Professional Conversations: Diversity, Difference, Cultural Competence Professional Conversation Session 5 November 2012

Key Questions Phillips, J. (2011). Resisting contradictions: non-Indigenous pre-service teacher responses to critical Indigenous studies. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology. How does history in all its forms inform your social reality? How does history in all its forms inform your cultural reality? How do the cultural and social interactions of your ancestors impact on the ways in which you engage with others today? How do the institutional forms of your cultural and social identity impact on the way you act in the world as an individual? What gives you a sense of belonging collectively and individually? What is the relationship between the two? What gives you a sense of not belonging collectively and individually? What is the relationship between the two?

Welcome Acknowledgment of Country Providing an Acknowledgement of Country is a way to demonstrate respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and the ongoing relationship of traditional owners with the land. The following are two examples of acceptable words that may be used when giving an Acknowledgement of Country: I/we would like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional lands of the (appropriate group) people. or I/we would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay my/our respects to the Elders both past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia. The text can be modified to suit the occasion and audience. APAPDC recommends using a generic Acknowledgement of Country as given in the second example above, unless you are certain who are the traditional owners of the area.

Why the group has gathered Purpose of the conversation The goal is… “thinking together, accessing collective intelligence and creating actionable knowledge” (Tan & Brown 2005:84).

Broad learning outcomes explore understandings and issues relating to cultural and social identities and contexts critically reflect on own professional roles in relation to supporting respect for diversity and cultural competence identify, explore and articulate practice frameworks that enable and support culturally inclusive care and education build capacity to enable leadership around areas of diversity and cultural competence identify and consider strategies to support services in culturally competent practices

Broad plan for the day Review Practice Framework (Skilled Dialogue) in action Conversation 1 : Culture, Cultural Competence and Action Review and refresh Conversations Belonging. Identities. What is culture? Differences. Histories. Social. Cultural. Indigenous Australians Indigenous knowledges. Who is Inclusion for? Practice Frameworks – Skilled Dialogue Conversation 2 : Conversations, Activism and Advocacy. Final reflections : endings and beginnings? Review Practice Framework (Skilled Dialogue) in action Conversation 1 : Culture, Cultural Competence and Action Review and refresh Conversations Belonging. Identities. What is culture? Differences. Histories. Social. Cultural. Indigenous Australians Indigenous knowledges. Who is Inclusion for? Practice Frameworks – Skilled Dialogue Conversation 2 : Conversations, Activism and Advocacy. Final reflections : endings and beginnings?

Instead of a conversation which is really an argument where options clash with each other, and the best man wins, a good conversation employs a kind of parallel thinking where ideas are laid down alongside each other, without any interaction between contributions. There is no clash, no dispute, no true/false judgment. There is instead a genuine exploration of the subject from which conclusions and decisions may then be derived. (DeBono, 1971:108). Rational discussion is an open, focused, serious, collaborative dialogue of discovery where you speak so that you can hear. In stating your opinion, you invite others to differ. You listen to their differing views and offer differing views of your own; moreover, you don’t merely exchange views with others; rather, you change your own views. You state your opinions experimentally, for the purpose of testing your thinking and developing your understanding (Howard & Barton 1992:20). The group (collectively) knows more that any one of its members (Stanfield, 2000:35).

Working Agreement To create and sustain a culture of shared inquiry requires: trust and collegiality so that educators feel able to talk about their concerns & the challenges they face respect for different viewpoints opportunities for all educators to contribute to discussions & debates commitment to inquiry at the organisational level time for reflection and time to develop skills in a range of approaches to reflective practice recognition that there is no one right approach or answer courage to question taken-for-granted practices and assumptions - Educator’s Guide, 2010: 7.

Documenting and sharing learnings A key part of the conversation process is to make collective knowledge and insight visible and actionable - Adapted from Tan & Brown, 2005: p. 84. What/How do you gain by ‘learning with’? What might you have to change about yourself and the way you work to ‘learn with’? What are the benefits for Inclusion when we are willing to ‘learn with’?

Practice Framework Skilled Dialogue What aspects of the Framework were most valuable? What elements were most challenging? Were there any strategies that were particularly helpful? How did the qualities of respect, reciprocity and responsiveness play out in your interaction/s? What enabled? What disabled?

How do my social and cultural identities impact on the way I act in the world as an individual and professional? What does it take to see someone else’s point of view? How many differences and diversities are we open to?

