Papers by Libby Jackson-Barrett
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2018
Djarlgarra Koolunger (Canning River kids) is a culturally centred outdoor learning project referr... more Djarlgarra Koolunger (Canning River kids) is a culturally centred outdoor learning project referred to as 'On Country Learning' or OCL. The project explores Aboriginal connectedness to the spiritual, social, cultural, environmental and geographic dimensions of particular outdoor spaces. This allows Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and their educators to connect at what Nakata (2007) terms the 'cultural interface'. OCL offers opportunities to transform the ways in which schools engage with Aboriginal perspectives whilst facilitating deep learning through what we describe as culturally responsive pedagogies. This paper stories the journey of Aboriginal students and their teachers, engaging in learning that is situated on Country. We examine the involvement of children when learning on Country and provide analysis using the Leuven Involvement Scales (1994). The analysis compares this group of children in a classroom context and an on Country context over a period of six months and provides preliminary evidence of the efficacy of this approach.
"Aboriginal perspectives matter: Yarning and reflecting about teaching literacies using multimodal, Aboriginal texts", ( in press)
Issues Educational Research , 2022
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2009
The North West Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Workforce Development Strategy offers students... more The North West Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Workforce Development Strategy offers students in the Pilbara and Kimberley the opportunity to enrol in a Western Australian University's fully accredited Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) part time and externally-so they can continue to live and work in their communities. The Western Australian Department of Education and Training (WA DET) and the Commonwealth Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) have funded the project, enabling the University to provide mentoring support and provision for Recognition of Prior Learning, on a case-by-case basis, depending on their individual experience and levels of skill. On completion of the course students will be fully qualified to teach from Kindergarten to Year 7. Added to this they will be able to bring their own knowledge of their unique communities, languages and cultures to their teaching.
On the first of February 2011 Murdoch University commenced a research project to identify gaps an... more On the first of February 2011 Murdoch University commenced a research project to identify gaps and needs in health and education of Gumala Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) members and to provide practical solutions to reduce these gaps and needs. All Gumala members were invited to participate but special emphasis was placed on members in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Our findings are contained On the first of February 2011 Murdoch University commenced a research project to identify gaps and needs in health and education of Gumala Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) members and to provide practical solutions to reduce these gaps and needs. All Gumala members were invited to participate but special emphasis was placed on members in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Our findings are contained within this report. In addition our methodologies allow cautious generalisation of many of the findings to other Aboriginal language groups in the Pilbara. The research project was co-spons...
The aim of this project was to further develop an Early Childhood Teacher Workforce Development S... more The aim of this project was to further develop an Early Childhood Teacher Workforce Development Strategy for the remote North West of Western Australia (WA). Funding from this Commonwealth Seeding Grant formed Stage Two of this strategy, Stage One having commenced in Semester One 2009 through funding from the Australian Government and the WA Department of Education and Training to support the COAG Universal Access to Early Childhood Education agenda. The success of the project to date is a tribute to the close collaboration between Murdoch University‘s School of Education, the Australian Government‘s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and the WA Department of Education and Training. The project is located in the remote Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia, which face enormous challenges in achieving both UNESCO‘s Millenium goals of Education for All and the more recent Australian 'Closing the Gap' campaign initiatives (Price and...
Kooloonga Warbiny Kadidginy Walliabup: Children playing and learning at the Cockburn Wetlands
This film documents a research project conducted with Aboriginal children and Elders in an 'o... more This film documents a research project conducted with Aboriginal children and Elders in an 'on country' learning program. Researchers explored cultural identity and wellbeing as well as school attendance.
Intergenerational learning in Australian Aboriginal communities
Walliabup: Connecting young children with culture in the outdoors
The DVD was produced to present the findings of a research project examining outdoor learning and... more The DVD was produced to present the findings of a research project examining outdoor learning and the impact on Aboriginal Education outcomes. It documents the research conducted in 2011 in Western Australia.
Indigenous perspectives on outdoor learning environments
Walliabup connections: Outdoor learning with Indigenous young children and their communities
Key Takeaways: To provide educators with strategies for engaging with Indigenous students and com... more Key Takeaways: To provide educators with strategies for engaging with Indigenous students and communities to make important connections between outdoor play spaces, children’s connection to ‘place’ as a means of preserving cultural identity. Indication of areas; Leading teaching and learning; Developing self and others; Leading improvement, innovation and change; Leading the management of the school; NS Engaging and working with the community.
