Katrina Thorpe - Lecturer

Katrina Thorpe is a descendant of the Worimi people of Port Stephens, New South Wales. Katrina has completed a Bachelor of Education, at the University of Western Sydney and a Master of Education with Merit (Human Resource Management) at the University of Sydney.

Katrina began her career as a high school teacher and later, staff trainer for the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET). Part of her work at DEET involved delivering cross-cultural awareness training to the organisation's staff within the Hunter Region of NSW. During this time, Katrina also co-ordinated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Career Development Plan and established a mentor network for Indigenous staff within the Region.

Katrina joined the Indigenous Studies Unit (ISU) at the Koori Centre in 1996 as an Associate Lecturer responsible for teaching the Unit Aboriginal Studies within the Bachelor of Education (Primary) program. In 1997, Katrina gained a full-time Lectureship in the ISU, extending her teaching within the Bachelor of Education (Primary) program to include the fourth year elective unit Koori Kids in the Classroom. In developing this Unit, Katrina strengthened Aboriginal community participation by incorporating a community excursion and meetings. Student placements were also organised in schools with a high Aboriginal population. Each student was given the opportunity to work along side an Aboriginal Education Assistant as part of the course work experience.

In addition to her involvement in Primary Education, Katrina has coordinated Health and Community in Aboriginal Australia and three post-graduate courses Issues in Aboriginal Studies: Essential Understandings for Australians and Teaching Aboriginal Studies: A National Priority (Faculty of Education) and Issues in Aboriginal Health and Well-being (Faculty of Nursing).

In 1998, as Acting Head of the ISU, Katrina worked with the Department of Anthropology in a hand over of the co-ordination of the Aboriginal Studies Major to the Koori Centre. Consequently in 1999, the Koori Centre assumed responsibility for teaching the Core Unit in the Aboriginal Studies Major and introduced three new Units of Study, expanding the suite of Aboriginal Studies Units offered by the Centre.

In 1999 Katrina departed the Koori Centre and was employed by the Aboriginal Research and Resource Centre (ARRC) at the University of NSW. During her time at the ARRC Katrina broadened her teaching experience, co-ordinating two Aboriginal Studies subjects within the Australian Studies Program and a sociology subject both of which were placed within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Katrina also co-ordinated the Aboriginal Studies subjects within the General Education Program at UNSW. Katrina spent a year in the role of Associate Director, working along side the Acting Director in fulfilling the managerial responsibilities at the ARRC.

In July 2002, Katrina returned to the Koori Centre resuming some of her prior teaching responsibilities. In 2004 Katrina coordinated the first Summer School conducted at the Koori Centre and collaborated with Michelle Blanchard to co-write and teach the first Core Aboriginal Health Unit in the Bachelor of Nursing course. During this time Katrina also played a major role in a review of the Diploma of Education (Aboriginal) and Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Aboriginal Studies) which addressed the changing Departmental and employment requirements for students graduating with this Degree.

Katrina has worked with Open Training Education Network -TAFE NSW, writing a distance learning package which forms part of their Diploma in Aboriginal Studies. Katrina has also been a member of a number of external review panels examining the curricula for the TAFE Certificate III in Aboriginal Studies.

As much of Katrina's career has focused on teaching and developing Aboriginal Studies curricula across a broad range of disciplines, her research interests unsurprisingly involve quality learning and teaching, planning and evaluation in Indigenous Studies. Anti-racism, social justice education and the centring of Indigenous voices in Indigenous Studies form part of such endeavours.

Katrina is currently preparing her research proposal for admission into a PhD program where her study will focus on learning and teaching of Indigenous Australian Studies in Higher Education.

Publication

• Baldry, E., Green, S., and Thorpe, K. (2006) Urban Aboriginal peoples’ experience of human services in International Social Work, 49 (3):364-375.
• Thorpe, K., Minter, P., Lui-Chivizhe, L., and Smith, A. (2004) Indigenous Philosophy in Pedagogy and Research in Synergy, Institute of Teaching and Learning, Issue 19.
• Baldry, E., Green, S., and Thorpe, K. (2002) Report to government services on the research project: Urban Australian Aboriginal peoples experience and use of Human Services, Aboriginal Research and Resource Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
• Baldry, E., Green, S., and Thorpe, K. (2002) Report on the research project: Urban Australian Aboriginal peoples experience and use of human services: to the Indigenous communities who shared their information with the research team, Aboriginal Research and Resource Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
• Thorpe, K. (1999) Recapturing History: The Value of Aboriginal Oral Histories in Ross, S (ed) The University of Sydney Aboriginal Students’ Black on Black, Aboriginal Studies Journal, Vol. 2, University of Sydney.

Contact Details

Phone: (02) 9351 5720
Toll Free: 1800 622 742
Fax: (02) 9351 6924
Location: Room 317 Old Teachers College
Email: katrina.thorpe@sydney.edu.au