Creating rainbows from words and transforming understandings: enhancing student learning through reflective writing in an Aboriginal music course

Abstract

Reflective journal writing is acknowledged as a powerful method for promoting student learning in higher education contexts. Numerous scholars highlight the benefits of reflective writing and journaling for students and teachers in a wide range of teaching areas. There is however, little discussion of how reflective writing is used in teaching and learning in Indigenous Australian studies. This paper explores how reflective writing can help students think critically about the complexities of researching and writing about Indigenous Australian performance. We discuss ways of incorporating and enhancing reflection in teaching and learning Indigenous Australian studies and examine how the use of reflective writing in Indigenous Australian studies can engage rather than educate; democratise rather than dictate knowledge; critically question and reflect upon rather than control and censor what we can know; and actively transform instead of passively inform.

Keywords:

• reflective writing
• indigenous Australian studies
• Aboriginal music performance
• student learning

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the 2007 students of ABTS2102 ‘Aboriginal Music: Performing Place, Power and Identity’ for participating in this research project. Many thanks also to Sue Monk for conducting the focus group interviews and Ann Webster-Wright and the anonymous referees for their insightful comments on earlier drafts.