Katherine Carter
Lecturer and unit coordinator – TRACKS Tertiary Preparation Program (Mon - Thurs) - Oorala Aboriginal Centre
Phone: +61 2 6773 3164
Email: kcarte23@une.edu.au
Biography
Kate is passionate about teaching academic literacy skills in the TRACKS Tertiary Preparation Program. She believes it’s all about unlocking the ‘secrets’ of academic writing, and giving students the keys to understand how to navigate their future study. University culture is like no other – and Kates’ philosophy is that we all benefit from knowing how it works before we can comfortably operate to our full potential. In a career spanning almost 30 years, Kate has extensive experience working in the field of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education teaching literacy and numeracy, including a period teaching in Namibia, Southern Africa and in the VET sector at TAFE in Moree.
Prior to her career in adult education she worked across several schools in the north-western regional area of NSW and collaborated in the development of an Aboriginal Learning Resource Centre at Tingha Public School. She was involved with the implementation of programs which led to the school becoming a Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal Education awarded by the Department of Education. Her work on the TRACKS program includes teaching academic literacy skills, coordinating the Oorala Indigenous Scholar/TRACKS Peer Support Program, and collaborating with student engagement staff to develop and coordinate the TRACKS Success Program, an intensive, individualised wrap-around support mechanism which seeks to empower students to make good decisions about their study, and seek individual solutions for challenges students may be facing. She has been involved in teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the Woodford, Southern Queensland and Silverwater Correctional Centres, and in the implementation of a partnership between UNE and New England TAFE from 2014 - 2016.
One of her key interests is in seeking to change the narrative about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander success in higher education from deficit descriptions to highlighting successful practice through individual student stories and using this success as a springboard for others. She believes it is imperative that we build strong communities of practice for our students where they can see what success looks like, and share their experiences of study with other students sharing their journey in a culturally safe and supportive space.
Recognising a gap in teaching resources which speak directly to and are recognisable by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Kate has collaborated with colleagues to develop a suite of instructional videos, voiced by Aboriginal people and containing cultural content to develop academic literacy skills. In addition, she has worked to build the Oorala Study Ready Tool, an interactive tool for commencing TRACKS students to make good and realistic decisions about their study, before they move beyond Census Date. Kate is also involved across the university, working collaboratively with academics and staff across faculties to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students succeed in their study goals.
Most recently she has worked with the School of Psychology on strategies to build Indigenous perspectives into curriculum, is participating in the UNE HEPPP Wellbeing project aiming to find ways to strengthen student resilience and wellbeing during their studies, and is collaborating with UNE’s Dixson Library on the Your Place Our Country photographic competition across 2022, which aims to showcase and name the diversity of First Nations’ Country UNE students both live and study on.
Qualifications
B-ed (Primary), Cert IV in Training and Assessment (TAFE), currently enrolled in MAAL (TESOL).
Teaching Areas
Academic Skills
ICT
Aboriginal Studies
Research Interests
Research Interests:
Learning and teaching
Higher Education
Linguistics and the learning of Academic English
Research:
“MATSITI Collaborative Workplace Project investigating teacher education access and completion” (2015 – HE14-258)
“Embedding Literacy Support for At-risk Students in Initial Teacher Education Units" (2016/2017 - HE16-300)
Grants:
2014 (MATSITI Grant): Member Project Team: Exit Survey for Indigenous Students. Exploratory Research Project (Jones and Takayama, UNE)
2015 (HEPP Grant): Carter, K & Posthausen, G. TAFE Cert III/TRACKS Pathway.
2015 (HEPP Grant): Carter, K & Posthausen, G. On-campus pre-orientation program.
2016 (HEPP Grant): Carter, K & Lynch, L. Youth Development Camps.
Publications
Jones, T., Takayama, K., Posthausen, G., et.al. (2016). Improving Services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students: A Critical Study. Nova Science Publishers.
