The Arts · Year 10

Active learning ideas

The Ethics of Displaying Cultural Heritage

Active learning works because abstract ethical dilemmas become concrete when students embody perspectives and confront real cases. Handling replica artifacts, negotiating in role-play, and redesigning exhibits place students in the shoes of curators, community leaders, and descendants, making moral reasoning immediate.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• ACARA Australian Curriculum v9: Visual Arts 9-10, Making (AC9AVA10M03): plan and design the presentation of artworks, considering the relationship between the artworks, audience and exhibition space
• ACARA Australian Curriculum v9: Visual Arts 9-10, Responding (AC9AVA10R02): analyse and interpret artworks, evaluating how ideas and beliefs are represented

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Philosophical Chairs
• 45 min · Pairs

Debate Pairs: Repatriation Pros and Cons

Pair students to research one side of a repatriation case, like Aboriginal spears in overseas museums. Each pair presents 3 arguments with evidence, then switches sides for rebuttals. Conclude with a class vote and reflection on shifted views.

Analyze the arguments for and against repatriation of cultural artifacts.

Facilitation Tip

For Debate Pairs, assign roles in advance so students prepare arguments that are not their own, deepening empathy and critical thinking.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Should a museum prioritize the preservation of an artifact in its climate-controlled environment, or the cultural and spiritual needs of the originating community if they request its return?' Facilitate a debate where students represent different stakeholder perspectives (e.g., museum director, Indigenous elder, historian).

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Philosophical Chairs
• 50 min · Small Groups

Role-Play Stations: Consultation Scenarios

Create 4 stations with roles: curator, elder, collector descendant, lawyer. Small groups rotate, negotiating an exhibit decision at each. Record agreements and ethical trade-offs for whole-class debrief.

Explain the importance of community consultation in exhibiting cultural heritage.

Facilitation Tip

In Role-Play Stations, provide scenario sheets with clear stakeholder goals and a timekeeper to keep negotiations focused and equitable.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one specific example of a cultural artifact that has been a subject of repatriation debate. Then, have them briefly explain one argument for its return and one argument against it, based on the class discussion.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Ethical Critiques

Display images of historical colonial exhibits and modern respectful displays. Pairs visit stations, noting power imbalances and improvements. Groups share one insight per station in a final discussion.

Critique historical practices of collecting and displaying non-Western art.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, post guiding questions at each station and have students rotate in pairs to discuss before writing critiques on sticky notes.

What to look for

Present students with a hypothetical scenario: A small regional museum has acquired a collection of Indigenous tools from the early 20th century. Ask them to list two essential steps they would take to ensure community consultation before planning an exhibition.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Philosophical Chairs
• 40 min · Small Groups

Exhibit Design Challenge: Individual to Groups

Students individually sketch an ethical display for a sacred object. Form small groups to combine ideas, justify choices against repatriation concerns, and pitch to the class.

Analyze the arguments for and against repatriation of cultural artifacts.

Facilitation Tip

For the Exhibit Design Challenge, give students a starter kit with artifact replicas, blank labels, and a community consultation checklist to ground their choices in process.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Should a museum prioritize the preservation of an artifact in its climate-controlled environment, or the cultural and spiritual needs of the originating community if they request its return?' Facilitate a debate where students represent different stakeholder perspectives (e.g., museum director, Indigenous elder, historian).

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by treating students as ethical agents, not passive learners. Begin with low-stakes cases to build confidence, then escalate to contested artifacts where no single answer exists. Research shows that ethical reasoning develops best when students repeatedly practice perspective-taking and evaluate consequences, so cycle back to earlier cases after new learning. Avoid framing the topic as a battle between right and wrong; instead, emphasize trade-offs and the importance of transparent decision-making.

Successful learning looks like students weighing multiple viewpoints without defaulting to easy answers and proposing solutions that balance preservation, access, and cultural rights. They should reference specific cases and articulate why context matters in ethical decisions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Debate Pairs, some students may claim that museums protect artifacts better than origin communities.

  During Debate Pairs, provide a case study card comparing survival rates of artifacts in museums versus those returned to communities, asking students to cite evidence before making claims.

• During Role-Play Stations, students may assume repatriation removes objects from public view forever.

  During Role-Play Stations, give negotiators a 'loan and partnership' option card showing how objects can be shared through rotating exhibits or digital access.

• During Gallery Walk, students may think ethical rules are universal.

  During Gallery Walk, label each station with a cultural context (e.g., 'Māori taonga in a British museum') and ask students to note how colonial histories shape ethical expectations.

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Methods used in this brief

• Philosophical Chairs
• Gallery Walk