Alana Kane 17709301

The second assessment task for the unit Diversity, Social Justice and Learning
required a group video to be made about a social justice issue. The game needed to
incorporate social justice theories and pedagogical theories. The game that was created for
this particular assessment task is titled Gender Journey. Prior understanding of social justice
theories and pedagogies was important in order to formulate a game that addressed the
marginalisation of diverse individuals, in this case gender and sexuality diverse people. This
particular assessment required one to understand the importance of diversity in a classroom
and also to understand that as teacher it is vital that diverse students are not made to feel
marginalised.
The assessment task asked for an understanding of a particular social justice issue and
to create a game that responded to this social justice issue. Social justice issues relate to the
marginalisation towards diverse individuals. As teacher it is important to understand and
acknowledge the diverse nature of the students in the classroom. Christian J Faltis in the text
Introduction: Caring About Social Justice Issues in Teacher Education states, social justice
work in teacher education is based on the conviction and evidence that children and youth
who are different are treated unjustly in schools, and that is unacceptable (Faltis, 2011, p. 4).
Ultimately, the main focus of this unit and assessment is to understand that it is important to
teach in a manner that does not exclude or marginalise diverse students.
The relation that this particular assessment task has to my personal teaching
philosophy is how it requires participants of the game to be inquisitive and understanding of
the marginalisation that occurs towards diverse individuals. It also adheres to my personal
teaching philosophy as it allows for each individuals to understand other points of views,
rather than shutting down anything that does not cohere to their own thoughts and opinions.
My personal teaching philosophy is highlighted in the text Philosophy for Children, Values
Education and the Inquiring Society written by Philip Cam, which states if we want

Alana Kane 17709301

students to grow out of the habit of going with their own first thoughts then we cold not do
better than to have them learn by exploring issues, problems and ideas together (Cam, 2014,
p. 1205). Ultimately, meaning that the culturally responsive game that has been made allowed
for individuals to cohesively work together in order to express and share understanding and
ideas, avoiding marginalising diverse individuals. The assessment task did not necessarily
change my teaching philosophy, rather it allowed for a deeper understanding to be made.
The assessment required the game to be based upon theoretical frameworks. Prior to
this particular task my understanding of social justice theories was limited, however due to
the creation of the game my understanding has of these theories has improved. Gender
Journey focused on the theoretical frameworks of structural functionalism and dominant
discourse. My understanding of these particular social justice theories has greatly improved.
It is understood that structural functionalism relates to the norms and structures that people of
society adhere to and dominant discourse is the primary way in which issues or ideas are
dealt with. The creation of the game highlighted that the policies and theories that have been
used in order to deal with gender and sexuality diversity are structured through a dominant
point of view that marginalises diverse individuals. However, as teachers it important to
break away from these dominant views about gender and sexuality diversity. This has been
done through the implementation of National Safe Schools Framework, aimed at reducing
bullying, discrimination, and violence in schools (Elia & Eliason, 2010, p. 38). This
assessment task has provided understanding of how it is important to avoid use of dominant
and structured views and opinions towards gender and sexuality diverse individuals in a
classroom.
The assessment task also required for the use of a pedagogical theory. The
pedagogical theory that the game was based upon was concrete sequential (Clarke &
Pittaway, 2014, p. 184), which means using resources that allow for students to have a hands

Alana Kane 17709301

on approach to learning. This particular pedagogical approach allowed for my knowledge of
social justice issues and marginalisation towards diverse individuals to improve. As this
particular pedagogical approach highlights how students learn in different ways and it is
important to incorporate different styles of teaching and different resources in order to avoid
possible marginalisation towards the students of the classroom.
The game that was created relates to one of my key learning areas. The key learning
area it relates to is History. Using the resource would allow for students to gather an
understanding gender and sexuality diversity. Alison Cook- Sather in the text Through
Students Eyes: Students Offer Fresh Insights into Social Justice Issues in Schools states,
consultation used should be chosen to deepen educators understanding of students
experiences of teaching and learning in classrooms (Cook- Sather, 2010, p. 44). Ultimately,
addressing how using a culturally response resource allows for both teachers and students to
understand issues of social justice. This has helped with my understanding of how I will teach
in a classroom and has also helped with changing and also improving my personal teaching
philosophy.
The assessment task was a useful component to end the unit with. It allowed for a
deeper understanding of social justice issues and how there is need for educators and teachers
to be aware of these issues. Creating a culturally responsive resource that is able to be used in
a classroom outlined that there are numerous ways in which students learn and that as
educators it is vital to teach in ways that cater to the diverse needs of individual students. By
completing this particular assessment task, I was able to develop and change my personal
teaching philosophy. The main point that was taken from the outlined task is to ensure that
knowledge of social justice issues is required before teaching, in order to avoid students and
other individuals being marginalised and or discriminated against.

Alana Kane 17709301

Bibliography:
Cam, P. (2014). Philosophy for children, values education and the inquiring society.
Educational Philosophy and Theory, 46(11), 1203-1211.
Cook-Sather, A. (2010). Through Students' Eyes: Students Offer Fresh Insights into Social
Justice Issues in Schools. Journal of Staff Development, 31(4), 42-45.
Elia, J. P., & Eliason, M. (2010). Discourses of exclusion: Sexuality education's silencing of
sexual others. Journal of LGBT youth, 7(1), 29-48.
Faltis, C. J. (2011). Introduction: caring about social justice issues in Teacher Education.
Teacher Education Quarterly, 3-6.
Ferfolja, T.; Jones Diaz, C. & Ullman, J. (2015). Understanding Sociological Theory for
Educational Purposes. Australia: Cambridge University Press
Marsh, C. Clarke, M. & Pittaway S. (2014). Becoming a Teacher. (6th ed.). Pearson:
Australia.