Indigenous Science Network Bulletin
February 2002 (Volume 5, Number 1)
Editor: Michael Michie
Nelson urges students not to feel pressured to complete year 12
The Federal Education Minister says high school students should
not feel compelled to complete year 12 or go on to university if they
do not want to.
Brendan Nelson says it is critical to increase and sustain high
school retention rates, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders.
But Dr Nelson says not everyone is able or prepared to complete year
12.
He says young people should be able to make choices about their
future without feeling less worthy than those who continue
studies.
"At the same time that we're trying to do the best we can to
encourage our children to complete their year 12, let's not create an
environment that says to a year nine or a year 10 student and that if
you don't complete year 12, if you don't go on to university, you and
your life is less valuable than if you did," he said.
(http://abc.net.au/message/radar/ab-22jan2002-3.htm)
Communities consulted over Aboriginal education centre
A Northern Territory education
consortium says a project to build a new Aboriginal education centre
in Alice Springs is in the remote community consultation phase.
The consortium says community educators met central Australian elders
to establish the themes and values of the Desert Peoples Centre.
The meeting supported Aboriginal involvement at all stages of the
project being developed by the Institute of Aboriginal Development,
the Centre for Appropriate Technology and the Batchelor Institute of
Indigenous Technology.
Spokeswoman Betty Pearce says the centre should open in 2003,
providing adult education for indigenous people.
"It is an Aboriginal-driven program and we're going to attempt in
every way possible to teach from an Aboriginal perspective," she
said.
http://abc.net.au/message/radar/ab-10dec2001-3.htm
A Warrnambool school has been
commended for its traditional indigenous games program.
Warrnambool Alternative School won the VicHealth Award for health
promotion through community participation.
The school's indigenous games program provides students and staff
with a closer look at Koori culture.
http://abc.net.au/message/radar/ab-20dec2001-1.htm
Minister promises Aboriginal school finished in 2 years
WA Education Minister Alan Carpenter
has given a commitment that a new Aboriginal primary school in
Bunbury will be completed in two years.
Mr Carpenter says the Department of Education is working to secure
the land and employ architects to develop culturally appropriate
school designs.
He has welcomed a decision by the Bunbury City Council to support
Djidi Djidi Aboriginal Primary School's permanent location in Glen
Iris.
He says Djidi Djidi has operated in temporary facilities for five
years under less than perfect conditions.
He says the new school will provide a better education for young
Noongars.
"That will mean a lot better educational outcomes for the Aboriginal
children down there," Mr Carpenter said.
"Obviously, the spin-off benefits for the town, better employment
opportunities for the Aboriginal kids, less likelihood that they are
going to be involved in social problems and so on."
http://abc.net.au/message/radar/ab-21dec2001-3.htm
NT Govt to implement indigenous education plan
A committee will be set up later this
month to implement the 150 recommendations of the independent review
of indigenous education in the Northern Territory.
The former senator, Bob Collins, wrote the report more than two years
ago and the new Labor Government has given him the job of following
through on the recommendations.
The make-up of the committee has not been finalised but Mr Collins
says there will be a significant number of indigenous people on it,
including remote-area principals.
"I think that it's true to say that so far as indigenous education is
concerned, I don't think there ever has been the focus placed on it,"
he said.
"That there is at the moment is certainly something that I welcome
because it's a focus that's desperately needed."
http://abc.net.au/message/radar/ab-9jan2002-2.htm
(The first position in this
process, Director Learning Lessons, was advertised in mid-January
2002. It's only been two years since the report was written.
Ed.)
Recent papers
Ninnes, Peter. (2001). Writing multicultural textbooks: Perspectives, problems, possibilities and power. Australian Science Teachers' Journal, 47(4), 18-27.
"This paper reports on a pilot survey of the authors of three sets of textbooks used in Australia and Canada, which have previously been shown to include a relatively high proportion of Indigenous and other minority groups' knowledges, cultures and sciences. ... The results reveal a wide diversity of views among authors regarding the merits of including multicultural perspectives in science textbooks." (from Abstract)
Ninnes, P., & Burnett, G. (2001). Postcolonial theory and science education: Textbooks, curriculum and cultural diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 36(1), 25-39.
"The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ways in which multicultural plurality is depicted in the science curriculum statement for Aotearoa New Zealand and in six sets of secondary school science textbooks which have been produced in response to that curriculum statement." (from Abstract)
Research in Science Education
The first issue of RISE for 2001 has finally arrived. The theme is "Developing research in technology education" and Alister Jones from the University of Waikato was the guest editor. The editor, Cam McRobbie, has written that all issues for 2001 have now been published and are in transit. I believe Glen Aikenhead has a paper in one of the issues.
