AAFIE in Conversation: Recent Episodes
Megan Hall
What started as a way for AAFIE to connect with #flexifolk everywhere after events were cancelled worldwide, AAFIE in Conversation has become a space for folk in the alternative, flexible and inclusive education sector to yarn, share practice wisdoms, showcasing research insights and reflections & more! Regular Episodes! Connect with us today!
In this episode of AAFIE in Conversation, AAFIE's Simon Vaughan chats with Krysta McMah about her work with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Krysta shares the important grassroots work she undertakes in communities and schools towards Climate Action. Krysta is a passionate advocate for Climate Justice, and she aims to empower our DSD delegates to be leaders alongside of young people, to take action in their own schools and communities, to make positive climate change for all our futures.
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In this episode, AAFIE’s Dale Murray is joined by Dr. Iain Matheson, an independent child welfare researcher, speaker, trainer and mentor. In his work, Iain helps government agencies and community organisations to improve outcomes by better generating, leveraging, and acting upon evidence and learning.
In this conversation, Dale and Iain chat about Iain work in Child Protection, Education with a focus on Youth Justice. At DSD2024, Iain's Keynote presentation is entitled: Building better Youth Justice systems around the world. In this episode Iain discusses that he'll share insights into the different way we have historically done youth justice around the world, shed some positive and not so positive developments that are happening internationally in the youth justice space, and discuss "What is the purpose of youth detention? Rehabilitation? Incapacitation? Deterrence? Retribution?"
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In this episode, AAFIE's Dale Murray yarns with Associate Professor Marnee Shay from the University of Queensland. Marnee is currently a Principal Research Fellow at the University. She has an extensive externally funded research program and has many publications in the fields of Indigenous education, flexi schooling and Indigenous education policy. During this yarn, Dale and Marnee have the chance to discuss Marnee's passion for the work: elevating voice, advocating and bringing about change for community. Marnee's Keynote presentation at DSD2024 is one not to be missed, with an emphasis on young people voice in co-design.
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In this episode, AAFIE’s Professor Kitty te Riele is joined by Carolyn Blanden, Principal of Warakirri College in Western Sydney. Kitty and Carolyn chat about her move from mainstream schooling into flexible learning and what she values about the flexible and inclusive education sector. Carolyne also offers us a little insight into her DSD2024 Keynote Presentation: Breaking the Cycle - rising to the challenges of raising students’ aspirations.
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Episode 10 - DSD2024 - Dr. Tom Brunzell
In this episode AAFIE’s Dale Murray is joined by Dr. Tom Brunzell, Director of Education at Berry Street. Dale and Tom chat about Tom's work at Berry Street, Melbourne University, his new book (co-authored with Professor Helen Stokes) and why he is committed to Doing School Differently. Tom also gives us a little sneak peek into what to expect from his Keynote Presentation this year.
Dr. Tom Brunzell and Professor Helen Stokes: Implementing trauma informed pedagogies for school change shifting schools from reactive to proactive.
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In this episode AAFIE’s Dale Murray and Professor Kitty te Riele are joined by Henk van Woudenberg from The Netherlands. Henk is the part of the Student Ownership of Learning (SOL) Foundation, whose research relates to the outcomes of 'game-based research' with the experiences of 'ownership of learning' of students. Henk spends some time talking about 'The Game', a board-game that encourages players to articulate the culture of their school and their idea about what is the most desired culture for the future of their school.
The game is played with all participants of the school community. The game generates data that can be used to define the direction of the school development.
With the board game dubbed ‘We own the school’ you discuss ownership of learning with students, teachers and school leaders. The aim of this game is to start a conversation about 'ownership of learning' and how the school can promote that.
Student ownership of learning SOL - Welcome
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Join this amazing group of young people from Canberra College as they host this amazing vodcast discussing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
They lead a balanced conversation about the YES vote and hope to provide as much information for our young people who are of voting age to make an informed decision about their vote.
The power of the youth voice important in this referendum and this conversation is a must listen for all young people and all voters!
These young folk we're joined by esteemed guests for a Q & A.
Dr John Davis : JD is a proud Murri Ambae man. He is a Traditional Owner of the western sides of Bunya Bunya Mountains, Country we call Boobagarrn Ngumminge.
“My people are Cobble Cobble kinnected to Warra and Dalby. We have links directly to the Barunggam and Wakka Wakka people”. John is passionate about our people, our languages and culture and working and moving our ways forward as best practice in education and community development. John is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab (Deakin University), an activist, public-facing think-tank rooted in research that leads with the insight that Indigenous Knowledge carries the patterns, systems, methods and protocols to make regenerative models of production, trade, economics, governance and technology function sustainably at scale.
