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Student ID 1 0 0 0 8 1 1 6 5
Email: haray023@students.unisa.edu.au
Course code and title: Bachelor of Education Junior Primary to Primary at Magill (MBED)
School: Magill Program Code: Educ 2007
Course Coordinator: Carol Collins Tutor: Ian Stuart
Day, Time, Location of Tutorial/Practical: Monday, 5:10pm – 7:00pm, G183
Assignment number: 3 Due date: Monday 17th November
Assignment topic as stated in Course Information Booklet: Unit of Work
Further Information: (e.g. state if extension was granted and attach evidence of approval, Revised Submission
Date)
I declare that the work contained in this assignment is my own, except where acknowledgement of sources is made.
I authorise the University to test any work submitted by me, using text comparison software, for instances of plagiarism. I
understand this will involve the University or its contractor copying my work and storing it on a database to be used in future to
test work submitted by others.
I understand that I can obtain further information on this matter at
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/studying/integrity.asp
Note: The attachment of this statement on any electronically submitted assignments will be deemed to have the same authority as a
signed statement.
Signed: Alexandra Harris Date:
1
Recorded: Dispatched (if applicable):
Final Assignment
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Your Tutorial Day and Time: Monday, 5:10pm – 7:00pm
YEAR LEVEL: 7
• Challenge views
• Break stereotypes
• Teach students how to apply their knowledge and skills to other ethical
and social issues prevalent in society and the world. (Flow on effect)
• Help students form attitudes and ideas that they will be committed to
contributing to society in the future.
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Students need to be aware of the issue as they could one day find themselves
living in poverty or may already be living below the poverty line and should
understand what that means for themselves in terms of social justice, equality
and their future, as well as be empowered to make changes.
GUIDING QUESTIONS – Develop one or two guiding questions that will help
to direct the study and deal with both the ethical and empirical components of
the topic.
This unit is guided by three inquiry questions, the first two are empirical, the
third, ethical. These questions are designed to direct the unit of study.
What is poverty?
- causes
- statistics
- Public Housing systems
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- Government policy
- Where do people in poverty live? Why?
What does poverty in Australia look like? (Absolute poverty versus relative
poverty, poverty line in Australia)
Consequences of Poverty:
- Homelessness
- Hunger
- Disease
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• Should the government be doing more to help people in poverty?
1. Peer assessment
• Listen consistently
• Ask questions
• Contribute thoughts confidently
• Show respect for others’ opinions
• Back up opinions with reason
• Offer examples / counter examples
• Change opinions when good reasons are given
It is important that all students are aware of the criteria in order to perform a
community of enquiry discussion to the best of their abilities. At the end of
each discussion we will facilitate a “feedback” session where the three
students will be able to share their observations with the class. This ensures
that students are constantly “up to date” with their progress, allowing them the
opportunity to improve in the future.
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I will assess students’ research and reporting skills based on two major
assignments completed during the unit of work. These include a PowerPoint
presentation based on an ethical component of the topic “Poverty” as well as
a poster aimed at detailing empirical information in order to expel the
stereotypes held of people living below the poverty line, as well as possible
forms of action that can be taken by community members to address such a
complex and prevalent issue. These assignments will allow students to share
with the school community what they have learned and simultaneously allow
me to assess their depth of knowledge and understanding (both ethical and
empirical) on “Poverty” in Australia.
As well as having students assess the class during each community of inquiry
session that takes place, it is also important for the teacher to observe and
keep notes on each student’s progress. The skills that will be closely
monitored have been taken from The Hutchins School Philosophical and
Ethical Inquiry Program Philosophy Individual Report Form (Appendix 2) and
include:
• Skills of Inquiry
• Skills of logical reasoning
• Skills of dialogue
• Appropriate behaviour
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SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT UNIT PLANNER (SACSA FRAMEWORK)
SELECT STRAND(S)
Futures
Identity
Interdependence
Thinking
Communication
IDENTIFY VALUES
Democratic Process LITERACY FOCUS
Social Justice NUMERACY FOCUS
Ecological Sustainability ICT FOCUS
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SACSA COMPANION DOCUMENT
KNOWLEDGE
• Discusses the 3.10
Students recognise similarities and Describes examples of
connection between roles, differences forms and structures of
structures, functions and between political, Australian and other
limits of various political, legal and social governments over time in
legal and economic systems, terms of how they impact
systems over time. F In T highlighting rights on people’s lives.
