Inge Kral & Robert G

INGE KRAL & ROBERT G. (JERRY) SCHWAB

Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Research School of Social Sciences College of Arts and Social Sciences The Australian National University

Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 1 21/08/12 10:16 AM Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at http://epress.anu.edu.au

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Author: Kral, Inge.

Title: Learning spaces : youth, literacy and new media in remote Indigenous Australia / Inge Kral and Robert G. Schwab.

ISBN: 9781922144089 (pbk.) 9781922144096 (ebook)

Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Subjects: Computers and literacy--Australia. Aboriginal Australians--Effect of technological innovations on. Learning--Technological innovations--Australia.

Other Authors/Contributors: Schwab, Robert G.

Dewey Number: 371.26

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Design by Gillian Cosgrove.

Front cover photograph by Alan Nash, 2012, © Ngaanyatjarra Media.

Printed by Griffin Press

Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 2 21/08/12 10:16 AM Contents

Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations and acronyms ix Aboriginal language words ix Foreword x

Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Design Principle 4: INTRODUCTION 1 LEARNING SPACES: FROM A space to grow into new THE LOCAL TO THE GLOBAL 43 roles and responsibilities 72 The research project 2 What’s the difference between Design Principle 5: The research journey 5 learning and schooling? 45 A space to practice oral Why anthropology? 5 and written language 77 What role does language play in Why ethnography? 6 learning? 46 Design Principle 6: Why youth? 7 A space to express self Why digital media? 7 How is language related to the and cultural identity through Why learning? 8 acquisition of adult roles? 47 multimodal forms 85

How the project evolved 9 Where and how does learning Design Principle 7: actually take place? 48 A space to develop and Key Youth Participants engage in enterprise 88 and Collaborators 12 OK. But learning ‘what’? 50 Design Principle 8: Aim of the book 15 How is learning linked to A space to engage with the Identity? 51 world 90 Structure of this book 16 How is learning linked to the digital world? 52 Chapter 5 Chapter 2 YOUTH, LITERACY THE LEARNING SPACES 17 How are these new media linked to literacy? 53 AND LEARNING SPACES 93

The project sites 22 Supporting learning spaces 95 Chapter 4 Learning Spaces Sustaining the local and DESIGN PRINCIPLES and productive learning 28 creating links to the global 97 New spaces for FOR INDIGENOUS LEARNING SPACES 57 productive learning 30 Valuing a wide range The tools and contexts of outcomes 100 Design Principle 1: of productive learning 30 A space young New technologies and people control 58 Appendix 1 engagement with the world 32 RELEVANT WEBLINKS 103 Visual storytelling Design Principle 2: and cultural work A space for hanging 34 AUSTRALIA Music production out and ‘mucking around’ 65 Project links 103 and new technologies 37 Design Principle 3: Other 103 A space where learners learn 69 INTERNATIONAL Youth arts 104 Community ICT projects 104

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Appendix 2 LANGUAGE AND LITERACY STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT ICT AND DIGITAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES 105

Volunteers 105

Scaffolding 105

Scaffolding the reading/writing process 107

Vernacular literacy 107 Orthography 107

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING 108

Language and new literacies 108

Literacy as social practice 108

Digital media 109

Identity 109

Indigenous youth 110

Ethnography 110

REFERENCES 111

INDEX 121

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Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 4 21/08/12 10:16 AM List of images

