Young Indigenous students' numeracy learning: Oral language, mathematical representations and engagement. High quality early childhood education for Indigenous students is an essential precondition for school readiness, and Indigenous parents and communities are essential for success and sustainability. Our pilot results confront stereotypes by evidencing that young Indigenous students are mathematically capable learners. It is a significant social and economic loss that a section of the Austral ....Young Indigenous students' numeracy learning: Oral language, mathematical representations and engagement. High quality early childhood education for Indigenous students is an essential precondition for school readiness, and Indigenous parents and communities are essential for success and sustainability. Our pilot results confront stereotypes by evidencing that young Indigenous students are mathematically capable learners. It is a significant social and economic loss that a section of the Australian community is not sufficiently educated to share in the wealth of the nation. Minimal progress on numeracy measures results in failure to engage in higher levels of mathematics. This research builds a foundation in mathematics that levels the assessment playing field and supports participation in higher levels of mathematics.Read moreRead less
Toward an Australian culturally responsive pedagogy. This project aims to examine how teachers in mainstream middle school classrooms can teach young Indigenous Australians in a culturally sensitive way. The large disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous outcomes at school is an urgent problem. Young people are more likely to attend school, learn and reach their potential when they are taught to belong. Teachers, researchers, Aboriginal Education Officers and Elders will develop an Austra ....Toward an Australian culturally responsive pedagogy. This project aims to examine how teachers in mainstream middle school classrooms can teach young Indigenous Australians in a culturally sensitive way. The large disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous outcomes at school is an urgent problem. Young people are more likely to attend school, learn and reach their potential when they are taught to belong. Teachers, researchers, Aboriginal Education Officers and Elders will develop an Australian theory for culturally responsive pedagogy that draws on International and Australian Indigenous Studies, pedagogy studies, and empirical work in schools. This project is expected to inform theory, policy and practice in schools and teacher preparation courses.Read moreRead less
Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia. In 2021, Performance Criteria relating to Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures were introduced by the Australian architectural profession in the National Standard of Competency for Architects. This Indigenous-led research project will determine the efficacy of these criteria by interacting with key stakeholders to collect critical information for the 2025 iteration of Competencies and provide important observations for the profession ....Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia. In 2021, Performance Criteria relating to Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures were introduced by the Australian architectural profession in the National Standard of Competency for Architects. This Indigenous-led research project will determine the efficacy of these criteria by interacting with key stakeholders to collect critical information for the 2025 iteration of Competencies and provide important observations for the profession. This project aims to Indigenise discourse between Indigenous Communities and built environment professions, promote greater cultural competency and advocate for considerations of First Nations specific Performance Criteria in other registered built environment professions across Australia.Read moreRead less
Advancing Child and Youth-led Climate Change Education with Country. Climate change education is in its infancy. By co-researching with Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, youth, and Elders across Australia and Canada, this project conceptualises and advances climate change education with Country. Climate change education is not adequately understood within Western science. Western perspectives on climate crises are in deep contrast to Indigenous perspectives enmeshed in continuous storying ....Advancing Child and Youth-led Climate Change Education with Country. Climate change education is in its infancy. By co-researching with Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, youth, and Elders across Australia and Canada, this project conceptualises and advances climate change education with Country. Climate change education is not adequately understood within Western science. Western perspectives on climate crises are in deep contrast to Indigenous perspectives enmeshed in continuous storying with descendants, ancestors, and Country. Collaborating with Elders, this project will generate child and youth-led transcultural curriculum and pedagogical understandings of climate change education with Country. It delivers on the United Nations Convention on Climate Change through corresponding quality education.Read moreRead less
Early years languages learning in Australia. This project aims to investigate early year’s language programs in Australian schools. The project will explore and analyse successful programs in the three states of NSW, Queensland and Victoria, policy, curricula and resources for languages teaching and learning, key stakeholder perspectives, and student progress in new primary language teaching degrees. The project expects to generate new knowledge of linked best practice program types, pedagogies, ....Early years languages learning in Australia. This project aims to investigate early year’s language programs in Australian schools. The project will explore and analyse successful programs in the three states of NSW, Queensland and Victoria, policy, curricula and resources for languages teaching and learning, key stakeholder perspectives, and student progress in new primary language teaching degrees. The project expects to generate new knowledge of linked best practice program types, pedagogies, and teacher requirements, to provide new data and ongoing research opportunities. Intended benefits include the education of more linguistically and culturally competent young Australians who are able to effectively engage in a plurilingual, globalised world.Read moreRead less