Members of ASERA should have received their membership renewals as well as some information about this year's conference in Townsville (see below).
Bicultural Approaches to Environmental Management in New Zealand: Website launch
The following information was forwarded by Alister Jones at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.
'Proceedings' of a hui (meeting) on
bicultural approaches to environmental management in New Zealand held
at Murihiku Marae last year are now available on the University of
Otago Zoology Department's website at http://www.otago.ac.nz/Zoology/hui_wananga.html.
The hui was called He Minenga Whakatü Hua o Te Ao which means an
intense discussion of ways to sustain the fruits of the world.
The website records 21 presentations, 23 'posters' and report-backs
of 9 workshops on topics concerning bicultural approaches to
environmental management and research. More importantly, the
discussions following every presentation have been transcribed so
that visitors to the site can sample the full range of opinion
presented on issues of co-management, environmental philosophy,
Mätauranga Mäori and science, Intellectual Property Rights
and WAI262. Policy makers and researchers of several iwi,
government departments, Conservation NGOs and Tangata Whenua all
contributed vigorous and honest debate, in the true spirit of the
marae.
Please notify your friends and colleagues about the site's existence. We hope that ongoing discussion of the bicultural environmental issues will be possible via the 'Forum' section of the site where anyone can contribute a comment or debate an issue. Gaining some overseas perspectives would be very valuable too, so please prompt some of your overseas contacts to contribute to the forum - more immportantly, have a go yourself!!
Henrik Moller & Maureen Howard, Co-editors of the website.
The Minneapolis Institute of Art's Native American art site, Surrounded by Beauty
There is no equivalent in the many
Native American languages for the word art. No distinction is made
between what is beautiful or functional, and what is sacred or
secular. Yet Native Americans are a highly spiritual people who
create objects of extraordinary beauty. Explore dozens of works of
art in The Minneapolis Institute of Art's collection at Surrounded by
Beauty, a site designed to put these works of art in context for
teachers and students.
http://www.artsmia.org/surrounded-by-beauty
Science education and culture: The contribution of history and
philosophy of science
The International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group is pleased to announce the availability of the book, SCIENCE EDUCATION AND CULTURE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE (Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 2001) at the considerably discounted rate of USD27 (plus postage). The book of 360 pages contains 21 papers selected from the group’s 5th International Conference held at Pavia University and Lake Como in November 1999. Details of the book follow. Contact m.matthews@unsw.edu.au
Fabio Bevilacqua, Enrico Giannetto, & Michael R. Matthews (eds.). (2001). SCIENCE EDUCATION AND CULTURE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 362pp.
PART ONE: HISTORY OF SCIENCE, EDUCATION AND CULTURE
PART TWO: FOUNDATIONAL ISSUES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
PART THREE: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY AND PHYSICS EDUCATION
Science and Education 2002
(Volume 11)
The first of the six issues of ‘Science & Education’
for 2002 will shortly be printed by Kluwer Academic Publishers.
All personal subscriptions are handled through the IHPST group. The
Contents of Vol.11 No.1 follow. Contact Michael R. Matthews, email:
m.matthews@unsw.edu.au
The Big Questions: Paul Davies in conversation with Phillip Adams
Since the year dot, humans have wondered about, and pondered upon, and come to strange conclusions concerning the Big Questions. In this series, Paul Davies and Phillip Adams examine the whys and wherefores of the cosmos; its beginning, its endings, and where - if at all - humans fit.
The Big Questions began as a TV series filmed at Coober Pedy in the Australian outback in 1995. A new chapter will be published each week, starting on 17 January 2002.
(http://www.abc.net.au/science/bigquestions/default.htm)
The Pacific Circle Consortium 26th Annual Conference 2002, Seoul, Korea, 1-3 May 2002.
This Conference is organized by The Korean Educational Development Institute, Seoul, Korea and sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. The Hong Kong Institute of Education is also one of co-sponsors.
The Pacific Circle Consortium is an international educational organization dedicated to the improvement of teaching and researching about peoples, nations and issues of the Pacific-Asian region. Its participants come from universities, educational agencies, and schools of the region. The Consortium is an official program of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/CERI).
The theme of the Conference is "Diversity and Unity in Schooling for Future Citizens in the Pacific-Asian Region." Participants are welcome to join in the panel presentations and discussion covering the following sub-themes.
