Monday, October 29, 2007
Bugger
I posted my blog (essay) last night but just remembered now to actually submit it via the submission form, so dumb.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
A little bit more...
Culture Jammer's Manifesto
We will take on the archetypal mind polluters and beat them at their own game.
We will un-cool their billion-dollar brands with un-commercials on TV, subvertisements in magazines and anti-ads right next to theirs in the urban landscape.
We will seize control of the roles and functions that corporations play in our lives and set new agendas in their industries.
We will jam the pop-culture marketeers* and bring their image factory to a sudden, shuddering halt.
On the rubble of the old culture, we will build a new one with a non-commercial heart and soul.
From Kalle Lasn, Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge -- and Why We Must (New York: Harper Collins Inc., 1999). p. 128.
CULTURE BYTES
It Doesn't Just Soften Your Mind
* Number of TV commercials viewed by American children a year: 20,000
* Age by which brand loyalty can be established: 2
* Number of ads aired for "junk-food" during four hours of Saturday morning cartoons: 202
* Percentage of young people who report having had no recent physical activity: 14.
Source: [less than]www.tvturnoff.org/Factsand/figPage.htm[greater than]
Source Citation:BAINES, PAUL. "A PIE IN THE FACE." Alternatives Journal 27.2 (Spring 2001): 14. Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra. 11 Oct. 2007
We will take on the archetypal mind polluters and beat them at their own game.
We will un-cool their billion-dollar brands with un-commercials on TV, subvertisements in magazines and anti-ads right next to theirs in the urban landscape.
We will seize control of the roles and functions that corporations play in our lives and set new agendas in their industries.
We will jam the pop-culture marketeers* and bring their image factory to a sudden, shuddering halt.
On the rubble of the old culture, we will build a new one with a non-commercial heart and soul.
From Kalle Lasn, Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge -- and Why We Must (New York: Harper Collins Inc., 1999). p. 128.
CULTURE BYTES
It Doesn't Just Soften Your Mind
* Number of TV commercials viewed by American children a year: 20,000
* Age by which brand loyalty can be established: 2
* Number of ads aired for "junk-food" during four hours of Saturday morning cartoons: 202
* Percentage of young people who report having had no recent physical activity: 14.
Source: [less than]www.tvturnoff.org/Factsand/figPage.htm[greater than]
Source Citation:BAINES, PAUL. "A PIE IN THE FACE." Alternatives Journal 27.2 (Spring 2001): 14. Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra. 11 Oct. 2007
Blog 2- Culture Jamming Essay
What is identity? How is it constructed? What is “culture jamming”? How is this idea of culture jamming used in society, and does it achieve the purposes for which it is used? To deconstruct these questions it first needs to be examined how big corporations create image and identity through brands and the “take over” of environments. This will be attempted by considering the movies “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir (1998), and “Fight Club” directed by David Fincher (1999). “Jammer’s” advocate for recognition of socially just issues by persuading individuals through the manipulation of advertisements to think beyond self-image and social acceptance, and to embrace attitudes and behaviours that reject the influence of big corporations in society. This discussion will also consider the future direction of this politically motivated practice.
In image creation and sustainment of the feeling the image produces in the consumer, a corporation has been successful in branding. “Branding is a name and/or symbol that signals the source of a product and differentiates it from its competitors” (Nome, http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, accessed 11/9/07) These brands are then linked to emotion to capture the consumer and therefore help to form an identity, whatever it may be. The brands we consume tell others about who we are, thus influencing our identities (Nome, http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, accessed 11/9/07). When critiquing the movie “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir (1998) it is seen that Truman Burbank’s (Jim Carrey) whole life is a “brand opera” from birth, where throughout the movie there is an absurd amount of ridiculously placed product placement. Aside from other issues presented in the movie, the audience is forced to consider the statement: “If we’re blissfully ignorant of the manipulations of big corporations, and of our involvement in spreading their branded messages, then we retain a degree of innocence” (David, 2005). By remaining ignorant, individuals help to promote the brand through society, and ultimately producing more revenue for the corporation that is being endorsed. This is at the heart of what cultural jammer’s are advocating against, to make individuals aware of the breaches of social justice issues these large multinational companies are engaging in to have their product manufactured, and revenues made.
While “The Truman Show” was one of realisation of the impact of consumerism on life, the movie “Fight Club” directed by David Fincher (1999), depicts the “complete rejection of artificiality” (David, 2005). Jack (played by Edward Norton) returns to his apartment home after it had been blown up. The character declares; ‘I loved every stick of furniture in that place. That was not just a bunch of stuff that got destroyed, it was me (David, 2005)!” In an earlier scene, the camera pans across the apartment showing the characters “full range of Ikea furniture and accessories.” This man is a product of brands; his statement about his home “it was me” shows this link in how corporations develop relationships between products and an image or identity through branding. Therefore to maintain that image, individuals continue to support the brand and consequently the corporation that produces the product and brand. “The Truman Show” is a story showing the fear individuals have about losing personal authenticity or identity because of the exploitations of others and to lose this, individuals lose their freedom to choose. While the Peter Weir’s movie brings attention to the influence conglomerates have on society, the movie “Fight Club” allows the spectator to realise that western society lives in a time where many of the meanings that are used to assemble lives been constructed by others- the people behind corporation logos and brands (David, 2005).
So how do individuals who engage in cultural jamming attempt to claim back the human process of decision-making and self- identity? Klein (2000) describes culture jamming as the practice of parodying ads and hijacking billboards to drastically alter their messages. While Tietchen (2001) provides for cultural jamming in the meaning of detournement: the act of taking pre-existing textual frameworks and modifying them so that they convey a meaning quite different than their originally intended one; transforming “the message” into its own “anti-message.” Finally the Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement at the University of Washington (http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, accessed 11/9/07) offers this: Culture jamming presents a variety of interesting communication strategies that play with the branded images and icons of consumer culture to make consumers aware of surrounding problems and diverse cultural experiences that warrant their attention. Basically, jammers take an advertisement and subvert the intended meaning that the brand and corporation is trying to convey. By doing this, jammers hope to reveal information that the corporation do not want the consuming public to know, usually information related to social justice issues.
One famous example included subverting Nike brand advertisements to allow individuals to decide to buy products, brands and therefore an identity from a corporation that produces its products in ‘sweatshops’ from third world countries, where working and pay conditions are extremely poor. By jamming Nike advertisements, individuals can consider these social justice issues, and can decide to boycott the company and the identity it attempts to create. Klein (2000) suggests that through jamming, individuals are rejecting the notion that marketing and advertising has to be passively accepted as objects of communication that only provide one-way information flow. Therefore good examples of jammed advertisements provide an “x-ray of the subconscious of a campaign, uncovering not an opposite meaning but a deeper truth hiding beneath the layers of advertising euphemisms (Klein, 2000).” By jamming adverts, it allows the public to refocus their thoughts related to an advertised product and to decide whether to engage in supporting the corporation in engaging in socially unjust practices or to reject the product, the corporation and what it stands for.
So does jamming achieve its purpose? And does it have a place in the future? Kingsnorth (2000) in his review of Lasn’s publication on culture jamming as a political movement suggests that culture jamming does not have a clearly defined philosophy and or agenda for change, and that culture jamming can do no more than make people think. Hopefully this is enough however to start a revolution (Niman, 2003) against multinational corporations, having people engage in thought about what practices these businesses carry out, leading to a boycott against these big businesses and their products and ultimately the identities and images they hope to influence. The issues that jammers hope to bring to the surface include questions about corporate responsibility, environmental and human costs of consumption and the ‘private’ corporate uses of the “public” airwaves (Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement, http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, accessed 11/9/07). So for the practice of culture jamming to be successful in its aims it needs to provoke thought and enough emotion associated with these opinions to advocate change in consumer patterns. The future of culture jamming relies heavily on many factors. One problem that jammers face is the “lack of well developed public media rights”, and this is because most television and radio broadcasters “reject the ads (of jammers) on grounds that they might contaminate the purity of media environments designed exclusively for communicating commercial messages” (Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement, http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, accessed 11/9/07). Baines (2001) supports this limitation: “ jamming can be stifled when mainstream media refuse(s) to be a carrier of the jamming virus.” An example provided is where Adbusters (a Canadian-based group of jammers) came up against resistance to their “uncooling” and criticising of cars, fashion and cigarettes (Baines, 2001).
As jammed advertisements are anti-commercial, this leads to problems having these adverts broadcasted. Wright (2001) in her review of the role of propaganda, believes that the activist and artistic strategies of culture jamming is ineffective in achieving its aims because of “the fact that real control of the media depends on serious access to money and power,” of which corporations have and small bands of people from different cultures do not have at their disposal. Furthermore to the downfall of this movement, Nome suggests (http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, accessed 11/9/07) that consumers may resent someone who tells them that they were “stupid in allowing themselves to be so easily seduced into buying these products”, that it may actually alienate the consumer than enlist their help in boycotting the big corporations, therefore inhibiting the growth of the movement. Even within the culture jamming movement, there are factions that could lead to its unravelling related to different opinions about strategy and what the ultimate gaol of jamming is (Baines, 2001). These concerns all impact on the future of the culture jamming movement, but somehow one thinks that despite these issues surrounding the practice, it will continue in any form that allows the artist to portray their message.