KC1 and responsibilities In T KC1
Relating to Outcomes of individuals and
3.10, 4.10 groups. 4.10
Analyses differences
• Investigates rights between political, legal
and responsibilities and social systems and
of citizens in people’s rights and
Australia. responsibilities, using
personal and other
SKILLS • Explores examples.
citizenship and In T KC2
Students work national/global
cooperatively to collect, implications (eg
analyse and describe Charter of
information about Students’ Rights,
particular issues which wider youth
have social, economic and networks,
environmental dimensions. refugees).
They identify key ideas,
justify positions, predict • Researches
outcomes and suggest factors that
enterprising solutions. contribute to
In T C KC1 KC4 KC6 effective decision
Relating to Outcomes making (eg family,
3.11, 4.11 school, and
society).
• Discusses fair
access to local and
global resources
(eg invites a guest
speaker on World
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Aid).
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SEQUENCE OF IDEAS / LESSONS
1 Students will be asked to To break common A class discussion will take place
draw what comes to mind “Poverty” stereotypes once students have finished their
when they think of the held within the classroom. drawings.
word “Poverty”.
Information Sheet: Facts, figures and
suggestions for the future – Poverty
2-3 Students will view a Introduce students to the Documentary: “Playing in the
documentary based on topic of Poverty in Shadows” ABC (appendix 3)
Poverty in Australia. We Australia. Students may
will then conduct a be shocked to learn that Discussion Plan: How are we to live?
community of inquiry children who live below (Lipman)
discussion based on the the poverty line still attend
documentary. school and lead “normal”
lives.
4 Community of Inquiry: Encourage students to - Discussion Plan: Ishen’s
Topic: Ishen’s Story think through the Story (original)
consequences of poverty - “Ishen’s Story” taken from
for a fourteen year old girl website:
living in the United http://www.fightpoverty.mmb
Kingdom. rico.com (appendix 4)
5 Create a class list of Students will learn how to Class list of questions / topics to
empirical questions that develop their questioning research.
arose from previous skills. Their empirical
lessons. These questions questions will then guide
will then be researched future research.
and presented to the
class.
6 Library and internet Students find answers to Library books such as:
research conducted in their chosen empirical
groups. question. Internet websites:
http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com
7 Students work To facilitate team work Computer
collaboratively on a 3 between students.
minute oral presentation
to the class, detailing their
findings from researching
a chosen empirical
question.
8-9 Class presentation in Students work in pairs to
pairs, answering a communicate effectively
chosen empirical question with the class. They will
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from lesson 4. also exhibit listening skills
as they learn from their
peers.
10 Listen to a guest speaker on Students will be listening Guest speaker Professor Peter
“Poverty in Australia”. to a guest speaker Saunders.
tentatively, asking
questions (prepared in
lesson 4) to clarify their
understanding.
11 - 12 Community of Inquiry: Students take into Discussion Plan:
Topic: Do Australian citizens account various social What is a right? (Lipman)
have the RIGHT not to live in circumstances
Poverty?
surrounding poverty in
Australia, and consider
human rights and whether
Australians have the right
to not live in poverty.
13-16 Students research two to The empirical information - Library and Internet
four, of four empirical gathered for these
questions: questions will enable
1. What is currently being
students to move forward
done in Australia to
in their ethical inquiry.
combat poverty?
2. Where are people in
poverty living?
3. What do the
unemployment rates
look like in Australia?
The following sequence of ideas is a progressive set of lessons aimed at helping students think
through the ethical and empirical components of Poverty in Australia. When creating lesson plan ideas
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that are based on the community of inquiry, it is imperative that I take into consideration the “ETHIC”
model (Collins, 2008). Students must be exposed to the following aspects of an issue whilst trying to
deconstruct it:
Thinking – The logical reasoning that must take place in order to deduce consequences and weigh up
the positive aspects of an issue against the negative or harmful.
Harm – Recognising common capacities for suffering and wellbeing as the basis of ethical judgement.
Information – Getting the empirical knowledge or facts on the issue.
Circumstances – Students will need to understand that circumstances can heavily influence an ethical
component of an issue in terms of how it is perceived by different people.
The number of lessons allocated to each activity is only a guide that may need to be altered depending
on the time taken by students to complete it and their level of understanding that is achieved. Flexibility
is necessary. The total number of lessons is approximately 18 that will be completed over an eight to
ten week time frame (approx two lessons per week).
Begin the unit of work on “Poverty in Australia” by exposing and analysing common stereotypes held
on the topic. Ask students to draw what comes to mind when they hear the word “Poverty” and
illustrate what it means to them. This is also one way of discovering students “prior knowledge” on the
topic.
