{"id":279,"date":"2016-02-28T17:13:36","date_gmt":"2016-02-28T06:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/?p=279"},"modified":"2024-07-31T09:52:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T07:52:50","slug":"interview-with-l2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/2016\/02\/28\/interview-with-l2\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with L2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conducted 10\/11\/2015 10am
\nI<\/strong>n the class room
\nL2<\/a> is one of the tutors of Class1
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTo begin with would you like to tell me from which Aboriginal nation you are and what cultural background- what your cultural background means to your job? You don’t have to do this.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nOk. That’s fine. E::hm () I was born in in Moree in the north-west of New South Wales and it ehm ehm my family are from ehm around the Moree area ehm a few different little towns there, Narrabri, Gurley Station ehm a::nd depen- Because it’s such a large country depending on who you talk to is how the name of the nation, the language group is pronounced. Ehm so my elders taught me Gomeroi. In most English ehm readings or pronunciations you will see Kamilaroi ehm but there is no K in our language and the K actually sounds like a G. And some people will also say Gamilaraay ehm and Gamilaroi. So there is there is quite a few different pronunciations but it’s the second<\/u> largest Aboriginal nation in New South Wales but it also crosses over the border into Queensland because Aboriginal nations had different borders to what the ehm colonial government did. Ehm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nok)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nWhat was the rest of the question? @(.)@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nE::hm what does your cultural background mean to you in your job?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm () It means everything<\/u> becau::se I () ehm am able to:: relate<\/u> to what I’m teaching<\/a><\/span>. () Ehm I’m able to remember the\u00a0stories of my elders<\/a><\/span> to what academics have researched and written. Ehm I’m able to put a number of social justice issues in context<\/a><\/span>. For students. Ehm () a:nd I do remember a long time ago that a student said to me:: ehm I’m here to learn about Aboriginal health, not your family. And I said to the student that my family is<\/u> Aboriginal health<\/a><\/span>. Ehm and I think\u00a0it makes learning easier<\/u><\/a><\/span> if it’s in a personal context &&<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive) () ok, e::hm, so what in your opinion is the most effective form of teaching and learning? () () Or which method?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n@Storytelling<\/a><\/span>@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n((laughs)))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm as an Aboriginal person, storytelling is very, very important. Ehm that’s how we learn traditionally<\/a><\/span>. Was from the Dreaming stories and the storytelling. A::nd quite often I’m able to ()\u00a0tell a story<\/a><\/span> about each topic ehm that that we discuss in class.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive) Ehm () So would you say that’s also the most important aspect about how you<\/u> teach?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
=L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nYes! Yeah I think so, yeah. And () and not ehm () and I guess\u00a0being part of the group<\/a><\/span> rather than in front of<\/u> the group.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm and ehm most teachers have a table set up at the front of the room and separate themselves from their students. () Ehm and even though I’m qualified to teach ehm or facilitate tutorials or give lectures e::hm I find that sitting amongst the students\u00a0I learn so much from the students<\/a><\/span> as I’m- yeah () ()<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nOk () ehm so you already mentioned storytelling \u2013 is there any other methods you use in class, you consciously decide to use?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nI haven’t used them much lately ehm () but ehm but the majority of Aboriginal people are\u00a0visual learners<\/a><\/span> a::nd I love<\/u> concept maps () where () you just write in a circle in the middle of your paper or board the topic and then out from that circle will come just one or two words that relate to that topic. And then you can\u00a0look at it<\/a><\/span> and you can see the big picture a::nd ehm that’s how I studied. […] So, so yeah visual learners very important as well as storytelling yeah.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive) yeah. In the student interview that I’ve already done ehm the student also said ehm she rea- she noticed that we watch a lot of ehm YouTube videos, so<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nHm, yes, yes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nI guess that’s also visual learning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nYes yeah so […] that was the one that we always watched the new TV series<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nWhich only ran for 23 minutes e:hm and it gave the students ehm some idea of Aboriginal youth today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (postive))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm and some of the issues that they might face.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n() () ok so ehm are there any differences between how you teach our<\/u> class and other classes?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nNo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nAll the same. Ok.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nNo:: I’m I’m the same whether it’s Class 1 whether it’s ehm () well, maybe there is a little difference. Ehm if I’m teaching education students only \u2013 ehm I’ve taught Indigenous education policies and issues for a third year class \u2013 ehm so I will tend to provide more ehm of\u00a0my experiences<\/a><\/span> as an Aboriginal teacher and teaching in a school<\/u> that was ehm from five years to 18 years ehm with 98 per cent of the students Aboriginal. So I’d give them some \u2013\u00a0put their their teaching into context<\/a><\/span> again. Yeah so that would that would probably be the only differences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nOk)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nand if it was a health class I’d relate more to to the health in my family so it depends on () the topic, I guess, of the subject.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive) ok. A:::nd would you say tha:t your classes are different from other classes here at the Institute or other classes at the university in general?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n() () () I:: I can only ehm () () go by what I’ve experienced. And I would say that my classes are\u00a0less formal<\/a><\/span> @(.)