Identity is formed many ways but to consider the role of consumerism in identity formation is a very relevant argument as portrayed through the analysis of the movies “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir, and “Fight Club” directed by David Fincher, 1999. Corporations are taking over identity and image formation of individuals and the formation of societies’ cultures. To stop this process, so to maintain individualism of people and distinct cultures throughout the world, people engage in jamming of advertisements by corporations that attempt to “sell” an image through their product. By doing this they attempt to reclaim the human conscience, but many factors impact on how widely these “jammed” images are distributed and how many individuals are affected by the messages they try to convey. However the movement will never become extinct as long as there are individuals who can think more broadly than the immediate and consider the social injustices that are occurring throughout the world.
Bibliography:
Baines, P. (2001). A Pie in the Face. Alternatives Journal 27.2 Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 11 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement. (n.d) Culture Jamming. The Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. USA.
http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, Accessed 11/9/07.
David, S. (2005). Brand realignment. Australian Screen Education 38: 42 (5) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 10 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Kingsnorth, P. (2000). Culture Jam: The Uncolling of [America.sup.TM]. The Ecologist 30.3: 54. Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra. 25 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.canberra.edu.au/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Klein, N. (2000) No Logo: Taking aim at the Brand Bullies. (Exerpts) From Culture jamming: Ads Under Attack. Brandweek, 41: 28 (7). http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db&AN=3347527&site=ehost-live (persistent link) Accessed 23/10/07.
Lamla, J. (2005). Political Virtue and Shopping: Individuals, Consumerism, and Collective Action. Journal of Consumer Policy 28.4: 645 (6) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 10 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Niman, M. I. (2003) The uncooling of America: a new global boycott targets corporate chic. The Humanist 63.5: 30 (2) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 11 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Nome, D (n.d) Culture Jamming: Promotional Culture-Seminar in Intercultural Management. Copenhagen Business School. http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, Accessed 11/9/07.
Tietchen, T. (2001). Language of out language: Exacavating the roots of culture jamming and postmodern activism from William S. Burroughs’ nova trilogy. Discourse (Detroit, MI) 23.3:107 (24) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra. 25 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.canberra.edu.au/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Wright, C. (2001). Endless Propaganda: The Advertising of Public Goods (Reviews/Comptes Rendus). Labour/Le Travil: 285 (4). Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 11 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
In image creation and sustainment of the feeling the image produces in the consumer, a corporation has been successful in branding. “Branding is a name and/or symbol that signals the source of a product and differentiates it from its competitors” (Nome, http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, accessed 11/9/07) These brands are then linked to emotion to capture the consumer and therefore help to form an identity, whatever it may be. The brands we consume tell others about who we are, thus influencing our identities (Nome, http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, accessed 11/9/07). When critiquing the movie “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir (1998) it is seen that Truman Burbank’s (Jim Carrey) whole life is a “brand opera” from birth, where throughout the movie there is an absurd amount of ridiculously placed product placement. Aside from other issues presented in the movie, the audience is forced to consider the statement: “If we’re blissfully ignorant of the manipulations of big corporations, and of our involvement in spreading their branded messages, then we retain a degree of innocence” (David, 2005). By remaining ignorant, individuals help to promote the brand through society, and ultimately producing more revenue for the corporation that is being endorsed. This is at the heart of what cultural jammer’s are advocating against, to make individuals aware of the breaches of social justice issues these large multinational companies are engaging in to have their product manufactured, and revenues made.
While “The Truman Show” was one of realisation of the impact of consumerism on life, the movie “Fight Club” directed by David Fincher (1999), depicts the “complete rejection of artificiality” (David, 2005). Jack (played by Edward Norton) returns to his apartment home after it had been blown up. The character declares; ‘I loved every stick of furniture in that place. That was not just a bunch of stuff that got destroyed, it was me (David, 2005)!” In an earlier scene, the camera pans across the apartment showing the characters “full range of Ikea furniture and accessories.” This man is a product of brands; his statement about his home “it was me” shows this link in how corporations develop relationships between products and an image or identity through branding. Therefore to maintain that image, individuals continue to support the brand and consequently the corporation that produces the product and brand. “The Truman Show” is a story showing the fear individuals have about losing personal authenticity or identity because of the exploitations of others and to lose this, individuals lose their freedom to choose. While the Peter Weir’s movie brings attention to the influence conglomerates have on society, the movie “Fight Club” allows the spectator to realise that western society lives in a time where many of the meanings that are used to assemble lives been constructed by others- the people behind corporation logos and brands (David, 2005).
So how do individuals who engage in cultural jamming attempt to claim back the human process of decision-making and self- identity? Klein (2000) describes culture jamming as the practice of parodying ads and hijacking billboards to drastically alter their messages. While Tietchen (2001) provides for cultural jamming in the meaning of detournement: the act of taking pre-existing textual frameworks and modifying them so that they convey a meaning quite different than their originally intended one; transforming “the message” into its own “anti-message.” Finally the Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement at the University of Washington (http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, accessed 11/9/07) offers this: Culture jamming presents a variety of interesting communication strategies that play with the branded images and icons of consumer culture to make consumers aware of surrounding problems and diverse cultural experiences that warrant their attention. Basically, jammers take an advertisement and subvert the intended meaning that the brand and corporation is trying to convey. By doing this, jammers hope to reveal information that the corporation do not want the consuming public to know, usually information related to social justice issues.
One famous example included subverting Nike brand advertisements to allow individuals to decide to buy products, brands and therefore an identity from a corporation that produces its products in ‘sweatshops’ from third world countries, where working and pay conditions are extremely poor. By jamming Nike advertisements, individuals can consider these social justice issues, and can decide to boycott the company and the identity it attempts to create. Klein (2000) suggests that through jamming, individuals are rejecting the notion that marketing and advertising has to be passively accepted as objects of communication that only provide one-way information flow. Therefore good examples of jammed advertisements provide an “x-ray of the subconscious of a campaign, uncovering not an opposite meaning but a deeper truth hiding beneath the layers of advertising euphemisms (Klein, 2000).” By jamming adverts, it allows the public to refocus their thoughts related to an advertised product and to decide whether to engage in supporting the corporation in engaging in socially unjust practices or to reject the product, the corporation and what it stands for.
So does jamming achieve its purpose? And does it have a place in the future? Kingsnorth (2000) in his review of Lasn’s publication on culture jamming as a political movement suggests that culture jamming does not have a clearly defined philosophy and or agenda for change, and that culture jamming can do no more than make people think. Hopefully this is enough however to start a revolution (Niman, 2003) against multinational corporations, having people engage in thought about what practices these businesses carry out, leading to a boycott against these big businesses and their products and ultimately the identities and images they hope to influence. The issues that jammers hope to bring to the surface include questions about corporate responsibility, environmental and human costs of consumption and the ‘private’ corporate uses of the “public” airwaves (Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement, http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, accessed 11/9/07). So for the practice of culture jamming to be successful in its aims it needs to provoke thought and enough emotion associated with these opinions to advocate change in consumer patterns. The future of culture jamming relies heavily on many factors. One problem that jammers face is the “lack of well developed public media rights”, and this is because most television and radio broadcasters “reject the ads (of jammers) on grounds that they might contaminate the purity of media environments designed exclusively for communicating commercial messages” (Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement, http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, accessed 11/9/07). Baines (2001) supports this limitation: “ jamming can be stifled when mainstream media refuse(s) to be a carrier of the jamming virus.” An example provided is where Adbusters (a Canadian-based group of jammers) came up against resistance to their “uncooling” and criticising of cars, fashion and cigarettes (Baines, 2001).
As jammed advertisements are anti-commercial, this leads to problems having these adverts broadcasted. Wright (2001) in her review of the role of propaganda, believes that the activist and artistic strategies of culture jamming is ineffective in achieving its aims because of “the fact that real control of the media depends on serious access to money and power,” of which corporations have and small bands of people from different cultures do not have at their disposal. Furthermore to the downfall of this movement, Nome suggests (http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, accessed 11/9/07) that consumers may resent someone who tells them that they were “stupid in allowing themselves to be so easily seduced into buying these products”, that it may actually alienate the consumer than enlist their help in boycotting the big corporations, therefore inhibiting the growth of the movement. Even within the culture jamming movement, there are factions that could lead to its unravelling related to different opinions about strategy and what the ultimate gaol of jamming is (Baines, 2001). These concerns all impact on the future of the culture jamming movement, but somehow one thinks that despite these issues surrounding the practice, it will continue in any form that allows the artist to portray their message.
Identity is formed many ways but to consider the role of consumerism in identity formation is a very relevant argument as portrayed through the analysis of the movies “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir, and “Fight Club” directed by David Fincher, 1999. Corporations are taking over identity and image formation of individuals and the formation of societies’ cultures. To stop this process, so to maintain individualism of people and distinct cultures throughout the world, people engage in jamming of advertisements by corporations that attempt to “sell” an image through their product. By doing this they attempt to reclaim the human conscience, but many factors impact on how widely these “jammed” images are distributed and how many individuals are affected by the messages they try to convey. However the movement will never become extinct as long as there are individuals who can think more broadly than the immediate and consider the social injustices that are occurring throughout the world.
Bibliography:
Baines, P. (2001). A Pie in the Face. Alternatives Journal 27.2 Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 11 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement. (n.d) Culture Jamming. The Centre for Communication and Civic Engagement in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. USA.
http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, Accessed 11/9/07.
David, S. (2005). Brand realignment. Australian Screen Education 38: 42 (5) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 10 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Kingsnorth, P. (2000). Culture Jam: The Uncolling of [America.sup.TM]. The Ecologist 30.3: 54. Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra. 25 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.canberra.edu.au/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Klein, N. (2000) No Logo: Taking aim at the Brand Bullies. (Exerpts) From Culture jamming: Ads Under Attack. Brandweek, 41: 28 (7). http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db&AN=3347527&site=ehost-live (persistent link) Accessed 23/10/07.
