Professional Pathways of Aboriginal Early Childhood Teachers: Intersections of Community, Indigeneity, and Complexity

Little information is available about the employment trajectories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples pursuing university professional qualifications. This article describes a context in which cultural space, issues of identity, pragmatics of employment, family and community and a bureaucratic regulatory environment intersect to create scenarios that are multi-facetted and layered in complexity. As has been demonstrated clearly in other arenas (Richardson & Watt, 2006), the move towards professional teacher education qualification is not linear or straightforward. To add to the knowledge base in this area, the focus in this study is on university graduates of a teacher education degree targeting people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. This landscape of professional pathways offers material for educators and policy-makers to consider in the drive to ‘close the gap’ in Indigenous educational opportunity in Australia and in related circumstances elsewhere. Note that terms such as ‘Aboriginal’ and ‘Indigenous peoples’ are used as general signifiers and may not be the group terms favoured by the people to whom they refer, but have been accepted as place-holders for complex identifications of lineage and personal identification. Aboriginal peoples should also be aware that this paper may refer to people who are no longer with us

Seeking children's perspectives: a respectful layered research approach

This article discusses why researchers and educators might choose to seek children's perspectives. It also highlights some of the key considerations when seeing children as having the right to contribute to decisions that affect them. The article draws on findings from a study that used pedagogically oriented methods for researching three- and four-year-old children's perspectives about outdoor spaces in the early childhood setting they attended. The article discusses the possibilities and practicalities of this research approach for both research and pedagogy. Examples are provided for others who may be considering working/researching in these ways

Beyond the filing cabinet: making room for research

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Revisiting adult work in early childhood settings: Shifting the frame

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Re-becoming a supervisor : extending possibilities

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Interrogating diversity

Definitions of diversity evolve in complex ways. This chapter approaches the concept through stories which help generate rich narratives that move beyond earlier narrow definitions. It listens for the voices of those who have been slienced and considers the relationship between the notions of celebrating and honouring diversity, as well as considering problematic topics in the context of pedagogical decision-making and documentation.22 page(s

Planning in the context of the National Quality Standard : valuing children, promoting learning

'Where do I begin?' We are in an exciting era in Australian early childhood history, and many of us will have questions about how to build our own contributions to this process.3 page(s

Aboriginal families and communities : embracing literacy in the early childhood years

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Frameworks for change : four recurrent themes for quality in early childhood curriculum initiatives

This paper reports on the first phase of a case study that investigated how early childhood teachers experience organisational change. As one of three levels of quality improvement, State government-funded curriculum initiatives were developed with an aim to promote change. Three curriculum documents, one each focusing on literacy, pedagogy and health, were released in a short time frame. Analysis of the content of these documents reveals four themes of change that reflected the theories underpinning the waves of change flowing across New South Wales, Australia, in the years 2001-02.17 page(s