Masterclass Scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers and Leaders

Asharie is a K-10 teacher and trained Teacher of the Deaf with extensive teaching experience across a range of settings, including 8 years teaching in an Aboriginal school, and teaching roles across secondary learning areas, including ATAR. Asharie is a highly collaborative and well-respected member of the educational community, working closely with the school communities that she has been a member of, organising events and liaising between school, students and parents. Asharie has held several positions in leadership, including her current role as Program Coordinator for Follow the Dream and is committed to ensuring that Aboriginal students receive high quality learning opportunities grounded in best practice. In her current role, Asharie leads a team of tutors, school champions and AEIO’s in the Follow the Dream program across seven schools. Here she shares her expertise and continuing knowledge base to support the Follow the Dream teams in purposefully implementing evidence-based strategies to support the ongoing achievement of Aboriginal students in her educational community.

Before completing her Bachelor of Primary Teaching (Regional and Remote) in 2018, Jackie was already well established in the education community, as an AEIO and qualified Education Assistant in a Perth secondary school. Now a valued member of a regional district high school, Jackie is committed to supporting the academic progress of Aboriginal students and creating a culturally responsive school environment, taking leadership of the Wajarri Language education program, and leading the meaningful and collaborative implementation of the Aboriginal Cultural standards framework. Through this, she has supported her colleagues by facilitating a meaningful understanding of the needs of the Aboriginal students they teach. As a classroom teacher, Jackie is committed to evidence-based strategies and sharing her expertise with her colleagues. Using data to identify the educational strengths and needs of her students, Jackie structures specific, meaningful learning opportunities to support the progress of students at all levels, with data showing the greatest levels of progress recorded for these students and the establishment of the most consistently attended classroom in the school.

Rebecca has a wealth of varied experience across regional schools in Western Australia, with extensive experience in Early Childhood Education, including roles such as Early Childhood Coordinator, and Curriculum Officer for Early Childhood at Esperance Regional Office. More recently, Rebecca has taught multi-year level secondary classrooms, and currently teaches in Literacy Intervention and supporting student engagement and Design and Technology at a regional district high school and a regional primary school, having recently completed the LEAP Program for 7-10 Design and Technology. In addition to classroom teaching, Rebecca has held several school leadership roles, and has led school professional development; coordinating the implementation of school level educational programs, including combining Talk4Writing with local traditional stories to lead Aboriginal Perspectives within the school. Evidence-based practices have been a key priority throughout Rebecca’s career, she has committed to continued professional learning to ensure her classroom benefits from the best in educational practice and supports the development of meaningful, targeted learning opportunities for all students and continued opportunities for student success.