John was former CEO of the Stronger Smarter Institute, an organisation that works with educators to improve the educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. He is a regular media commentator, including regular appearances as a panellist on ABC’s The Drum.
Brydie Zorz: Working as an advocate and a proud Wiradjuri woman, Brydie has featured in a wide range of forums from the Lithgow Mercury to Italy’s Il Globo newspapers. Brydie has given voice to the Uluru Statement from the heart and speaking on both indigenous representation in our country and the specific issues that are currently under debate regarding the Uluru Statement and the constitutional reform. Brydie is an ambassador for the Uluru Youth Network.
Scott Gorringe : Scott is a Mithaka man from far western Queensland. Scott is both passionate and resolute about bringing people together around approaches to complex challenges. He is best known for his trustworthiness, humility and unbridled and unparalleled passion for driving cultural awareness and change.
Along with 5 other Mithaka people, Scott led the Mithaka Native Title process for 12 years to a successful Consent Determination decision in October 2015. He believes the challenge is to reconnect with self, others, and the environment. Scott has a master’s degree from the University of Queensland, studied at The University of British Columbia in Canada. He is Director of Murrimatters Consulting, Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, and Chief Investigator on Australian Research Council grant (ANU).
The National and International experiences broadened Scott’s knowledge and understanding of other Indigenous societies which places him at the forefront of articulating ground-breaking and cutting-edge strategies which have been created to assist First Nation Peoples’ ongoing willingness to foster and drive self-determination.
Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan : Aunty Violet cannot be with us on the day but has passed some thoughts to relay to the audience:
Aunty Violet says that the referendum is a critical step towards her Grand Children and Great Grand Children being able to walk with you in a country with no racism.
She wants you to know that she feels that her community cannot do this without other Australians walking alongside
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In this episode Co-Chair of AAFIE Professor Kitty te Riele is joined by Professor Karen Martin from the University of Tasmania.
Professor Martin is a Professor in Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in the School of Education. Professor Martin's research explores trauma-informed practice and how its application can transform the education experience for school students.
In addition to promoting awareness of the impact of trauma, her areas of expertise include child and adolescent mental health, psychological and post-traumatic distress, and family and domestic violence.
Kitty and Karen yarn about trauma, and the work that Karen is doing in Tasmania as part of the Trauma Informed Research Lab at UTAS.
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In this episode, AAFIE's Dale Murray is joined by Mr. Richard O'Neill from Manchester UK. Richard describes himself as amaster storyteller brought up in the nomadic storytelling tradition. Richard has made and continues to make a huge contribution to the art of storytelling across the world.
Richard's book 'The School for Nomads' recognises the importance for young Gypsy and Traveller people to have access to books that positively reflect their lives and experiences.
At the same time, the book highlight the important of education understanding the barriers Gypsy and Traveller children often face in both accessing mainstream education and in staying in the education system.
Whilst literacy levels are lower than the national average so too is the understanding of Gypsy and Traveller cultures and traditional learning models. 'The School for Nomads' was created with Gypsy and Traveller students, for Gypsy and Traveller students and their teachers, which explores what a ‘School for Nomads’ would look like.
During this chat, Dale and Richard yarn about the mirrored experiences of gypsy and nomad students with many young people in Australia on the fringes of education. These similarities highlight the importance of representation for marginalised students and how the education system understands and includes these cohorts in learning.
In this episode, AAFIE's Dale Murray is joined by Professor Martin Mills, Dr. Aspa Baroutsis and Dr. Glenda McGregor as they share their insights into their presentation for Doing School Differently 2022 - Who teaches in the flexible and non-traditional school sector in Australia.
There are over 70,000 young people, across 400 flexible and non-traditional schools in Australia, yet little is known about the workforce, the people who 'make the magic happen'. Through their current Australian Research Council Linkage Project, Martin, Aspa and Glenda are eager to present some preliminary findings collected from a range of interviews conducted with principals, teachers, teacher aides, youth workers and social workers, who comprise the teaching workforce in this sector.
Join Co-Chair of AAFIE Dale Murray as he yarns with Dr. LuciPangrazio, Senior lecturer in Language and Literacy and Alfred Deakin postdoctoral research fellow at Deakin University about her Keynote address at the upcoming Doing School Differently Conference (DSD2022). Luci's research focuses on social media, personal data and privacy, the politics of digital platforms, and young people’s critical understandings of social media. At DSD2022 Luci will be presenting a Keynote address entitled: Children and young people’s digital rights in the algorithmic age.
