Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Part A: An Introduction To Privilege

35 minutes

Part B: Dr DiAngelo On White Privilege

25 minutes

Part C: Uncovering The Beliefs And Views In A Text

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Students will...

understand the concept of privilege and examples of it
understand how privilege is reinforced through simplistic understandings of racism
reflect on their own views of racism and privilege.

Students can...

identify their emotional and intellectual responses to contentious issues
formulate questions about new ideas
define white privilege and related concepts
reflect on how white privilege relates to Adam Goodes’ story.

Part A: An introduction to privilege

Step 1

Tell students that today they will be learning about privilege. Ask students to define the term ‘privilege’. Write up definitions and examples on the board.

Suggested definition: “A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group” (Source)

Step 2

Ask students to explain their understanding of how ‘privilege’ works in society. Use prompt questions such as:

How do people know if they have privilege/s?
Can you have privilege/s and still be worse off than some other people?
What type of privileges do you see in society?
Do other societies afford different people privileges than exist in Australian society?

Step 3

Hand out the Student Worksheet and ask students to write down their feelings, thoughts and questions as they watch the following video. Let them know that they will not be asked to share these; they are only for their own reflection.

Play students this video from BuzzFeed:

What is Privilege? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ)

Note: Privilege walks should not be completed as classroom activities. They ask students to publicly share very personal information. Asking students to take part could create issues for their, and others’, safety and wellbeing.

Step 4

Ask students - What kinds of privilege did they see in the BuzzFeed clip?

Suggested answers:

Economic privilege (not walking a long way to get water, not working nights and weekends)
Straight privilege (holding hands in public with your loved one)
Able bodied privilege (no disability)
Religious privilege (time off for your holiday)
Male privilege (not having strong fear of being sexually assaulted in public).

Note: You will now be introducing the concept of ‘white privilege’ which will be challenging for some students. Refer to the teacher notes for support in handling resistance.

Step 5

Tell students that the lesson will focus in on ‘white privilege’ specifically. Ask students to quietly write down, or think about, what feelings, thoughts or questions this term evokes for them.

Define ‘white privilege’ as below:

“White privilege is an institutional (rather than personal) set of benefits granted to those of us who, by race, resemble the people who dominate the powerful positions in our institutions. One of the primary privileges is that of having greater access to power and resources than people of color (sic) do; in other words, purely on the basis of our skin color (sic) doors are open to us that are not open to other people.” - Francis E. Kendall, 2002 (Source)

If any students are defensive (which could be likely), you may also wish to share the below adjunct:

“White privilege is not the suggestion that white people have never struggled. Many white people do not enjoy the privileges that come with relative affluence, such as food security. Many do not experience the privileges that come with access, such as nearby hospitals. And white privilege is not the assumption that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned; most white people who have reached a high level of success worked extremely hard to get there. Instead, white privilege should be viewed as a built-in advantage, separate from one’s level of income or effort.” (Source)

Step 6

Play the BuzzFeed video again from 01:58 ("How was it?”)

What is Privilege? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ)

Ask:

What did you notice about the video?
How did race affect the way people experienced the privilege walk?
Where did they end up?
What were their reflections?

Step 7

Show and read this quote to the class:

“We exist in a world that uses systems which favour some over others. Everyone's road to success looks different …The idea that we are in control of our path to success seems more within reach to those with circumstances that give them more control.” (Source)

Ask students:

What might make people feel their path is within their control?
How might this affect their understanding of privilege?

Part B: Dr DiAngelo On White Privilege

Step 1

Tell students that Dr Robin DiAngelo is a white American researcher whose talk they will be listening to. Tell students that even though DiAngelo makes references to northern and southern states in the USA, many of her points are highly relevant to Australian experiences.

Step 2

Distribute the Students Worksheet to all students and tell them that each time you pause you would like them to engage in a discussion and write in their table (below). Show this video and pause at times as directed.

Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7mzj0cVL0Q&feature=youtu.be)

Note: Asking students to share their feelings and thoughts may create an unsafe space for students. However, you can prompt students to discuss what they wrote in the ‘I think this means/refers to’ column as this will allow you to check for understanding and to identify any misconceptions or misunderstandings, without digging into anything too personal.

Step 3

Pause at 1:35 when DiAngelo has just discussed her experience of a ‘racial identity’. Ask students to jot down thoughts and questions in the first row of the table below. If you feel comfortable, you may wish to model your own.

	Statement by DiAngelo	I think this means/refers to	Feelings/thoughts	Questions
1	It took her a long time to realise she had a racial identity.
2	The speaker states that racism is “group prejudice, backed by institutional power.”
3	DiAngelo discusses a range of pillars that hold up misconceptions about racism and privilege.
4	Dr DiAngelo states that we live in a “system in which whiteness and white people are central and seen as inherently superior to people of colour.”
5	DiAngelo states “I could easily never have any …relationships with people of colour and not one person who guided me ever conveyed that there was a loss … (suggesting) that there is no inherent value in the experiences of people of colour.”
6	Dr DiAngelo says that, as a white person, her beliefs and feelings about white privilege are: I didn’t choose it It isn’t my fault I’m not wracked with guilt about it I am responsible for changing it.
7	DiAngelo says that “It’s virtually impossible for people of colour to give us feedback” due to the binary between racism and non-racism.
8	Include another point made by DiAngelo (your choice).
9	Reflect on your overall response to the clip.

Step 4

Pause at 3:00 - The speaker states that racism is “group prejudice, backed by institutional power.”

Lead the class in a discussion, or prompt small group discussions, on what terms such as ‘group prejudice’ and ‘institutional power’ are. Write up relevant responses on the board or in a shared document for students to refer back to. Students can fill in row 2 of the table.

