ONExEAR: Michael Williams at TEDxBrisbane
Summary
TLDRThe speaker reflects on their 30-year journey in higher education, emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting indigenous knowledge paradigms. They recount an experience where students felt unheard, leading to the development of a teaching philosophy centered on deep listening and valuing personal stories. The narrative highlights the power of indigenous scholarship and the potential for rich, cross-cultural knowledge exchange, culminating in a metaphor of a cave illuminated by collective candles, symbolizing the shared enlightenment through communal learning.
Takeaways
- ποΈ Respect for silence and storytelling is crucial to understanding Aboriginal and First Nations people's perspectives.
- π The speaker emphasizes the importance of stories in the learning process, not just for indigenous people but for everyone.
- π₯ The speaker's teaching philosophy is based on deep listening, respect, and understanding the knowledge and stories of others.
- π The speaker's experience in higher education has been shaped by interactions with students and colleagues, highlighting the value of diverse perspectives.
- π The process of learning and teaching is ongoing and should not be closed off; it requires continuous development and adaptation.
- π Deep listening is a key component of the teaching philosophy, allowing for a better understanding of students' stories and knowledge.
- π A pivotal moment was the realization of the importance of indigenous knowledge paradigms in learning, which involves permission to speak and the expectation to listen.
- π Quantum physicists and scholars at a conference recognized the limitations of their own paradigms and looked to indigenous scholarship for further insights.
- πΏ The speaker believes that everyone has an indigenous past and that indigenous knowledge continues to influence the way we articulate ourselves.
- π Creating an environment of respect and deep listening can facilitate a rich and rewarding exchange of knowledge across cultures.
- π―οΈ The metaphor of a cave with candles illustrates the power of collective illumination through shared stories and deep understanding.
Q & A
What is the significance of understanding Aboriginal silence according to the transcript?
-Understanding Aboriginal silence is crucial as it is a form of communication that, if not understood, can hinder the comprehension of their words and stories, which are integral to their culture and identity.
How does the speaker describe the importance of stories in the context of indigenous and all people?
-The speaker emphasizes that stories are very important to indigenous people, including First Nations people, and indeed to everyone, as they are a means of sharing knowledge, experiences, and cultural identity.
What was the speaker's profession for the majority of their working life?
-The speaker spent most of the last thirty years working full-time in the higher education sector, interacting with students, staff, and colleagues.
What was the pivotal moment that led the speaker to develop a teaching philosophy?
-The pivotal moment was when a student expressed frustration about not being understood or listened to in class, which triggered a process of reflection and development of a teaching philosophy focused on deep listening and respect.
What is the core of the speaker's draft teaching philosophy?
-The core of the teaching philosophy is creating a strong, deep listening process that is respectful, understanding how others manage knowledge, and valuing their stories.
How did the speaker's colleagues contribute to the development of the teaching philosophy?
-The speaker's colleagues contributed by attending a conference in the United States, where they experienced an indigenous knowledge paradigm of learning through a circle-style discussion, which influenced the development of their teaching philosophy.
What is the indigenous knowledge paradigm of learning mentioned in the transcript?
-The indigenous knowledge paradigm of learning is a process that involves deep listening, respecting the other person's story, and valuing their knowledge, which is different from the didactic approach often found in traditional education.
Why did the quantum physicist at the conference mention looking to indigenous scholarship for further insights?
-The quantum physicist mentioned looking to indigenous scholarship because their own paradigms and languages of their discipline have taken them as far as they can go, and they believe indigenous knowledge can offer new perspectives for further exploration.
What does the speaker believe about the presence of indigenous knowledge in everyone's ancient past?
-The speaker believes that everyone in the room, and by extension everyone, has some part of their ancient past as a First Nations indigenous population, and that this indigenous knowledge still sustains itself within the way people articulate themselves.
How does the speaker describe the potential outcome of respecting and valuing people's stories in an educational setting?
-The speaker describes the outcome as creating an environment of rich and rewarding knowledge exchange between people across cultures, where students feel challenged and better for having shared and been listened to with respect.
What is the metaphor used by a student to explain the power of collective understanding in the transcript?
-The metaphor used is that of a cave with candles, where standing alone with a candle allows one to see only a small area, but standing together with others allows one to see the entire cave, symbolizing the power of collective understanding and shared knowledge.
Outlines
π£οΈ Embracing Indigenous Silence and Storytelling
The speaker, a senior First Nations man from South Australia, emphasizes the importance of understanding silence in Aboriginal culture as a prerequisite to truly understanding their words. He draws a parallel to the broader human experience, suggesting that understanding silence is key to understanding any person's story. The speaker reflects on his thirty-year career in higher education, where he developed a deep respect for the stories of his students and colleagues. He recounts an incident in a challenging program where a student's plea for understanding and respect led him to formulate a teaching philosophy centered on deep listening and valuing individual narratives. This philosophy was further enriched by an indigenous knowledge paradigm of learning, which was experienced firsthand at a conference with Native American scholars, highlighting the importance of respectful listening and storytelling in knowledge exchange across cultures.
