Teaching Sequence

30 minutes	Part A: What is Power?
50 minutes	Part C: Satirical Techniques and Political Cartoons
10 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: What is Power?

Step 1.

Begin the lesson by conducting a rapid 'Think, Pair, Share' visible thinking routine.

Think Pair Share
Think pair share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question.
Think - Students independently think about an issue or questions and record their thoughts.
Pair - Students work in pairs to discuss their ideas and record new thoughts.
Share - Students share their thoughts with the whole group or with other pairs to reach consensus.

Write the word ‘POWER’ on the board. Ask students to think to themselves and list everything that comes to mind when they hear or see the word 'power'. Students can list their responses in the ‘THINK’ section of the table on the Student Worksheet. Then, ask students to partner with the person next to them to share their responses. Ask students to focus their discussion on power as an abstract concept (i.e. not electrical power or energy). Inform students that they can add any new associations to the ‘PAIR’ section on the Student Worksheet during this time. Encourage each pair to select one thing to share with the class when their time is up.

Bring the class back together and invite each pair to share one thing that they discussed. List ideas on the board and facilitate a discussion about the differences and similarities in responses. Synthesise this discussion with the class by highlighting the different nature and use of power, and pointing out to students that power is often associated with influence.

Step 2.

Explain to the class that understanding and defining power should include a consideration of who is powerful and why and what this can reveal about the nature of power in society.

Attach a sign to one end of the room that reads ‘Very Powerful’ and another sign at the opposite end of the room that reads ‘Not Powerful’ so that one side of the room represents one end of the spectrum and the opposite represents the other end. Indicate to students that they should imagine a continuum between the two signs, which represent the extremes.

Ask students to get out of their seats, and if extra room is required, move the tables to the sides of the classroom. Have a pre-prepared list of names that students in the class would be familiar with - this should be a mix of well-known people (Australian and international), as well as people unique to the school community (for example: the principal, local sports teams, artists, etc.). Some names could include:

Barack Obama
Julia Gillard
Eddie McGuire
Shane Warne
Angelina Jolie
Ban Ki Moon
Donald Trump
School Principal
Banksy
Local Football Team Coach
Local Mayor

Students begin in the middle of the room. As you call out a name from the list, they should move to somewhere along the continuum based on how powerful they think the person is. Call on students at different points along the continuum to justify or explain why they chose to stand where they did. Summarise the activity by asking students to share their thoughts in a brief class discussion around the following questions:

What did the activity indicate about power?
What can lead to a person having power or feeling powerful?

Step 3.

List the following words on the board:

obtained
nature
used
effects
context.

Invite students to write their own definition of power that reflects their understanding of how it is obtained, how it can be used and the effects it can have in different contexts. Inform students that their definition should be 50 words or less.

If required, the class could write a definition together on the board. Encourage students to then move beyond that definition to create their own. Ask volunteers to share their definitions with the class and highlight any similarities or differences between them. For example, a number of definitions might refer to the concept of influence, or how power is used for different purposes. Remind students that no one definition is correct. By synthesising their own knowledge and understanding into a short definition, students have begun to understand the concept and can apply their understanding when examining different texts.

ICT extension or differentiation:

Create a class Padlet page (www.padlet.com) and ask students to post their definitions to this page. This can be done anonymously if required.

Part B: Political Power and Powerlessness

Step 1.

Explain to students that the opposite of power is powerlessness and that this part of the lesson will extend what they have already discussed about power to apply it to political contexts. Explain that power is a major part of politics all around the world and that governments of all political types use their power to make and enforce decisions on a daily basis - and that some of these decisions may result in people being powerless in their own lives.

In the context of Australia and asylum seeker policy, many perspectives exist about why and how power is used. A contentious issue is the impact of the use of power on people who are not in a position of power or who are powerless to make changes in their own lives.

Step 2.

Introduce the following clips by asking students to look out for different examples and perspectives of power featured in each. Foreshadow with students that they will be using the double-bubble concept map on the Student Worksheet to synthesise their ideas. A double-bubble concept map is a useful way to compare and contrast concepts while isolating specific examples to connect similarities.

Point out that on one side they should list the evidence and examples of power, and on the other side they should list the evidence and examples of powerlessness. The middle circles can be used to note similarities or examples of where there is a direct connection between power and powerlessness. Encourage students to think critically about what they see and hear in relation to both power and powerlessness.

Chasing Asylum Clip 4 (https://vimeo.com/183257818/432e7bddd6)

After watching the first clip, ask students to note evidence or examples of power and powerlessness. Within a connection circle students might refer to the policy decisions that have the impact of creating a sense of limbo, referred to by both Greg Lake and Michael Bachelard. In the power side students might refer to the decisions around conditions in detention, while in the powerless side they might refer to the examples of people being stuck in Indonesia. Next, ask students to consider the examples of power and powerlessness in the next clip:

Chasing Asylum Clip 6 (https://vimeo.com/183257811/e68e36391f)

After watching the clip above students might add the anecdote from Nicole Judge about the incident report to the power side of the map, while evidence for powerless might include David Manne’s reference to deterrence measures that people seeking asylum are powerless to stop. Next, watch the final clip:

Chasing Asylum Clip 17 (https://vimeo.com/184264450/bd11ef9acc)

Give students a few more minutes to add to to their double-bubble concept map. They might refer to the Cambodia deal on the power side, while the definitive nature of Peter Dutton’s speech might be referred to on the powerless side.