Non-indigenous teachers,indigenous teacher aides and local indigenous communities:Relationships that promote enhanced mathematics learning outcomes for rural and remote indigenous students. In rural and remote schools with indigenous students, teachers tend to be non-indigenous, young, inexperienced and transient (they commonly leave after two years). In contrast, teacher-aides are indigenous, older, more experienced and non-transient. Moreover, they tend to have strong commitment and connectio ....Non-indigenous teachers,indigenous teacher aides and local indigenous communities:Relationships that promote enhanced mathematics learning outcomes for rural and remote indigenous students. In rural and remote schools with indigenous students, teachers tend to be non-indigenous, young, inexperienced and transient (they commonly leave after two years). In contrast, teacher-aides are indigenous, older, more experienced and non-transient. Moreover, they tend to have strong commitment and connections to the local community. This project studies the interactions between non-indigenous teachers, indigenous teacher-aides and indigenous students in schools in the Mount Isa region in order to develop knowledge of how classroom practices can be improved to enhance indigenous students' mathematics learning outcomes. Enhanced outcomes may lead to better opportunities for employment and improved life chances.Read moreRead less
An early childhood community-based mathematics and science approach to addressing Indigenous disadvantage in remote communities. This project aims to assess the impact of a range of initiatives to improve Indigenous children’s numeracy achievement. It aims to enable the increased participation of Indigenous families in remote NSW in early childhood education and health services, and promote social inclusion in remote communities. An innovative mathematics and science program will engage the comm ....An early childhood community-based mathematics and science approach to addressing Indigenous disadvantage in remote communities. This project aims to assess the impact of a range of initiatives to improve Indigenous children’s numeracy achievement. It aims to enable the increased participation of Indigenous families in remote NSW in early childhood education and health services, and promote social inclusion in remote communities. An innovative mathematics and science program will engage the community in collaborative planning and implementation. This intends to raise the quality of early education, and connect families with their children’s learning. At the same time vital access to health information and services will be aligned with the education program.Read moreRead less
A qualitative and quantitative study of Indigenous content in curriculum. The Indigenous curriculum content in the Australian Curriculum, is tasked as the latest attempt to improve outcomes for Indigenous students. This project aims to investigate how teachers approach this cross-curriculum mandate, consider teachers’ attitudes regarding the teaching of Indigenous content, and identify the complex factors that act as barriers to the success of teaching this content. Employing an innovative desig ....A qualitative and quantitative study of Indigenous content in curriculum. The Indigenous curriculum content in the Australian Curriculum, is tasked as the latest attempt to improve outcomes for Indigenous students. This project aims to investigate how teachers approach this cross-curriculum mandate, consider teachers’ attitudes regarding the teaching of Indigenous content, and identify the complex factors that act as barriers to the success of teaching this content. Employing an innovative design that combines policy analysis, survey research and qualitative research to consider the structural, epistemic and curriculum factors impacting on the success of this policy mandate. This will illuminate the affordances and constraints of new ways of understanding the inclusion of Indigenous content into the curriculum.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,218.00
Summary
Developing the Multimodal Literacy Learning of Indigenous Australian Primary Students through Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Education Action Plan 2010-2014 aims to close the gap in education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Mainstream educational practices are based on beliefs about knowing and being, which marginalise the literacy learning of Indigenous Australian students. This project will develop a model for multimodal literacy ....Developing the Multimodal Literacy Learning of Indigenous Australian Primary Students through Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Education Action Plan 2010-2014 aims to close the gap in education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Mainstream educational practices are based on beliefs about knowing and being, which marginalise the literacy learning of Indigenous Australian students. This project will develop a model for multimodal literacy learning based on Indigenous community practices with primary students in Years four and five. The researcher will work with Indigenous elders and the principal and teachers at an independent Indigenous school, and further develop this approach within the broader context of Aboriginal schools.Read moreRead less
Accelerating the mathematics learning of low socio-economic status junior secondary students. This project aims to develop theory that will enable mathematics programs to be constructed to accelerate Years 8-9 students’ learning to the point that Years 10-12 mathematics can be accessed and employment and life chances increased.