Lamla, J. (2005). Political Virtue and Shopping: Individuals, Consumerism, and Collective Action. Journal of Consumer Policy 28.4: 645 (6) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 10 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Niman, M. I. (2003) The uncooling of America: a new global boycott targets corporate chic. The Humanist 63.5: 30 (2) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 11 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Nome, D (n.d) Culture Jamming: Promotional Culture-Seminar in Intercultural Management. Copenhagen Business School. http://www.anthrobase.com/txt/N/Nome_D_01.htm, Accessed 11/9/07.
Tietchen, T. (2001). Language of out language: Exacavating the roots of culture jamming and postmodern activism from William S. Burroughs’ nova trilogy. Discourse (Detroit, MI) 23.3:107 (24) Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra. 25 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.canberra.edu.au/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Wright, C. (2001). Endless Propaganda: The Advertising of Public Goods (Reviews/Comptes Rendus). Labour/Le Travil: 285 (4). Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Canberra 11 Oct. 2007 http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodid=AONE
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The American Mindset
I was stting in my last tutorial for Socio-Cultural Politics of Education last week and we were discussing the implications of multiculturalism on our Australian culture and how for the most part, many different cultures live together in relate harmony and acceptance, and how there needs to be a shift in education to really embrace diversity into the curriculum and how this should happen. As the conservation evolved our tutor told us about an experience that she had. She had recently finished reseraching the relations between Muslims and Christians on a small Indonesian island (I can't remember the name) and had finally had the article published in a popular magazine.
She then explained how she recieved emails from readers expressing thanks and their own opinions. However she recieved an email from an man in the United States. He was in total disbelief that Muslims could actually live in harmony with Christians. On the island they had to, and they did so very harmoniously. Her called her research as politcal correctness and proceeded with this in way that was very confronting and sad. Sad in that he had this stereotype that many people have in regards to Muslims, due to the link between Muslims and terrorism (that has been whipped up by governments to develop fear -politics of fear- and communicated through the media), when it is usually extremists that confirm this. It is sad to think that this man could not move past this stereotype to think that this situation may be possible. I know that many Americans don't hold the same view, but it is usually those with the 'loudest' voices, who get heard and therefore have their stereotypical views heard. It goes the same for the terrorists minority. Terrorist acts are loud and get noticed therefore promote ideals about people when it is not true for the majority.
This guy from American has done the same in that he promoted his stereotypical views in a public forum (just as I have) and has therefore formed a stereotype of American people. But because we know better, we know this is only representative of a mnority of American people. A good example of people being presented with true and acturate information contrary to the belief and still the stereotype holds. What is the term for this I have forgotten and don't have my Social Psych notes close enough to check?
She then explained how she recieved emails from readers expressing thanks and their own opinions. However she recieved an email from an man in the United States. He was in total disbelief that Muslims could actually live in harmony with Christians. On the island they had to, and they did so very harmoniously. Her called her research as politcal correctness and proceeded with this in way that was very confronting and sad. Sad in that he had this stereotype that many people have in regards to Muslims, due to the link between Muslims and terrorism (that has been whipped up by governments to develop fear -politics of fear- and communicated through the media), when it is usually extremists that confirm this. It is sad to think that this man could not move past this stereotype to think that this situation may be possible. I know that many Americans don't hold the same view, but it is usually those with the 'loudest' voices, who get heard and therefore have their stereotypical views heard. It goes the same for the terrorists minority. Terrorist acts are loud and get noticed therefore promote ideals about people when it is not true for the majority.
This guy from American has done the same in that he promoted his stereotypical views in a public forum (just as I have) and has therefore formed a stereotype of American people. But because we know better, we know this is only representative of a mnority of American people. A good example of people being presented with true and acturate information contrary to the belief and still the stereotype holds. What is the term for this I have forgotten and don't have my Social Psych notes close enough to check?
Thursday, October 11, 2007
"Hate"
Hi i have found this during my searching and found it quite intriguing. The web address is below.
"(Found on a bathroom wall somewhere in the U.S.A.)You've taken over my mind. You've raped my thoughts with your image viruses then sold me fake cures for your own disease. Your words and pictures scream orders at me like angry prison wardens. When I cover my ears, your voices echo in my head. I hate you. When I see your billboards, your talk shows, your rock concerts and your factories, when I see the work of your twisted libidos, I want to kill you. I want to set fires, plant bombs, derail trains. I want to smash your buildings and tear at your bodies until the skin of my hands is worn to the bone. I am filled with a rage that burns my eyes. I don't want to feel this way. You have done this to me. These feelings are the fruits of your multi-billion dollar sowing. And I am not alone. There are others like me out here. Every suicide, every madman, every man and woman who gets a gun and just starts shooting -- these are your illegitimate children. They don't all know what they are doing. All they know is hate for the invisible walls which you have raised around them, hate for the narrow path you have tried to make them walk. And the innocent pay in blood for your negligence. Remember this: My mind is big. The more you try to push me down and make me small, the greater the pressure inside me becomes. The greater the pressure, the greater the chance of an explosion. There was once a time when I felt love, but now I feel only hate and anger, and fear at what I might do. And you can tell me to "BE HAPPY," but I know that you really mean "BE QUIET". Believe me, I want to be happy. You stand in my way. "
Here is the websites I found it on: http://www.abrupt.org/CJ/
"(Found on a bathroom wall somewhere in the U.S.A.)You've taken over my mind. You've raped my thoughts with your image viruses then sold me fake cures for your own disease. Your words and pictures scream orders at me like angry prison wardens. When I cover my ears, your voices echo in my head. I hate you. When I see your billboards, your talk shows, your rock concerts and your factories, when I see the work of your twisted libidos, I want to kill you. I want to set fires, plant bombs, derail trains. I want to smash your buildings and tear at your bodies until the skin of my hands is worn to the bone. I am filled with a rage that burns my eyes. I don't want to feel this way. You have done this to me. These feelings are the fruits of your multi-billion dollar sowing. And I am not alone. There are others like me out here. Every suicide, every madman, every man and woman who gets a gun and just starts shooting -- these are your illegitimate children. They don't all know what they are doing. All they know is hate for the invisible walls which you have raised around them, hate for the narrow path you have tried to make them walk. And the innocent pay in blood for your negligence. Remember this: My mind is big. The more you try to push me down and make me small, the greater the pressure inside me becomes. The greater the pressure, the greater the chance of an explosion. There was once a time when I felt love, but now I feel only hate and anger, and fear at what I might do. And you can tell me to "BE HAPPY," but I know that you really mean "BE QUIET". Believe me, I want to be happy. You stand in my way. "
Here is the websites I found it on: http://www.abrupt.org/CJ/
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The effects of Multiculturalism on the Australian education system
Hi guys,
Just thought I'd post this to get some ideas on what you think. This is an essay that is due for one of my other courses this semester in education- Socio-Cultural Politics of Education. Yes, as the name suggests -YUK! It is due on Friday 5th OCt so if anyone has any comments feel free to let me know.
Education systems around the world have developed school curricula to include all knowledge’s and values that a society deems to be important to know, for the continual progress and advancement of that society. But living in a country that promotes an effective and functioning multicultural society, how are the knowledge’s and values of each group that makeup this multicultural society in Australia promoted through the education? Who decides what knowledge’s and values should be included in the curriculum and which should not? In addressing this issue of multiculturalism in the school curriculum, the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) new curriculum document Every Chance to Learn, will be analysed and critiqued on how it provides for different cultural groups within the territory in relation to the subject area of Physical Education and Health. It should be noted the territory has a different approach to curriculum implementation to its neighbour, New South Wales (NSW). While the NSW Board of Studies develops school curriculum, schools and classroom teachers statewide then implement it in the classroom. In opposition The ACT Department of Education and Training has developed a broad document, which encompasses Essential Learning Achievements (ELA’s). These ELA’s embrace knowledge’s and values that should be known by certain levels of schooling, but then leaves the individual school to develop their own curriculum encompassing these ELA’s. The history of multiculturalism in Australia will be considered in this critique of the document as well as current debates over the future of Australian education and curriculum.
Curriculum is a strategic plan for student learning, which defines what students need to know, understand, do and value and includes all learning planned and guided by schools and preschools (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p3). But in a society such as the ACT, that has so many diverse cultures how is it decided on what to include in the Physical Education and Health curriculum? The Australian Capital Territories new curriculum document: Every Chance to Learn proposes four educational purposes that underlie this change in curriculum development. The purpose of this new curriculum is to develop each student attending school in the ACT: as a lifelong learner; as a person who can discover and develop their capabilities and talents; as a community member who participates in the social and economic life of their community; and as a contributor to their local, national and global society (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p6). In an attempt to achieve these four educational purposes, the developers of the new curriculum in consultation with all stakeholders within the education system developed twenty-six Essential Learning Achievement’s, which they believe identifies learning that is essential for students to know, understand, value and be able to do from preschool to the end of compulsory schooling- year 10. To examine all twenty-six Essential Learning Achievements here would not allow sufficient time to appraise and scrutinize, so the ELA’s that are relevant to Physical Education and Health will be examined. The first six ELA’s are considered to be multi-disciplinary. These include the student to: use a range of strategies to think and learn; understands and applies to inquiry process; make considered decisions; acts with integrity and regard for others; contributes to group effectiveness; and uses Information and Communication Technologies effectively (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p15-42). It is expected that all curriculum areas will attempt to address these first six ELA’s in the individual frameworks.