@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n@ok@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nAnd ehm more ehm more about a\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>group of people<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span>\u00a0coming together<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> and\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>sharing some information<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> and\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>having a joke<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> and e::hm () ehm I gue:ss I would see it as myself as an\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>auntie looking after the kids<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> and\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>sharing the knowledge<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> with them<\/strong><\/span> {Click here<\/a> for analysis}<\/em>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n@mhm(positive)@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nrather then, you know, a formal teaching () ehm and ehm yeah so that’s how I’d see that yea::h<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n[…]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n() () ok () The next is a:: statement from from a class I had last year. E::hm we said that many methods used in universities worldwide can be described as Western and provide little room for, for example, storytelling and spirituality. Do you agree?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nYes yeah yeah no ehm () () () some () some classes are very, very structured and organised and I think that while you need to, you need to be \u2013 you know, you need to have some organisation () but you also need to have a\u00a0little bit of flexibility<\/a><\/span> in there that if you maybe wanna throw in a story or<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nmhm (positive))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm and I don’t () think () I can’t yeah \u2013 I don’t think that any of our classes ran over time and I think that we always covered the topic that we were meant to cover. So:: that little bit of flexibility () ehm fitted in ok<\/a><\/span>. () Without me organising @for it to be fitted in@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
=LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nYeah yeah ((laughs)) Ok so do you think it’s problematic that ehm other classes don’t provide that flexibility?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n() It, it can be because it may::, it may mean that students don’t have time to e:hm express their thoughts and ideas<\/a><\/span>. Ehm it may mean that there may be ehm an\u00a0incident or an event that was relevant<\/a><\/span> to the topic \u2013 that ehm it doesn’t allow for that\u00a0discussion<\/a><\/span> to happen. Mhm (positive) so I think ehm () yeah and it’s just a shame that we’re in a Western class room with the way the tables and chairs are are set up and ehm you know ideally\u00a0you’d be sitting outside in the shade in a circle<\/a><\/span> \u2013 said that if you’re in a circle there’s<\/strong> <\/span>no leader<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nMhm (positive) ok yeah<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nAnd everybody is\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>equal<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> () ehm including the teacher<\/strong><\/span> {Click here<\/a> for analysis}<\/em> and I think that’s why I sort of sat in the class cause ehm ehm I consider the students to to be\u00a0my peers<\/a><\/span> cause we’re all students<\/a><\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n[…]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nE::hm is there anything that could be done for other classes to ehm include more alternative methods, more flexibility?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n() () I, well, I think () it it depends on the size o::f ehm the classes and with this particular class I think there were over a hundred students [taking the class\/in the lecture]. There were like five tutorials ehm () and () the the course coordinator is the one that would e:hm say that, you know, this is how- this is what I want you to discuss. But\u00a0there was no structure<\/a><\/span> in ehm in the way that the class was taught. Ehm but if it’s just a small class of like twenty students, go to the lecture, twenty students ehm I think there is () there is room there that () it’s- I think it’s easier ehm and that all the students get the same information whereas all these tutorials \u2013 I think it makes it very\u00a0hard for the students to all get the same information<\/a><\/span> ehm and I don’t know how you would overcome that. Ehm unless you were to bring in more structure () yeah<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nOk. E::hm () yeah that was, that was it from my questions. Ehm is there anything else you would like to say about the topic?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm () () () I enjoy teaching<\/a><\/span>\u00a0ehm and I think that ehm ehm () () And like I said I just, I love it because I’ll always be a student and I love learning <\/a><\/span>from the other students ehm and listening and talking and sharing knowledge. Ehm I think the biggest issues that I have with teaching is that when students are doing a presentation if they’re presenting the wrong information () ehm I () am in<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0dilemma whether to shame them<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> \u2013 which is an Aboriginal expression, to shame them \u2013 and say \u2018oh you’re wrong\u2019<\/strong> <\/span>@(.)@<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nYeah)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nEhm or just to let it go and and talk to them later. But they’ve told the whole class some wrong information so ehm ()<\/strong> <\/span>In one particular class here I did actually pull a student up<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> and and I think I did it<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0nicely<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> that \u2018oh hang on a minute\u2019 and () ehm but also hopefully the student understands that it’s important that () you do get the right information<\/strong><\/span> {Click here<\/a> for analysis}<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(LE:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nDefinitely.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L2:<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nand that you share the right information. ()<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Back to the list of all interview excerpts<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Conducted 10\/11\/2015 10am In the class room L2 is one of the tutors of Class1 […] To begin with would you like to tell me from which Aboriginal nation you are and what cultural background- what your cultural background means … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2625,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[345397],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2625"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1732,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279\/revisions\/1732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uni-bremen.de\/aboriginalstudiesclasses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}