National Early Childhood Conference

Principal Australia

Dare To Lead

National Early Childhood Conference

Melbourne Rydges – 11th September 2009

Draft Agenda

8.30amWelcome to Country

8.40amOpening Comments - Mark Crouch

9.00amKeynote 1Dr Karen Martin – Southern Cross University

‘Thinkin’ you know, gettin’ it wrong and us missin’ out’: Aboriginal worldview and knowledge, Englishliteracy - great expectations or grating obsessions?

Aboriginal children’s achievements or lack, in acquiring English literacy skills are well documented and remain somewhat of an obsession for teachers, schools and governments. Whilst ‘getting English right’ is also a goal for Aboriginal people, in too many cases this remains unfulfilled, or an unfulfilling experience.

10.00amWorkshop Breakout A

A1Jane Hanckel and Pamela Simon – Spirit of Childhood Foundation/Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation

Since beginning of 2008 the Inspir=Ed Parent-Child Education Program at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation in Sydney has been providing culturally sensitive parent-child education for Aboriginal children 0 - 5 years. The ‘playgroup’ type program involves engaging mothers, fathers and extended families working together with their children in two hour weekly ‘education’ experience. The program is providing successful orientation and transition from home to school and pre-school with a strong community involvement and engagement.

A2To be Arranged

10.45amMorning Tea

11.15amKeynote 2Vicki Fortescue – Jervis Bay PreSchool

Jervis Bay Preschools’ strategies provide an early focus on the intuitive strengths of indigenous students whilst ensuring the highest standards are maintained across key areas of education for all students. Results presented in this paper are indicating surprisingly successful outcomes. I describe in this paper the unique blend of programs, strategies, technology and community participation which may be the key to the future success for our Indigenous students.

12.15pmWorkshop Breakout B

B1Fiona Kelly – Alma Public School/Bugaldie Pre School – Broken Hill

Alma-Bugdlie Preschool is an Aboriginal DET Preschool that is located off-site (4 blocks away) from Alma Public School. There are as many advantages as there are disadvantages for working in an off-site preschool. But it was these experiences in being off-site that made it necessary to deliver a very effective community engagement program.

B2Michelle Abel – Reconciliation Australia

Many schools who have a campus that includes preschool, junior, middle, and senior schools influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families throughout a vital part of their life-cycle. Families that are involved with a facility that shows RESPECT, develops supportive RELATIONSHIPS, and provides OPPORTUNITIES for their children, themselves and their community are more likely to support and be involved in their children’s learning journey.

1.00pmLunch

2.00pmKeynote 3Alison Elliott and Brenda Keenan - Charles Darwin Uni

Building a strong Indigenous teacher workforce for remote communities is a key component of improving early childhood education for Indigenous children. This presentation reports on the pedagogical, resource and logistical challenges of developing and delivering Growing our own, a ‘place-based’ teacher education program for Indigenous Teacher Assistants working in Catholic schools in remote Northern Territory communities.

3.00pmWorkshop Breakout C

C1Stephanie Armstrong and Kellie Macintosh – Dare To Lead

Kelli is currently the project coordinator for the Dare to Lead Early Learning Project in Metropolitan Melbourne. The aim of the project is to accelerate the oral language learning of incoming prep students from 3 primary schools – Thornbury Primary School, Penders Grove and Preston South. The workshop will present the journey of the 3 schools and the many challenges and highlights that have occurred over the last eighteen months.

C2Marie Grljusich – East Waikiki PS – WA

Together with the school’s Aboriginal Islander Education Officer and with parent’s guidance a Resource Kit was completed by students.

Since the school began focusing heavily on Aboriginal Perspectives across the curriculum Aboriginal students attendance has increased, literacy and numeracy outcomes have been enhanced and Aboriginal community involvement is greater.

3.45pmWorkshop Breakout D

D1Carmen Cefai – Willmot PS – NSW

In this session we will explore the importance of the early years in Aboriginal Education. At Willmot Public School we have developed programs to assist Aboriginal students and their families to get the opportunities to be able to succeed through raising the bar and narrowing the gap. This is accomplished through working together for a better future for Aboriginal students and their families.

D2Margaret James – Yipirinya School - Alice Springs

This workshop identifies the problems faced by Central Australian Indigenous children learning to read in Standard Australian English, and addresses the lack of appropriate reading material.

Most of the English reading material currently available for beginner readers is American or Anglocentric, an advantage for speakers of these dialects. The needs of Indigenous Australian ESL learners, however, have not been met and there appears to be an ignorance of the necessity to learn to read from material written in language closely resembling the reader’s oral language.

4.30pmClosing Comments – Cliff Downey

4.45pmConference Close