Education Dialogue Project
Helen Brown, Assistant Principal of Lyndhurst SC, speaks to secondary school teachers at an education workshop.
Yusef Omar leads a breakaway discussion at an Education Dialogue symposium.
Professor Joseph Camilleri presents on the philosophy of dialogue at an Education Dialogue symposium.
The education system is a crucial component to curb intercultural and interreligious tensions and misperceptions that are damaging to societal relations. The Education Dialogue Project thus aims to heighten intercultural awareness within the Australian secondary school setting.
The first phase of the project, which was recently completed, held a series of consultations, workshops and seminars with teachers and those working within the broader education system. Each event was designed to promote intercultural dialogue within the secondary school setting. Topics include how to accommodate the needs of students and parents who are newly arrived to Australia; developing empathetic approaches to unfamiliar cultures; intercultural educational dialogue vis-à-vis religion; empirical examples of how partner schools have fostered relations with communities and how the dialogue approach can be incorporated into existing curriculum guidelines.
An advisory group is currently reviewing the project and drafting recommendations to key stakeholders. A set of formal recommendations will emerge and be made available to key bodies and policy makers, such as the Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Office, the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority and the various peak teachers' and principals' associations.
The Centre for Dialogue is currently drafting phase 2 of the project.
Earlier this year, Dr George Myconos, coordinator of the Education Dialogue Project, was approached by the Independent Schools of Victoria to evaluate the effectiveness of 'values-education.' This encompasses programmes that prompt students to consider what is 'right' and 'wrong' in relation to entitlements, obligations and responsibilities; handling competing interests; and relations with those of different ideologies, cultures, faiths, genders and appearance. This project is currently underway, and exemplifies the Centre's ongoing commitment to applied-related research.
- Project Coordinator
- Dr George Myconos
- Supporting Organisations
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- Partner schools
- Lalor North Secondary College
- Cleeland campus of Dandenong High School
- Catholic Ladies' College
- Marian College
- Coomoora Secondary College
- Northcote High School
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- Advisory Committee Organisations
- Asialink Asia Education Foundation (Melbourne University)
- Australian Education Union
- Catholic Education Office
- Curriculum Cooperation
- Department of Education and Training Multicultural Unit
- La Trobe University School of Education Studies
- Monash Asia Institute School of Education Studies
- Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals Inc
- Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority
- Victorian Institute of Teaching
- Victorian Multicultural Commission
- Duration
- Phase one, 2005 — 2008
- Phase two, 2008 — ongoing