After students have finished their drawings have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Ask students to
describe their image, and explain how it relates to the word “Poverty”. It is highly likely that students have
depicted images relating to the concept “absolute poverty”. Explain the differences between “absolute
poverty” and relative poverty” detailing the characteristics of the two. A clear definition is given in the
information sheet “Facts, figures and suggestions for the future – Poverty” which states:
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“Poverty is where people have unreasonably low living standards compared with others; cannot
afford to buy necessities, such as a refrigerator for example; and experience real deprivation and hardship
in everyday life.”
“Internationally, people who lack food and shelter for minimal needs are said to be living in absolute
poverty. Poverty in Australia however, is generally relative poverty. People are considered to be poor if
their living standards fall below an overall community standard, and they are unable to participate fully in
ordinary activities of society.” (Mclelland, 2000)
Having a discussion about the differenced between absolute and relative poverty is necessary and a good
way to lead onto lessons 2 – 3.
PART A
Show the documentary – “Playing in the Shadows” ABC (approx 50 minutes). (Refer to Appendix 3)
Before watching the documentary, explain to students that it is set in Australia, depicting the relative
poverty that occurs. Students will be asked to take notes during the documentary, focusing on the main
characters: 9 year old Celine, 11 year old Jaidyn, Jerry and 15 year old Ainsley. Their pages can be
ruled up into four columns with a character name heading each column. Important notes on each
character can be recorded under the appropriate heading. This is an easy way of formulating coherent
notes. Students will be able to watch the dangers and disadvantages of growing up in the public
housing system stricken with poverty.
Immediately following the DVD, students will be given the opportunity to share interesting points as well
as clarify aspects of the documentary that they may have not understood.
PART B
Whole class discussion on documentary and ways in which people should live. Encourage students to
make direct connections to the people featured in the documentary: “Playing in the Shadows”.
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2. What are the things that matter most to you in your life?
3. Are any of these the same / different to the people in the documentary?
4. When you grow up, will you still like doing the same things?
5. When you grow up, will the same things seem important to you?
6. Are you happy?
7. Are the people featured in the documentary happy?
8. Are there things that matter to you more than happiness?
9. Is it possible to be perfectly happy?
10. Could you be perfectly happy in a world where everyone else was suffering?
11. Would you rather do things that caused other people pleasure, or things that relieve other
people’s pain?
12. Would you like to live in a way that would help make the world better?
13. Could you be happy if you were living in poverty?
14. Could you be happy if everyone you knew constantly lied and tried to deceive each other?
15. Do you think the people in the documentary are being treated fairly by people in their
community?
16. Would you mind living in a way that seemed right to everyone else, but seemed wrong to you?
17. Would you mind living in a way that seemed wrong to everyone else, but seemed right to you?
18. Are the ways that the people featured in the documentary are living, right or wrong?
After reading “Ishen’s Story” students will be prompted to think about how poverty can affect people
similar to them, who are living in Westernised countries (like Australia) and are not necessarily
homeless. Ishen is a fourteen year old girl from the United Kingdom living in poverty. The text explains
that although she has a “roof over her head” and is able to attend school, she is still living below the
poverty line. This is one example that students will be able to analyse of a child living in poverty who is
not stereotypical.
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8. Is it her father’s fault?
9. Can you understand what Ishen is going through despite not having experienced poverty first
hand?
10. Can you empathise with her?
11. If you were Ishen, would you tell your peers about the poverty you live in?
12. Why/Why not?
13. Have any of your ideas on poverty changed after reading about Ishen’s story?
The whole class will participate in writing a list of empirical questions raised from the previous four
lessons. Students will work in groups (2-3 people per group) to find answers to their questions. In order
to participate in future discussions in an informed manner, empirical knowledge is necessary. Each
group will have three lessons to begin researching their empirical question, prepare their three minute
oral presentation and then present their new found knowledge to the class.
- If we want to work out whether Poverty in Australia is an important issue, what questions would
we need to ask / answer?
- What specific information do we need?
- What circumstances would we need to consider for each person faced with poverty?
- How can we tell whether or not it is a real problem faced in Australia?
What is poverty?
What are the effects / impact of poverty on families and individuals?
What is the difference between relative poverty and extreme poverty?
Who is most likely to be living in poverty?
How is poverty measured? (The poverty line)
What is the distribution of wealth in Australia?
How does poverty affect children?
What are the unemployment rates in Australia?
Where are the public housing systems located in Adelaide?
After students have chosen an empirical question that is of interest to them, the research will begin.
