ONExEAR: Michael Williams at TEDxBrisbane

Summary

The 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

• 🕊️ Respect for silence and storytelling is crucial to understanding Aboriginal and First Nations people's perspectives.
• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the importance of stories in the learning process, not just for indigenous people but for everyone.
• 👥 The speaker's teaching philosophy is based on deep listening, respect, and understanding the knowledge and stories of others.
• 🌐 The speaker's experience in higher education has been shaped by interactions with students and colleagues, highlighting the value of diverse perspectives.
• 🔄 The process of learning and teaching is ongoing and should not be closed off; it requires continuous development and adaptation.
• 👂 Deep listening is a key component of the teaching philosophy, allowing for a better understanding of students' stories and knowledge.
• 🌟 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.
• 🌌 Quantum physicists and scholars at a conference recognized the limitations of their own paradigms and looked to indigenous scholarship for further insights.
• 🌿 The speaker believes that everyone has an indigenous past and that indigenous knowledge continues to influence the way we articulate ourselves.
• 🔗 Creating an environment of respect and deep listening can facilitate a rich and rewarding exchange of knowledge across cultures.
• 🕯️ 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.