A broad issue of concern to many sectors including Indigenous identity is the rapid disappearance... more A broad issue of concern to many sectors including Indigenous identity is the rapid disappearance of their (usually oral) languages. This project focuses on the production of a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) tool for an Australian Aboriginal language which could be applied elsewhere. The research follows a design-based research (DBR) approach and the methodology based the researcher in the language community to work in partnership to design and develop a program. The first iteration used established CALL principles, accepted orthography, linguistic description and digital resources of a dictionary. The first evaluation and reflection led to deep questioning of the use of written language in language learning. Redesign led to a new process for participation and emphasis on spoken rather than written language. A critical understanding and the consequent design principles have significant implications for the revitalisation of Indigenous languages worldwide.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
In this paper, we present findings from an eighteen-month research project conducted in a remote ... more In this paper, we present findings from an eighteen-month research project conducted in a remote community school in Western Australia. The data from this project includes documentation pertaining to the practices of educators engaging with Aboriginal Elders and children on Country. The aim of the project was to document the transformative potential of learning on Country for young Aboriginal children (4-8 years). We discuss our findings in the context of Pink Floyd's metaphor of formal education being built and maintained as a Wall in which children are 'just another brick'. We argue that education is an institution that produces and reproduces inequalities for Aboriginal children through conforming and colonial pedagogical practices. To support our analysis and framing of this research we draw on Habermas' knowledge interests (1978) and MacNaughton's curriculum positions (2003). Using this framework, we propose that transformative pedagogies necessitate the school and the community to be 'ready, willing and able' to engage in an approach to learning and teaching that is grounded in 'Country'. We juxtapose the conforming pedagogies of the Wall with the transforming pedagogies represented by Pink Hill, a sacred feature of the landscape alongside the community where the research took place.
Indigenous Children’s Linguistic Rights in the 21st Century: Intentions and Tensions in Practice
International Journal of Early Childhood
This paper presents a framework for what we consider are essential elements for realising the lin... more This paper presents a framework for what we consider are essential elements for realising the linguistic rights of Indigenous children in the twenty-first century. The global impacts of colonisation on various Indigenous communities have resulted in loss of cultural practices, knowledge and loss of languages. This framework points to ways forward for addressing Indigenous children’s rights to reclaim their languages in early childhood. The linguistic rights of Indigenous children are at the intersection of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in this, the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The enshrined rights of Indigenous children to an education in their own culture and language is a right yet to be realised in nations who are signatories to the Convention and the Declaration. Examples are presented of Indigenous language programmes in early childhood settings in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sapmi and the USA to highlight the significant roles of policy, Elders, communities, teacher education and the role of early childhood education in supporting children and families to reclaim endangered Indigenous languages.
Understanding the Complex Work of Aboriginal Education Workers in Schools
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education
The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted... more The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted, and yet it is often misunderstood, or worse, devalued. Added to this, the conditions of employment for many AEWs is often insecure, with minimal pay, few opportunities for career progression or meaningful professional development. Despite this there continues to be, as there have been for decades, research findings, policies and reports attesting to the invaluable role of AEWs in schools and communities. The theoretical standpoint of Nakata's (2007) ‘cultural interface’ is used in this paper to critically (re) examine the role of AEWs in Australian schools. Drawing from relevant past and contemporary literature, this paper draws attention to past and contemporary theorising and policy concerning the roles of AEWs. It asserts that if the work of AEWs is to be better understood and valued then it must be reconsidered in a more transformative way that benefits both the students and sc...
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Over the past decade Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies and perspectives have been man... more Over the past decade Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies and perspectives have been mandated across the Australian national curriculum and all teachers are now required to demonstrate strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and have a broad knowledge of Aboriginal histories, cultures and languages. This paper describes a project focused on enabling Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) to play a critical role in transforming these initiatives into real and sustainable change through authentic, technology-based pedagogy. Indigenous research methodologies and design-based research (DBR) were used to investigate the potential educational roles for AEWs enabled by elearning and new technologies. The project, called Skilling Up: Improving educational opportunities for AEWs through technology based pedagogy was funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching. This paper reports on the findings of the study conducted in Western Australia, including pre-study survey results, together with a description of a unit of study to provide opportunities for AEWs to use technologies in their work, and to create authentic digital stories for use in teacher education. The development of design principles for the design of such environments is also discussed.
