Join us for a free seminar and dialogue featuring Marie Brennan and Lew Zipin, as they delve into critical issues in education amidst expanding social and planetary crises, yet increasingly narrowed curriculum.
This session, hosted by the Australian Council for Student Voice, emphasises the importance of listening to and learning from student voices, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds. Marie and Lew will outline the well-established "Funds of Knowledge" approach and how they apply it to "Problems that Matter," focusing on connecting school curriculum to funds of knowledge in local communities, from the ground up.
Join us to explore effective strategies to engage young people and ensure their perspectives are integral to creating meaningful educational experiences. This is an opportunity to think together, and learn from each other, about how to foster real community connections and empower student voices in shaping education.
Meet your speakers
Professor Marie Brennan
Marie has worked as a teacher and worked on School Improvement and policy development in the Education Department of Victoria. She then moved to the University sector, working at Deakin (Geelong), Central Queensland, Canberra, University of South Australia and Victoria University before retiring in early 2016. She still writes, supervises students and contributes to development of community through her work with Borderlands Cooperative.
Dr Lew Zipin
As a teacher, a sociologist of education and a researcher, Lew has worked to develop curriculum and pedagogy that enables greater social justice for groups from less privileged family and community circumstances.
He has been involved in a number of major research projects - based at University of South Australia (2002-2010) and Victoria University (since 2011) - that involve university collaboration with teachers and students to discover ‘funds of knowledge’ in the students’ family and community lives, and build units of learning-and-teaching around these funds of knowledge.
Lew is also a scholar of educational policy, and higher education governance and work. Across his academic career, he has developed and coordinated successful pre-service and doctoral education units and programs.
APST alignment
This Professional Development session is aligned with the Australian Processional Standards for Teachers (APST), and may count towards professional development requirements for teachers at all levels.
This seminar will highlight the importance of understanding student backgrounds, particularly those from marginalised communities, aligning with the need for teachers to know their students and how they learn (1.1). The ‘Funds of Knowledge’ approach encourages teachers to connect curriculum content to students' cultural backgrounds and local communities, supporting the inclusion of diverse perspectives (2.4).
This seminar promotes innovative and relevant teaching strategies that engage students in meaningful and contextual learning experiences (3.3). The emphasis on listening to and learning from student voices, especially those from underrepresented groups, aligns with using student feedback to improve teaching practices and learning outcomes (5.5).
Participating in this seminar supports teachers' professional learning by providing insights into integrating community knowledge into the curriculum (6.2). The seminar fosters engagement with parents and the community by discussing ways to build partnerships that enhance student learning and well-being (7.3).
A certificate of attendance will be provided to all attendees. For further info & assistance, please contact us.