic and asks us a reflection question. However, he does not expect an answer to this question right away and tells us to think about it for a while. As he goes on, he notices a number of typing errors on the slides and points them out to us.

For some reason it is impossible to open the classroom doors from the outside today. As a number of students are late today, they keep knocking. Every time L3 opens the door and welcomes them with a nice word.

The next part of the lecture treats a specific case in which the Commonwealth was challenged for removing a child from its parents. L3 begins this topic by giving extensive background knowledge about the removed person. While talking about claims and evidence, he catches himself frequently saying “but” and explains that he does not want to judge anything as right or wrong but that the word “but” will come up very often. He also says that he loves lawyers but that it can be very frustrating if they are on the opposition’s side. He then mentions a few films about the Stolen Generations we can watch to find out more and talks about a friend who helps people to reconnect with their families.

At the end of the lecture, L3 apologises for painting such a dark picture of history but adds that it is very important to understand what happened so that we can move on from there. He also repeats that he is always trying to avoid any judgement. {Click here for analysis} After he notices that it is still very early, he apologises for having raced through the lecture and starts a relaxed chat with the class. He tries to learn names and remember what subject the students are studying. Then he goes back to the topic of the lecture, telling the class that he can still remember how he was sitting in front of the TV when an important case about the Stolen Generations was decided. There were also many people in the University’s bar watching the decision, he says.

Then he picks up the topic of evidence again and finishes by underlining that no one should feel good or bad about what happened. But it is a part of Australia’s history and everyone should hope that we can move on now.

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This description is derived from a participant observation conducted in class on 29th November 2015.

I arrive early and sit down in my usual place. One after the other, more students walk in but it stays a very small group today. The lecturer and tutor of this class (L3) arrives and hands out feedback sheets to everyone who has held his or her presentation recently. He then asks about the assignment which is due this evening. Afterwards he begins today’s lecture on lobbying in defence of Human Rights by stating that it is a very interesting one. Maybe not content-wise, he adds, but the topic is very interesting. He explains that the term ‘lobbying’ comes from the US practice to corner politicians in the lobby of a venue. Lobbying is a huge practice is in the US, he says and asks an US-American student whether this is correct. To highlight how much influence a lobby can have, L3 talks about an article he once found which discussed why smoking is good for you.

When explaining the procedure of speaking in front of the UN, L3 uses the example of an expert meeting in Geneva he attended. He says that he would normally prefer to outline his speech very briefly in the beginning and then talk freely about the topic. However, this is not possible when speaking in front of the UN because the speaker has to stick very closely to the paper submitted beforehand. That makes is very boring and passion is rare, L3 says. But he admits: “As I keep saying: The UN is a monster of an organisation”. When speaking at the meeting, he adds, he has been nervous for the first time after 10 to 15 years of public teaching. Luckily, some other Australians were able to help him. Some students ask a few questions about details of the procedure and L3 answers them.

Going on, L3 often adds “in my experience” or “my opinion” to the statements he makes. When he explains how important it is to know one’s allies and to lobby in a group, he uses the example of a friend who was trying to gain status with the UN for a group of care practitioners. They were not heard until one day they were able to help the daughter of someone with power who was ill. Later, when he mentions the former special rapporteur for Indigenous issues, L3 tells us that he once sat down with him to discuss what to do. He also wants to use an example when talking about extensive negotiations on UN level but cannot remember exactly what it was about. When he outlines the development of the Universal Periodic Review, L3 tells the class that he used to watch the daily update available on YouTube.

L3 finally finishes the lecture by apologising for the poor referencing on the lecture slides because he asked a friend for advice. It is not his favourite topic, he admits. After checking the time, he is happy that he managed to “stretch” the lecture to a reasonable length.

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This description is derived from notes taken during class and my memories of the session.

In today’s first presentation, the student mentions a place called Condamine. When he finished his speech, L2 asks him whether he knows where Condamine is situated. He is unsure and so is she, so he looks it up on Google Maps and L2 then shows us on the map on wall which shows the borders of the Aboriginal nations. {Click here for analysis}

One aspect of the presentation makes L2 think of the Burrawang tree. It is a plant which has a long piece of wood in its middle from which spears were made, she explains. Because of its peculiar shape, colonists often thought there was a person hiding behind it. Although Aboriginal peoples traded with each other, L2 goes on explaining, they would always only go to the edge of another people’s country unless they were invited in. At the borders, they would communicate with the help of dot art. Dot art, L2 clarifies, is not traditional Aboriginal art. Traditional Aboriginal art are paintings which show animals in form of skeletons.

