Living in Harmony Community Grants 1999

Australian Captial Territory

Hughes Primary School

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Video/kit: "Kids Across Cultures - A School Across Cultures"

$46,000 Awarded

| Aim | Activities | Outcomes |

Aim

This project, now completed, aimed through production of a Kids Across Cultures video and teacher guide to:

  • show others working in the educational sector how they can make changes in approach that will reduce racism within the school community

  • assist other schools to recognise issues such as fear, non-participation, intolerance, scapegoating, stereotyping and prejudice

  • to help others to deal positively with these issues and demonstrate strategies that promote tolerance and harmony

  • demonstrate a school (itself) undergoing the learning process of dealing positively with multicultural issues

  • effect positive attitudinal change among teachers and students

  • promote best practice in other schools and facilitate community harmony by promoting a culturally inclusive curriculum and learning environment

Activities

The project:

  • focused on five key messages:

    • a culturally inclusive school is achievable and desirable

    • the continuous professional development of staff promotes understanding and tolerance

    • Kids Across Cultures is the school's model for curriculum planning and delivery

    • the school values the cultural diversity of its community

    • teachers and children at the school create a caring environment that acknowledges the special needs of new students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

  • assisted by professional script-writers, produced a video to be used as an educational resource for teachers, pre-service teachers and P&C associations:

    • depicting situations at Hughes Primary School and how they were handled, for example:

      • enabling a Muslim child to attend a school camp because the school arranged a prayer room and Halal food for him

      • showing how students from diverse backgrounds interact across the school in cooperative groups in both classroom and playgroup situations

    • promote harmony through a culturally inclusive curriculum and learning environment as an aid for best practice in other schools

  • produced a Teacher's Resource Guide, as well as the video of best practice in the school, forming the kit Beyond Tolerance which includes discussion questions for audiences to help spread its impact

  • ensured the kit/project were widely promoted, including:

    • sending copies to all Government, Catholic and Independent primary schools in ACT

    • encouraging its use at teacher professional development sessions and distributing it at national education conferences etc

    • arranging for its use in a number of University teacher education courses

  • designed an evaluation questionnaire (focused on how well the kit conveys its messages) for use in workshops and presentations at conferences

  • publicised the kit through:

    • large-scale Harmony Day events in 2000 and 2001

    • a high profile public launch (including both DIMA and ACT Government)

    • much media support and exposure

    • adding information on the project and its key messages to the school website www.hughespsps.act.edu.au

Outcomes

The project:

  • has resulted in greater interaction of students, parents and staff from diverse backgrounds, and goodwill and pride amongst the school community

  • has made the school "a showcase for multicultural education since the LIH program put its ideas into the national spotlight"

  • was so successful in the school as a trial program that it is now used all year round by both mainstream and intensive English classes

  • has had international exposure through:

    • being one of those chosen to demonstrate LIH at work to the UN Special Rapporteur on Racism, Professor Maurice Abanbanzo, on his visit to Australia in 2000

    • the video being selected as one of the items for the Australian exhibition at the UN International Anti Racism Conference in Durban, South Africa, 2001

    • many school parents who work in embassies using the video to demonstrate the Australian school context to incoming staff, thus extending the concepts to a multi-national audience

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