Pedagogy of

The possibilities for social and personal transformation in an Academic

Language and Learning curriculum

Jenny McDougallHelen HoldenCQUniversity

Today . . . Context: the changing higher education

landscapeConcept: “pedagogy of hope” (Giroux, 1997,

2005)Academic Language and Learning (ALL)

curriculum in STEPSConclusions/Implications

The changing higher education landscape

Broadening access to higher edBradley Review (2008):

Focus on ‘non-traditional’ students: “those from remote parts of Australia, Indigenous students, those from low socio-economic backgrounds and those from regional locations”

Social inclusion: “core responsibility”Knowledge economy → human capital

Broadening access to higher ed Predicated on notion of ‘hope’Enabling programse.g. Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory

Studies (STEPS) operating at Central Queensland University since 1986; distance since 2006

Exhibit A

False hope?“…the [higher education] sector is awash with rhetoric about aiming higher and raising aspiration for university as if … a higher education is self-evidently better in terms of cultural identity, life choices or even economic prosperity. Clearly it is not, at least, not necessarily.” (Gale, 2010)

Exhibit B

Pedagogy of hope

Pedagogy of hopeHenry Giroux: critical theorist, influenced by

Paulo FreireHope: “ a belief that different futures are

possible” (Giroux, 2002)“Pedagogy of hope”: view of education as

pathway to radical democracy, expanding the possibility for social justice and freedom

Pedagogy of hope• Focus on critical thinking: ability to critique

commonsense assumptions • Fundamental, political act – to go beyond

existing forms of knowledge and social structures• Social transformation begins with the individual

– examination of personal histories and worldviews

(Giroux, 1997)

Pedagogy of hope• Help students (and teachers) transcend

cultural borders• Appreciate how these spaces have been

“historically structured and socially organised” (Giroux, 1997, p. 147)

Pedagogy of hopeAchieved through . . .Language of critiqueOpportunities for shared dialogue – giving

students a voice

(Giroux, 1997)

Academic Language and Learning curriculum

Curriculum influences

Becoming a Writer: Circles of Concern

Curriculum influences

Critical thinkingIs encouraged by looking at Contemporary Australian

issues

Curriculum influences

Critical thinkingThrough shared critical dialogue

“They may be controversial, but it's interesting to have differing opinions on things. I'm sure there will be some lively discussions!”

“I have spent endless hour[s] reading various articles and research on this subject since starting this assessment and I have to say that my eyes have well and truly been opened. I'm not sure how or why it has taken me this long to take a genuine interest in this planet … Perhaps it's because it's constantly in the media that many of us have become numb to the real issues and complacency has crept in.”

Curriculum influences

Critical dialogue . . . Students critically evaluate information

e.g. annotated bibliography

The following comment highlights a student’s struggle to gain a sense of

objectivity in this process:

“I am also finding it hard to separate my feelings and thoughts on the issue of consumerism of waste and electricity. This is making it difficult for me to research the topic fully from all sides. Any tips?”

Curriculum influences

Critical thinking . . . May lead to active citizenship

“Researching for this assignment has made me stop and think 'What am I doing to help the environment?' I looked around my bathroom this morning and counted 18 plastic containers of one sort or another and that's not including what's in the cupboard! I'll throw them in the recycle bin when there're empty and feel good because I'm helping the environment! Needless to say I NEED to do MORE for the environment.”

Curriculum influences

Critical thinking . . . Do I know who I am?

Curriculum influencesto infinity and beyond . . .

Hero’s Journey metaphor (Vogler, 1998)

“This experience has made a life changing impression on the way I think and look at the world; STEPS (Academic Language and Learning) has had had a huge impact on my life and has challenged my once narrow view of the world.”

Conclusions and implications

Conclusions & Implications

ALL curriculum:reflects a pedagogy of hopeopportunities for critical thinking about self

and the worldprovides hope of individual and social

transformation

Conclusions & Implications

Critical reflection has an essential role in ALL curriculum – and in university learning in general

Outcomes difficult to justify in economic terms

“Four years into the future may seem like a faraway dream right now. Closer to home was the experience I had last week. As I filled in my child’s prep school application I realised that for the first year since becoming a mother, I would tick the box that recorded my education level as ‘year twelve or equivalent’. I almost cried.”

Thank you

References Bradley et at. (2008). Review of Australian Higher Education: Final report. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved 14 September, 2009, from http://www.deewr.gov.au/highereducation/review/pages/reviewofaustralianhighereducationreport.aspx

Gale, T. (2010, 3 June). Let them eat cake: Mobilising appetites for higher education. Knowledge Works Public Lecture Series, Bradley Forum, University of South Australia, 3 June.

Giroux, H. (1997). Pedagogy and politics of hope: Theory, culture, and schooling. Westview: Boulder, CO.

Giroux, H. (2002). When hope is subversive. Tikkun, 19 (6), 33-39.

Giroux, H. (2005). Border crossings: Cultural workers and the politics of education. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Vogler, C. (1998) The writer’s journey: Mythic structure for storytellers and screenwriters, 2nd revised edition. London: Boxtree.