Ngaanyatjarra Lands 5 Nathan Brown and Chris Reid using Jane Leonard with Belinda O’Toole ProTools music recording software, and Sadie Richards 70 Youth digital practices 8 Ngaanyatjarra music recording Jason Gibson with Youth Learning studio, Wingellina, 2011 39 Maxwell Tasman 70 Symposium, Darwin 2009 11 Digital Culture, Daniel Featherstone with Ricardo Ngaanyatjarra Lands Nyirripi Community 44 18 Weston and Amos Urban 70 Walking with Spirits Warburton Youth Arts Stewart Nelson Project Centre, 2009 Festival poster 48 19 mentoring Anthony Nelson 71 Figure 1: Ghunmarn Culture Centre 22 Revonna Urban working in the The evolution of learning 50 Ngapartji Ngapartji Ghunmarn Culture Centre, theatre performance poster 23 Mobile phone Wugularr, 2008 73 communication in Pitjantjatjara 52 Library and Natalie O’Toole learning Knowledge Centre, TiTree 24 Early design for the film and editing skills, ‘Youth Learning’ poster 53 Ngaanyatjarra Media 74 Youth Centre, Willowra Community 25 Shane White and Revonna Urban, Ghunmarn Culture Maxwell Tasman, Canberra 2011 55 Centre stall, Darwin Aboriginal Arts Media Centre, Fair, 2008 75 Blackstone Community 26 Arnhem Land billabong 58 Ghunmarn Culture Centre Alice Springs Public Library 27 Young people learning new stall, Darwin Aboriginal Arts skills at Ghunmarn Culture Centre, Fair, 2008 76 New forms of Wugularr, 2008 60 cultural production 28 Young women research bush Ngapartji Ngapartji theatre plant names to create written Natalie O’Toole and Chris Reid performance, Belinda O’Toole resources for beauty products from Wingellina Community 29 and Elton Wirri with elders 61 sold at Ghunmarn Culture Centre, Lana Campbell from Ngapartji Ngapartji theatre Wugularr 80 Ti Tree recording stories 31 performance, Belinda O’Toole Organisational learning in and Sadie Richards 61 Shane White from the Ghunamrn Culture Centre 81 Lajamanu recording stories 32 Nathan Brown, Youth Learning Nyirripi Youth Centre flyer 82 Symposium workshop, Shane White and Maxwell Tasman Darwin, September 2009 62 Lana Campbell, Ti Tree 83 from Lajamanu ‘mucking around’ with Final Cut Pro film editing 34 Francis Forrest and Ngapartji Ngapartji website 84 Azaria Roberston, Digital Culture, Wugularr 36 Youth Learning Workshop, Sadie Richards, Ngapartji Ngapartji 84 Revonna Urban filming Augustina Thakeperte, March 2009 62 Kennedy, Wugularr Community 36 Chris Reid doing an interview Land Rights News feature story on the Youth Learning Project, Alunytjuru Band, with ABC TV, Thakeperte, April 2009 85 Blackstone Music Festival, March 2009 65 Ngaanyatjarra Lands, 2007 38 Shane White: ‘Media has changed Alunytjuru Band upload to YouTube 86 Alunytjuru Band members Chris in my community’ 68 Reid and Nathan Brown using DVD titles from Anna Cadden with Shane White 70 GarageBand observed by Anthony Ngaanyatjarra Media 87 Nelson, Wingellina, 2008 38 Margaret Carew with ‘Bush’ beauty Gayle Campbell 70 products brochure 89

Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 5 21/08/12 10:16 AM List of images CONTINUED

Augustina Kennedy making coffee at Ghunmarn Culture Centre 89

Ngaanyatjarra Lands 94

Figure 2: The process of productive learning 95

Shane White presenting at the AIATSIS National Indigenous Studies Conference, Canberra 2011 97

Chris Reid participating in the Youth Learning Symposium, Darwin 2009 98

Young people from Ngapartji Ngapartji meeting The Minister for School Education, Childhood and Youth, The Hon Peter Garrett AM, MP, Sydney 2008 100

The next generation 101

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Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 6 21/08/12 10:16 AM Acknowledgements