Who are we, and how did we get here today?

Conversation 1 What is culture? What are your understandings of cultural competence? What does it look like in our professional contexts? What enables and constrains cultural competence? What are the implications for action and activism?

Instead of a conversation which is really an argument where options clash with each other, and the best man wins, a good conversation employs a kind of parallel thinking where ideas are laid down alongside each other, without any interaction between contributions. There is no clash, no dispute, no true/false judgment. There is instead a genuine exploration of the subject from which conclusions and decisions may then be derived. (DeBono, 1971:108). Rational discussion is an open, focused, serious, collaborative dialogue of discovery where you speak so that you can hear. In stating your opinion, you invite others to differ. You listen to their differing views and offer differing views of your own; moreover, you don’t merely exchange views with others; rather, you change your own views. You state your opinions experimentally, for the purpose of testing your thinking and developing your understanding (Howard & Barton 1992:20). The group (collectively) knows more that any one of its members (Stanfield, 2000:35).

Working Agreement To create and sustain a culture of shared inquiry requires: trust and collegiality so that educators feel able to talk about their concerns & the challenges they face respect for different viewpoints opportunities for all educators to contribute to discussions & debates commitment to inquiry at the organisational level time for reflection and time to develop skills in a range of approaches to reflective practice recognition that there is no one right approach or answer courage to question taken-for-granted practices and assumptions - Educator’s Guide, 2010: 7.

Reflection… What moments really stood out? What was the most challenging, or troubling? Were there any significant shifts that occurred? Personally.. collectively… relationally… emotionally…professionally? What experiences of difference occurred :different perspectives, different values, different ‘truths’? How did you feel about these? How was the group able to sit with difference and uncertainty? What enabled this? What stopped it?

Key Questions Phillips, J. (2011). Resisting contradictions: non-Indigenous pre-service teacher responses to critical Indigenous studies. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology. How does history in all its forms inform your social reality? How does history in all its forms inform your cultural reality? How do the cultural and social interactions of your ancestors impact on the ways in which you engage with others today? How do the institutional forms of your cultural and social identity impact on the way you act in the world as an individual? What gives you a sense of belonging collectively and individually? What is the relationship between the two? What gives you a sense of not belonging collectively and individually? What is the relationship between the two?

For reflecting… What world will we describe to the children in our care? Will that world include them, or exclude them? How will we know?

Conversation 2 Keeping in mind our own experiences and journeys through these professional conversations: What are the qualities of a field that respects, values and integrates difference? Do you see a role for the practice of dialogue and conversation in advocating and actualising cultural competence and respect for diversity? What would this role look like? What lines of action, or what possibilities, for advocacy and activism are open to you in your professional role and context? How can you make these evident and visible? What would it take? What resources do you need?

Reflect… Lines of action? Resources? Other possibilities…?

Final thoughts…? Where are we now? Where might we go? Anything else…?

How many differences and diversities are we open to? What does it take to see someone else’s point of view? How can we create a context where children and others can participate without having to be other than who they are?

References Australian Government, (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government. Australian Government, ( 2010). Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming: Educators’ Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government. Barerra, I. & Corso,R. (2002)Cultural Competency as Skilled Dialogue Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 22:2 pp. 103 – 113 Giugni, M. (2010). Inclusion through relatedness: Learning ‘with’. Howard, V.A. and Barton, J.H., (1992). Thinking together: Making meetings work. New York: William Morrow and Co. Irvine, S. and Collie, M. (2011). The Professional Conversation A new approach to professional learning in Early Childhood Education and Care. In PSCQ In the Loop, Autumn, pp Lampert, J. and Phillips, J. (Eds.) (2005). Introductory Indigenous studies in education: The importance of knowing. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Education. Lather, P. (1991) Getting Smart – Feminist Research and Pedagogy with/in the Postmodern. London: Routledge Phillips, J. (2005). Indigenous knowledge: Making space in the Australian centre. In Introductory Indigenous Studies in Education: The Importance of Knowing. Sydney: Pearson Education. Stanfield, R.B., (Ed). (2000). The art of focused conversation: 100 ways to access group wisdom in the workplace. Toronto Canada: Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs. Smith, K. (2012) Challenging Beliefs, Culture and Values for Inclusion, Topics in the Tropics Workforce Council Conference, Cairns 15 August 2012 Tan, S. and Brown, J., 2005). The World Café in Singapore: Creating a learning culture through dialogue. The Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 41 (1), pp