Case Study of Nawarddeken Academy: On Country Learning in West Arnhem Land

Robyn Ober

Case Study of Nawarddeken Academy

On Country Learning in West Arnhem Land

Authors

Robyn Ober Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Keywords:

On Country Learning, First Nations research, remote education, community-based research, student engagement, retention

Abstract

In 2023, researchers from the Batchelor Institute worked with staff, students and families from the Nawarddeken Academy in West Arnhem Land, which offers bicultural, community-driven education. Together, they engaged in a series of yarning circles as interviews with staff, students and families. The focus of the study was on retention, attendance and impacts from major events such as COVID-19. Nawarddeken Academy has a long history of fighting for educational rights for their children to learn on country, through an Aboriginal-led, controlled and managed model. This fight has spanned 20 years and today Bininj (Aboriginal) people are proud to provide education to their children on their land through Learning on Country programs that embed both-ways Bininj and Balanda (Aboriginal and non-Indigenous) knowledge/s into the school’s core curriculum. This article tells the story of Nawarddeken Academy and the case study research that was conducted with the school.

Author Biography

Robyn Ober, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Robyn Ober is a Mamu/Djirribal woman from the rainforest region of North Queensland. She recently completed her Phd thesis titled - ‘Aboriginal English as a Social and Cultural Identity Marker in an Indigenous Tertiary Educational Context’. She has a strong interest in philosophy and practice of both-ways education, educational leadership and Indigenous Australian languages in particular, Aboriginal English. Robyn has undertaken several research projects focusing on these topics and has published papers in educational and linguistic journals, both nationally and internationally.

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Published

21-10-2024

How to Cite

Ober, R. (2024). Case Study of Nawarddeken Academy: On Country Learning in West Arnhem Land. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 1–8. Retrieved from https://journal.spera.asn.au/index.php/AIJRE/article/view/758

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Issue

Online First

Section

RURAL CONNECTIONS: CELEBRATING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

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