Biography and expertise
Biography
Rachel is Associate Dean (Education), and Senior Lecturer at Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian peoples, Southern Cross University. Some of Rachel's key areas of scholarly expertise are in social and emotional well-being, Trauma and Resilience, Indigenous pedagogies, Scholarship of Learning & Teaching, and Indigenous health.
Research
Rachel's current PhD work is based on her experiences as an Indigenous scholar and Bundjalung woman in the Australian higher education sector. Rachel's research interests are also strongly informed by her community engagement work with community elders, representatives, and volunteer work in the area of Circle Sentencing initiatives with the Department of Communities & Justice, NSW.
Links
Honours
Organisational affiliations
Past affiliations
Highlights - Output
Conference presentation
Indigenous pedagogy: the use of story and human connection as an active learning method (Keynote)
Date presented 08/11/2023
SCU Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Symposium, 07/11/2023–08/11/2023, Lismore, NSW
Award recipient: Best contribution
Indigenous pedagogical approaches speak directly to the use of story, lived experiences and real-life scenarios as a method to instigate a more authentic learning experience with undergraduate students.
This proposed SCU colleague Keynote presentation is focused on capturing and unpacking in further detail, how Indigenous pedagogy is used to support transformative learning experiences for students in undergraduate units in the discipline of Indigenous Knowledge here at Southern Cross University.
The following areas will be of particular significance:
- What is Indigenous pedagogy, and how is it applied as a diverse and active teaching method?
- How is Indigenous pedagogy industry relevant in its application in supporting students with their learning outcomes?
- What is the relationship between Indigenous pedagogy and Southern Cross's Graduate Attribute 7: Cultural Competency?
This SCU colleague Keynote will address these areas with the purpose of addressing this year's Symposium theme, and the identified sub-theme. What is also of particular note is the importance of presenting the enriching pedagogical approach of Indigenous ways of facilitating authentic learning experiences, as a scholarly practice in the discipline of Indigenous Knowledge. The further aim is to present how this can enhance meaningful learning experiences and outcomes for undergraduate students.
Ultimately Indigenous pedagogical approaches underpin the collaborative building of teaching and learning relationships that foster and encourage a unified collective way of meaningful education. As Lindsay Morcom (2018, p.1) states in her publication Niinwi-Kiinwa-Kiinwi: Building Non-Indigenous Allies in Education through Indigenous Pedagogy:
"We arrive at the conclusion that reconciliatory education can be accomplished through respect and love, alongside an unyielding commitment to honouring Indigeneity, speaking truth, and building wisdom".
It is the resonant words of Morcom (2018) that speak to the deeper significance of Indigenous pedagogy and its place in teaching and learning spaces, in working with students and colleagues here at Southern Cross. To this end this proposed SCU colleague Keynote presentation with its named key areas, will encapsulate the importance of transformative learning from an Indigenous pedagogical basis.
Morcom, Lindsay., Freeman, K. (2018) Building Non-Indigenous Allies in Education. Canadian Journal of Education, 41(3), 1–27.
Southern Cross University Graduate Attributes, https://www.scu.edu.au/staff/teaching-and-learning/design/graduate-attributes/
Conference presentation
Sticky questions for developing a shared practice in the Southern Cross Model
Date presented 11/11/2021
SCU Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Symposium, 09/11/2021–11/11/2021, Online
Southern Cross Model Community of Practice group members from across SCU: Dr Liz Goode, Dr Mieke Witsel, Tina van Eyk, Associate Professor Suzi Syme, Dr Nicci Whiteing, Dr Vinh Bui, Rachel Lynwood, Dr Paul Whitelaw, and CoP group
A core function of a Community of Practice is to develop a shared practice, and a regime of competence in that practice over time (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2020, p. 32). To complement other professional learning activities taking place across the University for staff uplift in the Southern Cross Model (SCM), members of an SCU Community of Practice group will pose two questions in this video:
What 'sticky questions' - questions that are unresolved, recurring, problematic - do you have about designing and delivering learning experiences in the SCM??
How would you like to explore those sticky questions?
This video presentation will use VoiceThread to engage colleagues in the discussion by demonstrating a useful teaching technology while surfacing potential ways forward to enrich our practice in the Southern Cross Model.
Conference presentation
Keynote: What qualities and values build a collaborative community of practice?
Date presented 10/11/2021
SCU Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Symposium, 09/11/2021–11/11/2021, Online
Conference presentation
Date presented 10/11/2021
SCU Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Symposium, 09/11/2021–11/11/2021, Online
In June 2021 a Community of Practice Group was formed involving sixteen staff from across the University and its Partners. This group has evolved into a social learning space (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2020) with staff at various stages of transitioning to the Southern Cross Model (SCM) who experience safety, community, and collegiality. This video presentation seeks to extend this space to the wider University community while demonstrating the use of VoiceThread for giving voice and creating community.