Aveling N Davey P Georgieff a Jackson Barrett E Kosniowska H and Fernandes Satar a Equity Academic Rigour and a Sense of Entitlement Voices from the Chalkface in Aare Apera 2012 2 6 December 2012 University of Sydney Sydney, 2012
When working with teacher education students one of our aims is to look at 'race' and racism, and... more When working with teacher education students one of our aims is to look at 'race' and racism, and the implications that 'being white' has for teachers' practice. Hence we develop conversations around who we are as gendered and racialised subjects who occupy specific socioeconomic positions. Our students find this disconcerting, however, as educators we find the journey equally challenging, even painful. When students personalize their discomfort by attacking us, it is not easy to simply shrug off hurtful comments. What we want to do in this paper, therefore, is to share the stories of our 'tragedies and triumphs' and present a number of impressionistic snapshots that illustrate the effects that teaching about social justice issues has on us as teachers. The issues mentioned in our title form the basis of our narratives: we are firmly committed to retaining our focus on equity as a guiding principle without sacrificing academic rigour, while at the same time addressing student resistance and the sense of entitlement that some bring to the unit.
Issues in Educational Research
This paper presents the experiences of four researchers working within, alongside and for the Gum... more This paper presents the experiences of four researchers working within, alongside and for the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The focus of the research was a health and education needs analysis of Gumala Aboriginal Corporation members that would inform future education and health planning in the region. The research project was a collaboration between the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation, Rio Tinto and Murdoch University. The research comprised a combination of paper and pen surveys, interviews, focus groups and meetings with elders. What we learned about researching in Indigenous contexts through these experiences is the focus of this paper. Building on Indigenous research methodologies, theories and ways of being and doing, we explore the need to be build trust and relationships, respect Indigenous protocols, understand what it means to be 'on country' and perhaps most importantly to learn to sit and listen. Based on our research and ...
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2011
In 2011, three years on from the Apology given by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd to the Stolen Genera... more In 2011, three years on from the Apology given by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd to the Stolen Generations and coupled with the Federal Governments agenda to 'close the gap' in education for Aboriginal students, perhaps it is time to retrospectively look at the issues and challenges that have moulded the terrain of Aboriginal education in Western Australia. It is clear that over the last 200 years there has been progress in improving the access of schooling for many Aboriginal students. However the retention and successful completion of compulsory schooling still remain at unacceptable levels. Given that historically many Indigenous students have underachieved in most aspects of their 'western' education then it stands to reason that the basic 3R concept of Reading, [W]riting and [A]rithmetic are inaccessible for many Indigenous students in their present form. Perhaps the most appropriate strategy today, in outcome-based education, and to assist with 'closing the gap', would be to reconceptualise the 3R concept into a more tangible form. Whilst having a conversation with some Aunties regarding what I was doing with my work at university, we 'yarned' about the 3Rs in education. I noticed one old Aunty chuckling away to herself and I asked "what is so funny?" Her reply was "3Rs? You mean the ones in education? Only one starts with R and they think we have literacy problems". Some may say that Aunty was being facetious, however, I think she highlighted what many had been thinking since the concept of the 3Rs was first introduced in the 19 th Century.
In this chapter we provide an analysis of the tensions in Aboriginal education in Australia, with... more In this chapter we provide an analysis of the tensions in Aboriginal education in Australia, with a particular focus on Western Australia, where the authors live and work. These tensions have arisen from the government policies enacted on Aboriginal Peoples since colonisation. These policies have left a legacy of marginalisation within the current education system nationally. We provide this discussion in order to answer the question: How have past government policies impacted contemporary Australian schooling for Aboriginal students? Commencing with pre colonisation we acknowledge Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing that have existed in Australia for over 60,000 years. We provide a timeline of significant government policies and practices that have shaped the current status of Aboriginal education in Australia. We argue that there is a deeply entrenched racist undertone in curriculum policy and pedagogies that non Aboriginal Australia is yet to address.
Final Report on the North West Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Workforce Development StrategyTwo
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Papers by Libby Jackson-Barrett