EP 49: Big Mobs

There are many influences on Australian English from indigenous language and culture. Especially in the north of Australia where there are big mobs. This is both a blessing and a curse, as cultural and colonial influences have struggled to work effectively with local people, local culture and language. There are some positive examples of how this can be overcome. And who better to talk to about this, than my mum, Dr. Wendy Giles, who knows big mobs about this topic. Wendy reflects on her time as a teacher educator and trainer, and the skills as a teacher and a learner she required to not only work in an isolated environment, but also to help understand and remove barriers to learning and teaching. Dr Giles details the contexts in which indigenous communities are often educated, and how these multilingual and multicultural communities are ignored when it comes to educational requirements. We reflect on our time as education researchers, and what this can mean to both teachers and learners. We look at the barriers that can inhibit teaching and learning and how this can be overcome. We look at how understanding cultures, how listening and reflecting on our own methods of teaching and learning, can create a much more positive and effective learning environment. Specifically in a Australian context, we look at how communities not only suffer a language and cultural barrier, but also a conceptual barrier. And as such, big mobs has become a widely used term to encapsulate something beyond language and beyond cultures. There are big mobs of information in this episode for both teachers and learners. And we hope this opens your eyes, as it did ours, as to the ways in which we learn and we approach teaching. P.S. I love you big mobs mum. If you would like a transcript for this episode, get access to exclusive content, get express releases, and have a say in the creative process, or would just like to support the show, think about becoming a patron: patreon.com/AustraliansTeachEnglish