Calendar

Social Educators' Association of Australia
Presentation: Deborah Cohen
Topics: Double Trouble and My Place - an integrated study for cross-curriculum prirorities
Venue: Melbourne Zoo, Vic
Website: www.seaa.org.au/2012conference.html

Summary: Double Trouble - an integrated study for cross-curriculum priorities

The ACTF and NSW DET have developed a Double Trouble interactive resource to support teachers integrating Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priorities in the classroom.

This presentation will look at thematic collections of digital materials such as clips and images for Me, My Family, My Place, My World, and My Vision. These resources also provide focused teaching activities supporting English, Health and Physical Development, Arts (Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Dance).

Topics explored will include:

• Engaging students to critically think about cultural perspectives, stereotypes, relationships, language and issues of identity.
• Viewing: developing knowledge and skills to read digital media, enhancing multi-literacy/multimodal understanding and application
• Utilising relevant interactive resources that support integration of cross-curriculum priorities
• Developing ideas for (cross) disciplinary/integrated units social education programs of study.

Summary: My Place - an integrated destination for social education

My Place, TV Series 1 (2008-1888) and TV Series 2 (1878-1778 and before time) adapts the 1988 picture book by Nadia Wheatley and illustrated by Donna Rawlins. The TV series extends the book into 26 live-action episodes and each episode presents a personal narrative from a child who lives in the same house or land across each decade for 250 years.  Episode 1 starts in 2008 on the day of the Apology to the Stolen Generations with the story of Laura, an Indigenous girl, and her connection to place and community. From here we move back in time and each episode presents a 10 year old child from a different culture living in the same house or place. Finally, we arrive at the beginning of non-Indigenous settlement, 1778, with the arrival of the First Fleet which is produced from the perspective of a boy who is on one of the ships. As a contrast, the next episode is from the perspective of an Indigenous child watching the First Fleet’s arrival. The final two episodes look at ‘before time’ (Ancient Australia) and the unique relationship between Indigenous culture, language and a spiritual reverence to ‘place’. The unifying element in all stories is the Moreton Bay fig tree that symbolises the sustenance of all children and their cultures.

The My Place for Teachers interactive website was developed as a partnership between the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and Education Services Australia (TLF). An child friendly website was also built by the ABC to allow children to explore the series and how people lies in different times and in different places. Through My Place, teachers and their students can examine the historical, political, social, cultural and technological developments and discoveries in Australia.