Rachel Burke

Invitation or Invasion? The 'family home' metaphor in the Australian media's construction of immigration

This paper examines the metaphoric uses of the family home image in the Australian print medias discussion of immigration during the key periods of 1972-1975, and 1984. It will argue that media depictions of migrants shifted between these two intervals, according to changing conceptions of Australias role in an international context. Popular anxieties regarding national identity, Australias international reputation, and its future social and economic prospects find expression in the family home construction and its operation in the media. This examination reveals the manner in which the Australian populace is constantly re-evaluating and re-interpreting the directions and significance of national immigration policy.

Constructions of Asian International Students: The “Casualty” Model and Australia as “Educator”

Asian international students – not to be confused with Asian Australian students – have been travelling to Australia to pursue tertiary studies since 1904 (Radford Ongkili and Toyoizumi, 1984). However, it was not until 1950 that a formal program for the admittance of overseas scholars was established (Koh, 1989). From this time, international student numbers began to increase significantly, largely as a result of the Colombo Plan and the Australian government’s provision of educational scholarships as a means of aid to majority world countries (Koh, 1989). Under the scheme, Asian international students studied at Australian universities and technical institutions in order to gain knowledge and skills to assist economic development in their home country (Jupp, 1988). As a result of the government’s sponsorship program, Australia gained recognition within the Asian region as a study destination, and the number of privately financed international students increased (Koh, 1989). The legislation established for the entry of sponsored students into the country also facilitated the smooth admission of private scholars (Koh, 1989). These students applied for university entry directly to educational institutions (Koh, 1989). As Australian tertiary education expanded and evolved during the 1960s and 1970s, increased numbers of students from Asia enrolled at campuses throughout the nation (Jolley, 1997). By 1983, the total number of international student enrolments at Australian tertiary institutions was 13,700 (ABS, 2002). In 1985, the government introduced the fullfee paying category for overseas students, and for the first time tertiary institutions were encouraged to supplement their income by actively marketing their services to overseas countries (Throsby, 1985). By 2001, the number of international students in Australia Asian Studies Review December 2006, Vol. 30, pp. 333–354

Language and Culture in the Mathematics Classroom: Scaffolding Learner Engagement

Various assertions have been made regarding the relationship between mathematics, language and culture (Ladson-Billings in J Res Math Educ 28:697–708, 1997; Guberman in Cultural aspects of young children’s mathematics knowledge, 1999; D’Ambrosio in Teach Child Math 7:308, 2001; Barwell in The role of language in mathematics, 2002; Street in Curr Issues Comp Educ 5(2):77, 2003; Lesser & Blake in J Crit Educ Policy Stud 5(1), 2007; Fogelberg et al. in Integrating literacy and math strategies for K-6 teachers. Guilford Publications, New York, 2008). Some posit a dichotomous relationship, understanding mathematics to be separate to language and culture. Others refer to mathematics as ‘the universal language’, consisting of conceptual knowledge and cognitive processes common to all cultural and linguistic groups.

Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching and Learning English: Connections with Critical Numeracy

Together with literacy, numeracy has been acknowledged as a foundation of formal schooling. Once considered the domain of the mathematics and English classrooms respectively, numeracy and literacy—in all their forms—are increasingly recognised as important social practices pertinent to all subjects (Luke and Freebody in Practically Prim 4(2):5–8, 1999, Steen in J Singap Assoc Math Educators 6(1):10-16, 2001, Unsworth in Changing contexts of text and image in classroom practice. Open University Press, Buckingham, 2001, Watson in Math Teach 69(1):34-40, 2009, Goos, Geiger, & Dole in Changing classroom practice through a rich model of numeracy across the curriculum, 2012). In the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority’s [ACARA] in General Capabilities, (2015b), which lists skills required in order to ‘live and work successfully in the twenty-first century’, literacy and numeracy occupy prominent positions amid the seven general capabilities emphasised across all Key Learning Areas (KLAs). Increasingly, highly developed skills in multiple forms of literacies and numeracies are considered vital for citizens in the knowledge society.