The following ELA’s relate to the area of Physical Education and Health. The student takes action to promote health and well-being by understanding, valuing and practising ways of developing and maintaining all these aspects of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but this can only be achieved through the development of the skills of decision-making, planning, risk analysis, problem solving and the ability to critically analyse health information and services (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p101). The second ELA exclusive to Physical Education and Health involves the student to be physically skilled and actively acknowledges the important role of physical activity in providing opportunities for the student to grow personally, to enjoy physical activity and to provide the student with many challenges, in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and promotes the understanding that everyone has the right to participate in active lifestyles (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p107). The final ELA to be considered under the Physical Education ‘umbrella’ is, the student manages self and relationships. Through this, the student can understand and value their own personal identity and the need for positive relationships with others, which develops connectedness to their community and therefore be able to cope with changes to relationships and develop resilience when facing many of life’s challenges (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p112). The nature of the ACT education system allows for these ELA’s to be interpreted and implemented according to what the school community believes students need to know, understand, do and value (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p 3). Organisations and people need to be responsive to changes in local, national and global contexts and schools need to be part of this if they are to remain relevant and meet community needs. This is especially important in relation to the changing environment of the nation as we continue to receive migrants from cultures around the world and therefore foster relations between our nation and the cultural ‘homes’ of ‘new’ Australians (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p 5). For this reason, the flexibility enabled by school-based curriculum in the ACT helps schools to respond to the changing demographic within schools and the changing global context that the school operates in (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p 5). But how do schools determine what and whose knowledge’s and values should be included when teaching, according to the new Every Chance to Learn curriculum framework and the ELA’s? To answer this, the history of multiculturalism and its influence on education in Australia from the beginning of immigration until the present day need to be analysed to determine the direction of future curriculum.
“What is, who is, an Australian?” This question about the Australian identity was proposed by Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd (2007, p176) and in an attempt to answer this they turned to the education system as playing a major role in developing this image. The education of citizens about our Australian nation through our history and our observance of many nationalist practices has developed this image of ‘what is an Australian’. But this image of the self has changed significantly from the image portrayed in the 1950’s and 60’s history curriculum, due to the increase in migrants who now call Australia home. Blainey (as cited in Fitzgerald, 2007) acknowledged that the history taught in the Australian education system during the post-World War Two immigration boom, ‘undervalued indigenous history and uncritically promoted Australia’s British Heritage…’ Fitzgerald (2007) supports Blainey: the ‘contributions and sufferings of women, Indigenous Australians and of non-Anglo-Celtic migrant has to often been ignored.’ Through this one-sided presentation of our history Donnelly (as cited in Fitzgerald, 2007), accepts that there is truth to the argument that education can be used …to impose a one-sided view of the world. Hooks, (1994, p37) reminds us that ‘no education is politically neutral’. The curriculum is used as a tool to promote certain ideas and ignore others, which is demonstrated by the omittance of the struggle of minority groups throughout Australia’s history and the promotion of the ‘Australian Self’. This ‘Australian Self’ is the ideal of Australia and Australians, which is advanced through our institutions, politics and the media (Wadham, Pudsey & Boyd, 2007, p171). Through this, it attempts to connect all Australians to a notion of our nation and its people, but what if an individual does not fit this imagined ‘self?’ Schools have always been places where nationalism and patriotism has been encouraged, but they are also places where ethnic conflict can be fuelled and feed and can feed off, broader cultural violence, and we usually come back to the question “What is, who is, an Australian?” as the trigger. The production of a nation is usually based upon the beliefs, values and ideals of some group of people over another. Singh’s (1997, p12) recount of growing up Asian in Australia: ‘Through their silences, through the narratives which remain untold, and through the construction of passive, inferior roles for white women, immigrants and colonised people, these stories of my schooling degraded and defiled my identity,’ supports this notion of production of an ‘ideal self’ based on those standards of a certain few.
It is hard to believe that racism can evolve but according to Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd (2007, p199) the ‘new’ racism is based on cultural difference rather than the ‘old’ racism of earlier times, of race inferiority. It “appeals to sameness as opposed to difference…but has the same effect of determining the other as different or not-the-same” (Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, p199). In response to this racism and the emerging multiculturalism in Australia, there were three distinct phases in response to immigrants. There was an expectation that immigrants would eventually ‘fit in’ to the dominant Anglo-Australian culture, which characterised the first phase. There was then a shift to tolerance and a respect for diversity that the migrants brought to the nation, and this still continues today. But the third phase has shifted its focus from the human and cultural assets to the economic assets that have emerged from the multicultural diversity in our country (Hage, 1998, p129). But what can be done in our schools and through the use of the curriculum to increase the value of diversity and mutual understanding in our students? Lets first look at the classroom. Hooks (1994) believes that for the learning experience to be inclusive, the classroom setting needs to change and as teachers, our styles of teaching also have to be flexible to change (p35). By creating a classroom that is democratic, all students feel a responsibility to contribute, and this is a major goal of Hooks’ (1994, p39) transformative pedagogy. Through this democratic setting, a sense of community is fostered where there can be a shared commitment to learning and a ‘common good that binds’ all that are part of the classroom community (Hooks, 1994, p40). This in turn encourages recognition of all voices within the classroom. Hooks (1994) does acknowledge that this inclusive classroom may take a while to progress to this level of understanding of diversity and recognition, mainly because teachers and students alike ‘have to learn to accept different ways of knowing’ (p41), but by changing pedagogy and recognising our multicultural society, we can give our students an education they desire and deserve.
The Australian Ethnic Affairs Council (AEAC) have defined multiculturalism ‘as people’s legitimate right to preserve their ethnic and cultural identity while accepting the responsibilities of common citizenship (Jamrozik, Boland & Urquhart, 1995, p104). Multiculturalism means many things to many people, so to define it is quite hard, but to accept it and incorporate others’ beliefs, values and ideals into our society is achievable. Smolicz (as cited in Jamrozik, Boland & Urquhart, 1995, p111) believes that a multicultural society is realistic and he proposes a means to achieve it. Firstly the various cultures within the Australian society need to be identified and these various core values of each of these cultures are also identified. From these core values from all the different cultures, an umbrella of common core values is proposed. Perhaps this approach could be utilised for the Australian education systems’ various curriculum’s, where schools with high cultural demographic could employ Smolicz’s theory to develop an inclusive and culturally diverse curriculum framework. In regards to the Australian Capital Territory’s new Every Chance to Learn curriculum framework, the broad nature of the Essential Learning Achievement’s and the very nature of school-based curriculum would allow for schools to develop their own way of addressing the ELA’s while making the content delivered through the curriculum relevant to the students changing needs and the changing needs of the global context which the school operates.
History has shaped the ‘Australian Self’, sometimes at the expense of the truth and at the neglect of minority and other cultural groups. Multiculturalism brings diversity and instead of embracing what these cultures had to offer the Australian nation, people in positions of significant power have jostled to exert their opinions on how the ‘Australian image’ should be portrayed. This has usually been through the education system as it has much influence over the promotion of ideals and values. If the education system can embrace the changes that are occurring locally, nationally and globally in relation to the movement of people and goods around the globe through globalisation, and incorporate these changes into the curriculum, the only thing that can come of it is advancement of the Australian nation, not only through tolerance, but understanding and acceptance of our many differences. Only then we can embrace and celebrate the changes in our nation and truly call ourselves a multicultural country.
Reference List:
ACT Department of Education and Training. (2004) Every Chance to Learn: Curriculum Renewal Discussion Paper. Produced for the ACT Department of Education and Training by Publishing Services.
Fitzgerald, R. (2007, March 17). Dumbing Down. The Australian. Retrieved September 20, 2007, from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
Hage, G. (1998). White multiculturalism: a manual for the proper usage of ethnics (Ch.4). In White nation: Fantasies of white supremacy in a multicultural society, (pp117-140). Annandale, NSW: Pluto Press.
Hooks, B. (1994). Embracing change: teaching in a multicultural world (Ch. 3). In Teaching to transgress: education as the practice of freedom (pp.35-44). New York: Routledge.
Jamrozik, A., Boland, C and Urquhart, R. (1995). The meanings of Multiculturalisms. In Social change and cultural transformation in Australia (pp. 103-116). Cambridge, Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
Singh, P. (1997). On Speaking as an “Asian” teacher. Education Links, 54, pp. 11-15.
Wadham, B., Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007) Culture and Nation. (1st ed.) Pearson Education Australia: N.S.W
Just thought I'd post this to get some ideas on what you think. This is an essay that is due for one of my other courses this semester in education- Socio-Cultural Politics of Education. Yes, as the name suggests -YUK! It is due on Friday 5th OCt so if anyone has any comments feel free to let me know.
Education systems around the world have developed school curricula to include all knowledge’s and values that a society deems to be important to know, for the continual progress and advancement of that society. But living in a country that promotes an effective and functioning multicultural society, how are the knowledge’s and values of each group that makeup this multicultural society in Australia promoted through the education? Who decides what knowledge’s and values should be included in the curriculum and which should not? In addressing this issue of multiculturalism in the school curriculum, the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) new curriculum document Every Chance to Learn, will be analysed and critiqued on how it provides for different cultural groups within the territory in relation to the subject area of Physical Education and Health. It should be noted the territory has a different approach to curriculum implementation to its neighbour, New South Wales (NSW). While the NSW Board of Studies develops school curriculum, schools and classroom teachers statewide then implement it in the classroom. In opposition The ACT Department of Education and Training has developed a broad document, which encompasses Essential Learning Achievements (ELA’s). These ELA’s embrace knowledge’s and values that should be known by certain levels of schooling, but then leaves the individual school to develop their own curriculum encompassing these ELA’s. The history of multiculturalism in Australia will be considered in this critique of the document as well as current debates over the future of Australian education and curriculum.
