Dear Pre-service teacher,

We hope that this visit to Moree has provided you with the opportunity to broaden your
understanding of the professional expectations of teaching in rural and remote settings and
Aboriginal education. This survey will provide a snapshot of your development and
experiences and allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of this project for future planning.
The information in this survey is for use by the School Hub initiative team and may be used
in the report for the Department of Education; however, all responses will remain
anonymous and no identifying information will be used.

We will also be holding a series of focus groups after the Moree visit to which you will be
invited to participate. We will advise when these are to be held in the near future.

Note: These three questions are for us to match your pre and post responses while
maintaining your anonymity.

1. Please provide the last 4 digits of your phone number: __9505

2. Please provide your mother’s maiden name: _TUILETUFUGA
AND /OR
3. Please provide the street number of your house/unit? _184

1. Are you a Primary or Secondary pre-service teacher (please tick one):

□ Primary
Secondary

2. In which hub school network are you located? (please tick one)

□ Cambridge Park High School

St Andrews Public School

3. When did/ or will you undertake the Healthy Culture Healthy Country Training in
relation to the field trip to Moree? (please tick one)
BEFORE the Moree trip
□ AFTER the Moree trip
For the following questions, please provide an extended written response using the space
available.

4. What aspect/s of your experiences in Moree and/or Healthy Culture Healthy Country
professional learning do you think has had the most significant impact on your developing
teaching practice?

What I learnt from the Healthy Culture Healthy Country connected the theory I studied
in uni: the values of the Aboriginal culture and spiritual connection to everything they
do. This is significant because as a future teacher I will endeavor to implement pedagogies
that promote Aboriginal ways of teaching/learning which benefit Aboriginal and non-
Aboriginal students as well myself.
I was not quite prepared for the eye-opening, yet pleasant little surprises that I
experienced in the Moree trip. One of which, was how beautifully behaved the students in
Moree High School were – completely the opposite from what I have been told. When I
was able to observe in the English classes, the rapport between the teachers and the
students, many of whom were Aboriginal students, was absolutely one that was amazing.
On a few occasions I sat next to one or two Aboriginal students, and when I asked them a
few questions, politely but openly shared their thoughts. I asked a Year 12 Aboriginal
female student in one of the classes what she wanted to do after High School; with a
confident voice replied that she was going to university to study to be a doctor. (My heart
leapt with joy and pride). What I learnt from this young student was never to judge a
student by his/her hard look and behavior on the outside.

5. What did you find were some of the professional challenges in rural and remote
settings, if any?

 Difficult to get access to Professional development/training venues, if/when

required
 Limited access to casual teachers
 Limited access to excursion resources/venues

6. What did you find were some of the personal challenges in rural and remote settings, if
any?

 Families may not be willing to move to, and/or adapt to rural and remote
settings
 Expenses that may involve in moving to rural and/or remote settings
 Lifestyle
7. What did you find were the advantages of working in a rural and remote setting, if any?

 Plenty of natural resources to use and implement when needed in class

 Close-knit
 Quiet and serene
 Easy to make friends in a small community

8. Have you heard of the Aboriginal Education and Training Policy? (please tick one)
Yes
□ No

9. Currently, how confident do you feel about teaching Aboriginal students now that you
have visited Moree? (please tick one)
□ Very confident
More confident than before the visit
□ Less confident than before the visit
□ Not confident at all i.e. no change

10. What do you know about Aboriginal education now, if anything?

Aboriginal education is about understanding, acknowledging, appreciating and respecting

the Aboriginal culture. The Aboriginal spirituality is not only the compass but the core of
this culture, and is what binds and connects people, animals, plants and the whole
universe. This, I think is the foundation of Aboriginal education, because as a future
teacher, I will be able to engage Aboriginal, (and non-Aboriginal students) well if I create
a culture of respect for the students’ learning needs effectively.

11. What do the terms cultural immersion and culturally inclusive curriculum mean to you
now, if anything?

Cultural immersion is when I am fully aware of, acknowledge, appreciate and respect
another culture without prejudice or judgment. It when I see the great values of
another culture, live it, love it and promote it, not change it. The same can be said
about the people whose culture it is I am adapting.
A culturally inclusive curriculum on the other hand entails a curriculum, or education,
that promotes the values of diverse cultures that come in all shapes, colours and
ages – in the form of students and teachers alike. When we accept each other’s
differences, and learn from these differences – in deed and in word, we are then
able to create safe, effective and meaningful learning spaces for students, and
teachers as well.
12. Why do you think there is a need for this Department of Education Priority area?

Because, teachers and educators need to immerse in, and experience a specific culture,
particularly the Aboriginal culture, in order for them to implement effective teaching
strategies. Reading books, and theory is not enough and not practical at all.

General questions relating to your overall experience

13. What was the most valuable aspect of this project?

 Meeting, talking with, and hearing Aboriginal elders’ narratives (both HCHC &
Moree trip). It was an amazing and a humbling experience to have been part of a
great leaning experience in which Aboriginal elders not only accepted me in their
country, but to impart their wisdom, knowledge and love
 Meeting the staff and students in Moree High School, as well as the staff in Moree
Primary School
 Observing the different teaching methods of teachers

14. Have you any suggestions on how this initiative could better support the professional
development of pre-service teachers?

 Perhaps this could be offered as a Prac option for pre-service teachers who would
like to do their practicum there? (Prac 1 and/or Prac 2?)
 Jacqueline was there for WSU – Primary Pre-service teachers, was there a reason
there was no one “for” the Secondary Pre-service teachers, please?

15. Any other comments?

Thank you so much Fiona for such a wonderful experience. I have truly loved every
minute of the HCHC and the Moree program – and most importantly, I have learnt so
much from my experiences. Everything was well organized, and I will do it again anytime
if given the opportunity.

Thank you for your completion of this survey and your participation in this project.