John Middendorf - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by John Middendorf

Assignment for UTAS, 2012

Prior (and current) views: I understand the economic need and benefit of managing forests product... more Prior (and current) views: I understand the economic need and benefit of managing forests productively, but I believe that it should be done sustainably, and that some of the current forest practices in Tasmania are not sustainable; specifically, the clear-felling logging practices in the rainforests of Tasmania. Shredding mature temperate rainforests primarily for low-value woodchip seems inappropriate. Rainforests contain species that have lived for hundreds of years (eg. Celery Top, Myrtle), and some for thousands (eg. Huon Pine), and thus cannot be easily replaced, or "managed" in human lifespans. Furthermore, clear-felling's collateral damage of the non-economic species, such as the tree ferns and the fungi, seems senseless. I believe that humans have the ability to upset earth's natural balances (with unforeseen consequences) and yet we do not fully understand how the components interact; thus, we should tread carefully, especially with rare and diminishing components such as temperate rainforests.

Aboriginal Technology, 2012

The European discovery of Australia coincided with the momentum of the Industrial Age, where adva... more The European discovery of Australia coincided with the momentum of the Industrial Age, where advances in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation had a pronounced effect on the cultural and economic conditions of people around the world. Isolated from these developments, Australia was considered "primitive", and the complexity of artefacts was often ignored in contrast with the period tools and technologies of the era. This unit attempts to bring light to the complexity of artefacts in the pre-colonial era, with a focus on the spear, though similar lesson plans could be created on other technologies, such as shelter, fibre-crafts, edible plant gathering and processing, mastery of fire, and other hunting tools. The link between necessity and environment is emphasised, and the idea that "artefacts of earlier times were on the whole much less structurally complex, though not necessarily unsophisticated" (Cotterell & Kamminga, 1990. p. 10). The purpose and function of artefacts in any era of human development are judged by their purpose and efficiency, and in this light, the technology of pre-colonial Australia can be revisited, and compared and contrast with the European technology of the era. Recent historical analyses are beginning to identify the fundamental differentiation of the period technologies, e.g. Reynolds (2012) in reference to the Black War, "They [the Aborigines] knew that the muskets, while lethal at close range, had marked deficiencies. They missed their target as often as they hit it and they took time to reload once the first charge had been delivered, which allowed time for an attack" (p. 56). Compare this with eyewitness accounts of Aborigines, "They had one spear their right hands, and two in the left" (Calder, as cited in Boyce, 2010). The seemingly "simple" technology of the Tasmanian Aborigines is examined as a launching point of examining Aboriginal innovation and their contributions to Australian society. The unit segues into the humorous improvisations of the Bush Mechanics (2001), then considers the important innovations of the Australian inventor David Uniapon. The key in teaching this unit is to make the link between innate human inventiveness as a function of necessity, resources, and material conditions at the time of invention. UNIT PLAN OUTLINE Aboriginal Innovation Overview: This unit is designed for a Year 6 class where Literacy, Numeracy, Science, and History will be integrated into a series of lessons. The context is a middle-high socioeconomic Tasmanian primary school of 25 students with mixed abilities and cultural backgrounds. The duration of the unit is four halfday lessons in the primary context. Key Understandings: The Tasmanian Aborigines had a developed and sophisticated relationship with their environment prior to the settlement of the British in the colonial period. People make innovative use of available resources based on needs (necessity as mother of invention). Inventiveness is a human characteristic. Curriculum/Learning Outcomes: The student can... Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (ACELY1713) Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples' lives (ACSHE100) Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE098) Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS107) The contribution of individuals and groups, including Aboriginal people and/or Torres Strait Islanders and migrants, to the development of Australian society, for example in areas such as the economy, education, science, the arts, sport. (ACHHK116) Cross-curriculum priorities The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priority provides opportunities for all learners to deepen their knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world's oldest continuous living cultures. This knowledge and understanding will enrich their ability to participate positively in the ongoing development of Australia. OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have unique belief systems and are spiritually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways. OI.4 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have many Language Groups. OI.5 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' ways of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing. OI.6 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years and experiences can be viewed through historical, social and political lenses. OI.9 Australia acknowledges the significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people locally and globally. Criteria & Assessment: A journal of the unit will be assessed. Criteria: Student identifies and describes distinctive features of particular technologies. Student compares and contrasts similar and different technologies for specific purposes. Student applies inventive knowledge to justify origins of human innovation. Higher Level Ideas (teacher knowledge): Tasmanian colonial history. Mechanics of pre-industrial technology (Cotterell and Kamminga, 1990).

Aboriginal and settler-Australians relationships in Tasmania, 2012

Papers from 2012 academic studies in the Master of Teaching program, University of Tasmania

Curvilinear form in architecture, 2001

Background-Curvilinear Form in Architecture.