L2 also tells the class that the Institute used to organise bus trips to different important Aboriginal sites for students, and gives examples. While she is talking about the sites she is looking for photos of them on the internet. In the past, regular events used to take place at these sites, she says, including marriages, trade and occasions during which knowledge was shared.

After the second presentation, L2 tells us that she used to have students in her classes who did not know about their family’s background. With the help of their family name, she was able to tell them. She also picks up individual places and facts from the presentation saying that while she did not know about some of the aspects, she has been to one of places. When a student asks what circular breathing is, she mocks her a little by walking in a circle while breathing before giving a serious answer.

As it is the last session before the mid-semester break, L2 talks about her plans for the next two weeks. There will be the football knock-out in Dubbo, she says, which will be an opportunity for her to catch up with her family. When she meets them, she tells us, she always brings a few good books she read to lend to other people. After talking about police issues at big Aboriginal events, L2 asks: “Did I tell you the story about my husband in 2010?” As we shake our heads, she goes on vividly describing an incident in which the police thought her husband had stolen a car, although it was his own. “You would hope that people are not that judgmental…” L2 says at the end of the story. {Click here for analysis}

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This description is derived from notes taken during class and my memories of the session.

Today’s topic is the Stolen Generations. After every presentation L2 gives some background information on the authors the presenters used as references. She also tells us how she felt when she was reading a certain autobiography of a member of the Stolen Generations. Then she says that she did not know that in Canada and in the US children were also taken from their families, until she went to a conference on Indigenous peoples in the US.

In L2’s opinion, there are many good movies on the topic. She regrets that she cannot bring them to class because they would take up all the time, so she sums up some of the stories for us. When she went to see Rabbit Proof Fence, she says, she thought it was very tame but most non-Aboriginal people thought it was very sad. Thus, she thinks they weren’t ready for more. She also shares her opinion on and reaction to other movies with the class.

L2 closes the session by telling us that she spent a lot of time on marking in the last week. “I have nothing else to do in my life. I’m here to help you“, she adds.

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This description is derived from notes taken during class and my memories of the session.

Today’s class starts with a discussion of an assignment which is due in more than a month’s time. Then L2 asks whether there are any students holding their presentations today. There are three.

After the first presentation, L2 explains to the class that there are two different types of boomerangs: the ones for fun which are returning and the ones for hunting which are not coming back. With a smile she adds that her grandson was very surprised when he found out that she knew how to throw a boomerang.

Picking up an aspect from the presentation, L2 goes on talking about another personal experience. When she was still working in a school, she says, she was asked by the headmaster to write the school’s report about its implementation of Indigenous knowledge but she refused because she did not actually know how it was implemented. This leads her to the conclusion that many of these reports are not checked. She also had a problem finding a school to do her practical experience in Aboriginal Studies in because many schools do not teach it.

Then, L2 gives some additional information on the AECGs (Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups). Although it is mostly teachers and principals participating in the meetings of the AECGs rather than parents, they are still a good institution, in L2’s opinion. They offer the opportunity to get in touch and discuss. This makes her think about what a “great teacher” should be like and she starts discussing this question with the class.

Afterwards, L2 talks about Aboriginal English and searches example phrases on the internet of which we are to guess the meaning. Some of them are quite easy while others cannot be understood without knowledge about the individual words. “I love Aboriginal English”, L2 says, “If I don’t know somebody’s name I just call them [Aboriginal English word]”. She also admits that she never thought much about the differences until someone told her: “You don’t sound like an academic” and she answered: “Well, because I don’t use all those big words”. “L2 is L2”, she adds.

When it is time for the second presentation, the presenter gets very nervous. L2 tries to reassure her but she leaves the room so that it is the third presenter’s turn. After this presentation, L2 praises the student’s choice of sources as she can tell from the author’s name whether he or she is Aboriginal. She also tells us more about her own teaching experience. In one school, the local elders were invited into the school to have a cup of coffee every week. It was good for the children to see them there, L2 thinks. In addition, the elders could get in touch with the teacher and take the pupils’ fear and distance away.