Interested colleagues should submit a brief abstract (200 words) to the conference organizer by March 15, 2002. For further information and registration, please visit the website at http://www.kedi.re.kr/Exec/Eng/2002pcc/index_e.html. or email to the Conference Secretariat at oric@ns.kedi.re.kr <mailto:oric@ns.kedi.re.kr>.
Thank you for your kind attention. Regards, Centre for Research and International Collaboration, Hong Kong Institute of Education
Australian Indigenous Education Conference, Sharing Success : An Indigenous Perspective. 2-4 July 2002, Townsville, Queensland
This three day national conference is designed to inform and inspire participants to recognise and acknowledge Indigenous educational achievement. This conference will bring together professional educators and community people, to showcase Indigenous achievement across all levels o f education and celebrate Indigenous pathways to success. This Conference will appeal to people in both government and non-government sectors, including schools, VET, TAFE and higher education institutions. The School of Indigenous Australian Studies, James Cook University, invites you to register NOW. More information available at the website, http://www.foss.jcu.edu.au/Sias/www/confwelcome.htm
For registration forms and information, please contact :
Indigenous Education Conference Secretariat
Ms Raewyn Dooley, Conference & Events Management
PO Box 771, TOWNSVILLE, QLD, Australia, 4810
Phone: 61 7 4721 2377 Fax: 61 7 4721 4936
Email: C.E.M.A@bigpond.com
Australian Association for Environmental Education 12th
Biennial Conference, Sustaining Environmental Education: Celebrating
Diversity, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 2-6 July
2002
CALL FOR PAPERS
The 12th conference of the Australian Association for Environmental
Education will provide an opportunity for environmental educators
from universities, national parks, pre-schools and schools, private
industry and government agencies to take part in presentations and
workshops that celebrate our diversity as educators and that offer us
ways of sustaining ourselves in our work. Sub-themes include
Foundations of Environmental Education, Environmental Education at
the Cutting Edge, Creating and Sustaining Diversity and Sustaining
Ourselves.
A call for papers (in .pdf format) can be downloaded from: www.olt.qut.edu.au/udf/aaee/.
We hope you can join us!
CONASTA 51 Australian Science Teacher's Association (ASTA)
National Conference, Hobart Tas, 6-11 July 2002: "Problem Solving and
the Ethical Dilemma". For information visit http://www.agsci.utas.edu.au/conasta/
AUSTRALASIAN SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION, 33rd Annual Conference, 11 - 14 July 2002, Townsville, Queensland
Abstracts for ASERA2002 conference papers are now due - email to
asera2002@jcu.edu.au no
later than April 1.
As per previous correspondence, ASERA2002 leads you to Townsville in
tropical North Queensland over July11 to July14. Details are
posted on the conference website at http://www.soe.jcu.edu.au/asera2002/
The conference brochure, including registration, can be obtained from
Steve Ritchie.
For the first time we are conducting a limited trial of paper
proposals for only those researchers who need refereed acceptance to
secure funding. We expect the majority of paper presenters will
submit an abstract only, as usual. If you are one of the few
who needs to submit a proposal, the details (and criteria) are listed
on the conference website - simply activate the "call for papers"
button. In order to review the proposals, we'll need
experienced researchers to volunteer to assist Dr. Greg Thomas with
this trial. If you are interested and available, please contact
Greg directly at gpthomas@hkucc.hku.hk
I have been advised by the Southbank Hotel that they have taken
bookings for the conference already. Please book your
accommodation early (there is a NRL football game scheduled for
Townsville over the same weekend).
I hope to see you in Townsville in July. Cheers, Steve
Ritchie
Papers on Postcolonial science education, ASERA, 11-14 July, 2002, Townsville
I would like to put together a symposium (or more if the interest is there) on postcolonial science education for the coming ASERA conference in Townsville. In particular, I was looking at some of the theory out of literary criticism and philosophy - the likes of Michel Foucault, Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, Homi Bhabha, Frantz Fanon and several others. Is there anyone that is working with some of the ideas from these people in science education and would be interested in joining a symposium at Townsville? Peter Ninnes and myself would be interested in this aspect. I was thinking 4 or 5 papers perhaps. I will coordinate this one if there is interest.
There is probably scope for other 'cultural' foci as well if there is enough interest. Perhaps someone else could do that if there is enough interest.