After watching the clips, ask students to share some of their points for either side of their maps. If there is evidence or an example that some students have put elsewhere, facilitate a discussion and ask students to explain or justify their thinking. Emphasise that differences in opinion don't mean that one is more correct than the other!

Step 3.

Summarise the activity by inviting students to complete the 'Connect, Extend, Challenge' thinking routine on the Student Worksheet. This routine helps students to connect new ideas and information with prior knowledge and fosters critical thinking by encouraging them to reflect on ongoing questions and difficulties that they might have. It encourages metacognition by asking students to think about their thinking and learning. Encourage volunteers to share their responses, especially in the Extend and Challenge sections.

Part C: Satirical Techniques and Political Cartoons

Step 1.

Explain to the class that in Australia, politics and power and decisions about current affairs issues are often highlighted in political cartoons. These are an example of satirical texts.

Open the What is Satire? presentation and work through the slides with the class, pausing to allow students to take notes or discuss the questions asked throughout the presentation. There is some space on the Student Worksheet to take notes.

What is Satire? Presentation

The presentation explores the concept of satire, some general popular culture examples of satirical texts and a political cartoon about seeking asylum and Australian Government policy. It also includes some brief questions that extend student understanding around the concept of satire.

Step 2.

Invite students to form pairs or groups of three, then distribute the Australian Political Cartoons to each group. Please note that cartoon #7 does have a censored swear word (censored deliberately in the original publication) and can be used at your discretion. Depending on the class size, some groups might work with the same cartoon.

Students could extend their understanding about the context of each cartoon by reading the information hyperlinked underneath each. Explain that all the cartoons are from recent years and are about refugees, asylum seeking and Australian Government policies.

Refer students to the questions on the Student Worksheet and let the class know that they will be working in their groups to deconstruct a cartoon together. Remind students that they are looking for meaning about the context, but also the message the cartoon is conveying about power, political power, or powerlessness in relation to the topic of seeking asylum. The questions students will respond to on the Student Worksheet are below:

Details: Title, Author, Date and Publication (if known)
Subject matter: What is shown? Who is portrayed? Is the portrayal positive or negative?
Message: What is the message being sent? How does it comment or relate to power or powerlessness? What is the tone of the cartoon? Who or what is targeted? What is the cartoon saying about a social, moral or ethical issue?
Hidden values and beliefs (below the surface): What perspective might the cartoonist have about the issue? Is this a similar perspective?
Techniques: What visual elements are used (e.g. incongruity, allusion, exaggeration, symbolism, parody?) Are there any language elements used and do they use any language techniques (such as metaphor, emotive language, humour etc.?)

Step 3.

After students have completed their analysis, ask each group to summarise the key message of the cartoon and how it constructs this message. Project each cartoon for the class to see and invite each group to share their understanding of the subject matter and the message the cartoon is sending.

ICT differentiation:

Provide students with a digital copy of the political cartoon and ask them to annotate it in a presentation format (such as Powerpoint). This could then be presented to the class via a shared class Padlet page (www.padlet.com).

Step 4.

Summarise the lesson with the class by asking students to note any recurring patterns or themes in the political cartoons; such as how political power is used, perspectives on asylum seekers, or techniques of satire that were used.

Reflection

Ask students to reflect on their learning this lesson by responding to the following questions on the Student Worksheet.

In what ways can power be used to impact people in both positive and negative ways?
In terms of the outcomes or impacts of political power, to what extent do you think the positive impacts outweigh the negative impacts or vice versa? In the context of refugees and asylum seekers, what are the implications of these impacts?
How do you think being powerless might influence people for better or worse? For refugees or people seeking asylum who are powerless, how does this impact their daily lives?
What sense or degree of personal power do you have or experience as an individual? How do you use your power or experience power in everyday situations with your friends or family?
How can political cartoons make comments or criticisms about the use of power or the experience of powerlessness and why is this type of text effective for sending these messages?

If you have time, summarise student responses in a brief discussion, or use the questions as a way to recount prior learning in the next lesson.

Extension

Invite students to create their own political cartoon about an aspect of political power or powerlessness as it relates to refugees and seeking asylum in Australia:

Choose an aspect of power or powerlessness that you want to explore in relation to seeking asylum in Australia OR find a recent article in the news that provides information about the issue and different perspectives surrounding it.
Identify the message you want to communicate about the issue and power/powerlessness.
Draw or utilise an online cartoon generator such as https://www.toondoo.com/ or https://www.wittycomics.com/ or https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/ to create a political cartoon that makes a satirical comment about the specific issue you have chosen.
Aim to use at least one of the techniques of satire in your cartoon.
Submit your cartoon to your teacher and/or bring a printed copy to your next class to share.

Assessment

Use the Stories of Chasing Asylum - Assessment Task Lesson so that students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the topics and English outcomes explored throughout the unit.

Take Action

Use the Stories of Chasing Asylum - Social Action Lesson so that students can apply their knowledge and design a social action project. Students can raise awareness by organising a screening of the film or take action to promote positive change in their own community.

Stories of Chasing Asylum - Stories Of Power And Politics

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