Curriculum is a strategic plan for student learning, which defines what students need to know, understand, do and value and includes all learning planned and guided by schools and preschools (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p3). But in a society such as the ACT, that has so many diverse cultures how is it decided on what to include in the Physical Education and Health curriculum? The Australian Capital Territories new curriculum document: Every Chance to Learn proposes four educational purposes that underlie this change in curriculum development. The purpose of this new curriculum is to develop each student attending school in the ACT: as a lifelong learner; as a person who can discover and develop their capabilities and talents; as a community member who participates in the social and economic life of their community; and as a contributor to their local, national and global society (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p6). In an attempt to achieve these four educational purposes, the developers of the new curriculum in consultation with all stakeholders within the education system developed twenty-six Essential Learning Achievement’s, which they believe identifies learning that is essential for students to know, understand, value and be able to do from preschool to the end of compulsory schooling- year 10. To examine all twenty-six Essential Learning Achievements here would not allow sufficient time to appraise and scrutinize, so the ELA’s that are relevant to Physical Education and Health will be examined. The first six ELA’s are considered to be multi-disciplinary. These include the student to: use a range of strategies to think and learn; understands and applies to inquiry process; make considered decisions; acts with integrity and regard for others; contributes to group effectiveness; and uses Information and Communication Technologies effectively (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p15-42). It is expected that all curriculum areas will attempt to address these first six ELA’s in the individual frameworks.
The following ELA’s relate to the area of Physical Education and Health. The student takes action to promote health and well-being by understanding, valuing and practising ways of developing and maintaining all these aspects of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but this can only be achieved through the development of the skills of decision-making, planning, risk analysis, problem solving and the ability to critically analyse health information and services (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p101). The second ELA exclusive to Physical Education and Health involves the student to be physically skilled and actively acknowledges the important role of physical activity in providing opportunities for the student to grow personally, to enjoy physical activity and to provide the student with many challenges, in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and promotes the understanding that everyone has the right to participate in active lifestyles (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p107). The final ELA to be considered under the Physical Education ‘umbrella’ is, the student manages self and relationships. Through this, the student can understand and value their own personal identity and the need for positive relationships with others, which develops connectedness to their community and therefore be able to cope with changes to relationships and develop resilience when facing many of life’s challenges (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2006, p112). The nature of the ACT education system allows for these ELA’s to be interpreted and implemented according to what the school community believes students need to know, understand, do and value (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p 3). Organisations and people need to be responsive to changes in local, national and global contexts and schools need to be part of this if they are to remain relevant and meet community needs. This is especially important in relation to the changing environment of the nation as we continue to receive migrants from cultures around the world and therefore foster relations between our nation and the cultural ‘homes’ of ‘new’ Australians (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p 5). For this reason, the flexibility enabled by school-based curriculum in the ACT helps schools to respond to the changing demographic within schools and the changing global context that the school operates in (ACT Department of Education and Training, 2004, p 5). But how do schools determine what and whose knowledge’s and values should be included when teaching, according to the new Every Chance to Learn curriculum framework and the ELA’s? To answer this, the history of multiculturalism and its influence on education in Australia from the beginning of immigration until the present day need to be analysed to determine the direction of future curriculum.
“What is, who is, an Australian?” This question about the Australian identity was proposed by Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd (2007, p176) and in an attempt to answer this they turned to the education system as playing a major role in developing this image. The education of citizens about our Australian nation through our history and our observance of many nationalist practices has developed this image of ‘what is an Australian’. But this image of the self has changed significantly from the image portrayed in the 1950’s and 60’s history curriculum, due to the increase in migrants who now call Australia home. Blainey (as cited in Fitzgerald, 2007) acknowledged that the history taught in the Australian education system during the post-World War Two immigration boom, ‘undervalued indigenous history and uncritically promoted Australia’s British Heritage…’ Fitzgerald (2007) supports Blainey: the ‘contributions and sufferings of women, Indigenous Australians and of non-Anglo-Celtic migrant has to often been ignored.’ Through this one-sided presentation of our history Donnelly (as cited in Fitzgerald, 2007), accepts that there is truth to the argument that education can be used …to impose a one-sided view of the world. Hooks, (1994, p37) reminds us that ‘no education is politically neutral’. The curriculum is used as a tool to promote certain ideas and ignore others, which is demonstrated by the omittance of the struggle of minority groups throughout Australia’s history and the promotion of the ‘Australian Self’. This ‘Australian Self’ is the ideal of Australia and Australians, which is advanced through our institutions, politics and the media (Wadham, Pudsey & Boyd, 2007, p171). Through this, it attempts to connect all Australians to a notion of our nation and its people, but what if an individual does not fit this imagined ‘self?’ Schools have always been places where nationalism and patriotism has been encouraged, but they are also places where ethnic conflict can be fuelled and feed and can feed off, broader cultural violence, and we usually come back to the question “What is, who is, an Australian?” as the trigger. The production of a nation is usually based upon the beliefs, values and ideals of some group of people over another. Singh’s (1997, p12) recount of growing up Asian in Australia: ‘Through their silences, through the narratives which remain untold, and through the construction of passive, inferior roles for white women, immigrants and colonised people, these stories of my schooling degraded and defiled my identity,’ supports this notion of production of an ‘ideal self’ based on those standards of a certain few.
It is hard to believe that racism can evolve but according to Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd (2007, p199) the ‘new’ racism is based on cultural difference rather than the ‘old’ racism of earlier times, of race inferiority. It “appeals to sameness as opposed to difference…but has the same effect of determining the other as different or not-the-same” (Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, p199). In response to this racism and the emerging multiculturalism in Australia, there were three distinct phases in response to immigrants. There was an expectation that immigrants would eventually ‘fit in’ to the dominant Anglo-Australian culture, which characterised the first phase. There was then a shift to tolerance and a respect for diversity that the migrants brought to the nation, and this still continues today. But the third phase has shifted its focus from the human and cultural assets to the economic assets that have emerged from the multicultural diversity in our country (Hage, 1998, p129). But what can be done in our schools and through the use of the curriculum to increase the value of diversity and mutual understanding in our students? Lets first look at the classroom. Hooks (1994) believes that for the learning experience to be inclusive, the classroom setting needs to change and as teachers, our styles of teaching also have to be flexible to change (p35). By creating a classroom that is democratic, all students feel a responsibility to contribute, and this is a major goal of Hooks’ (1994, p39) transformative pedagogy. Through this democratic setting, a sense of community is fostered where there can be a shared commitment to learning and a ‘common good that binds’ all that are part of the classroom community (Hooks, 1994, p40). This in turn encourages recognition of all voices within the classroom. Hooks (1994) does acknowledge that this inclusive classroom may take a while to progress to this level of understanding of diversity and recognition, mainly because teachers and students alike ‘have to learn to accept different ways of knowing’ (p41), but by changing pedagogy and recognising our multicultural society, we can give our students an education they desire and deserve.
The Australian Ethnic Affairs Council (AEAC) have defined multiculturalism ‘as people’s legitimate right to preserve their ethnic and cultural identity while accepting the responsibilities of common citizenship (Jamrozik, Boland & Urquhart, 1995, p104). Multiculturalism means many things to many people, so to define it is quite hard, but to accept it and incorporate others’ beliefs, values and ideals into our society is achievable. Smolicz (as cited in Jamrozik, Boland & Urquhart, 1995, p111) believes that a multicultural society is realistic and he proposes a means to achieve it. Firstly the various cultures within the Australian society need to be identified and these various core values of each of these cultures are also identified. From these core values from all the different cultures, an umbrella of common core values is proposed. Perhaps this approach could be utilised for the Australian education systems’ various curriculum’s, where schools with high cultural demographic could employ Smolicz’s theory to develop an inclusive and culturally diverse curriculum framework. In regards to the Australian Capital Territory’s new Every Chance to Learn curriculum framework, the broad nature of the Essential Learning Achievement’s and the very nature of school-based curriculum would allow for schools to develop their own way of addressing the ELA’s while making the content delivered through the curriculum relevant to the students changing needs and the changing needs of the global context which the school operates.
History has shaped the ‘Australian Self’, sometimes at the expense of the truth and at the neglect of minority and other cultural groups. Multiculturalism brings diversity and instead of embracing what these cultures had to offer the Australian nation, people in positions of significant power have jostled to exert their opinions on how the ‘Australian image’ should be portrayed. This has usually been through the education system as it has much influence over the promotion of ideals and values. If the education system can embrace the changes that are occurring locally, nationally and globally in relation to the movement of people and goods around the globe through globalisation, and incorporate these changes into the curriculum, the only thing that can come of it is advancement of the Australian nation, not only through tolerance, but understanding and acceptance of our many differences. Only then we can embrace and celebrate the changes in our nation and truly call ourselves a multicultural country.
Reference List:
ACT Department of Education and Training. (2004) Every Chance to Learn: Curriculum Renewal Discussion Paper. Produced for the ACT Department of Education and Training by Publishing Services.
Fitzgerald, R. (2007, March 17). Dumbing Down. The Australian. Retrieved September 20, 2007, from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
Hage, G. (1998). White multiculturalism: a manual for the proper usage of ethnics (Ch.4). In White nation: Fantasies of white supremacy in a multicultural society, (pp117-140). Annandale, NSW: Pluto Press.
Hooks, B. (1994). Embracing change: teaching in a multicultural world (Ch. 3). In Teaching to transgress: education as the practice of freedom (pp.35-44). New York: Routledge.
