Shirley Gilbert

The Aboriginal Girls’ Circle (AGC) is an intervention targeted to increase social connection, participation and self-confidence amongst Aboriginal girls attending secondary schools. Researchers from the University of Western Sydney (UWS)’s School of Education sought to evaluate the AGC pilot undertaken at Dubbo College and to provide recommendations for the program’s further development. The following specific aims were outlined for this pilot research. 1. To determine the effects of the AGC for participants’ resilience, connectedness, self-concept and cultural identity, 2. To investigate and track the development of culturally appropriate tools and methods for measuring these constructs, and 3. To evaluate the relative effectiveness of various components of the program and implementation processes. Ethical protocols for working with Aboriginal communities were an important aspect of the research design, which was approved by the UWS Human Research Ethics Committee and by the by the...

In 2018 the Indonesian Ministry of Industry (KPRI) released a document ‘Making Indonesia 4.0’, in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), setting out the Indonesian aspirations, the five focus sectors, the ten national priorities, the economic benefits, the job creation, and the next steps to ensure Indonesia’s future development. While all the ten priorities are important, of specific interest to education are: priority 5 that aims to advance network and digital platforms; e.g. 4G to 5G, Fiber speed 1Gbps, Data center and Cloud, and; priority 7, which aims to redesign the education curriculum and create a professional talent mobility program using a STEAM approach. A transformation of the schooling system is needed which is different to a reform as reform concentrates upon the existing structure and system whereas a transformation works to create different systems and structures. The basis for success lies in the hands of Indonesian teachers and lecturers. This paper wi...

This paper reports on the pilot of the Aboriginal Girls Circle (AGC), an intervention based on the Circle Solutions framework (Roffey, 2014) and specifically targeted to increase social connection, participation and self-confidence among Aboriginal girls attending secondary schools. A mixed-method approach was employed to i) determine the effects of the AGC for participants’ resilience, connectedness, self-concept and cultural identity, ii) investigate and track the development of culturally appropriate tools and methods for measuring these constructs, and iii) evaluate the relative effectiveness of various components of the program and implementation processes. Here we present the main findings for the first two aims. Based on interviews and focus groups with participants, parents, Elders and school staff, the qualitative findings of this mixed-method research showed very encouraging impacts for the girls’ sense of confidence, resilience and connectedness. School staff also respond...

How can we as classroom teachers promote understandings that Aboriginal peoples view of the world that are valid in a science classroom? How in our teaching can we avoid making judgements when contrasting worldviews?

The hands on workshop will explore some Aboriginal perspectives using an 8 ways Aboriginal pedagogical approach (Yunkaporta 2009) and demonstrate some ways you might introduce a greater understanding of Aboriginal culture, without being superficial using the narrative and land links. The workshop will explore Aboriginal knowledge production.

As science teachers unpacking knowledge which is considered to be socially constructed often is avoided. There is no one true way of understanding and explaining the world; especially when the explanations arise from culture. However, avoidance of cultural intersections is itself problematic. Let’s look at Science 7-12 and some possibilities for student engagement with perspectives and community.

All teachers in Australia will now deliver an Australian curriculum which is consistent across each state and territory as a minimum requirement. However, it has not all just been about curriculum, it has also been about the profession. The profession during a similar timeframe has also aligned itself nationally so that its accreditation of teachers is also seen as uniform, rigorous and consistent. Previously, states and territories provided their own curriculum documents and each provider had its own individual content foci and approaches to what teachers were to deliver to students. This approach means that students and/or teachers wanting to relocate can do so more easily and with fewer transitional dilemmas.

With these new developments comes fear. For teachers in their early careers the fear was that their Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses were developed before the implementation of these new priorities and that their university studies did not adequately prepare them for all of the changes. One of the great concerns to recent graduate teachers and communities is how they are feeling less supported to deliver “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures” in ways that are meaningful, relevant and respectful to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Many of the teachers I have been working with in western Sydney are actively seeking additional support.

Sharing the raw realities was part of the conference. During day one of the meeting Mr. David Templeman’s presentation from ACDE stated that their own research found that today that universities are often viewed as being culturally unsafe spaces for many of our mobs and that many Aboriginal students leave their studies at critical points in their programs.