Properties and Methodology of Earth Structures , 2001

A paper written by John Middendorf at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2001

Assignment for UTAS, 2012

Prior (and current) views: I understand the economic need and benefit of managing forests product... more Prior (and current) views: I understand the economic need and benefit of managing forests productively, but I believe that it should be done sustainably, and that some of the current forest practices in Tasmania are not sustainable; specifically, the clear-felling logging practices in the rainforests of Tasmania. Shredding mature temperate rainforests primarily for low-value woodchip seems inappropriate. Rainforests contain species that have lived for hundreds of years (eg. Celery Top, Myrtle), and some for thousands (eg. Huon Pine), and thus cannot be easily replaced, or "managed" in human lifespans. Furthermore, clear-felling's collateral damage of the non-economic species, such as the tree ferns and the fungi, seems senseless. I believe that humans have the ability to upset earth's natural balances (with unforeseen consequences) and yet we do not fully understand how the components interact; thus, we should tread carefully, especially with rare and diminishing components such as temperate rainforests.

Aboriginal Technology, 2012

The European discovery of Australia coincided with the momentum of the Industrial Age, where adva... more The European discovery of Australia coincided with the momentum of the Industrial Age, where advances in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation had a pronounced effect on the cultural and economic conditions of people around the world. Isolated from these developments, Australia was considered "primitive", and the complexity of artefacts was often ignored in contrast with the period tools and technologies of the era. This unit attempts to bring light to the complexity of artefacts in the pre-colonial era, with a focus on the spear, though similar lesson plans could be created on other technologies, such as shelter, fibre-crafts, edible plant gathering and processing, mastery of fire, and other hunting tools. The link between necessity and environment is emphasised, and the idea that "artefacts of earlier times were on the whole much less structurally complex, though not necessarily unsophisticated" (Cotterell & Kamminga, 1990. p. 10). The purpose and function of artefacts in any era of human development are judged by their purpose and efficiency, and in this light, the technology of pre-colonial Australia can be revisited, and compared and contrast with the European technology of the era. Recent historical analyses are beginning to identify the fundamental differentiation of the period technologies, e.g. Reynolds (2012) in reference to the Black War, "They [the Aborigines] knew that the muskets, while lethal at close range, had marked deficiencies. They missed their target as often as they hit it and they took time to reload once the first charge had been delivered, which allowed time for an attack" (p. 56). Compare this with eyewitness accounts of Aborigines, "They had one spear their right hands, and two in the left" (Calder, as cited in Boyce, 2010). The seemingly "simple" technology of the Tasmanian Aborigines is examined as a launching point of examining Aboriginal innovation and their contributions to Australian society. The unit segues into the humorous improvisations of the Bush Mechanics (2001), then considers the important innovations of the Australian inventor David Uniapon. The key in teaching this unit is to make the link between innate human inventiveness as a function of necessity, resources, and material conditions at the time of invention. UNIT PLAN OUTLINE Aboriginal Innovation Overview: This unit is designed for a Year 6 class where Literacy, Numeracy, Science, and History will be integrated into a series of lessons. The context is a middle-high socioeconomic Tasmanian primary school of 25 students with mixed abilities and cultural backgrounds. The duration of the unit is four halfday lessons in the primary context. Key Understandings: The Tasmanian Aborigines had a developed and sophisticated relationship with their environment prior to the settlement of the British in the colonial period. People make innovative use of available resources based on needs (necessity as mother of invention). Inventiveness is a human characteristic. Curriculum/Learning Outcomes: The student can... Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (ACELY1713) Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples' lives (ACSHE100) Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE098) Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS107) The contribution of individuals and groups, including Aboriginal people and/or Torres Strait Islanders and migrants, to the development of Australian society, for example in areas such as the economy, education, science, the arts, sport. (ACHHK116) Cross-curriculum priorities The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priority provides opportunities for all learners to deepen their knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world's oldest continuous living cultures. This knowledge and understanding will enrich their ability to participate positively in the ongoing development of Australia. OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have unique belief systems and are spiritually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways. OI.4 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have many Language Groups. OI.5 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' ways of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing. OI.6 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years and experiences can be viewed through historical, social and political lenses. OI.9 Australia acknowledges the significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people locally and globally. Criteria & Assessment: A journal of the unit will be assessed. Criteria: Student identifies and describes distinctive features of particular technologies. Student compares and contrasts similar and different technologies for specific purposes. Student applies inventive knowledge to justify origins of human innovation. Higher Level Ideas (teacher knowledge): Tasmanian colonial history. Mechanics of pre-industrial technology (Cotterell and Kamminga, 1990).

Aboriginal and settler-Australians relationships in Tasmania, 2012

Papers from 2012 academic studies in the Master of Teaching program, University of Tasmania

Curvilinear form in architecture, 2001

Background-Curvilinear Form in Architecture.

Properties and Methodology of Earth Structures , 2001

A paper written by John Middendorf at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2001