Jamrozik, A., Boland, C and Urquhart, R. (1995). The meanings of Multiculturalisms. In Social change and cultural transformation in Australia (pp. 103-116). Cambridge, Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
Singh, P. (1997). On Speaking as an “Asian” teacher. Education Links, 54, pp. 11-15.
Wadham, B., Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007) Culture and Nation. (1st ed.) Pearson Education Australia: N.S.W
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
So what is "culture jamming"? This is the topic I have chosen for Blog 2. Finally, although I have only briefly read through some internet articles, I have a word for the type of anti-propagnada or anti-big corporation advertising- culture jamming. Here is a few examples of what I mean.
I have also included a funny little ditty, it is correspondence between a Nike customer and the corporation in relation to an 'ID' he wanted added to below the Nike "tick", as the corporation was running a promotion where customers could order their personal ID to be added to below the tick on their shoes. Here is the link: http://www.cleanclothes.org/companies/nike01-02-16.htm
Monday, September 3, 2007
Attitude Change Essay
Can people change another individual’s attitude on any issue? What then determines success of attitude change of a person? Here, the formation of attitudes will be examined, along with the concept of cognitive dissonance. It will progress to look at models of persuasion and how attitude change occurs, through consideration of theory and how it is applied to a recent social change program- Driver Road Safety and the use of fear-appeals. By examining recent social change programs we can try to determine the success of these campaigns through the amount of attitude change that occurs within a community.
Before answering questions about attitude change and how it can be achieved, we need to define what are beliefs, and attitudes. A belief involves pieces of information or facts about something- what one knows to be true, where an attitude is an evaluation that individuals give to something (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p226). Attitudes help in decision-making, and also have the function of helping people to adjust to new situations. But what happens when we having duelling attitudes about something? When one has different evaluations of something, in varying situations the individual will express different attitudes. In social situations an individual will express a controlled and conscious evaluative response, their explicit attitude (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p226) in an attempt to, as Festinger proposed in 1954 (as cited in Baron & Byrne, 1997), compare ourselves to others to determine if our view of social reality is correct or not (p117; Asch, 1955, p194). In view of this, individuals change their attitudes to hold an attitude closer to those of others. Festinger called this proposal social comparison. Maio, Esses and Bell, (1994, as cited in Baron& Byrne, 1997) suggested research findings supporting this, indicating that when “hearing other state negative views, (this) might actually influence you to adopt similar attitudes”(p117). This explicit attitude then contradicts the automatic and non-conscious evaluation of implicit attitudes.
Attitudes, counter attitudinal behaviour and duelling attitudes are first formed through exposure and learning as most social psychologists will agree. Bornstein, in 1989 (as cited in Baumeister & Bushman, 2008) proposed the Mere Exposure Effect (p229), where through the examination of over two hundred studies he disproved the cliché: “Familiarity breeds contempt”. Through exposure it was found that, new stimuli was liked more after an individual had been repeatedly exposed to it, so the old cliché was replaced with “Familiarity breeds liking”(Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p229). This theory of Bornstein’s is applied to attitude formation-the more an individual is exposed to a positive reward the more the attitude will be reinforced. Zajonc, supported this: “…mere repeated exposure of the individual to a stimulus is sufficient condition for the enhancement of his attitude towards it” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p229). Reinforcement is one key element to learning theories and in particular to the learning of attitudes. Just like the learning of behaviours occurs through classical conditioning, operant conditioning or through observational learning, so to can attitude formations occur through learning.
Jones and others (1995) believed that “classical conditioning helps to explain the development of prejudice against social groups that are frequently associated with negative information in the media (as cited in Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p230). Operant conditioning uses reinforcement and reward, and when people are rewarded for exhibiting socially acceptable attitudes, the more the attitudes are reinforced, making the individual’s attitude stronger. Finally humans can form attitudes through social or observational learning. Fiske (2004) provided the example of teenagers learning which attitudes are acceptable and which aren’t through the observing of whether their peers are either rewarded or punished for endorsing certain music, clothing styles, hairstyles and convictions (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p230).
Returning to his theory of social comparison, Festinger (1957) also proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance (as cited in Breckler, Olson & Wiggins, 2006, p252). Dissonance is a state of feeling conflicted about one’s own behaviour. If a person is feeling confused about a behaviour which isn’t consistent with their attitudes, they use rationalisation in an attempt to reduce dissonance. This is because people have a preference for consistency (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p232). When there are discrepancies between the attitudes a person holds and the actual behaviours they display, Baumeister and Bushman (2008) acknowledged that the most successful way to reduce dissonance is for the person change their attitudes in accordance with the concept of is through operant conditioning- rewards to reinforce the “new” attitude (p233). This need for attitude/behaviour consistency has led to social psychologists hypothesizing to the question: Is the drive for consistency rooted in nature or in culture? Baumeister and Bushman (2008) believe the need for consistency is learnt, but they also recognize the societal pressures of an individual’s culture that influences and strengthens the internal drive for consistency (p237). In these instances, the individual will change their attitude to be sure that it is consistent with the behaviour they exhibit.
Persuasion through the use of threat or fear-appeals (here fear-appeals will be used) is one ways in which other people try to persuade individuals to change an attitude. Persuasive communications attempt to convince the intended recipient to embrace and accept an advocated position (Breckler, Olson & Wiggins, 2006, p268). When one attempts to change attitudes through persuasion, they usually use one of two persuasion theories: either the cognitive response theory or the protection-motivation theory. Fear-appeals falls into the later of the two. To understand the motivation behind fear-appeals and the protection-motivation theory one must first briefly examine the cognitive response theory. Thoughts evoked by a message will determine the message’s effectiveness in causing attitude change (Breckler, Olson & Wiggins, 2006, p268). The cognitive response theory relies on the strength of the arguments to evoke thought and consideration, which then determines the strength of attitude change (Breckler, Olson & Wiggins, 2006, p269).
Lewis and others (2007) in studying fear-appeals used to improve driver safety, acknowledge that mass media advertising plays an important role in reducing illegal high-risk behaviours (p3). To do this researchers found that by firstly increasing the “perceived risk of apprehension” and through education and persuasion of road users to adopt safer road use behaviours, attitude change could occur (Lewis et al., 2007, p3). One technique to persuade road users was through the use of shock tactics- the aim is to evoke strong fear responses in individuals (Tay& Watson, 2002; Tay, 1999, as cited in Lewis et al., 2007, p3). There is little doubt from research evidence collected that “the arousal of fear generally increases the impact of the messages on attitudes and behavioural intentions (Cho & Witte, 2004; Das, de Wit & Stroebe, 2003; Eagly & Chaiken, 1993; Perloff, 2003; as cited in Breckler, Olson & Wiggins, 2006, p287). If the “persuader” presents an individual with negative outcomes of which they could experience from engaging in unsafe behaviours, it is believed that the individual will be motivated to change their attitudes, to be more aligned with the recommendations (Lewis et al., 2006, p3). This then describes protection-motivation. This theory relies on four key elements for success: 1) How severe the problem is perceived by the audience; 2) How susceptible the audience believes itself to be to the problem; 3) If the audience believes the recommendations are truly effective; and 4) If the audience believes they are capable of change and performing the recommended behaviours (Breckler, Olson & Wiggins, 2006, p288; Lewis et al., 2007, p7). If the four beliefs of the protection-motivation theory are successful, fear-appeals will be effective, according to Breckler, Olson and Wiggins (2006, p288). Witte and Allen (2000) have shown however, that whilst the protection-motivation model effectively explains how and why fear-appeals are successful, it has been criticised for not showing why and how they fail (as cited in Lewis et al., 2007, p7). Many researchers acknowledge that there are many variables affecting the fear-appeals model of persuasion, and the key is to understand these effects so that the use of fear-appeals in attempting to persuade individuals is done so effectively.
Tay and Watson (2002) found an underpinning assumption that more fear equated to more persuasion (as cited in Lewis et al., 2007, pp9-10). However evidence suggests a “wear-out effect” and intended audiences of driver road safety campaigns are growing ‘tired’ of these campaigns, because that are loosing their appeal (Lewis et al., 2007, p15). Lewis and others continue with: “the most consistent and definitive conclusions” appear to lie with the importance of relevance (i.e. susceptibility), “and the provision of coping strategies and recommendations (i.e. efficacy) that an individual can effectively enact to avoid or prevent a threat from occurring, and not in fear-arousal” (Lewis et al., 2007, p21).When attempting to persuade through fear-appeals, the relevance of the message to the intended audience and the level of usefulness and vulnerability need to be sufficient to elicit attitude change (Lewis et al., 2007, p22).
One’s attitudes consist of all the evaluative responses on things or issues relevant to the individual. However attitudes are susceptible to change from persuasion by another person or group. When attempting to elicit change one needs to consider the method which they will present the information and the environment in which to do so to enable careful consideration of the arguments or not. Through cognitive or emotive response attitude change can occur. Fear-appeals work best when trying to produce an emotive, fear-reducing response, however many variables need to be considered and much research conducted to determine the most successful way in which to change long held attitudes.
References:Asch, S. E. (1955) Opinions and Social Pressure. Scientific American. 193, pp31-35.
Baron, R. A. & Byrne, D. (1997) Social Psychology (8th ed.) Allyn & Bacon, USA.
Baumeister, R. F. & Bushman, B. J. (2007) Social Psychology and Human Nature. (1st ed.) Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Breckler, S. J., Olson, J. M.& Wiggins, E. C. (2006) Social Psychology Alive. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Lewis, I. M., Watson, Barry & Tay, Richard & White, Katherine. M. (2007) The Role of Fear-appeals in Improving Driver Safety: A review of the effectiveness of fear-arousing (threat) appeals in road safety advertising. International Journal of Behavioural and Consultation Therapy. 3 (2): pp 203-222.
