When referring to the learning happening in their classes, L2 and L3 continuously talk about “sharing knowledge” or “sharing information” (Interview with L2 & Interview with L3). Their classes are very interactive and require a high level of “in-class participation”, as S3 describes it (Interview with S3). This becomes most apparent in the tutorial of Class 2 in which “the students are asked to work as interactively with the class and be as creative as possible.” (Class 2: Tutorial 27/08/2015). But L2 also actively engages the students in her tutorial, for example by making them “guess the meaning” of Aboriginal English words (Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015). This interaction between students and teachers is described by all three students as a conversation rather than a one-directional, up-front lecturing (Interview with S1, Interview with S3 & Interview with S2) and makes S1 “feel more comfortable” (Interview with S1).

In this participation and conversation, the students of both classes are given the opportunity to utter their own input and ideas. On the one hand, the tutors regularly ask students to discuss and reflect on various issues (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015 & Class 2: Tutorial 03/09/2015) and offer room for questions and comments after every student presentation (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015). In L2’s opinion, flexibility is needed for this (Interview with L2). On the other hand, students are also welcomed to “share their opinion” (Class 2: Tutorial 27/08/2015) and even make suggestions for solutions during the lecture of Class 1 (Class 1: Lecture 27/10/2015). When listening to someone’s lived experience or world view, be it the tutor’s or a student’s, L3 wants the audience not to be passive but rather to actively “engage” with what is presented to them (e.g. Interview with L3). Thus, he is also “trying to engage with their lives and their experiences in [his] learning practice” (Interview with L3) and is thus establishing the relationship between the parties.

As the lecturers and tutors are not the only ones who share information and stories with the class, the knowledge transmission is not limited to the students learning from the teachers. L2, for example, repeatedly states that she “learn[s] so much from the students (Interview with L2) because she herself will “always be a student” (Interview with L2). Admitting that their own knowledge is limited, L2 and L3 both also ask the students for help if they cannot remember a detail or are not sure about an issue (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 27/08/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 29/10/2015). These questions do not function to test the students’ knowledge but are genuine. Due to the student presentations but also through comments made by students, S1 thinks that the students “teach each other in a way” (Interview with S1). Furthermore, she explains that other students’ inquiries about her own background have encouraged her to do further, independent research (Interview with S1).

For a full list of all quotes relating to sharing knowledge, please click here.

To get to the overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

Peers is a term which both L2 and L3 use in their interview to express that they do not see themselves as superiour to their students (Interview with L2 & Interview with L3). It is closely linked to the idea of a relationship between teachers and students which is discussed as a separate category.

As L2 sees herself as “part of the group” (Interview with L2), she prefers to sit with the students rather than in front of the class (Interview with L2). In her opinion, it would be even better, if the classroom would provide the possibility to sit in a circle because ““if you’re in a circle there’s no leader […] And everybody is equal […] including the teacher” (Interview with L2).

In addition to this physical representation of equality, both L2 and L3 also put themselves on one level with the students through certain comments they make. Both tutors frequently admit that their knowledge is not all encompassing (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 27/08/2015 & Interview with L3) and that they, as well, make mistakes (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 27/08/2015). Therefore, not only the students are learning from the tutors but also vice versa. They share knowledge. In addition, L2 tells the class that she has been very nervous the first time she was holding a lecture in order to calm down a nervous student (Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015). Furthermore, S1 feels that the stories which L2 tells allow the students to question and challenge her instead of accepting her as a higher authority (Interview with S1).

The fact that the lecturers and tutors seem to be standing on the same level as the students makes them more accessible and contributes to the positive learning environment.

For a full list of quotes relating to being peers, please click here.

To get an overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

L2 as well as L3 use reflection questions in their classes (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 27/08/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 27/08/2015). By reflecting on an issue, the students actively engage with the topic and build their own opinion. This opinion can later be shared with the class (Class 2: Tutorial 03/09/2015). Furthermore, in the final assessment (Class 1: Lecture 06/10/2015) as well as in the last tutorial session of Class 1 the students are asked to reflect on what they learned and which significance this has for them (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015). Thus, they actively have to find a connection between the content of the class and their life.

For a full list of all quotes relating to reflection, please click here.

To get an overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

Storytelling is an important part of both classes. “[Q]uite often I’m able to () tell a story about each topic […] that we discuss in class.”, L2 says (Interview with L2) and S1 agrees: “L2 tells stories” (Interview with S1). L3 is “also a big fan of narrative so [he] love[s] the idea of talking. Love[s] the idea of storytelling. Love[s] the idea of sharing. Lived experiences.” (Interview with L3).

As he mentions, the lecturer’s or tutor’s lived experience with a topic is one kind of story told during both classes (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015, Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015 & Interview with L3). Furthermore, stories can function as real-life examples of the issues discussed (e.g. Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015, Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 29/10/2015), show diverse opinions (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015), serve as proof (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015) and underline a topic’s significance (Class 1: Lecture 06/10/2015). Their overall aim, according to L2 and L3, is to provide a context for the abstract academic content which will help the audience to connect with it (Interview with L2 & Interview with L3). To do so, stories are either told at the end of the topic discussion as examples as explained above or at the beginning as openers introducing the topic (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 03/09/2015).

If tutors or lecturers are telling personal stories, in S1’s opinion, this also means that they bring their personal lives into the classroom (Interview with S1) which “allows [the students] to challenge them” (Interview with S1). The teachers, however, are not the only ones to tell stories. By inviting the students to do the same (Interview with S3), the content also becomes connected to the students’ own world.

For a full list of all quotes relating to storytelling, please click here.

