LEARNING FROM COUNTRY IN THE CITY

Our Research

Our Research

“It is transformational when thinking about, what happened to me? Wouldn’t that be fantastic to bring that into my school, into my classroom?”

Pre-service teacher feedback

Learning from Country in the City is a teaching and research project that explores the impact of Country-centred learning and Aboriginal community-based educator engagement with preservice teachers.  

Through storying Aboriginal community-based educator, preservice and early career teacher, and lecturer experiences, our work demonstrates the educational and emotional impact of Aboriginal truth telling processes and the significance of connecting with and learning from Country for all teachers and students. 

Learning from Country in the City is an ongoing project employing a critical Indigenous research methodology that privileges Indigenous standpoints by: 

  • Positioning truth telling, Country and local Aboriginal voices as foundational to learning 
  • Foregrounding community influence, strength and leadership 
  • Acknowledging Aboriginal sovereignty and self determination  
  • Disrupting dominant Western frameworks and cultural narratives 

            Phase 1- Preservice Teachers

            Phase 2- Aboriginal Community Based Educators

            Phase 3- Early Career Teachers

            Our publications

            Thorpe, K., Burgess, C., Egan, S., & Harwood, V. (2025). Aboriginal Community-Based Educators Teaching the Teachers: Learning from Country in the City. Springer Nature.
            https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-96-1769-2 
            Burgess, C., Golledge, C., Smallwood, R., Clough, B & Harwood, V. (2025). Transforming Professional Practice: Learning from Country. Research Impact Report. SSSHARC Research Accelerator 2024. Sydney eScholarship Repository. 
            https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/5Kl5Cvl1rKiykJ1DWcQfncQHfSy?domain=hdl.handle.net DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.19681.83046 
            Thorpe, K. (2024). Learning from Country. In: Thorpe, K et al (eds.), Marana Dyargali. Sydney: UTS ePRESS. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5130/aam.n  
            Burgess, C., & Thorpe, K. (2024) How can teachers use the Learning from Country framework to build an Aboriginal curriculum narrative for students? Journal of Professional Learning NSW Teachers Federation.
            https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.T2024081200007702057190827  
            Thorpe, K., Burgess, C., Grice, C. (2024). Aboriginal Curriculum Enactment: Stirring Teachers into the Practices of Learning from Country in the City. In: Reimer, K.E., Kaukko, M., Windsor, S., Kemmis, S., Mahon, K. (eds) Living Well in a World Worth Living in for All. Springer, Singapore.
            https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1848-1_13.  
            Pontaoe, C., Burgess, C., & Harwood, V.  (2024) Engaging Hearts to Engage Minds. AARE Blogpost
            Thorpe, K., ten Kate, L. & Burgess, C. (2024) Reimagining democratic education by positioning Aboriginal Country-centred learning as foundational to curriculum and pedagogy. Curriculum Perspectives,  44, 205–216  https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-024-00233-2 
            Thorpe, K. (2022). Learning From Country: Aboriginal-Led Country-Centered Learning for Preservice Teachers. In W. O. Lee, P. Brown, A. L. Goodwin, & A. Green (Eds.), International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific (pp. 1-23). Springer Nature Singapore. 
            https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_77-1 
            Burgess, C., Thorpe, K., Egan, S., & Harwood, V. (2022). Learning from Country to conceptualise what an Aboriginal curriculum narrative might look like in education. Curriculum Perspectives. 
            https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-022-00164-w 
            Burgess, C., Thorpe, K., Egan, S., & Harwood, V. (2022). Towards a conceptual framework for Country-centred teaching and learning. Teachers and Teaching, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2137132 
            Thorpe, K., Burgess, C., & Egan, S. (2021). Aboriginal Community-led Preservice Teacher Education: Learning from Country in the City. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(1), 55-73. 
            https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol46/iss1/4/

            Learning from Country in the City Teaching/research project

            Themes