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- Wealth and Inequality by Justin Healey
- Poverty in Australia by Kaye Healey
- No Fixed Abode by Kaye Healey
- A bit of a Struggle by Jean McCaughey
- Poverty in Australia – Listening to journalists by Denis Muller
- Homelessness in Australia – Casual Factors
- Homelessness by Justin Healey
- Homelessness among young people in Australia – Early intervention and prevention by Phil
Crane and Jillian Brannock
- A sourcebook for poverty reducing strategies by Jeni Klugman
Lesson 6 – Research
This lesson will follow on from the previous lesson and involve students using the internet and the
library resources provided to them to find answers to their chosen empirical question. This lesson
would be most effective if it were to take place in the school library where resources such as the
internet / computers and books are readily available. Before this lesson begins it is important to explain
to students the fact that not all internet websites can be trusted as reputable sources of information. It
is important to question where the information may be coming from in order to determine its
authenticity.
After gathering their information, it is now time for students to collaboratively work on their class
presentations, deciding what information to present from their findings on a specific question. Some
questions provided have many factors that need to be considered. For example when answering the
question: “What are the effects / impact of poverty on families and individuals?” students can choose to
look at:
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- The impact on poverty on relationships
- The impact on poverty on education
Clearly not all of these factors will be covered in a three minute presentation, so it is up to the student
to choose aspects that they feel are important for the class to be aware of.
Students may create a PowerPoint presentation to present their findings if they wish, however this is
not a graded aspect of the assignment.
Lessons 8 and 9 will be dedicated to listening to all class presentations as well as allowing the class to
provide positive feedback and constructive criticism to each student. The criteria that the students will
be assessed on (by the teacher and their peers) are as follows:
- Eye contact
- Clear audible voices
- Carefully chosen speech content
- Well researched – Has chosen information from reputable sources. (These may have been
provided by the teacher or checked with him/her)
After conducting some empirical research on the topic of poverty in Australia, students should now
have a deeper understanding of the facts. A guest speaker who would be able to explain these facts in
a way that personalises the issue is Professor Peter Saunders. Peter Saunders is a former researcher
at the Centre for Independent Studies. He is the author of “Poverty in Australia: Beyond the Rhetoric”
and “Australia's Welfare Habit and how to kick it”.
Professor Saunders has conducted many research studies that give people living in poverty a voice. I
feel it is imperative that the students hear these voices in order to connect with the issue on a
humanised, empathetic level.
Below is an excerpt taken from Saunders (2006):
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Excerpts from “Experiencing Poverty: The voices of low income Australians”. Research by UNSW’s
Social Policy Research Centre.
Financial Resources
“I think every one of us in here has forgone, usually it’s food we forgo – it’s the easiest thing to
do because we must all pay the rent, that is our first priority”
“The problem with welfare is it doesn’t stretch enough … so there isn’t any margin for you to try and put
anything away, you’re just barely making ends meet… Your fridge breaks down, then you can’t pay your
bills - because you can’t live without your fridge”
Employment
“Now I’m working, I feel like I’m me again rather than just a mum or a wife – I’m not putting
being a mum down at all…well I mean, money’s great, but it was more for my self-esteem
because it’s a step towards where I wanna be”
“If you have to work at night time or at the weekends, public transport is rather limited…especially at night.
For a woman it’s very hard, but unfortunately if you live in the country it’s non-existent”
Education
“The Australian education system requires people to have access to a computer and the Internet but this is
difficult for many migrants who can’t use a computer and are not used to the technology …those that can’t
afford it get left behind”
“I am trying to get into a course and so far it’s $150. Hello! Where am I going to find 150
bucks?”
“It causes so many problems having bad teeth and stuff and it is treated as a luxury. I’m sorry
but dentistry in a first world country is not a luxury – it’s a necessity”
Housing
“Yeah you know just basically a clean well-kept, well-maintained place. I mean it’s fine being
offered a place but if the toilet leaks or the roof leaks above your bed and all of this, I mean
what kind of standard of living is that?”
“Most of my dole is taken up with the rent and affordability is crucial cos if you haven’t got
enough money to buy food and pay the bills like gas, electricity, phone, water etc then life is
hard as it is. I mean a lot of people go without”
Location
“If you’re disadvantaged you’re stuck in certain areas and you have no choice about where you can go”
“Those high rises … just living there seems to instil a sense of hopelessness”
Attitudes
“Some government agencies they don’t talk to you they talk down to you”
“A lot of the time people hide their poverty and disadvantage really well, like my grandmother
… she’d always make a point of making sure my sister always had brand new school dresses
because it wasn’t the fact that we were suffering that bothered her, but she didn’t want other
people to know we were suffering.