To get to the overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

As the classes treat Aboriginal topics, the lecturers and tutors have a close relation to the content. L2 confirms this by saying: “My family is Aboriginal health” (Interview with L2). L3 also explains that the academic texts are often based on his culture (Interview with L3). Therefore, the lecturers and tutors are able to “put […] issues in context” (Interview with L2) which in turn makes them easier to understand.

In practice this can happen in several ways. L1, for example, compares the relationship of the famous Aboriginal person she is talking about to her own (Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015) whereas L2 refers to places mentioned in presentations or people shown in videos by explaining how she knows them (Class 1: Tutorial 17/09/2015 & Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015). She also often describes what certain aspects, such as events or a specific autobiography mean to her personally (Class 1: Tutorial 17/09/2015 & Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015).

For a full list of all quotes relating to the lecturers’ and tutors’ relation to topics, please click here.

To get an overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

When names are mentioned in examples (Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015), stories (Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015) or student presentations (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015), L1 and L2 give further information about these people. As they are Aboriginal as well as non-Aboriginal (Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015) and come “from diverse backgrounds and from the past as well as the present” (Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015), this information adds to the acknowledgment of diversity in the classes. Additional information on people as well as their visual appearance in video clips can also make them and with them the content appear more real (Interview with S2).

L2 and L3 also provide the class with the background of the authors they themselves as well as the students use as references (Class 1: Tutorial 10/09/2015, Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015 & Class 2: Tutorial 03/09/2015) to enable a better understanding of the authors view point.

Furthermore, the people on which background information is given are not limited to the content of the classes. As S2 notes, in the Institute “the lecturers introduce themselves to you, who they are, what nation they’re from, they give you a bit of a background to themselves” (Interview with S2).

For a full list of all quotes relating to people and their background, please click here.

To get to the overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

In the lecture L1 “stresses the importance of always going back to the original source by comparing interpretation to a game of Chinese whispers” (Class 1: Lecture 25/08/2015). She brings the class in contact with such “original sources” by reading out passages from documents (Class 1: Lecture 27/10/2015) and websites (Class 1: Lecture 27/10/2015) and directly quoting politicians (Class 1: Lecture 25/08/2015) and Aboriginal people (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015). L3 also refers to this topic by saying that he would like to more often include a talk with experts in his classes (Interview with L3).

For a full list of quotes relating to original sources, please click here.

To get to the overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

The category “Audiovisual learning” encompasses all issues related to audio, visual and audiovisual material referred to in the lectures and tutorials of both classes. In the majority of cases, the audiovisual material used consists of short documentaries, video reports or other informational films. Occasionally, however, it also includes songs, comics, diagrams, drawings, photos and episodes of a TV series.

The functions the audiovisual material has are diverse. With the help of documentaries and video reports, additional information on people (e.g.Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015) and events (e.g.Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015 & Class 1: Tutorial 27/08/2015) as well as explanations of topics and issues (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015) are presented. By watching an Indigenous TV series, the students are to gain a general “idea of Aboriginal youth today” (Interview with L2). On the other hand, other short video formats (Class 1: Lecture 06/10/2015) as well as songs (Class 1: Lecture 25/08/2015) and comics (Class 2: Lecture 27/08/2015) display opinions and views.

As the “majority of Aboriginal people are visual learners”, as L2 states (Interview with L2), the classes specifically support this way of learning through the use of the above mentioned media as well as through the occasional integration of diagrams (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015) and pictures (Class 1: Lecture 27/10/2015). Likewise, L3 highlights and praises the way in which visual learning is integrated into one of the student presentation (Class 2: Tutorial 03/09/2015).

Being the preferred way of learning of Aboriginal people, the audiovisual material has a direct connection to culture. Furthermore, S2 perceives it as “easier to take on, easier to comprehend [and] more real life than just stuff out of a book. It’s real people talking about real experiences”, she points out.

For a full list of quotes relating to audiovisual learning, please click here.

To get to the overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

Art is occasionally incorporated into both the lecture and the tutorial of Class 1. L1 suggests art as a source (Class 1: Lecture 25/08/2015) and uses the literary art form of a poem as an example as well as for further elaboration of the topic (Class 1: Lecture 13/10/2015). L2, on the other hand, introduces art in a more practical manner by giving the students a task which includes drawing (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015). Furthermore, she draws herself and explains the meaning Aboriginal people would see in it (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015).

Thus, art is used not only in the same way as other audiovisual material but also as a practical experience connected to culture.

For a full list of all quotes related to art, please click here.

To get to the overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.

One of the differences S1 sees between the majority of her other classes and her Aboriginal Studies class is that in most classes “[t]hey just tell you what you need to know to pass the test whereas the teacher L2 tells us ‘Oh this is where you should go to experience this Aboriginal festival’” (Interview with S1). She terms this “extending knowledge outside the classroom” (Interview with S1).

This knowledge can be divided into two groups. The first one contains advice that might be helpful for the students, such as tips for applying for a job (Class 1: Lecture 27/10/2015) and a traditional cure for a flu or cold (Class 1: Tutorial 27/08/2015). The other type of outside knowledge provided could be described as information which is of general interest or even as fun facts. L2, for example, tells her student about an Aboriginal newspaper (Class 1: Tutorial 27/08/2015), a football tournament (Interview with S3), different types of boomerangs (Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015) and a specific plant (Class 1: Tutorial 17/09/2015). This knowledge is clearly directed at the students’ interests and tries to bring the real life into the classroom.

Both L2 and L3 underline the importance of outside knowledge by stating that learning is not restricted to a classroom setting. Indeed, L3 “would love to do a lot more […] experiences outside the classroom” (Interview with L3) and according to L2, “[w]hat one can learn from everyday situations is incredible” (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015).

For a full list of all quotes relating to outside knowledge, please click here.

To get an overview over all categories and further explanations, please click here.