Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Optional Preparation – Ground Rules For Classroom Discussion
25 minutes – Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge – What Is society?
30 minutes – Part B: Understanding Institutions In Australian Society
25 minutes – Part C: What Happens When Individuals ‘Fall Through The Cracks’?
10 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge – What Is society?

Step 1.

Begin the lesson by facilitating a student-led inquiry into the concept of society. This will form a foundation from which the class can begin to learn about the structures (or institutions) that make up our modern society. This will in turn, allow them to critically assess whether all citizens of Australia enjoy equal access to the support that societal institutions offer.

Invite students to form groups of three or four, and to move so that they are sitting facing each other around a table - this will facilitate students to better engage with each other.

Step 2.

Distribute a piece of A3 (or larger) paper and some markers to each group, and ask them to write the word SOCIETY in the centre of the page.

Step 3.

Invite students to work together to use the space around the word to note down as many single words, phrases, examples, short anecdotes, images or questions about the concept of society as they can. Allow 5-10 minutes for students to get their ideas down.

If students require scaffolding for this activity, you could encourage them to use the 5 W’s 1H as a starting point from which to frame some questions.

Step 4.

Ask groups to review what they have noted down, and draw a star next to 2-3 specific things that they believe summarises their understanding of the concept of society. Invite one group at a time to share their key points with the rest of the class. While each group is sharing, record what they are saying on the whiteboard or on a sheet of butcher’s paper. Use what you have recorded to summarise the class’s ideas on the concept of society.

Step 5.

If students did not raise the following points, add them to the discussion:

"Society is defined as a group of people living as a community or an organised group of people for a common purpose." (Source)

Different societies may have different ideas of what their common purpose is. You could say that the common purpose of Australian society is for all people to be healthy, happy and to be treated in a fair way.

If you have time, you might like to ask students if they have any other ideas about what they think common purpose of Australian society might be.

Step 6.

Distribute two more pieces of A3 or larger paper to each group, and repeat the same brainstorming process from steps 1-4 using the following prompt questions:

"What creates a positive society?"
Some examples you could prompt students with include: sense of belonging, healthy people, happy people, people feel safe. People feel a sense of purpose. They help each other. They know each other. The institutions within the society work well. The authorities help people to feel safe (rather than make people feel threatened).
"What takes away from a society (or what creates disunity in a society)?"
Some examples you could prompt students with include: crime, poverty, inequality, abuse of powers, violence, lack of empathy, lack of communication between diverse groups, hate, intolerance, etc.

Step 7.

Once students have shared their thoughts, congratulate them on their work so far!

Part B: Understanding Institutions In Australian Society

Step 1.

Introduce the concepts of societal institutions by informing the class that modern society includes a range of institutions that support individuals and groups. Watch the clip below to build a clearer understanding of some of society’s institutions:

Social Institutions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KR1bad76qg)

Note: It might be worth pointing out to students that while the clip is American, it highlights many institutions featured in Australian society.

Step 2.

Ask students to recall some of the institutions that featured in the clip, noting down what they share on the whiteboard.

Step 3.

Invite students to think about the society they live in. Do the institutions listed on the whiteboard exist? Place a tick next to those that exist in Australian society, and a cross next to those that don’t. Ask students to suggest any institutions that exist in Australian society that they think should be added to the list.

Step 4.

Extend student understanding by assigning 1-2 of the institutions listed to each group, and asking them to describe the way that each institution supports Australian society.

If required, model this example with the class:

Through this process you could suggest to students that police are known to punish people experiencing poverty or homelessness. While other institutions may not have the physical presence of the police, they may also punish people experiencing poverty or homelessness through other methods, such as restricting access to services and support. More information about how institutions are unfairly targeting people experiencing homelessness can be found here.

Step 5.

Once groups have finished the activity, invite them to share their ideas with the class, and note down the ideas on the whiteboard for the benefit of students who prefer to take information in visually.

Step 6.