To organise an interview with Professor Peter Saunders contact: Alex Clark, UNSW Media
unit ph: 02 9385 3263 or 0405 237 553
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Lesson 11-12 – Community of Inquiry: Do Australian citizens have the RIGHT not to live in
poverty?
Lesson 11’s discussion is based on students identifying a definition for what a “right” is. We will then
relate that definition to the question: “Do Australian citizens have the RIGHT not to live in poverty?”
1. When textbooks are being passed out by the teacher, and everyone else in the class gets a book,
does Edna have a right to a book?
2. It turns out that the school is one textbook short, and Edna is told that nothing can be done to get
her a book. Does she still have a right to a book?
3. Edna has been day dreaming about ice cream all day. Now she’s going home and she sees a little
girl coming out of a store with an ice cream cone. Does Edna have the right to take the little girl’s
ice cream cone?
4. Edna doesn’t wait for the light to turn green before crossing the street, and crosses while the light is
still red. Does she have a right to do that?
5. When Edna gets home, she starts reading the comics section of the newspaper. But her twin
brother, Sid, takes it away from her. Does he have a right to do that?
6. Edna’s family is having roast turkey for supper. Does she have a right to a portion?
7. Edna’s brothers, Sid and Jeff, both want turkey legs, and so does Edna. But there are only two
legs. Does Edna have a right to one of them?
8. Edna’s dog, Fritz, is getting old. Does it have a right to live?
9. Sid watches his father smoking, and Sid would like to do the same. Does he have a right to?
10. Jeff is graduating high school. Does he have a right to a job?
11. Jeff is arrested by a policewoman for driving without a licence. Does she have a right to do that to
him?
12. There’s a book in the town library that Jeff wants to read. Does he have a right to see it?
13. Where do rights come from?
14. Are there rights we get when we’re born and others that we get as we grow older?
15. Can some people’s rights cancel out other people’s rights?
16. Do Australian citizens have the RIGHT not to live in poverty? (adaptation)
After this discussion has taken place we will read “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”
(Appendix 6) and decide whether people who live in poverty (in Australia) are having their human rights
met. As a class we will read over the key rights listed and discuss whether Australian people living in
poverty are given these rights.
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Lesson 13 - 16 – Empirical Research Continued
In order to help students move forward with their ethical inquiry, it is important for their empirical
research to constantly be in motion. This assessment will be spread over up to four lessons and is
based on students researching from two to four empirical questions:
The research conducted by students will assist them in their future lessons that are based on creating
an informative poster.
Students will use computers to type out the information they find under appropriate question headings.
These printed pages will then be compiled into an informative book that will be located in the school
library.
In order to share what we have learnt on the topic of “Poverty in Australia” with members of the school
community, students will be asked to create a poster detailing the important key ideas that they have
studied.
Once the posters have been completed, they will be displayed in a prominent part of the school, so
fellow students, parents and teachers will be able to share in our new understandings of poverty in
Australia.
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Lesson 19 – Class Evaluation of Unit
Evaluation of the process we have used will be based on whether or not we have successfully:
Students will give feedback on each aspect of the list above, detailing the usefulness of, relevance of
and personal interest in the topic and the aspects of the topic explored.
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Reference List:
Burgess, C 2006, Child Labour Around the World, The Social Educator, Australia.
Child Poverty: We can’t eradicate it, but we can reduce it, Viewed November 1, 2008 at
http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com
Collins, C 2008, Society & Environment, Week 5 Lecture, Magill University of South Australia.
Healey, J 2006, The Homeless - Issues in Society, The Spinney Press, NSW, Australia.
Healey, J 2005, Wealth and Inequality, The Spinney Press, NSW, Australia.
Hutchins School – Philosophical and Ethical Inquiry Program, Philosophy class report form,
Viewed 12th of November, 2008 at
www.utas.edu.au/philosophy/
Klugman, J 2002, A Sourcebook for Poverty Reduction Strategies, The world bank,
Washington, DC.
Lipman, M 2003, Thinking in Education 2nd Edition, Press Syndicate of the University of
Cambridge, Cambridge.
Playing in the Shadows, ABC National Television, viewed on the 16th of October 2008.
SACSA, 2008, R-10 Society & Environment Teaching Resource, Department of Education and
Children’s Services, South Australia, Australia.
The Brotherhood of Saint Laurence – Facts, Figures and Suggestions for the Future, viewed
on the 6th of November, 2008, at
www.bsl.org.au
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, viewed on the 10th of November, 2008, at
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
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Appendix List:
Appendix 2 – Facts, Figures and Suggestions for the Future – The Brotherhood of Saint
Laurence
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