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2004 news from the PEO
December 2004
Opening of Parliament
The opening of a new Parliament is an exciting time at Parliament House and the PEO made the most of the event last month. The opening of Parliament was on the 16th of November, when the 41st Parliament sat for the first time. The PEO ensured that schools visiting Parliament House on that day were presented with a customised program which took advantage of the rare opportunity.
PEO fellows
The PEO is already planning Fellowships programs for next year. Regional Education Offices in Cairns and Victoria are already in the process of selecting teachers who will visit Parliament House in 2005. The aim of the Fellowships program is to give teachers the opportunity to see Parliament at work and gain strategies for teaching parliamentary education to their classes.
November 2004
Profiler Newsletter Issue 9: November 2004
Profiler Newsletter Issue 9: November 2004 [HTML]
Profiler Newsletter Issue 9: November 2004 [PDF 172KB]
Parliamentary Educators Conference in Adelaide
The PEO took part in the annual Australasian Parliamentary Educators Conference in Adelaide from the 27th-28th of October. It was an opportunity for parliamentary educators from Australian states and territories as well as education colleagues from New Zealand the chance to discuss current initiatives and share common ground. The conference, hosted by Penny Cavanagh from the SA parliament’s Education Office, was a great success. The PEO are looking forward to next year when we will be hosting the conference in Canberra.
Pre-service teacher programs in Wagga Wagga and Launceston
The PEO arrived in Wagga Wagga in the second week of October, the same time as the hot weather. On one of the hottest days ever in NSW the PEO were running tutorials at Charles Sturt University, showing pre-service teachers how to deliver parliamentary education in practical and interesting ways. While they were in the area the PEO also visited Ilabo and Marrar schools to show students how a bill becomes a law.
The PEO spent a week in Tasmania in a program which combined the University of Tasmania, Norwood Primary School and the Local Member of Parliament. 200 Pre-service teachers at the university engaged in lectures and tutorials about Parliamentary Education before they saw the theory being put into practice at Norwood Primary. This gave the pre-service teachers the opportunity to work with the students who role-played the passage of a bill through Parliament. The program was given further authenticity when Michelle O’Byrne, the local Member at the time, visited and spoke to the students.
More pre-service teachers in Armidale!
Parliamentary Educators, Helen Paterson and Anne Nelson spent two days working with 150 pre-service teachers at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW.
The two-hour workshops involved active learning as students role-played being Members of the House of Representatives, Senators and interest groups. They debated and voted on a government bill (a proposed law) in the House of Representatives and then undertook a Senate Committee of Inquiry listening to the facts and opinions of four groups affected by the proposal to ban contact sports.
What topics did the student teachers explore and what did they discover?
Formation of Government
They discovered that the government has the majority in the House of Representatives, having won more seats at the last federal election.
Democracy
They discovered that the Australian people choose their parliamentary representatives.
Representation
They discovered that there are no losers in the House of Representatives because each federal member, irrespective of their side, had won the vote in their electorate. As each student spoke, they role-played representing approximately 85 000 voters in their electorate.
Amendments
They discovered that any Member may suggest changes to a bill and that amendments must be voted on to determine whether the parliament accepts the change.
Transparency
They discovered that debate is recorded by Hansard and observed and commented on by the media and public.
Law-making and Federal Parliament
They discovered that to create a law both Houses must pass the bill and that only if this happens does the bill proceed to the Governor-General (the Queen’s representative) for signing.
Parliament to the people
They discovered that the Senate frequently holds committees of inquiries to hear from witness groups who will be affected by a bill. The committee Senators considered the evidence and recommended that the Senate amend the bill. This role-play demonstrated how the public has direct contact with the Parliament. In two short hours our future teachers lived parliament. They learnt by doing - engaging in parliamentary concepts and enjoying the experience. Great strategies for the classroom!
Cockatoo Island comes to life
Cockatoo Island’s parliament of birds has become a reality in Bunyaville. Eight local schools have been holding their Parliaments in a new outdoor chamber down in the forest in the Bunyaville Environmental Education Centre. The chamber was built with a Discovering Democracy grant.
Read more about Cockatoo Island.
Talkback Classroom
The most recent Talkback Classroom guest was Dr Christopher Newell AM, who is a professor within the Medical School at the University of Tasmania. Students from across the country will gain a unique insight into the management of health issues in Australia. As with all Talkback Classroom programs, the students are provided with a forum where they are able to interview a guest speaker and explore issues in an interesting and challenging way.
October 2004
School visits
The PEO brought parliament to Lismore in September. Pre-service teachers at Southern Cross University were shown how to bring Parliament to life in their own classrooms. The PEO then visited classes at Mullumbimby Christian College and Ocean Shores primary school where students engaged in Parliamentary debates and committees.
Cockatoo Island wins prestigious award
Congratulations go to Cockatoo Island, one of the PEO’s primary school resources, which has been highly commended in the primary book series category of the Australian Publishers' Association's Australian Awards for Publishing Excellence for 2004. From the feedback we've been getting, students and teachers around Australia would agree. Cockatoo Island is an imaginary island where students become the birds and run their own parliament.