Link to Concept Map:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzWrL48Uc17guwzgtqqM_Zq9XpHEPX7RFl1VXpAyBCPbaesIjA6XZyB-DiGy_aoSFbMm7zqGZGbcW52SfWkmSrj1OEnGTyfvz8qP2kSj90pzMFMS4i17x8hpnTaHUUetkQ-aaM_zQI2M/s1600-h/Attitude_Change.JPG
Friday, August 31, 2007
Attitude Change Concept Map
After some difficulty I finally uploaded my concept map. I hope I have done this right.
A bit more on how beauty is perceived in our culture.
I wanted to add a bit more to my post about the stereotypes society places on who is and what is beautiful, and the show that Oprah did relating to it. I am currently working parttime in a local Cnaberra school, and everytime I walk into a classroom or down a hall way, I am confronted by students who are trying to fit in to a certain image. Okay, not all students do and many express their individuality, but so many are trying to find where they fit in, in this school community environment. On top of that they are bomarded by what "society" believes is beautiful and desirable- from magazines, television, other students, advertisments at the local shopping centre, the almost pornographic music video clips (a pet hate of mine), I could go on. Most days they come into class and they are happy but every now and then I hear comments as I pass through the room/hall/quad or I notice glances between the "cool" kids and the no so. It saddens me that this notion of what is "beautiful" and "cool" is stopping students from talking and interacting with each other. Very rarely, (especially in one of my classes where this is almost jumping out and hitting me in the face, it is so obvious) do they attempt to break down this wall and talk to one another in class. What can teachers do when they students aren't willing to do so?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
"Confronting Issues of Beauty"- The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Okay, so I know I posted last week about a segment on the Oprah Winfrey show to do with child pornograpy on the internet (see my blog), but when I turned on the television again yesterday after arriving home from work, there was this really interesting story. I had missed part of it but it was to do with issues surrounding beauty and what society portrays as beautiful. Oprah was interviewing an 18-year-old girl, Kiri, an African-American who had replicated the "doll" experiment by the Clarks' in the 1940's-(they asked black children to tell them which doll—a white one or a black one—they thought looked most like them, and which was good and which was bad. They found that black children identified with and preferred white dolls to black ones. They concluded this was proof of internalized racism)- oprah.com accessed 29/8/07. Kiri turned this experiment into a seven minute documentary into interacist beauty that her and her friends had experienced, calling it A Girl like Me. The segment was part of the show called Children Ashamed of the Way They Look.
The show then had various other guests and one other guest and her story that very much interested me was the story of SuChin Pak, a Korean-American. She documented her life in the series My LIfe (Translated), where she reveals what is like to be caught between two cultures. In her asian culture the emphasis of beauty -which I found quite bizarre- was the fascination with having a crease in the eyelid. The rationalisation being it made the Asian eye more open and rounder.
We often hear people in our culture saying things such as "I wish I was more tanned, had blonder, straighter hair, or I wish I looked a certain way" and the racist attitudes and comments directed to people of "darker" complexions have been well documented throughout the world's history, but the story of SuChin Pak really made me stop and think that this problem of self-image, self-concept and individual esteem is really a world wide problem that needs to be addressed. But how do we when it is so wide-spread?
The link to the Oprah show on Children Ashmed of the Way They Look is below.
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200705/tows_past_20070528.jhtml
The show then had various other guests and one other guest and her story that very much interested me was the story of SuChin Pak, a Korean-American. She documented her life in the series My LIfe (Translated), where she reveals what is like to be caught between two cultures. In her asian culture the emphasis of beauty -which I found quite bizarre- was the fascination with having a crease in the eyelid. The rationalisation being it made the Asian eye more open and rounder.
We often hear people in our culture saying things such as "I wish I was more tanned, had blonder, straighter hair, or I wish I looked a certain way" and the racist attitudes and comments directed to people of "darker" complexions have been well documented throughout the world's history, but the story of SuChin Pak really made me stop and think that this problem of self-image, self-concept and individual esteem is really a world wide problem that needs to be addressed. But how do we when it is so wide-spread?
The link to the Oprah show on Children Ashmed of the Way They Look is below.
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200705/tows_past_20070528.jhtml
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
A reply to: The social world of the "computer".
On reading Ruth Hart's (see link below) comment on The social world of the "computer", I became very interested in this topic. She presents what is probably the sentiment of many parents here in Australia and around the world, on child use of the internet. Not long ago, perhaps a few weeks there was a story on Oprah about a teanage boy who innocently bought himself a video camera so that he could chat to friends via the internet. It seemed innocent enough until a "friend" made a a suggestion that he remove his t-shirt. From this his life spiralled out of control, unbeknown to his mother and step father. He went from being an innocent teenage boy, who was smart enough to run his own legitamate business, to a porn star. In attempt to reclaim his childhood, he moved to his father's home in Mexico, thinking he would help him out of this mess, however his father saw this a chance to make money and fully exploited the situation and his son. Needlees to say, the authorities wanting to end this big business of child pornography found Justin and helped him out of this situation and he is now risking his life in trying to identify Justin's "clients".
As you can probably tell this episode had me glued and crying that such a beutiful young person had his innocence stolen from him in the most horrifying way. His ulter ego was found out by other students at his school and he was ruined. But he was brave enough to go on national television to "out" his experiences and to let society know that this is a very serious problem.
Until I watched this episode I thought the internet was such a great tool for communication of ideas, for a chat and to keep in contact with friends from around the world, and I still do but this issue has really made me think about how as adults, be us parents, teachers or any other adult working with children and teenagers, make this tool of communication safe that they can benefit from its many advantages and keep them from the predatory "evil" of some other users.
Below is a link to Ruth Hart's blog that started me on this issue and the likn below that is a link to Oprah.com where there is video footage and written information on this story. Have a look it is very interesting for people who are interested in working with adolescents or children in the future, or even if you aren't, and then let me know what you think.
http://sopsych.blogspot.com/2007/08/social-world-of-computer.html
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200602/tows_past_20060215.jhtml
As you can probably tell this episode had me glued and crying that such a beutiful young person had his innocence stolen from him in the most horrifying way. His ulter ego was found out by other students at his school and he was ruined. But he was brave enough to go on national television to "out" his experiences and to let society know that this is a very serious problem.
Until I watched this episode I thought the internet was such a great tool for communication of ideas, for a chat and to keep in contact with friends from around the world, and I still do but this issue has really made me think about how as adults, be us parents, teachers or any other adult working with children and teenagers, make this tool of communication safe that they can benefit from its many advantages and keep them from the predatory "evil" of some other users.
Below is a link to Ruth Hart's blog that started me on this issue and the likn below that is a link to Oprah.com where there is video footage and written information on this story. Have a look it is very interesting for people who are interested in working with adolescents or children in the future, or even if you aren't, and then let me know what you think.
http://sopsych.blogspot.com/2007/08/social-world-of-computer.html
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200602/tows_past_20060215.jhtml
A call for help
Hi guys,
I was just wondering if anyone knows of where I can get a hold of some videos or DVD's relating to personality development. I am currenting teaching the unit part time at one of the local college's. I have searched the school library and the ACT public library and htey have very poor resources, if any on the topic. I am desparate for something as my student's keep hounding me, but I want to show them something interesting while still educational. We are looking at of course Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the humanistic approach, the trait approach, the behavioural and social learning approach and the cognitve approach to personality development. I am really wanting a video/dvd that looks at the trait approach and twin studies.
Please let me know if you know of any good resources out there, I have searched everywhere and I am just about to start seraching the university library.
Thanks
I was just wondering if anyone knows of where I can get a hold of some videos or DVD's relating to personality development. I am currenting teaching the unit part time at one of the local college's. I have searched the school library and the ACT public library and htey have very poor resources, if any on the topic. I am desparate for something as my student's keep hounding me, but I want to show them something interesting while still educational. We are looking at of course Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the humanistic approach, the trait approach, the behavioural and social learning approach and the cognitve approach to personality development. I am really wanting a video/dvd that looks at the trait approach and twin studies.
Please let me know if you know of any good resources out there, I have searched everywhere and I am just about to start seraching the university library.
Thanks
Monday, August 20, 2007
A decision finally
Hi guys,
After much confusion I have finally decided that I will answer the question related to attitude change. The question is: What factors determine the succes of attitude change programs? Descride theoretical bases and reserch evidence about the key elements underlying attitutde change programs.
Ok so there are a whole heap of key terms at the back of the chapter summary, which will help my essay and understanding. However, so far from my readings this is my understanding (not very in depth yet, but a basis to build upon).
A person has a belief and this belief has an attitude attached to it, which includes different emotions that are aroused when thinking about that belief. These emotions can be positive or negative which will in turn effect implicit and explicit attitudes (those we keep to ourselves and those we share with other people). These explicit attitudes therefore produce a "duplex mind" or different competing attitudes in the conscious mind. This happens when person's explicit attitude conflicts with their implicit view.
This is only a very basic introduction to this topic but I will definietly be adding more information as I sift through all the information on the topic. I think I decided on this topic as it seems that many people are focusing on prejudice, stereotyping and aggression and I believe this topic is interesting in looking at how people can change their attitudes and therefore bring about change.
After much confusion I have finally decided that I will answer the question related to attitude change. The question is: What factors determine the succes of attitude change programs? Descride theoretical bases and reserch evidence about the key elements underlying attitutde change programs.
Ok so there are a whole heap of key terms at the back of the chapter summary, which will help my essay and understanding. However, so far from my readings this is my understanding (not very in depth yet, but a basis to build upon).