This research project was made possible through INDIGENOUS YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM joint funding from the Australian Research Joe Ross Council, The Australian National University and The Fred Hollows Foundation. We also wish to JAWOYN ASSOCIATION acknowledge the enormous in-kind contribution Wes Miller of all the individuals and organisations involved in this project, many of whom played multiple LAJAMANU COMMUNITY roles in collaborating in the research and/or Steve Patrick, Maxwell Tasman, Shane White providing technical and production input, ideas and inspiration: MEDIA TRAINERS AND PRODUCERS Anna Cadden, Ben Foley ALICE SPRINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY Fiona Blackburn NGAANYATJARRA MEDIA Nathan Brown, Belle Davidson, Delwyn Davidson, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Daniel Featherstone, John Gordon, Paul Maclay – ANU Multimedia Services Marcia Mitchell, Anthony Nelson, Natalie O’Toole, (Video Production) Monty O’Toole, Chris Reid, Noelie Roberts, Nina Tsernjavski, Alunytjuru Band from AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – CENTRE Wingellina, Sunset Reggae Band from Kalka FOR ABORIGINAL ECONOMIC Photos: © Ngaanyatjarra Media/Valerie Bichard/ POLICY RESEARCH Alan Nash Gillian Cosgrove, Martin Heskins, John Hughes, Frances Morphy, Sumathi Renganathan, NGAPARTJI NGAPARTJI Denise Steele Belinda Abbott, Joanne Andrews, Trevor Jamieson, Alex Kelly, Jane Leonard, BATCHELOR INSTITUTE FOR INDIGENOUS Julie Miller, Dani Powell, Sadie Richards, TERTIARY EDUCATION Beth Sometimes, Maureen Watson, Elton Wirri Margaret Carew Photos: © Ngapartji Ngapartji/Keith Saunders

CENTRAL LAND COUNCIL NORTHERN TERRITORY LIBRARY Jane Hodson Jason Gibson, Jo McGill, Cate Richmond

DJILPIN ARTS PAW MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS Susan Ashley, Rebecca Cooper, Chantelle Doctor, Augustina Kennedy, Ani Lewis, Tom E. Lewis, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, USA Sasha Lindsay, Anna McLeod, Fleur Parry, Shirley Brice Heath Amos Urban, Ricardo Weston Photos: © Djilpin Arts

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Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 7 21/08/12 10:16 AM THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION Further acknowledgements Gemina Corpus, Deb Dank, Brian Doolan, Alison Edwards, Betty Hounslow, Shellie Morris Stills from the Stories in Land Film Project used with permission from Ninti One Ltd. Stories TI TREE COMMUNITY in Land was a CSIRO RIRDC funded Project, Gayle Campbell, Lana Campbell, James Glenn, undertaken as part of the Desert Knowledge Co- Marcia Long operative Research Centre (DKCRC) Livelihoods in Land project/Core Project 1 in partnership with UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PAW Media and Communications. LOS ANGELES, USA Eve Tulbert Anmatyerr language materials prepared in conjunction with ‘Certificate II in Own Language UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Work’ students at the Centre for Australian Martin Nakata languages and Linguistics, Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE), WARBURTON YOUTH ARTS PROJECT Alice Springs. (NOW WILURARRA CREATIVE) A special thank you to Margaret Carew, WARLPIRI EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRUST Daniel Featherstone and Frances Morphy for Danielle Campbell, Georgie Stewart their valuable comments on early drafts.

WARLPIRI YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ABORIGINAL CORPORATION Francis Forrest, Amy Hardy, Kyle Jarvie, Sue Lovett, Susie Low, Azaria Robertson, Kate Webb, Micah Wenitong

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Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 8 21/08/12 10:16 AM Abbreviations and acronyms

AIATSIS Australian Institute of Aboriginal LKC Library and Knowledge Centre and Torres Islander Studies NAPLAN National Assessment Program – ANU Australian National University Literacy and Numeracy

APY Anangu Pitjantjatjara NITV National Indigenous Television Yankunytjatjara NPY Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara ARC Australian Research Council Yankunytjatjara

BIITE Batchelor Institute of Indigenous NT Northern Territory Tertiary Education NTFO Northern Territory Film Office BRACS Broadcasting in Remote Aboriginal NTL Northern Territory Library Communities Scheme PAW Media Pintupi Anmatjere Warlpiri Media CAAMA Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association RIMO Remote Indigenous Media Organisation CDU Charles Darwin University SAE Standard Australian English DET Department of Education (NT) TEABBA Top End Aboriginal Bush DKCRC Desert Knowledge Co-operative Broadcasting Association Research Centre VET Vocational Education and Training FHF The Fred Hollows Foundation WA Western Australia ICT Information and Communication Technology WETT Warlpiri Education and Training Trust ICTV Indigenous Community Television

