Sunday 2 February 2014
Saturday 1 February 2014
Friday 31 January 2014
Day Thirty One
Day 31 - Driving from Brisbane to Armidale
Dr Brian Lewthwaite is battening down in Townsville. I will interview him early next week.
Dr Brian Lewthwaite is battening down in Townsville. I will interview him early next week.
Thursday 30 January 2014
Day Thirty
Day 30 - Homeward Bound due to Cyclone Dylan bringing flooding, storm surge and wind to Townsville....
This is pretty disappointing as I was really really looking forward to speaking to Dr Brian Lewthwaite in person. All academics from Canada, New Zealand and Australia speak very highly of him... ah well can't help the weather. It was better to stay safe and also not be in the way!
This is pretty disappointing as I was really really looking forward to speaking to Dr Brian Lewthwaite in person. All academics from Canada, New Zealand and Australia speak very highly of him... ah well can't help the weather. It was better to stay safe and also not be in the way!
Gales, rain hit north Qld as cyclone brews
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014/01/29/07/44/potential-cyclone-closing-in-on-north-qld
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is warning people to batten down as the storm will likely bring heavy rain and winds up to 120km/h.
"Currently we're anticipating the cyclone crossing the coast somewhere in the Townsville region, granting that it is a fairly long way out at the moment," BOM Queensland regional director Rob Webb said.
Townsville flights cancelled
Wednesday 29 January 2014
Day Twenty Nine
Day 29 - Meeting with Dr Rachel Popelka-Filcoff and Dr Claire Lenehan at Flinders University
My meeting today focused on Ochre. I had asked Rachel and Claire how they thought I might be able to bring ochre into the Science classroom. They had some amazing ideas. Rachel warned that the discussion of ochre in terms of traditional stories, uses and ceremony is very sacred and advice must be sought very sensitively. They advised talking more generally in lessons about the traditional use of ochre on a national level, rather than locally. I think that students would be fascinated by the distances travelled to access and trade for red ochre, the most highly valued ochre. Red, shiny ochre was the most highly sought after. People would walk from far north Queensland (as we call it) all the way to South Australia to seek red ochre. Wild tobacco would often be exchanged for the ochre.
Some of the ideas that Rachel and Claire came up with for classroom inquiry into ochre were:
My meeting today focused on Ochre. I had asked Rachel and Claire how they thought I might be able to bring ochre into the Science classroom. They had some amazing ideas. Rachel warned that the discussion of ochre in terms of traditional stories, uses and ceremony is very sacred and advice must be sought very sensitively. They advised talking more generally in lessons about the traditional use of ochre on a national level, rather than locally. I think that students would be fascinated by the distances travelled to access and trade for red ochre, the most highly valued ochre. Red, shiny ochre was the most highly sought after. People would walk from far north Queensland (as we call it) all the way to South Australia to seek red ochre. Wild tobacco would often be exchanged for the ochre.
Some of the ideas that Rachel and Claire came up with for classroom inquiry into ochre were:
- mixing pigments
- firing yellow pigments to observe colour change
- photographing ochre in different lights and measuring the chroma perhaps by using an app.
- effect of different light filters on the perceived colour of the ochre
- effect on viscosity, cracking or stickiness of the ochre by changing binders (eg. egg, water or milk)
- observing colour before and after grinding the ochre with a mortar and pestle
- observing crystal size and shape before and after grinding the ochre
- comparing crystal size and shape of different pigments
Claire also talked about Spinifex Resin Biopolymer, which is a natural adehesive. Studies have been carried out on the effect different plant processing methods has on the viscosity and adhesive properties of the resin. I think this would definitely be worth researching.
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Monday 27 January 2014
Day Twenty Seven
Day 27 - Meeting with Cathy Grieve Teacher Previously at Salisbury North Primary School
I made a point of catching up with Cathy because of her experience working within culturally responsive schools in Adelaide. She was able to tell me about the amazing relationship the school had with local Aboriginal Elders and their communities. These community members were almost always present in the school working alongside teachers in delivering local cultural history and knowledge throughout the curriculum. Teachers were able to provide the Elders with detail of their future lessons and they would make suggestions on lesson content and how the content best be delivered.
I made a point of catching up with Cathy because of her experience working within culturally responsive schools in Adelaide. She was able to tell me about the amazing relationship the school had with local Aboriginal Elders and their communities. These community members were almost always present in the school working alongside teachers in delivering local cultural history and knowledge throughout the curriculum. Teachers were able to provide the Elders with detail of their future lessons and they would make suggestions on lesson content and how the content best be delivered.
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