Step 5

Pause at 8:04 to show students this screen-grab. Remind students, Dr Robin DiAngelo argues that these beliefs are the pillars that hold up misconceptions around white privilege.

Definitions for the terms on the screen:

Miseducation - being taught misleading facts or information
Good/bad binary - that people are either good or bad - there is nothing in-between
Segregation - the division of people by a feature (in this case by race)
Internalised superiority and investment in the racial order - feeling better than others or being profited by the way races are currently ranked or exist in a hierarchy
Individualism - the idea that “each of us is unique and outside of socialisation” - “why can’t we all be different?”
Universalism - “the opposite of individualism” - “why can’t we all be the same?”

Students can complete row 3 of the table.

Step 6

Continue playing the video and pause at 14:37. Students are to complete rows 4 and 5 of the table, considering where DiAngelo states that:

“I could easily never have any… relationships with people of colour and not one person who guided me ever conveyed that there was a loss… (suggesting) that there is no inherent value in the experiences of people of colour."
"We live in a “system in which whiteness and white people are central and seen as inherently superior to people of colour.”

Students can also complete row 6, considering her statements that:

I didn’t choose it
It isn’t my fault
I’m not wracked with guilt about it
I am responsible for changing it

Step 7

Pause the video at 17:22 for students to consider where DiAngelo has described the experiences of people of colour who try to give feedback to white people. Students can complete row 7 of the table.

Step 8

Ask students to complete the last two rows of the table to reflect on their feelings, thoughts and questions about the video overall. Remind them that this is an independent task and they do not need to share their feelings/thoughts with others.

Part C: Uncovering The Beliefs And Views In A Text

Step 1.

Show students the Iceberg Poster (also on the Student Worksheet). Explain to students/revise the concept that texts can reveal the values and views of an author. You may wish to say something like:

“All texts have explicitly and implicitly stated positions. Explicitly stated positions are ‘above the water’; they are visible to us when we read the text. Implicit positions are below the surface and we may need to re-read and consider texts closely to find them.”

Step 2

Explain to students that they will be viewing some short clips from the documentary The Final Quarter, about AFL star Adam Goodes.

Note: It is strongly recommended that students have participated in The Final Quarter - Reviewing The Film - Years 9 & 10 lesson beforehand, in which case, they will already be familiar with Adam Goodes and the film.

If students don’t know anything about Adam Goodes, you could share the following:

Currently, the founder of the GO Foundation with fellow Swans player Michael O’Loughlin, Adam Goodes retired from AFL in 2015 after a stellar career as number 37 for the Sydney Swans. A proud Aboriginal player, Goodes’ final three years as a footballer were hampered by racially based treatment from spectators and the media.

Invite students to arrange themselves so that they are seated where they can see the screen and remind students that these clips are only a small piece of the Adam Goodes story.

Step 3

Show students this clip from The Final Quarter:

The War Cry Extended (https://vimeo.com/352634304/04c4aa0c38)

Step 4

Ask a student to read the below excerpted quotes (from the clip) and to analyse them within the iceberg table.

“The significance of these war dances is they come from another era and they are significant in the fact that it’s between two tribes who do it before they go out and want to kill each other and I mean want to kill each other. Now bring that forward. Is it a great thing to have in this day and age? I don’t think so.” - Dermott Brereton

“I think from my point of view, my teammates loved it, the Carlton players loved it. It’s not something that people should be getting their backs up against a wall about. Is this the lesson we want to teach our children - that when we don’t understand something we get angry, we put our backs up against the wall? Oh, that’s offensive.” - Adam Goodes

Iceberg Table

Dermott Brereton

Adam Goodes

Surface level points about racism/white privilege

(Explicit statements)

What does the author say about white privilege? What does the author say about the event?

War cry is from another era

War cry doesn’t belong to this era

War cry is about killing

War cry is not offensive

War cry was enjoyed by teammates and Carlton players

People should be open to being educated about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Just below the surface points about racism/white privilege

(Semi explicit or easily inferred)

What are the author’s choice of words? What do they suggest about their opinion?

Aboriginal history is violent and tribal (emphasis on violence) and war cry represents this history

Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices/cultures do not belong in the present day

Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices are inappropriate for wider audiences

Adam Goodes is violent

It made sense to do a war cry in an Indigenous Round match, as an Aboriginal man, in tribute to the Flying Boomerangs

Those who are offended are closed off to learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Children should be taught to welcome and not fear cultural diversity

Acknowledges his own point of view as opposed to Dermott Brereton who states his point of view as ‘fact’

Deep below the surface beliefs about white privilege or racism

(Implicit beliefs or assumptions)

What assumptions does the author make?

Only white expressions of celebration are acceptable (such as team members high-fiving, fist-pumping, running around, cheering)

If a white audience doesn’t understand something then it is deemed inappropriate

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures are violent

White people (particularly in modern Australia) are not violent and do not like violence

Expressions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture should be welcomed

He is proud of his Aboriginal heritage

He is concerned about the fear-mongering of some media personalities

He now recognises that some white Australians feel confronted by his actions

Reflection

Ask students to return to their responses to the video about privilege they were shown. Have students respond in writing to these questions:

How did the clip demonstrate white privilege?
How and why have your views changed/stayed the same/altered in some way?
What questions have been raised for you? How could you find answers to those questions?

Students could refer to the questions noted in their tables.

Differentiated Learning

Extension - Students who are ready to be extended could turn their iceberg table into a comparative paragraph that analyses the views and values of both authors and how they differ.

Provisions for Learning Support -

The video in Part B uses some complex language and considers complex terms. Have students work in groups to fill out the first row, ‘I think this means or refers to’.
Part C asks students to understand an abstract concept - that of author views and values. To simplify this process, present students with options for the views and values and they can select which author presented each value or view.

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?

The Final Quarter - What Is Privilege?

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