Read more about Cockatoo Island.
Talkback Classroom
Talkback Classroom continues to give students access to important people in the parliamentary process. In September we welcomed the Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery to the forum. The Governor-General was interviewed by a panel of three Year 12 students before taking questions from the audience.
PEO on the road
In October, the PEO travelled to Wagga Wagga and Launceston and visited a number of schools, where students examined and debating bills of their own making. We also worked at Charles Sturt University and Launceston University, and introduced to undergraduate teachers the process of parliament as a teaching/learning strategy in the classroom.
From Perth to Parliament House
For four pre-service teachers, a visit to parliament house is worth going from one end of Australia to another. In September the PEO hosted four education students from Edith Cowan University in Perth. It was a unique opportunity for these future teachers to experience the pre-election frenzy in Parliament House first hand.
The purpose of the visit was to enable these student teachers to gain a realistic and detailed understanding of the functions and processes of parliament, and an appreciation of the roles of the politicians, presiding officers and many others who work in Parliament House. They then went on to collaborate with the PEO in developing teaching strategies which will enable them to pass on their knowledge and experiences, both to other pre-service teachers at Edith Cowan, and to their future students.
PEO in Tasmania
The PEO wasted no time during their visit to Tasmania in September. At the University of Tasmania we delivered lectures and engaged in workshops with education students, teaching them how to make learning about parliament fun and accessible. These education students then visited Norwood Primary School and worked with the PEO, local students and teachers in running parliamentary role plays. And to top it off the PEO also provided professional development for teachers and education students interested in using Cockatoo Island.
The PEO hopes that they left behind teachers, education students and school students who gained a thorough knowledge of how parliament works, and how they can use parliamentary role plays, debates and committees in their own teaching and learning.
Read more about Cockatoo Island.
September 2004
Rotary Adventure in Citizenship
A federal election was just one of the activities for 50 rotary delegates who visited Canberra for the Rotary Adventure in Citizenship from August 8-13. As well as role-playing an election (which the Greens won), the year 11 students formed the House of Representatives and debated a bill to privatise Telstra. When the students weren’t involving themselves in running the nation, they were visiting several other Canberra landmarks, such as the War Memorial, the National Museum, CSIRO, Questacon and the Australian Institute of Sport. Students were also involved in a 'soap-box', a visit to the AEC, and a quiz hosted by local radio personality David Kilby.
A highlight of the week was when students joined with their local MPs and Senators in a teleconference with fellow students and teachers in their schools throughout Australia.
The week long program is organised by the Rotary Club of Canberra and the Rotary Club of Canberra Woden. The purpose of the week is for 50 lucky young people to discover what goes on in the national capital. One of the major sponsors therefore is the National Capital Authority. The Rotary delegates enjoyed a week of fun and learning as well as making new friends with other young people from all over Australia. The next RAIC will be in August 2005.
Reports from Cockatoo Island
There is a new outdoor chamber for Cockatoo Island’s Parliament of Birds being trialled in the Bunyaville Environmental Education Centre, in conjunction with Noelene Rowntree. Eight schools from North Brisbane are conducting their Parliaments in the idyllic forest setting – the perfect setting for a Parliament of Birds.
Cockatoo Island has also gained an international cousin. Hadeda Island, an adaptation of Cockatoo Island by Rhodes University in South Africa has just been released. Hadeda Island uses native African birds to teach about parliamentary processes and ideas of citizenship, and is being distributed to schools in Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa.
Read more about Cockatoo Island.
Constitutional Convention
Australia’s possible transition to become a republic will be entirely decided and enacted by Year 11 students who will role-play the process at this year's Constitutional Convention. Over two days students will consult the electorate, debate as parties, debate as the Senate, conduct a referendum to alter the Constitution and put the issue to a national vote. The program offers an interactive and enjoyable means for students to see what has to happen if Australians decide they want to change the current system of Parliament. As well as engaging in this comprehensive role play, the students will hear from guest speakers and be given the opportunity to express their opinions on the topic.
The Constitutional Convention is a collaboration between the PEO, AEC, ACT Legislative Assembly, Elections ACT and the ACT Department of Education and Training.
TalkBack Classroom
On September 1, a panel of high school students received a unique opportunity – the chance to debate with a politician. The Hon Christopher Pyne MP, Senator Jacinta Collins and Senator Bob Brown engaged the eager students in a debate about current issues and policies. The event was part of the Talkback Classroom program, which gives students the opportunity to hear and speak with politicians and others important in the parliamentary and democratic processes.
August 2004
Profiler Newsletter Issue 8: August 2004
Profiler Newsletter Issue 8: August 2004 [HTML]
Profiler Newsletter Issue 8: August 2004 [PDF 238KB]
May 2004
Profiler Newsletter Issue 7: May 2004
Profiler Newsletter Issue 7: May 2004 [HTML]