“In the Red Teaching Space, we should be prepared for reciprocity in cultural teaching and learning. It is important to understand what your role is in this space – are you are a teacher or a student and what behaviour and protocols are required for each?”
Teaching role in the Red Space
- Some cultures are well practiced at teaching and instructing their stories, practices and traditions, while others are less able to identify and articulate theirs.
- Teaching is not only about the transference and testing of information. It is about sense-making, bringing understanding, equipping to navigate cultural landscapes and growing wisdom to guide generations to be honourable and sustain our cultures.
Learning posture in the Red Space
- Openness to receive the teaching, instruction and guidance.
- This doesn’t mean an absence of curious questioning or robust debate. It does mean we are open to have our mental models challenged and changed. It also means that we are able to keep our self-image humble enough to hear wisdom from the other culture.
Always learning in the Red Space
- Most cultures in the world now have a sense of “formal schooling”. A few generations ago that was definitely not the case. Learning about culture and how your community behaves is a life-long expectation woven into daily routines, regular practices and formal ceremonial occasions.
In the context of working interculturally with First Nations and other Australians we should be prepared for reciprocity in cultural teaching and learning. That is, we should be prepared to share what we know about our cultures.
Next on the path of the Intercultural Framework is understanding the Yellow Pragmatic space.
Missed reading the earlier spaces and backgrounds for the Intercultural Framework? Click here for the Blue Space of Cultural Practice, the Deep Purple Space of Deep Cultural Memory and Understanding the Backgrounds first.
Peace
Mark Yettica-Paulson
