Staff Professional Development
On Tuesday 27th April (Week 1, Term 2), all staff engaged in an intercultural understanding student free day, aimed at linking our work to our first core vale of Diversity.
The day was developed by a team of Woodville High School leaders in collaboration with Dr Nadeem Memon and Mr Dylan Chown who are both lecturers at UniSA.
The focus for the professional development was about unpacking the beliefs and values of staff to support their thinking and understanding of intercultural understanding that could be transferred back into their classroom.
We used an Aboriginal communication process called a Yarning Circle to facilitate discussions, which was a process developed by recognised Elder and direct descendant of the Kullali Peoples (of South Western Queensland) and Wakka Wakka and Gubbi Gubbi Peoples (of South East Queensland), Aunty Debra Bennet.
The day was a powerful reminder of the virtual backpacks each student, staff and members of the school community bring when they enter the school gates and encouraged thinking around inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy to support us to utilise the tools within people’s virtual backpack to build relationships and enhance learning.
The same process will be trialled with a student group for our 2021 Braiding Project before broadening the foci to the wider student community if successful.
Feedback from staff regarding the day was extremely positive with most excited about trialling some of the strategies and concepts in their classroom.
Luke Smith
Deputy Principal