ITIC Information Technology and Indigenous Communities

Aboriginal language words

anangu Aboriginal person ngapartji- reciprocity, ‘I give you something in (Pitjantjatjara language) ngapartji return’ (Pitjantjatjara language)

kartiya non-Aboriginal person/whitefella yapa Aboriginal person (Warlpiri language) (Warlpiri language)

Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 9 21/08/12 10:16 AM Foreword

SHIRLEY BRICE HEATH she has been a frequent colleague of anthropologists, linguists, and educators in universities across Australia. In the United States, she has worked closely with researchers who are exploring the changing learning contexts of adolescents and Indigenous populations.

We live in an era of innovations and cutting edges. Changes come too rapidly to be noted by those of us who do not live with them on a n anthropological linguist, daily basis. We may ask whether or not it matters AProfessor Shirley Brice Heath that the world does not see or take note of the has spent more than three decades ways that habits of communication shift, while studying how and when young governments and age-old institutions, such as people learn the future anew. She education, remain relatively unchanged in their has recorded the ways they survey, patterns of operation or their expectations that critique, adapt, complement, and their beliefs and means need not change. alter the learning environments around them. She has documented Where are the adaptations and adoptions taking from her time spent, year after place, and why do they draw international year, with young people, who feel attention? Adopters and adapters are young intensely that schooling and its people, from those who find the national brand of limited perspectives on literacy education their government offers inadequate to and numeracy do not match their needs to those who go along with the norms the rapid pace of change. As a of schooling and see certificates and diplomas as consequence, young people building blocks toward employment. around the world find ways outside of schooling to create their own Learning Spaces offers us the rare opportunity opportunities to experiment and to step inside innovative uses of technologies, innovate with new technologies. mergers of global technologies into local They devise entrepreneurial knowledge, and community advocacy of local ventures to promote their learning history and ideology. This work joins the volumes and integrate literacies of all types of research that point to the limited goals and from visual to financial into their means of schooling and illustrate the vitality ways of interacting. Since 1980, of young people’s desire to be challenged to

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Learning Spaces BOOK FILE.indb 10 21/08/12 10:16 AM build knowledge and skills for the future and to The lessons from this volume relate most directly escape the boredom and inertia of textbooks, to the nature of learning within communities and lessons, and passive classrooms. Readers will organisations. These entities, unlike institutions, find within the wide range of examples illustrated have been created throughout human history in here in detail models of ways to meet the twin order to provide adaptability and flexibility for goals of keeping Aboriginal youth in school change. They are built in and through change, and simultaneously taking advantage of their and within them, change has astonishing promise. leadership toward change. The cases within this volume call on us to This volume reminds us that envisioning observe, listen, imitate, and create from the change primarily through formal education will cases of change documented here. Doing so increasingly limit human potential. Institutions promises innovation and inspiration. Even more have across human history developed in order to important, these cases help all of us keep in mind maintain the status quo; hence, they have within the humanity and the human that learning by them inherent protections against change that creating provides. The young people who move may come so rapidly as to overthrow or dislodge through these pages are motivated and proud of the power and predictability they present. having had the opportunities that make possible However, in times of rapid technological change their linking together of historical knowledge that reaches into the most intimate aspects of and contemporary means of communication and human relations and socialization, change in performance. The means illustrated here have ways of learning must come. These ways honour enabled them to develop skills that will help and instantiate some of the oldest and most them move into the future as adults engaged trustworthy capacities of humans: attentive and with the health and life of their own communities, sustained listening and observing, working out connected to their language and culture as their new ways through trial and error, and adapting way of being in the world of the local so as to both technologies themselves and ways of know the world of the global. using them. SHIRLEY BRICE HEATH Stanford University California USA

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