Drama in the Primary Classroom: Contextualising Critical Numeracy

This description of a simple role-play in the primary classroom illustrates the potential for drama to transform the learning environment. An imagined scenario provides a novel context for participation, learners are empowered to share ‘ownership’ of the classroom assuming various roles in the drama and there is a conscious effort to build on learners’ existing knowledge. Although not identified in the description of the role-play, there are a range of numerate concepts, skills and dispositions inherent to the scenario. The spatial arrangement of furniture to replicate the setting of a train carriage, the numbering of the chairs, the allocation of tickets and roles to each learner, and possibly transactions related to the purchasing of food at the dining car, all require numerate skills and knowledge. Further, in participating in the scenario, the learners assume particular social roles. The introduction of drama, therefore, provides a meaningful context for engagement with numeracy.

The weaponisation of language: English proficiency, citizenship and the politics of belonging in Australia

Calls for greater protection of national boundaries – both physical and ideological – and the politicising of immigration and citizenship are increasingly characteristic of the global geo-political landscape. Several signatory countries to the UNHCR refugee convention have sought to legislate higher levels of language proficiency for citizenship eligibility. Most recently, this has been attempted in Australia, reigniting controversy about the use of language testing to assess a potential citizen’s ‘worthiness’. In this paper, we identify contested conceptions of belonging and citizenship, manifested in mediatised debates around language proficiency and citizenship which emerged following the announcement of proposed changes to Australian citizenship rules. We use Graff’s (1981) concept of the ‘Literacy Myth’ to analyze associations between language proficiency and ‘morality’ evident in Australian media articles, to explore the underpinning discourses of these proposals, and to probe the relationship between citizenship, belonging and language. We argue that these myths work discursively to frame language proficiency as a proxy measure of the morality of prospective citizens and their willingness to ‘integrate’ or ‘assimilate’ into resettlement contexts. Relatedly, these myths can be deployed to justify the denial of the possibility of belonging to those who do not possess the linguistic capital privileged by policy and media elites.

International student accommodation and changing foreign policy alignments in 1950s Australia

Abstract Australia’s popularity as a study destination increased markedly from the 1940s, with growing demand for tertiary education in postcolonial Asia. The advent of scholarship initiatives, including the Colombo Plan’s Technical Cooperation Scheme in 1951, further increased interest in Australia as an educational provider for both sponsored and privately funded students. This article explores the print media’s commentary on international student accommodation shortages in the 1950s. While Australian housing availability was impacted by wartime cessation of construction and postwar immigration, print media coverage generally attributed international student accommodation shortages to discrimination within the rental market. Overwhelmingly, this alleged discriminatory treatment was condemned within the print media, with the dual rationale of moral and diplomatic objections prominent in newspaper discourse. This media censure is examined within the context of shifting foreign policy alignments, growing national and international condemnation of the so-called ‘White Australia policy’, and the broader political agenda of Australian Colombo Plan involvement.

Formative Assessment Procedures and the Second Language Curriculum: Signposts for the Journey

How teachers conceptualize classroom language learning is the result of many factors including cultural background, personality, teacher training, and experiences as a student. For some, the process is like a game of tennis: a series of exchanges between teacher and learners. For others language learning in the classroom is best described using the image of the traffic controller, with the teacher directing students toward greater proficiency through input and guidance. I find the metaphor that most clearly symbolizes the process of language learning in the classroom is the journey. In this construction the planned curriculum provides the path along which the students travel as independent learners, maintaining a pace determined by their personal goals and motivations. I consider it the role of teacher not to carry the learners through the course, but to ensure that they remain on track to achieve their goals. This conceptualization of the teachers role as facilitator or guide raises a vital question: how can we adequately monitor each learners progress while simultaneously performing the many other functions required of a language instructor? The answer lies in the use of planned formative assessment procedures. This article is written with the hope that others will benefit from conceptualizing formative assessment as a tool for signposting the journey of second-language learning.