Welcome to my first blog for this GDLT course. I hope you all enjoy and find my views interesting in relation ICT’s. I also want to post my views on teaching in general and I hope to cover issues such as diversity in the classroom, different forms of pedagogy and issues facing literacy and numeracy. I will always try and relate these issues back to ICT concepts.
After reading through online newspapers this morning I noticed an article on an AFL player (I am a massive fan of AFL for those people that don’t know) and his struggle over the past four years. If you want to read the article here is the link.
The article was based on West Coast Eagles Indigenous player Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and his poor performances with his former club Richmond over the last four years. In 2005 Oakley-Nicholls was picked up by Richmond with pick No.8, a very prestigious honour being picked so early. A large percentage of players picked in the top 10 go on to have very successful careers in the AFL. Oakley-Nicholls in his four years at Richmond played only 13 games out of a possible 88 and never reached his potential. After a number of poor performances Oakley-Nicholls was cut by the club.
Fortunately for Oakley-Nicholls the West Coast Eagles picked him up and put him on their rookie list for the 2010 season. When arriving at the eagles it was discovered that Oakley-Nicholls had profound learning difficulties that were holding him back. He struggled to pick up literacy and numeracy. According to the article Oakley-Nicholls is now flourishing at the Eagles mainly due to procedures but in place by the clubs Indigenous Liaison Officer Phil Narkle. Oakley-Nicholls struggled due to the modern day practice of AFL clubs using data to evaluate performances and to explain desired playing styles. Narkle suggested to the eagles coaching stuff that they should draw what they want Oakley-Nicholls to know and execute. With this help Oakley-Nicholls is one of the prime candidates to fill one of the vacant spots on the Eagles main playing list.
This article highlighted the need to identify and manage diversity within a learning group. Being from an Indigenous culture Oakley-Nicholls struggled to embrace the new technological forms of learning due to the fear of shame if he did not do it correctly. It has been said that majority of aboriginal students are visual/kinaesthetic learners, they like to observe an experienced individual convey the procedural knowledge. Once they feel they have all the procedural steps in place they then feel that they are capable to attempt and engage with resources.
After reading through online newspapers this morning I noticed an article on an AFL player (I am a massive fan of AFL for those people that don’t know) and his struggle over the past four years. If you want to read the article here is the link.
The article was based on West Coast Eagles Indigenous player Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and his poor performances with his former club Richmond over the last four years. In 2005 Oakley-Nicholls was picked up by Richmond with pick No.8, a very prestigious honour being picked so early. A large percentage of players picked in the top 10 go on to have very successful careers in the AFL. Oakley-Nicholls in his four years at Richmond played only 13 games out of a possible 88 and never reached his potential. After a number of poor performances Oakley-Nicholls was cut by the club.
Fortunately for Oakley-Nicholls the West Coast Eagles picked him up and put him on their rookie list for the 2010 season. When arriving at the eagles it was discovered that Oakley-Nicholls had profound learning difficulties that were holding him back. He struggled to pick up literacy and numeracy. According to the article Oakley-Nicholls is now flourishing at the Eagles mainly due to procedures but in place by the clubs Indigenous Liaison Officer Phil Narkle. Oakley-Nicholls struggled due to the modern day practice of AFL clubs using data to evaluate performances and to explain desired playing styles. Narkle suggested to the eagles coaching stuff that they should draw what they want Oakley-Nicholls to know and execute. With this help Oakley-Nicholls is one of the prime candidates to fill one of the vacant spots on the Eagles main playing list.
This article highlighted the need to identify and manage diversity within a learning group. Being from an Indigenous culture Oakley-Nicholls struggled to embrace the new technological forms of learning due to the fear of shame if he did not do it correctly. It has been said that majority of aboriginal students are visual/kinaesthetic learners, they like to observe an experienced individual convey the procedural knowledge. Once they feel they have all the procedural steps in place they then feel that they are capable to attempt and engage with resources.
So the question we should ask is how do we address the issue of introducing new forms of technology to Aboriginal people? Research compiled by McLoughlin(1999) suggested that web based instruction should accommodate diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds among the learners expected to use it. From searches that I have done I have discovered little scholarly research on integrating technology and aboriginal culture. The McLoughlin (1999) study also suggested incorporating cultural knowledge academic knowledge and computer skills into one multiple learning zone. It can be said that the research by Mcloughlin is dated however it would be interesting to see if some of the theories from the study have been applied by other researchers. Do we incorporate practices involved in Aboriginal culture into technology? As learning managers it is up to us to address different learning styles by employing different pedagogical strategies.
There are a number of different questions that I have posed that I am hoping to answer in future blogs. If you have any information that you may have found on the topic please comment. I hope you have found this blog somewhat insightful please feel free to comment I look forward to reading them.
Hi Lachlan, I really enjoyed reading your post, it is great to see how Oakley-Nicholls has succeeded with the appropriate support. I think you have brought up a really good points. I have worked with Aboriginal adults in the workplace using technology to teach literacy, which engaged them much more than traditional methods. Your point about 'shame' is very valid and I have found that establishing a good rapport and relationship with indigenous students is extremely important as in my experience, if they feel they can trust you then they will feel comfortable to take risks in learning, just the same as any other student will. Being respectful and aware of cultural issues and communication styles is equally important, especially with indigenous students who live in traditional communities. In my own experience, one method I used was teaching indigenous students how to use word processing software to produce resumes as they were looking for employment. They really enjoyed using the technology and were motivated as it was helping them increase their chances of getting work. I would be interested to hear your ideas about how to incorporate Aboriginal Culture into technology, I think there would be plenty of opportunities such as with art and design just for one idea.
ReplyDeleteRegards
Carolyne
GLDT Primary
Very well written. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this article. Its interesting to think that he has 'slipped through the cracks' for so long. I would love to see more studies done on Indigenous Australians and they way they are adapting to change in the 21st century, especially in their educational studies.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this article.
Chloe