438
S. Emery et al.
a plurality of knowledges, beyond scientific knowledge.” We contend that De Sousa
Santos’ call for valuing of diversity encourages activities where the local matters. We
advance this perspective in our interpretation of SDG 4.7’s intention that “all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development”
(United Nations 2018). One of the knowledges we focus on (particularly in the cultural arts class study) is that of children’s participation in education for sustainability
through cultural production (Kuttner 2015). Cultural production is connected with
cultural citizenship, which Kuttner describes as “the right and capacity of people
to develop and pass on diverse cultural traditions and identities while participating
effectively in a shared cultural and political arena.”
4 Case Study 1: Weaving Community Wellbeing
in the Cultural Arts Class
The first case study explores the entanglements of a SR [a co-author of this paper (SE)]
with a regional government school’s cultural arts class for year 4–6 students. These
entanglements included an initiative in which students shared a cultural practice
within their community and an event in which the school students were extended an
opportunity to share their culture in a professional forum through EfSTas.
4.1 Weaving the Community Rug (Storying Cultural
Experiences as Curriculum)
One of the projects the cultural arts class engaged in over the course of a term was
the making of a community rug. The cultural arts program educators, Kathryn and
Valerie (pseudonyms are used), made the decision to conduct the weekly cultural
arts class sessions in the local community centre. The educators chose to design
the rug with inspiration from the patterns of the Preminganah petroglyphs which
are significant to Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and the colours of the décor in the
community centre at the heart of the students’ town.
Each week the students worked on the rug alongside other community members in
the community centre. The students taught members of the community skills of latch
hooking and felting so that everyone together could contribute to the creation of the
rug. This positioned students in a new light, as cultural producers and contributors to
their community. A reflective memo written by the SR (SE) after a school morning
spent with the cultural arts class is included below:
We sat around the timber table at the local community centre making a community rug.
Five students, a student networker, an Aboriginal artist, a university researcher, and some
community centre employees sat together in a circle, latch hooking small knots in a piece of
hessian with brightly coloured acrylic wool. Working their latch hooks through the hessian
to form each knot, the students created the outlines of the circles that are key features of
S. Emery et al.
a plurality of knowledges, beyond scientific knowledge.” We contend that De Sousa
Santos’ call for valuing of diversity encourages activities where the local matters. We
advance this perspective in our interpretation of SDG 4.7’s intention that “all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development”
(United Nations 2018). One of the knowledges we focus on (particularly in the cultural arts class study) is that of children’s participation in education for sustainability
through cultural production (Kuttner 2015). Cultural production is connected with
cultural citizenship, which Kuttner describes as “the right and capacity of people
to develop and pass on diverse cultural traditions and identities while participating
effectively in a shared cultural and political arena.”
4 Case Study 1: Weaving Community Wellbeing
in the Cultural Arts Class
The first case study explores the entanglements of a SR [a co-author of this paper (SE)]
with a regional government school’s cultural arts class for year 4–6 students. These
entanglements included an initiative in which students shared a cultural practice
within their community and an event in which the school students were extended an
opportunity to share their culture in a professional forum through EfSTas.
4.1 Weaving the Community Rug (Storying Cultural
Experiences as Curriculum)
One of the projects the cultural arts class engaged in over the course of a term was
the making of a community rug. The cultural arts program educators, Kathryn and
Valerie (pseudonyms are used), made the decision to conduct the weekly cultural
arts class sessions in the local community centre. The educators chose to design
the rug with inspiration from the patterns of the Preminganah petroglyphs which
are significant to Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and the colours of the décor in the
community centre at the heart of the students’ town.
Each week the students worked on the rug alongside other community members in
the community centre. The students taught members of the community skills of latch
hooking and felting so that everyone together could contribute to the creation of the
rug. This positioned students in a new light, as cultural producers and contributors to
their community. A reflective memo written by the SR (SE) after a school morning
spent with the cultural arts class is included below:
We sat around the timber table at the local community centre making a community rug.
Five students, a student networker, an Aboriginal artist, a university researcher, and some
community centre employees sat together in a circle, latch hooking small knots in a piece of
hessian with brightly coloured acrylic wool. Working their latch hooks through the hessian
to form each knot, the students created the outlines of the circles that are key features of