A person has a belief and this belief has an attitude attached to it, which includes different emotions that are aroused when thinking about that belief. These emotions can be positive or negative which will in turn effect implicit and explicit attitudes (those we keep to ourselves and those we share with other people). These explicit attitudes therefore produce a "duplex mind" or different competing attitudes in the conscious mind. This happens when person's explicit attitude conflicts with their implicit view.
This is only a very basic introduction to this topic but I will definietly be adding more information as I sift through all the information on the topic. I think I decided on this topic as it seems that many people are focusing on prejudice, stereotyping and aggression and I believe this topic is interesting in looking at how people can change their attitudes and therefore bring about change.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Confusion Reigns
Hi guys,
I was reading through some of the other blog topics, and now I'm am really confused as to what I want to do for this assessment. I was going to base my blog on Prejudice, Stereotyping and Aggression, but now I want to answer the question on attitude change. Since my last post I have done a fair amount of reading into the first topic and also the second, and I find both very interesting. What are the causes of prejudice, and aggression and also how can people's attitude's change? I guess I am going to have to decide very soon.
I was reading through some of the other blog topics, and now I'm am really confused as to what I want to do for this assessment. I was going to base my blog on Prejudice, Stereotyping and Aggression, but now I want to answer the question on attitude change. Since my last post I have done a fair amount of reading into the first topic and also the second, and I find both very interesting. What are the causes of prejudice, and aggression and also how can people's attitude's change? I guess I am going to have to decide very soon.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Blog 1-Prejudice, Stereotyping and Aggression
I have chosen this as my topic for blog 1 and while I have only done minimal research for it so far (sorry James), I concluded from what I have read that it is a vicious cycle. An parent stereotypes a group which leads to a prejudice, an incident occurs involving this group and then we aggression towards this group. A child witnesses these stereotypes and also develops a prejudice against this group and therefore the cycle continues, down the line through generations. But how do we stop it? Can we stop it? Do we start with the child and try to educate them to think freely and past these prejudices' through contact with this group? Or do we educate the adult, the same way or do we attempt a community approach, in educating both groups about each other's cultures, histories, their futures etc? I think this blog is really going to take a lot of my time in trying to answer these questions for myself and the questions for the assessment.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Gender and Education: What are the issues?
Hi guys following is a reading analysis that I completed for another subject at university: Socio-Cultural Politics of Education. Even though it has a educational theme, I though it would be good to issue to raise in social psychology and education=. The question: Are our boy's achievement's suffering in the classroom? This looks at the topic of Gender and education. We didn't need to seacrh for any sources, it is more our comment on what we read in relation to the topic. So read through it and comment if you feel like it.
A Response to Gender and Education.
In Brendan Nelson’s letter, the one central issue surrounding the issue of boy’s education is the underachievement of boy’s due to the high priority placed on girl’s equity programs over the past twenty-five years, therefore drawing attention away from the needs of boys in the classroom. As educators, we know boys learn differently from girls, but what we need to determine is how they learn differently and how we can use these strategies in the classroom to the benefit sexes.
The reform of girl’s education in the 1970’s, was an attempt to achieve equity in girl’s education, to bring them to a level where they could be equal to males in education, and therefore the workforce, allowing them to be contributing members of society. As we now know, this reform happened at the expense of boy’s education and ultimately their learning and level of understanding suffered (Nelson, 2003). Gender equity in the past primarily focused on equal opportunity for girls and women, but since the 1990’s there has been mounting concerns from males in society about gender reform and the influence of feminism on these reforms (Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, p235). However there are two assumptions being claimed about the need for gender reform, the first that feminism has benefited girls to the hindrance of boys education, and the second that boys need more male role models and schools need to be ‘boy friendly’ (Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, pp236-9).
From the research presented by ACSA, 1997, pp57-78; Foster, 1994; Kenway, 1997; and Weaver-Hightower, 2003 (as cited in Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, pp236-9) it has been shown over the course of a decade that there was a decline in boy’s education achievements and an improvement of the achievements of girls. Are boy’s achievements suffering because girls are excelling or are they at the same level as before the introduction of feminism and girls are excelling out of sight? And did this occur in previous decades, since the feminist movement encroached on education? And if so, was the divide in educational achievements as large as it is now? What we need to examine are the strategies used before the feminist movement, to see what worked for boys learning.
Due to this impingement on education, Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd (2007) believe that feminism has left men and boys in a some what kind of ‘cultural purgatory’ (p236), meaning men and boys no longer know how to be men and boys, and therefore suggest that possibly the only way to rectify this is to have more male role models at the primary level of education. We need to address this shortage of male primary teachers by introducing programs where boys are interacting with male role models where they are kept interested in school and learning. But what about the role of the female teacher in boy’s education, can she inspire them to stay on at school and succeed.
Boy’s troubles in education are understood through their achievements which are contrasted against those of girls. But how do we determine the achievements of boys if girls keep excelling beyond their reach? Boy’s educational achievements should be contrasted against their own previous learning and how they have improved or declined in their achievements. Why should they be compared to girls when they learn and respond differently to teaching strategies that are used, and which seem to benefit girls?
Brendan Nelson’s letter on gender equity and reform talks about how it is time for an overhaul on curriculum in an attempt to bring boy’s education achievements up to and on par with that of girl’s, but not at the expense of girls. But how will this happen, when we see from clear example that this is exactly what happened when gender equity and reform in girl’s education occurred. Change needs to occur in line with the changing world and therefore cultural reform, if we want our boys to be equal with girls in terms of their success at school. Isn’t it ironic that a quarter of a century ago, it was girl’s lack of educational achievements at school that were the main focus for reform? Could it be an issue that is cyclic?
Wadham, B., Pudsey, J., & Boyd, R. (2007), Culture and Education. Published by Pearson Education Australia.
Nelson, B., (2003), Message from the Minister. Department of Science, Education and Training, NSW. Reprinted in Wadham, B., Pudsey, J., & Boyd, R. (2007), Culture and Education. Published by Pearson Education Australia.
A Response to Gender and Education.
In Brendan Nelson’s letter, the one central issue surrounding the issue of boy’s education is the underachievement of boy’s due to the high priority placed on girl’s equity programs over the past twenty-five years, therefore drawing attention away from the needs of boys in the classroom. As educators, we know boys learn differently from girls, but what we need to determine is how they learn differently and how we can use these strategies in the classroom to the benefit sexes.
The reform of girl’s education in the 1970’s, was an attempt to achieve equity in girl’s education, to bring them to a level where they could be equal to males in education, and therefore the workforce, allowing them to be contributing members of society. As we now know, this reform happened at the expense of boy’s education and ultimately their learning and level of understanding suffered (Nelson, 2003). Gender equity in the past primarily focused on equal opportunity for girls and women, but since the 1990’s there has been mounting concerns from males in society about gender reform and the influence of feminism on these reforms (Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, p235). However there are two assumptions being claimed about the need for gender reform, the first that feminism has benefited girls to the hindrance of boys education, and the second that boys need more male role models and schools need to be ‘boy friendly’ (Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, pp236-9).
From the research presented by ACSA, 1997, pp57-78; Foster, 1994; Kenway, 1997; and Weaver-Hightower, 2003 (as cited in Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd, 2007, pp236-9) it has been shown over the course of a decade that there was a decline in boy’s education achievements and an improvement of the achievements of girls. Are boy’s achievements suffering because girls are excelling or are they at the same level as before the introduction of feminism and girls are excelling out of sight? And did this occur in previous decades, since the feminist movement encroached on education? And if so, was the divide in educational achievements as large as it is now? What we need to examine are the strategies used before the feminist movement, to see what worked for boys learning.
Due to this impingement on education, Wadham, Pudsey and Boyd (2007) believe that feminism has left men and boys in a some what kind of ‘cultural purgatory’ (p236), meaning men and boys no longer know how to be men and boys, and therefore suggest that possibly the only way to rectify this is to have more male role models at the primary level of education. We need to address this shortage of male primary teachers by introducing programs where boys are interacting with male role models where they are kept interested in school and learning. But what about the role of the female teacher in boy’s education, can she inspire them to stay on at school and succeed.
Boy’s troubles in education are understood through their achievements which are contrasted against those of girls. But how do we determine the achievements of boys if girls keep excelling beyond their reach? Boy’s educational achievements should be contrasted against their own previous learning and how they have improved or declined in their achievements. Why should they be compared to girls when they learn and respond differently to teaching strategies that are used, and which seem to benefit girls?
Brendan Nelson’s letter on gender equity and reform talks about how it is time for an overhaul on curriculum in an attempt to bring boy’s education achievements up to and on par with that of girl’s, but not at the expense of girls. But how will this happen, when we see from clear example that this is exactly what happened when gender equity and reform in girl’s education occurred. Change needs to occur in line with the changing world and therefore cultural reform, if we want our boys to be equal with girls in terms of their success at school. Isn’t it ironic that a quarter of a century ago, it was girl’s lack of educational achievements at school that were the main focus for reform? Could it be an issue that is cyclic?
Wadham, B., Pudsey, J., & Boyd, R. (2007), Culture and Education. Published by Pearson Education Australia.
Nelson, B., (2003), Message from the Minister. Department of Science, Education and Training, NSW. Reprinted in Wadham, B., Pudsey, J., & Boyd, R. (2007), Culture and Education. Published by Pearson Education Australia.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The First Lecture
Well we had our first two hour lecture today, and I think I am really going to enjoy this subject. There were some really interesting facts especially the information on the galaxy and our solar system. It really put things into perspective, how small we really are, and how large the world around us is and isn't compared to the rest of the galaxy. I felt very small.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)