π―οΈ Illuminating Knowledge Through Collective Storytelling
Continuing the theme of storytelling, the speaker discusses the power of an indigenous knowledge paradigm in fostering a rich and rewarding environment for knowledge exchange. He shares his experiences in creating educational programs that challenge and respect students' stories, leading to personal growth and a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives. The speaker uses the metaphor of a candlelit cave to illustrate the collective power of shared stories. When individuals come together with their own 'candles' of knowledge, they can illuminate the entire 'cave' of understanding, suggesting that collective storytelling can lead to a comprehensive and enlightening experience.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘First Nations
π‘Aboriginal person
π‘Silence
π‘Story
π‘Indigenous knowledge paradigm
π‘Higher education sector
π‘Teaching philosophy
π‘Deep listening
π‘Knowledge management
π‘Respect
π‘Cultural exchange
Highlights
The importance of understanding Aboriginal silence to truly understand their words and stories.
Storytelling is vital to indigenous people and all of us, as it shapes our identity and knowledge.
The speaker's 30-year journey in higher education, influenced by talented students and colleagues.
A student's plea for a respectful space to learn and be heard, highlighting the need for inclusive education.
The development of a teaching philosophy focused on deep listening and respecting diverse knowledge.
The significance of valuing and understanding students' stories in the learning process.
An indigenous knowledge paradigm that emphasizes deep listening, respect, and valuing personal narratives.
A conference experience where indigenous and non-indigenous scholars exchanged knowledge in a respectful circle.
The recognition that indigenous knowledge can push the boundaries of existing academic paradigms.
The idea that everyone has an indigenous past that influences our current knowledge and identity.
The potential of an indigenous knowledge paradigm to foster rich, cross-cultural knowledge exchange.
Students feeling challenged and enriched by a course that respects and values their stories.
The metaphor of a cave with candles illustrating the power of collective knowledge and understanding.
The importance of creating an environment where everyone's story is heard and respected.
The transformative impact of deep listening and storytelling on personal and collective growth.
The ongoing process of developing and refining teaching philosophies to better serve diverse learners.
Transcripts
a senior First Nations man from South
Australia once said if you can't
understand an Aboriginal person silence
you'll never understand their words and
by extrapolation if you don't understand
a person silence you perhaps might
understand their words story story is
very important to indigenous people
First Nations people and indeed story is
very important to all of us as many
people as they are in this auditorium
and outside there are very very special
stories I spent the last most of the
last thirty years of my working life in
terms of a full-time job and being paid
full-time as well working in the higher
education sector and I recall early in
that period working with a group of
people and what I'm saying today is a
tribute to the many wonderful and
talented people that I met both as
students as staff as colleagues over
that period because it's their journey
as well as mine and I'm privileged to be
part of that there were three young
people sitting down at the front very
front of the class and we're asking some
questions and it was a a program that
was challenging a number of levels and
there were people that were very
switched on and neither Pro the issues
quite well and one person stood up after
they every time they asked a question or
most times they asked a question the
other people would be critical in some
way and the person stand up turn around
and said we didn't know where we fit it
into this and we wanted to find out by
coming to this class if we've shut down
and not listen to every time we speak
we'll be getting won't go any further
and that triggered in me a process and
over the next number of years I moved to
a point where I put together a draft
teaching philosophy an ethic of learning
and coming to know
and it rust remain a draft because if I
close it off and say I know it I've lost
the process because we have to continue
to listen and continue to develop now
working with as I said these really
really talented people we were able to
develop that into and that teaching
philosophy was about creating a very
very strong deep listening process a
respectful process and Oh taking care to
understand how other people manage
knowledge and how it's important and how
their story is important to them and
indeed many people that we worked with
as students said with some surprise that
they were we were interested in their
what they knew what they thought their
story so it was an exciting process to
work through and one of the more sort of
important or lightbulb moments for me
was when a couple of my colleagues have
worked with me attended a conference in
the United States and they were invited
by a Native American scholars to sit and
sit in the classics circle style and if
you sat in the inner circle Europe had
to speak if you sat outside you listened
and when you're invited in you were then
had permission to speak all this was
around a process that we ultimately
determined to be an indigenous knowledge
paradigm of learning and coming to know
and I speak about coming to know because
sometimes the learning and teaching idea
can be too didactic and certainly in the
way that we as First Nations people
manage the transmission and movement of
knowledge and that process doesn't work
it's about deeply listening and
respecting the other person's story now
there was a quantum physicist at that
particular there were non-indigenous and
indigenous scholars in that conference
made a very important comment and said
when you speak of the
our paradigms in our language of their
discipline as taken us as far as we go
can go and we're looking to indigenous
scholarship to look further so that says
something to me that the First Nations
peoples of this world and the First
Nations cultures and the knowledge
management processes associated with it
every one of us in this room has some
part in our ancient past a time when we
were a First Nations indigenous
population and it's my view that that
indigenous knowledge still sustains
itself within our the way we articulate
ourselves at various times some more
than others and so on but it's still
there in my opinion for a person to say
that encourages me that what we're
talking about in terms of an indigenous
knowledge paradigm with the notion of
respect deep listening hearing the
stories and valuing the stories of
people you can create an environment of
knowledge exchange and exchange between
people across cultures that is very rich
and rewarding I think if you can put
together a program as we've did it when
working not only at the University of
Queensland but other places where
students in the last week can say I took
a course and I was challenged and no one
had a lot to say I feel I'm a better
person having done this course because
of the way people listen to me with
respect they listen to my story and help
me move my story to another standpoint
and I think finally one student said and
I think this is a beautiful sort of
explanation of it if you walk into a
cave with candles stand by yourself with
a candle you can see itself four or five
people get together you can see the
group but if you all sit and stand
together with your candles you can see
the entire cave
you
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