Meanwhile, the second presenter has come back into the room and is ready to start her presentation. When she stops again, everyone, including L2, gives her tips. L2 talks about the first lecture she was holding in which she was also very nervous. The only thing you can do to fight this insecurity is to keep going, she says. Therefore, she stands next to the presenter and helps her change the slides while the student is reading out her presentation. {Click here for analysis}

Afterwards, L2 says that many things which are taught in school are not relevant in the everyday life of Indigenous students. One day she was taking her children to the beach where they got in contact with local primary school children. Although this was years ago, her children still remember it because they learned more from this encounter than they learned in school. The children are grown up now, very tall and very skinny, L2 adds.

In spite of all problems and discrimination, the lecture is trying to teach Aboriginal history from a positive perspective and highlight the change, L2 explains, so that no one has to feel bad. She then tells the story of her ex-partner who had to walk several kilometres to school on a dirt road every day. When he fell into a puddle one day trying to jump over it, he couldn’t go to school because pupils were only admitted in class when they wore clean clothes. “He was a very stubborn boy”, L2 admits and tells us how he also broke his wrist three times. “I don’t know whether I have told you that story before”, she says at the end.

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This description is derived from notes taken during class and my memories of the session.

On the 27^th August the tables are arranged differently than the weeks before. They have been moved from a big U shape to group tables offering space for six students each. I sit down at one of the tables at the back. There is already a list of questions on the board. The tutor (L2) welcomes us to class and tells us to listen closely to today’s presentations, especially if we didn’t read the core reading for this week.

As many people are having a cold or flu at the moment, L2 gives us recommendations on how to protect ourselves against it and how to get well quickly. She mentions eucalyptus leaves, and something else which needs to be put on the soles of the feed. This is something she learned from her grandmother, L2 says.

The topic of today’s tutorial and presentation is the Convincing Ground massacre. After every presentation, L2 picks up a few aspects to explain them in more detail or to make us to think about them. In the end she admits that she does not have enough knowledge to say what really happened in the past. However, she also highlights that the massacres took place not long ago. It is history but it is still very close.

As we answer the questions on the board in groups, L2 shows us an Aboriginal newspaper lying on the desk at the front and explains a bit about it. She then assigns a question to every table which we are supposed to answer in relation to next week’s text. While doing so, she tells us “I always start at the left, on the market as well”. She then asks us whether we want a break.

After the break we watch a documentary about Myall Creek. While we are watching, L2 writes additional information on the board and explains that she is related to someone in the film. Afterwards she asks whether it is still true that pupils in primary and high school only learn about British history and bushrangers. The Australian students of the class agree.

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This description is derived from a participant observation  conducted in Tutorial 1 on the 29th October 2015.

It is Thursday morning, 8.45am. I arrive early for class today, eager to do my participant observation. The tutor’s bag is already in the room and I am not the first student to arrive. The tutor (L2) comes back to the room at shortly before 9am and begins to chat with the students about the upcoming exam until it is time to start the tutorial. At the beginning of the class L2 gives a brief overview of today’s class structure. Then we hear the first student presentation. When the presenter says “Good morning” in an Aboriginal language, L2 answers in the same way. Half way through the presentation, L2 interrupts the presenting student to clarify that Aboriginal people had the right to vote before the date mentioned on the slides. She underlines her statement by saying: “My grandmother voted” and then gives the student the advice: It’s always good to read more than one source.

After the first presentation is over, L2 asks the students in the class whether anyone had any comments or questions. As no one answers she turns back to the presenter saying: “L2 does”. She praises the presenter’s definition of reconciliation and then picks up a quote from the slides. This quote is often used for assignment tasks, she says, and explains it further. She then goes on talking about another aspect that came up during the presentation, adding a “like you said” to her remarks. When she reaches the topic of the Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP), she tells the class that a few years ago she was asked to work with an organisation of its RAP and uses this as a starting point to explain what a RAP can look like and what has to be done to put one together.

As we are about to start the next presentation, a student enters the room. She is greeted with a friendly: “Oh, hi! How are you?” by the tutor.