Now read out the following with students, explaining that it comes from an article published by the Harvard Business Review:

"For 17 years the Edelman Trust Barometer has surveyed tens of thousands of people across dozens of countries about their level of trust in business, media, government, and NGOs. This year was the first time the study found a decline in trust across all four of these institutions. In almost two-thirds of the 28 countries we surveyed, the general population did not trust the four institutions to “do what is right” — the average level of trust in all four institutions combined was below 50%." (Source)

Explain to students that many people are experiencing a decline of trust in these institutions due to corruption and abuse of power, the way wealthy and powerful lobbyist can influence policy, the drive for profits over people, and privacy and data collection and how this information is used.

Step 7.

Now briefly introduce the topic of homelessness to students by inviting students to share what they understand homelessness to mean. You could use the following definition if students need further clarification (source):

Through this process, explain to students that the way we talk about people who are experiencing homelessness is important: people are experiencing homelessness; their identity is not ‘homeless.’ Invite students to consider this distinction throughout the rest of this lesson.

Then invite students to work in pairs to think about and discuss their responses to the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Do you trust these institutions (business, media, government and NGOs)? Why or why not?
Why might your level of trust in institutions decline when experiencing homelessness? For example, think about how institutions treat or talk about people experiencing homelessness, for example the police may use intimidation while other institutions might talk about homelessness as a 'choice' or something that you can 'rise above'.
If you were experiencing homelessness, how might your level of trust affect your ability or desire to seek support from these institutions? Who could you turn to instead?
How might a lack of trust in institutions contribute to a person experiencing homelessness 'falling through the cracks'?

Once complete, invite students to share their thoughts with the class, explaining that they should keep in mind the issue of institutional trust through the rest of this lesson.

Part C: What Happens When Individuals ‘Fall Through The Cracks’?

Step 1.

Begin this part of the lesson by referring to the information about how each institution supports society to achieve a common goal. Point out that ideally, all members of society should be supported by the relevant institutions, however, there are many individuals who (for different reasons) do not experience this support.

Inform students that an example of an individual who may not be supported by society’s institutions is a person who is experiencing homelessness. When we consider Australian society’s common goals, we could say that these individuals aren’t being supported by the institutions ... they have ‘fallen through the cracks’.

Step 2.

Use the following clip to illustrate the effect that homelessness can have on young people. It is the opening scene from the film Life After The Oasis, a documentary that revisits the lives of a group of young people who featured in the 2008 documentary film, The Oasis. Before you begin watching, remind students that the clip they are about to see features real people courageously sharing their stories.

Life After The Oasis (https://vimeo.com/347231056/5d854a4aba)

Note: Further information about the two documentary films can be found in the teacher content information or in the links above.

Step 3.

Once students have viewed the clip, invite students to form a pair to complete a Connect – Extend – Challenge visible thinking routine. This routine is designed to encourage students to connect their understanding of social institutions to the issue of homelessness using the following prompt questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Step 4.

Invite pairs to create groups of four to share their Connect – Extend – Challenge ideas, highlighting similar ideas and questions. Encourage groups to report back to the class with the questions that they still have about social institutions and homelessness.

Take It Further

Distribute and read through this Homelessness Australia Factsheet to deepen student knowledge about the issue of youth homelessness. If you have time, ask students to circle the thing on the factsheet that most surprised them, and share with the person sitting next to them, being sure to explain why they were surprised.

Reflection

Distribute this Exit Slip to each student, and ask them to complete it before leaving class today. They are asked to complete the following reflection:

When I think about social institutions….
- I used to think….
- Now I think….

Differentiated Learning

Extension – In Part C of the lesson, invite students to identify which social institutions they think may impact upon young people experiencing homelessness.

Provisions for Learning Support – If students are challenged by the concept of a social institution, you could refer instead to ‘supports’ or another phrase that makes sense to them. These students may benefit from drawing a diagram in which they illustrate the various supports offered by society to an individual.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Life After The Oasis - Our Society

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