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UTS Education students, Rosemary King and Julie Arthur, have been awarded `Outstanding Graduate Award 2007` for the South Harbour Region at the Australian College of Educators (ACE) annual award presentation. The ACE awards were in recognition of the students outstanding commitment to their studies and excellence in practice teaching.

The awards were specifically for the South Harbour Regional Group with Rosemary and Julie selected as award winners from among all students at UTS, the University of Sydney, and the Australian Catholic University, Strathfield campus. As part of the award the students receive a free year of membership in the Australian College of Educators.

Rosemary and Julie are both graduating from the Bachelor of Education in Adult Education with majors in Aboriginal Studies and Language Literacy and Numeracy. UTS lecturers Keiko Yasukawa, Jacqui Widin, and Leanne King were on hand at the ACE presentation to celebrate the students achievement.

In the following interviews Rosemary and Julie outline the background to winning the award, what it has been like studying Adult Education and what they plan to do after graduation in the area of Aboriginal Education.

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Rosemary King

Why were you chosen to win the award?
I believe that this reflects my record as a student for assessment tasks, the quality of work, seeking and using feedback from my lecturers and my consistent result record. My practice teaching has been undertaken in Aboriginal Education Institutions at Tranby Aboriginal College in Glebe in Sydney and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education at Batchelor in the Northern Territory. I have fully participated in these teaching practicums and the experiences have increased my learning. I have been able to reflect on my practice, lesson delivery and the feedback from my cooperating teachers, Anna Ndaba at Tranby and Glenn Newling at Batchelor. I was also able to develop a strong rapport with the students in these educational Institutions.

What has been your experience of studying the BEd over the past 3 years?
My experience of studying the Bachelor of Education at UTS has been one of powerful learning from dedicated, experienced and inclusive lecturers. The support provided and resources available to me during my study have been instrumental in my learning and personal development. Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at UTS has supported my learning by the provision of an ITAS funded tutor, Mr William Buckley, who has provided me with guidance, support and an honest appraisal of my work. Jumbunna IHL has also assisted me with funding of my practicum teaching experience at Batchelor in awarding me a Bruce and Caroll Kendel Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship.

ELSSA Centre at UTS has provided extra courses, which I have taken advantage of during semester break; these have assisted me greatly in my studies. During my study I have also had the opportunity to work with the Centre for Popular Education (now part of UTS Centre for Learning & Change) as a research assistant. This research focused on helping Aboriginal parents support their children at primary and secondary school. I have also had the opportunity to attend, and deliver a paper, at the Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Conference held at UTS in October 2007, and the Discources and Cultural Practices Conference November 2007.

What do you plan to do after graduation and in your future work in Aboriginal education?
On completion of this degree and Graduation in 2008, I intend to continue my own learning while teaching one day per week at Tranby Aboriginal College in Glebe, Sydney. I also intend to apply for a position in Student Support at another University in Sydney. I have applied to do a Master of Education in Adult Education at UTS in 2008. This learning will enable me to continue working with adult Aboriginal learners, particularly in the area of Language, Literacy and Numeracy, an area in which there is a desperate need for trained and qualified Aboriginal teachers.

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Julie Arthur

What is your background?
I am a Kalkadoon woman from North-west Queensland born and raised in Cloncurry. I now reside in Brisbane and I am currently employed with the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations on 12 months leave without pay to complete my studies. I was working full-time and studying full-time for the first two years, which was challenging and very productive time for me. I really enjoyed work and studying, as they were relevant to each other. As an adult learner it is important for these two aspects of life to run parallel when learning or at ease it is for me.

Why were you chosen to win the award?
As you maybe aware our course the ‘Bachelor of Education in Adult Education’ comprises of a double major, Aboriginal Culture and Language, Literacy and Numeracy. An opportunity was given to all students in Professional Experience II to do our practicum in the Northern Territory by Dr. Jacqui Widin. When Dr. Widin provided this opportunity and given our double major it was just an opportunity of life long learning for me? I have taught Cross-Cultural Awareness training in the workplace and travelled across the Torres Strait Islands and Cape York Peninsular in Queensland while working in state government. Then to marry the double major into our practicum it was the opportunity and possibility to implement our skills and knowledge gained from our Bachelor in Education.

During our practicum I was placed with an extraordinary non-Indigenous teacher from Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Territory Education. In the Northern Territory (NT) education is being delivered under the National Accelerated Literacy Program (NALP) which my cooperating teacher held very strong believes in and after my observations of her teachings I was thoroughly and passionately sold on Accelerated Literacy myself.

While on my practicum my cooperating teacher gave me the opportunity to experience teaching practicum using the Accelerated Literacy (AL) methodology and was also agreeable to my delivery of English as a Second Language (ESL) if I felt more comfortable. I chose to experience the Accelerated Literacy while under supervision of an experienced teacher. The students came from north-east Arnhemland and spoke up to 7th, 13th and 15th home languages and English being their proceeding language. The classroom was within a cultural diverse group of students and great relationships were fostered.

What has been your experience of studying the BEd over the past 3 years?
There are many opportunities for students while studying at University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and it is about using your time wisely while you are studying as the lecturers are completely supportive and are only to please to work with students through any of their issues. I have had classroom issues which were resolved through the lecturer having a greater understanding of my individual needs both at a personal and academic level. UTS possess some of the most amazingly dedicated teaching staff who are will to give students extra time from their personal time outside of working hours. These lecturers are not nine to five they are seriously engaged in the learners needs. Their personal moto to students is ‘don’t drop out, drop in’ which opens their door to all students with interest of our concerns.

There are many incidents were lecturers support and encourage students yet they are excellent role models in demonstrating excellence in teaching. I have been extremely impressed at their teaching methodology of delivery when teaching us their techniques have held us a student when we use and implement our theories of teaching in the classroom. Overall in the Faculty of Education I have had the privilege of studying under some of the most experience and professional people available in Education.

What do you plan to do after graduation and in your future work in Aboriginal education?
I am researching the possibility of complete a Masters in Teaching (Primary) to be qualified to teach in primary school in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. After four years of teaching and learning the Accelerated Literacy and Leadership in Education then to become a principal of a primary school with a vision of Community Engagement. There are many professional workplace theses, which document evidence of community participation in local schools. My passion is to work for my people and the best way I can do that are to be the best teacher of learning like my lecturers have been for me in my learning. I have been fortunate to have this opportunity to learn at UTS and now it is my turn to have students say the same about my teaching.

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