Presented by Dr Mauri Hamilton

Education Consultant

The purpose of the research project ‘Walking Together To Make Difference’ undertaken at Worawa Aboriginal College from December 2013 to December 2014 was explore and present a rich picture of life at Worawa, including adults’ and students’ understanding of nurturing a strong sense of cultural identity through embedding the values Relationship, Responsibility Respect and Rigour in two-way schooling processes. The ability of this project to present such a picture relied on the selection of a culturally appropriate methodology, a methodology that also enabled the collection and generation of a broad range of data. This presentation/ discussion will enable participants to become familiar with the chosen methodology and view a selection of the data from the project.

Dr Mauricette (Mauri) Hamilton has extensive teaching and consulting experience in primary and secondary schools. She held curriculum leadership positions in schools and in the Catholic Education Office in the Diocese of Ballarat, where she coordinated the School Review Process from 2002 to 2006. Since 2007 Mauri has operated her own consultancy. Working in this environment enables Mauri to foster authentic, holistic learning through the development of broad- based curriculum and assessment procedures within the frameworks provided by the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and the Australian Curriculum. Her work is in Government, Independent and Catholic Schools. From 2008 to 2014 she was an external consultant for Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) where she presented workshops on the implementation of the Australian Curriculum and Differentiated Learning. Her research and writing has allowed Mauri to listen intently to the voices of students and teachers to better understand their perception of factors that enable or impede student learning and the implementation of assessment procedures that improve student learning. From 2007 to 2009 she taught, ‘Leading Authentic Learning’ in the Master of Educational Leadership at Australian Catholic University and in 2011chaired an education committee at the Australian Ballet School. Mauri has been a member of the Worawa Academic Reference Group since its inception. Since June 2013 she has been involved in the research project, ‘Walking together to make a difference: A case study of Worawa Aboriginal College’.