Contact Liz McKinley on <e.mckinley@waikato.ac.nz>
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Rethinking Science and Technology Education to Meet the Demands for Future Generations in a Changing World, 28 July - 2 August 2002, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Symposium Address/Queries: All queries about the symposium and contributions should be directed to:
Professor Nelio Bizzo, Faculdade de Educação, Universidade de São Paulo, 10th IOSTE Symposium, Av. da Universidade, 308, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brasil. Phone: +55 11 3818 4927/4928, FAX: +55 11 3818 3149, + 55 11 3816 8168. e-mail: bizzo@usp.br, homepage: http://www.modelab.ufes.br/ioste
World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education - August 4 - 10, 2002
WIPCE 2002 will be hosted by the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC) at a beautiful site on Stoney Nation lands in the mountains just west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium, Suite 310, 6940 Fisher Rd. SE, Calgary, AB T2H 0W3. Phone: (403) 258-1775, Fax: (403)258-1811
For more information, visit their website at http://www.fnahec.org/wipce2002/
7th International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group Conference, 30 July to 3 August 2003.
The seventh conference of the IHPST group will be held in Winnipeg Manitoba. The conference chair is Professor Art Stinner (stinner@cc.umanitoba.ca), and the conference secretary and programme chair is Dr Stephen Klassen (s.klassen@uwinnipeg.ca). The conference will be held in the University of Winnipeg, with accommodation at nearby first-class hotels with an expected tariff of about USD60-70 per room. Further details are available from the secretary and from the IHPST web site (www.ihpst.org).
This is mostly a summary of upcoming conferences. More details may have been given in previous bulletins or circulated by e-mail. A web-based contact is usually included.
April 2002
1-5 April 2002: American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, USA (http://www.aera.net - this site currently has a Chinese Ninja virus and does all manner of weird things)
7-10 April 2002: National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST 2002), New Orleans, USA (http://www.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/)
May 2002
1-3 May 2002: The Pacific Circle Consortium 26th Annual Conference 2002, Seoul, Korea. For further information and registration, please visit the website at http://www.kedi.re.kr/Exec/Eng/2002pcc/index_e.html. or email to the Conference Secretariat at oric@ns.kedi.re.kr <mailto:oric@ns.kedi.re.kr>.
July 2002
2-4 July 2002: Australian Indigenous Education Conference, "Sharing Success : An Indigenous Perspective". Townsville, Queensland. The School of Indigenous Australian Studies, James Cook University, invites you to register NOW. More information available at the website, http://www.foss.jcu.edu.au/Sias/www/confwelcome.htm.
2-6 July 2002: Australian Association for Environmental Education
12th Biennial Conference, Sustaining Environmental Education:
Celebrating Diversity, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. A
call for papers (in .pdf format) can be downloaded from: www.olt.qut.edu.au/udf/aaee/.
6-11 July 2002: CONASTA 51 Australian Science Teacher's
Association (ASTA) National Conference, Hobart Tas: Problem Solving
and the Ethical Dilemma. For information visit http://www.agsci.utas.edu.au/conasta/
11 - 14 July 2002: Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA), 33rd Annual Conference, Townsville, Queensland. Convenor: Dr Steve Ritchie, for information http://www.soe.jcu.edu.au/asera2002/
14-18 July 2002: CULTURAL ASPECTS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS, A section within the 6th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics - SCI2002, Orlando, Florida (USA) mailto:yetim@homer.njit.edu
27 July - 2 August 2002: "Rethinking science and technology education to meet the demands for future generations in a changing world", IOSTE 10th Biennial Symposium, Foz do Iguaca, Brazil (http://www.modelab.ufes.br/ioste)
August 2002
4-10 August 2002: World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education - Calgary, Alberta, Canada. http://www.fnahec.org/wipce2002/
6-11 August: 'The Boston TEE Party'. DRAFT details of North American Association for Environmental Education's 2002 conference, Boston Email: julian.agyeman@tufts.edu, http://www.tufts.edu/as/uep/
December 2002
December 2002: Australian Association for Research in Education, 2002 Education Research Conference, Brisbane, Queensland (http://www.aare.edu.au)
July, 2003
30 July to 3 August 2003: 7th International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba. The conference chair is Professor Art Stinner (stinner@cc.umanitoba.ca), and the conference secretary and programme chair is Dr Stephen Klassen (s.klassen@uwinnipeg.ca). Further details are available from the secretary and from the IHPST web site (www.ihpst.org).
A listing of conferences is also maintained by the University of South Australia's Indigenous Online Network, at http://www.ion.unisa.edu.au/conf/conferences.html. From there you can also access proceedings from the first Forum on Indigenous Research (the Umulliko forum).
Last updated: 1 February 2002