Knowing this, how important is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student success for our mobs, when we know the key to our success is to have more Aboriginal teachers? When communities walk out of these institutions and do not return to their studies, this affects our capacity to grow as communities. How can institutions reduce these walking points? If we are moving to close the gap in ITE and increase the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander teachers, how and what do tertiary sectors need to change, operationally and relationally, about the way they engage with our communities?
KEYWORDS: Education Policy and Politics, Social Justice and Equity through Education, Teacher, Adult and Higher Education.
Tags: aboriginal education, education and training, indigenous education, teacher education
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Presentation:  Gilbert, S.J. 2021. NSW HSC Aboriginal Studies- understanding requirements for Heritage and Identity. Presentation Sarah Redfern High School Sydney
The NSW HSC is perhaps the most challenging thing young people experience in their 13 years of schooling. Many feel it is so hard --they choose to self exclude right at the end-at the exam. So many young people are capable learners, they just need to know how to make the exam work for them.
The HSC exam is not the end point of learning however, the media project such pressure on young people they do not know its part of multifaceted stage of their life. Universities and TAFE provide other ways to enter higher educational opportunities besides getting an ATAR- there are colleges and trades. This being said trying hard and being positive takes courage this presentation is to help you develop that courage to succeed.

Developed to teach HSC students in Aboriginal Studies the various types of research methodologies that might be used int heir major projects.
This work includes the idea of Indigenous Standpoint Theory and helps teachers and student to shape the voices of their Aboriginal students, Families and Communities within the greater context of Aboriginal ways of 'knowing' and 'doing' research. Epistemology and Ontology.

Genre-Breaking down the 'codes' for the early career teacher. How can teachers learn more about Aboriginal texts that could be incorporated into the Primary classroom? For the classroom teacher, meeting and documenting AITSL standards can seems like an onerous task. Standard 2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (AITSL Website) is one standard where many teachers find difficulty in locating and developing useful programs for their primary classrooms. Outlined in the following tables are some useful texts which I mapped in originally in 2004 that you may want to incorporate into your schools literacy programs. Many of these texts can be easily used for all types of genre lesson starting points. Many use humour, " our Rooster Jack " is my all-time favourite but then again its part of my story and history. Many also use Aboriginal English and local Aboriginal language words. Many of you will eventually work with your local communities and find other amazing texts. Many of these texts will be found in your schools libraries. Others are still available for purchase. Community consultation is part of your professional journey but often venturing out to community for support is daunting. Perhaps some of the texts can be part of larger program development such as a starting school program. Transition to Schools Program Just ideas you could start by doing predictive texts and develop several short activities with the transition team and your future students: • Me and Pricilla Get Ready (Schreiber, Roberts and Luxton 2003) (Play based activity about Dressing Up-getting ready for school) or (Drawing and colouring the school uniform) • Raps for Little Fellas (Monkey Mark 2004) Indij Readers Series 2 Start with Getting ready for school and the use the songs in Raps for Little fellas-Breakfast and Brushing (teeth) • Ten Little Jarjum (Aboriginal Community Members from Tabulam 1996) Start numeracy and counting 1-10 One of my new favourites for counting is • Too Many Cheeky Dogs. Available at http://toomanycheekydogs.com.au/ The Elliott Mob loved this in 2014. It is a local and related text to the lives of so many Aboriginal Children who know what a town dog is like. • After School-(Students Gorokan Primary School 1996) (Speaking Activity: What do we do 'after school' and how can we share stories).

Using 8 ways pedagogical models requires educators to understand Land based education. These often include:
Indigenous knowledge (IK)
Indigenous environmental knowledge (IEK),
traditional knowledge (TK),
traditional ecological or traditional  environmental knowledge (TEK)
These come with also a range of roughly interconnected definitions.
However, when we treat knowledge in this way, as ‘separate’ and not ‘whole’ it possibly gives us greater understanding as to why perhaps Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies in the sciences are largely avoided in the classroom. This local Western Sydney High school is working with the author to develop more authentic connections to their Aboriginal community and make examples used in classrooms link to Dharug lands, story and languages. Author: Shirley Gilbert s.gilbert@westernsydney.edu.au