Music: Try by Cosmo License no. #3867071 https://www.premiumbeat.com/
In this episode, AAFIE's Dale Murray is joined by Helen Connolly, the South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People, who will opentheDoing School Differently Conference with her keynote address entitled From the Wings to Centre Stage: Understanding Education from the perspective of children.
During this chat, Commissioner Connolly shares her commitment to children and young people through various aspects of her work including a series of 'Keeping Kids Connected' summits. The Commissioner highlighted that through these opportunities it is clear that there are many people who are interested in the education of our children and young people; acknowledging the important roles that education plays in keeping kids connected in all aspects of their lives.
Join Co-Chair of AAFIE Professor Kitty te Riele as she yarns with Dr. Tom Brunzell, Director of Education, Berry Street about his Keynote address at the upcoming Doing School Differently Conference.
Tom's presentation is titled: Proactively supporting positive behaviour in FLO: Re-imagining student behaviour intervention through a systems-informed perspective.
Tom also shares with us, why he is a returned speaker and delegate of the Doing School Differently Conferences!
Music: Try by Cosmo License no. #3867071 https://www.premiumbeat.com/
AAFIE's Dale Murray is joined by Dr. Andrew Bills, Flinders University, and Nigel Howard, UniSA Futures to discuss the development of AAFIE first Special Interest Group focusing on how we might reimagine and reengineer curriculum that builds on an ethic of care and seeks to make accredited outcomes more accessible for young people in alternative and inclusive education.
Dale also chats with Andrew and Nigel about their presentation at the upcoming Doing School Differently Conference in Adelaide this June. Nigel and Andrew will be presenting a Workshop entitled: Doing Professional Learning Differently: Implications for preservice education.
Join AAFIE's Dale Murray as he yarns with Dr. Tom Brunzell, Director of Education at Berry Street and Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. This episode is focused on supporting young people with complex unmet needs for learning and their re-entry into in-person learning.
In this episode, Professor Julian Sefton-Green, Professor of New Media Education at Deakin University and AAFIE Board Member is joined by Taryn Marks, Wotjobaluk woman from Western Victoria, General Manager and previous Board Director of AIME. Taryn and Julian yarn about mentoring and why it matters for all people and in Taryn's space and experience for First Nations young people and their interface with education.This conversation also speaks to mentoring as a experience - for mentor and mentee, issues of power, reciprocity, trust and the enhancement of individual experience and journey through the mentoring process.See more about AIME at https://aime-mentoring.myshopify.com/
In this episode, AAFIE's Dale Murray is joined by Dr John Davis, proud Murri Ambae man. JD is a Traditional Owner of the western sides of Bunya Bunya Mountains, Country his mob call Boobagarrn Ngumminge. JD is also the CEO of The Stronger Smarter Institute.The ‘Strong and Smart’ approach, developed by Dr Chris Sarra at Cherbourg State School, is now used in schools across the country to embrace a strong and positive sense of what it means to be Aboriginal in contemporary Australian society. The Stronger Smarter Institute has a vision for Stronger Smarter communities across Australia, where all people are strong in culture, strong in identity and enjoy prosperous, safe and healthy lives.JD's core work roles over the past decade have focused on educational excellence, woven within a team environment.“Wherever I weave, I lay a footprint based on sustaining excellence – a core feature of my work outcomes – growing leadership density and developing cultures of excellence and aspirations”.In this episode Dale and JD, yarn about Language and it's connection to Culture, Identity and Country and the significance of language to contemporary Australia and the path to healing. This yarn acknowledges the true testament that language and culture has held on this land, in it's people, through its dance, art and songlines for over 60,000 years.JD yarns about education, and how the acknowledgement of 60,000 years of knowledge, tradition and connection to Country can not be disregarded in our classrooms for all students, but particularly for First Nations kids. JD tells of his mob, their connection to language and three ways of speaking through the artifacts of his mob - clapstick from Elders, Clapstick for the next generation and firestick that is part of their songline, that place of Boobagarrn Ngumminge - beautiful fire country.Dale describes JD "as a man with a big fire in his heart, that burns coolly across our Country".
The first comprehensive research on ‘flexis’ across Australia. The foremost national flexi provider in the country. Put these two together and you get MAGIC! In this episode Prof. Kitty te Riele & Dale Murray yarn about how it all started, the Doing School Differently Conference & AAFIE. What they’ve learnt since then, and where they see it all going...