Australian educators have a responsibility to value and embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, knowledge and ways of knowing and being, into their classrooms. One way to do this, is through accessing authentic resources that are grounded in Indigenous perspectives.STEM is the perfect platform upon which to share with children about Aboriginal culture, knowledge and perspectives.The IndigiSTEM Resource Kit includes both our STEM Activities Workbook plus our Educator Notes resource.The Activities Workbook contains instructions for 20 easy to follow, fun STEM activities for early learners (36 year olds). Each STEM activity has an Indigenous theme or context. Examples of topics covered include bush foods, Aboriginal astronomy, creating bush shelters and much more.The Educator Notes contains informative material for educators about Indigenous culture and knowledge. Together these are the perfect kindergarten or preschool resource for centres interested in including Indigenous Learnings into their sessions.
Nicky McCarthy – Queanbeyan and District Preschool Association
Nicky has worked in the Early Learning industry for more than 25 years in a variety of roles from Educator through to Centre Director, Area Manager, Advisory & Development Coordinator, Program Manager and Quality Advisor. Currently, Nicky is the Managing Director of a group of community-based Preschools in NSW. In this role, she has recently project managed the construction, fitout and opening of a new community Preschool for her organisation and it is through this process that she partnered with Step4 for the fitout of the new Preschool.
After spending part of her teenage years living in a remote part of the Kimberley in Western Australia, Nicky’s appreciation for the indigenous history of Australia began. Through her career, she has worked with and assisted Educators and Directors in their journey of understanding this important aspect of learning and history and how to ensure that their approach is collaborative, respectful and appropriate.
Nicky has recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Education as a specialisation subject for an ongoing Masters of Education. The extension of her own understanding of Indigenous perspectives was something that she wanted to support and this has assisted her in identifying ways that she can further support Educators across all levels and experience in reflecting on and extending their own knowledge.
Prue Gardner
Prue commenced her career as an early childhood educator before progressing to a centre Directors role. She later became an Area Manager supporting children, services and families throughout Sydney..
Prue has been working with STEP4 for almost 4 years now supporting services with their ongoing needs and requirements for resources, furniture and equipment as well as contributing her industry knowledge and design concepts to new centre startups. She loves the creative process of working with service owners, managers and educators to enable their vision come to life and create engaging and bespoke learning environments where children’s curiosity and engagement can be fostered. She loves sharing her passion and ideas and working collaboratively with industry leaders, educators and owners.
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