During the second presentation L2 also comments on aspects. When the presenter explains what an auto-biography is, she remarks that there has just recently been another unauthorised biography about a famous person. Furthermore, she explains the significance of autobiographies, written by the person himself or herself, by saying that when it is raining she often tells her colleagues what a lovely day it is while in their opinion, the weather is horrible. Thus, L2 concludes, there can be different perspectives on the same thing. After the presentation is over, she asks again whether there are any comments or questions. Again, none of the students answers. She goes ahead telling the presenter that she “enjoyed it” and that “it was good to have a definition” of ‘autobiography’. Then, she tells the class that she is a “heavy reader” as she reads about three novels a week, including an auto-biography every now and then. In one specific autobiography she read it was interesting to see how the representation in the media differed from the person’s own account. She also made an interesting experience while teaching a class in 1993 where the students perceived something that was normal to her as “history”. It was the fact that she did not do any sports as a child while her brother did because “that was what boys did”, she adds.

Afterwards, L2 gives more details about a person which has been presented by the student and shows the class on the map on the wall where this person’s project is located. Walking back over to the whiteboard she asks the presenter which autobiographies he read for his presentation and creates a list on the board of all good autobiographies she can think off from the top of her head. The first is the first autobiography she ever read. After naming the titles, she always gives some information about the author. She also asks the class for more ideas. When talking about one autobiography she admits that she “sat up all night with tissues”. In another one, her name is mentioned, she says. She finishes up by telling the class that she has a big bookshelf with autobiographies at home and that “there are many out there” if we want to read them. Sometimes, she adds, it is easier to read those then an academic article “with all those disgusting words in it”.

Meanwhile, one of students has received an email from the lecturer (L1) answering a question about the exam which has come up before the class. L2 takes the students phone and reads out the email for everyone. Then she hands out paper for an exercise she has explained briefly earlier. We are to draw our hand on a sheet of paper, cut it out and write on the one side what we learned in the class and on the other what we personally could do for reconciliation. {Click here for analysis} “I don’t know whether you want white or ochre”, L2 says while putting a few sheet of each colour on the group tables. Already aware of the task most of the class starts drawing their hands on the paper while L2 is talking to some students. After a few minutes she goes up to the board and draws around her own hand. “I have a fat hand”, she remarks and everyone laughs. Then she scolds herself for also drawing a big part of her arm because that would mean that she would be an elder. “You don’t have that much knowledge, L2”, she says more to herself than to the class. Looking at her hand again, she adds: “Those fat hands can play the piano. Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

While everyone is working on the task, some students are joking around with a pair of scissors. When L2 hears it, she asks: “what’s up?” and then suggests with a laugh to take “the naughty student” outside and punish him. A few minutes later she asks whether the class remembers an aspect of last week’s episode of the TV series Ready for This we watched in class. She then shows a music video which is related to this episode while commenting on how much the actress changed and singing and dancing along. After the video is over L2 tells the class that her mother called her the other day to tell her that the actress is in town as she is an acquaintance of the family.

Then, L2 asks how the class is doing with the task and whether someone wants to share his or her answer to the reconciliation question. As someone does, L2 talks about a tutorial last year in which students came up with an interesting idea of how a school could work on Aboriginal issues. She then tells the story of her sister’s practical training at a school and the way she worked with her pupils on Aboriginal topics. Going back to what the student’s ideas about reconciliation were, L2 states that it is very important to speak out loud. “I guess that’s why I didn’t get a job at X, I was too black and too loud”, she says laughing. Then she gives the class the advice to experience a different culture in another way than just from a book. What one can learn from everyday situations is incredible, she says. Once, her son, for example, played at the beach with other children from a different culture background and learned so much from it.

As a student says something about the class being very enjoyable, L2 remembers her own history class in school in which the teacher spoke with a very British accent and which she always enjoyed very much. She tells us about a specific comment she made and the teacher’s reaction to it.

As it is the last tutorial, L2 promises that she will finish marking all assignments soon and offers that we can talk to her if we are not happy with the result. “I also make mistakes”, she says, correcting herself immediately: “I also have learning experiences”. {Click here for analysis} She then asks whether anyone already watched this week’s episode of Ready for This and whether we want to watch it right now. While we are watching, the first students leave already.

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