189first face-to-face planning and collaboration for the projects that are to be undertaken
by the preservice teachers. Because of the physical distance between Melbourne
and Yirrkala, the collaborative planning conversations have until that point been
conducted via email, skype or conference calls.
Each year the projects are guided by the needs and priorities of the schools and
so have varied considerably. Examples of projects include:
- The Northern Territory (NT) government equipped the schools and classrooms
with new technology including interactive whiteboards, computers and iPads. A
number of preservice teachers devised and facilitated professional development
sessions on the use of this technology in situ. - Preservice teachers worked in collaboration with school students and a ranger as
part of the on-country learning program to build and plant food gardens in some
of the homelands. - In another of the homelands, a group of preservice teachers travelled out with
sports equipment and stayed on country for a number of nights. After working
with the teachers during the day, in which they devised and taught a number of
language and science activities, they were involved in after-hours activities. The
preservice teachers led activities that included team games and ball handling
activities. In the spirit of bala ga lili, the school students and their parents recip-
rocated by teaching the preservice teachers about their land, taking them to fish-
ing and hunting areas and teaching them about their music and dance. - Preservice teachers were the audience and ‘students’ for Yolŋu adult teachers
who were completing a Diploma of Education for the Batchelor Institute of
Indigenous Tertiary Education. The preservice teachers provided feedback to the
Yo lŋu teachers and worked with them to develop lessons that were taken back to
different homeland classrooms. - Other contributions include involvement in sports carnivals and assisting with
the creation of artworks and rehearsals for the annual Garma Festival.
This way of working closely has led directly to the recruitment of new teachers
who are informed, engaged and better prepared to teach in the cultural interface
(Nakata, 2007 ). Principals and community Elders report benefits of programs like
this as they have the opportunity to observe and work with preservice teachers in
more in-depth ways. The preservice teachers’ first-hand experience of living in
Yo lŋu communities and their learning about the Yolŋu history, language and culture
better equip them for remote and community school employment. Evidence that
many return to the Northern Territory as teachers extends the mutual benefit. The
Yirrkala Community School and Yirrkala Homelands School have both employed a
number of the preservice teacher graduates who have participated in this program.
The provision of quality education programs in remote communities, including
those that the Yirrkala homelands schools serve, is a national priority (Close the Gap
Local Implementation Plan Yirrkala, 2011 ).
11 Professional Experience and Project-Based Learning as Service Learning