International Connections

 Professor Paul Clarke, United Kingdom

AISNT connected with Professor Paul Clarke, Executive Director of the Popup Foundation, in 2013. Paul is an educationalist and global leader in sustainability. He advocates that as educators we need to connect our students to their environment through experiential learning experiences, so that they learn to work within their local natural environment, to achieve a healthy planet.

Each school is unique, and each project is designed to enable students to work with the local natural environment, to develop an understanding of the unique ecosystems and how to preserve them. Paul has conducted workshops with staff from our Schools, with a focus on developing localised teaching and learning programs, connecting people to place, through historical narrative and observation of the local environment, including ecological systems. 

These workshops were followed up with a Sustainability Study Tour, to the United Kingdom and France, led by Paul. 15 staff members from our Member Schools participated in this professional learning experience. Participants visited places throughout the UK and France, to learn the historical narrative that connected people to place, with participants using Paul’s Naturally Smart program, to reflect and plan on how to reimagine their school sustainably. Paul then used their observations, along with other partners around the globe to refine the Naturally Smart program.

Paul returned to Australia and used the Naturally Smart program with staff at Nyangatjatjara College. He workshopped staff at two of the campuses, and together they developed a master plan for each campus. This included the reimagining of spaces at the campuses, to build gardens that included local bush tucker and plants; food gardens; water capture processes and rubbish recycling. He then worked with staff to develop teaching and learning programs that connected students to their country. Paul spent some time at the Docker River Campus of Nyangatjatjara working with the school and wider community to design and build a sustainable garden, using permaculture. There was much excitement after the chooks laid their first eggs. Elements of the Naturally Smart are now evident in the community. 

Claire Warden, Scotland, United Kingdom

AISNT connected with Claire Warden who is an educational consultant and experiential pioneer in 2013.  Claire has developed a unique approach to nature pedagogy, developing a Nature Kindergarten in Scotland, where the teachers use nature to provide children with authentic learning opportunities. This approach provides children with ‘an understanding of our sense of belonging to land, our sense of working with nature. There is a pedagogical shift when you move outside into nature... it's learning with nature, not just teaching about it'. Claire advocates the importance of providing learning opportunities for students to interact with nature in their local environment.

AISNT brought Claire to Darwin, where she ran a series of workshops for Milkwood Steiner School teachers. Through these workshops, staff shared and built upon current pedagogy used at the school.  As a Steiner School, nature-based play is a major part of the teaching and learning program.  Milkwood developed a Seasonality and Nature Studies Program, which utilises the local, tropical environment of the Top End.  Students regularly go on field trips to interact meaningfully with nature & students use natural products in the classroom. 

The Alice Springs Steiner School is located in Alice Springs, in remote Central Australia. This school also utilises the local environment, connecting students to their natural environment through their teaching and learning programs. This school has established an on-site community garden, which utilises permaculture techniques. The food is used in cooking classes and excess food is sold to the schools community.

Dr George Otero, Center for RelationaLearning, New Mexico, United States of America

Dr George Otero is the Director of the Center for RelationaLearning in Santa Fe, New Mexico. George has worked with Native Americans in New Mexico and established the Center for Relational Learning and works with schools to focus on the importance of relationships. We know that relationships hold the key to educational success. As educators we know the factors that determine achievement, well-being and better life chances, and we know that parents, communities and schools must work in partnership to assure these outcomes for every child.

In partnership with AISNT George visited Darwin to work with staff from our Member Schools through workshops & professional development. Participants had the opportunity to examine how they can improve understanding and connectedness for their school community, and to improve learning outcomes for their students. Conversations during the workshops focused on the importance of engaging families in learning, building social capital, and strengthening relationships throughout the schooling community.

As a follow-up to the workshops, AISNT funded representatives from our Member Schools to attend a Study Tour to New Mexico. The representatives were made up of the schools governing bodies, school leadership, teachers and Aboriginal Education Workers.

Participants engaged with Native American communities, known as pueblos, reinforcing the importance language and culture plays in the development of students self-identity, and how connection with, and confidence in, their identity, enables them to be one person, who can seamlessly engage in two cultures….and not have to be two people, who change identity as they move between cultures.

Emeritus Professor Russell Bishop, New Zealand

Emeritus Professor Russell Bishop, is the Professor of Maori Education at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. He is the initiator, lead designer & developer, and for the first twelve years, was the Project Director for Te Kotahitanga, a New Zealand Ministry of Education funded research and professional development that seeks to improve the educational achievement of Maori students through the implementation of a culturally responsive pedagogy of relations and responsive leadership. Russell advocates the need for school leaders and teachers, to provide a classroom culture where caring and learning relationships, can be developed. Through his research, he developed the Culture Counts program.

AISNT Partnered with Professor Russell and hosted a delegation of educationalists from the Northern Territory, including a Senior Manager from the Department of Education, representatives from the Indigenous Education Council of the Northern Territory; representatives from Member School governing bodies; school leader and teaching and non-teaching staff on a Study Tour to New Zealand to engage with the Culture Counts program. Participants visited schools throughout New Zealand where the Culture Counts program has been fully implemented, and evidence demonstrates improvement in student attendance; student engagement and student well-being.  Connections were made between the Culture Counts program and the potential for implementing this program in Australian Aboriginal Community Schools.

AISNT brought Russell Bishop to Darwin to provide workshops with Member Schools that had disengaged Australian Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students. As Maori students do not learn the same way as Non-Maori students, Aboriginal children do not learn the same way as Non-Aboriginal students. Russell workshopped participants in the importance of developing and implementing culturally responsive pedagogy and providing an engaging classroom, where caring and learning relationships are central to the teaching and learning programs.

Dr Stephen Brown, China

AISNT has been privileged to develop a relationship with Dr Stephen Brown, Director of the Brown Collective.  Stephen is a world leader in educational leadership and practice.  Stephen has been instrumental in working with AISNT and the Member Schools on a number of very successful Leadership Development projects, including Study Tours; workshops and forums.

AISNT partnered with Dr Stephen for the International Benchmarking Study Tour to Hong Kong, where Member Schools had the opportunity to explore Shanghai, experience innovative schooling practices and build partnerships. This professional learning journey was facilitated by both Dr Stephen Brown and Peter Foster (Former Principal, John Paul College). 

Stephen has also greatly assisted AISNT both in growing our knowledge and understanding in the realm of global connectedness and inspiring us to look at a variety of opportunities for international interactions between educators, schools and students.