1. Red Dirt Thinking About
Remote Education
John Guenther
Sam Osborne
Kendall Clarke
Marijke Denton
2. Red Dirt Thinking
• Thinking grounded in the context of remote Australia
• Thinking which reflects the vast openness of possibilities
• The utopian of the ‘blue sky’ versus the pragmatic reality of the ‘red dirt’
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3. The aspiration to succeed
How would a remote educator
build aspiration and success?
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4. Simple problem, simple solution?
“…the problem is the quality of the schools, particularly the curriculum and the
teaching methods.” (Anderson, 2012, p. 4)
“…there needs to be focused additional concrete efforts to make sure that kids attend
school – and there the parents and communities do have a responsibility…”
(Garrett, 2012)
“This is the formula upon which our reform in Cape York is premised: Committed
Teacher + Effective Instruction = Quality Teaching”. (Pearson, 2011, p. 53)
“Put simply, quality teachers create quality outcomes.” (Sarra, 2011, p. 161)
"All of the good jobs with lots of money go to people who have gone to school," Mr
Abbott said, instructing the children to attend school every day.(Elks, 2011)
“Curtisha has completed preschool – she knows how to hold a pencil, listen to the
teacher, and adapt to the formal routines of the day. She’s ready for school.
Ready for the future. The mistakes made in one generation are being repaired in
the next. The gap is being closed”.(Gillard, 2013)
“School failure is the problem”. (Hughes & Hughes, 2012, p. 1)
“Mainstream education at all levels is essential if Yolngu children are to have the same
life chances as other Australians.”(Wearne & Yunupingu, 2011, p. 5)
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5. Simple model for educational success
Attend Achieve Earn
• parent • teacher • individual
responsibility responsibility responsibility
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6. Real indicators of educational success?
• Bilingual, bicultural capacity (ability to engage with Western thinking)
• Agency in family and community affairs
• Confidence to effect change
• Strengthened identity
• Socialisation (cultural power, implicit norms)
• Resilience in the face of trauma
How would a remote educator
teach to this success?
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7. Aspiration for success?
• We know that aspiration is derived from models
offered by older family members,
• But is it the role of educators to build aspiration
in parents?
• Where does industry fit in with building
aspiration?
Can a remote educator
build aspiration?
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8. Red dirt presentations
• Red dirt thinking on educational disadvantage
John Guenther
• Red dirt thinking family and community well being in rural and remote
Australian communities: From adversity comes Opportunity: the SpICE
model.
Kendall Clarke & Marijke Denton
• Red dirt thinking on power, pedagogy and paradigms: Delimiting the
dialogue in remote education.
Sam Osborne
• Red dirt thinking on education systems: Shifting from remote to local.
Melodie Bat
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