Sharon Davis
Sharon Davis is a Bardi Kija woman from the Kimberley who lives in Broome with her husband and two young boys.
Sharon completed, with a High Distinction average, a Bachelor of Education specialising in Aboriginal Studies, from the University of Notre Dame in 2013. She was awarded the Student of the Year Kullarri Region NAIDOC Award in 2011, and was the first Indigenous recipient of the University's Vice-Chancellor's Medal for outstanding academic results in the School of Education in 2010.
Sharon was a participant in the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour in 2012. She was awarded a 2013 Roberta Sykes Scholarship and completed a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford in 2014. She was Oxford's first Indigenous Australian graduate from a remote community (Broome).
She went on to serve as a mentor on the 2014 Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour. Sharon is currently Team Leader of Aboriginal Education at Catholic Education Western Australia and in 2019 joined the Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation Board as a Trustee.
Sharon is looking forward to being able to benefit Indigenous school students as a result of her study:
“As an Aboriginal teacher situated in the Kimberley with a Master’s from the University of Oxford, I will be in the unique position to reach beyond the classroom and influence what happens with educational policy and practice in our children’s schools.”
Sharon is passionate about improving the literacy standards of Indigenous students and her main goal is to become a teacher in her local community, with the skills to effectively teach Aboriginal children Standard Australian English, while valuing and maintaining their home language, culture and identity. She wants all Aboriginal children to have the opportunity, and be equipped with the language skills, to fully participate in school, their community and beyond.
Sharon explained, “English is the language of education, work, law and media, and holds great power. For many Aboriginal Australian children, English comes as a second language or dialect, and many of today’s classrooms do not cater for this type of language diversity. I have witnessed teachers dismiss Aboriginal children’s home language as slang or broken English, and the confusion and shame that is felt by each child as a result.
As both a student teacher and an Aboriginal person, it is heartbreaking to know that nearly nine out of ten Aboriginal children in regional and remote areas of my country grapple to read and write, and fall far below literacy standards. I have come to realise that I have the chance to make a real difference in the lives of Australian school children, in particular the future of many Indigenous Australians.
Aboriginal English is a legitimate dialect and a marker of Aboriginal identity, so when a teacher denounces a child’s home language, they also deny that child their Aboriginality. I want to learn how I can best teach Standard English to children with Aboriginal English or Kriol as a first language, and research strategies and methods to empower these students to achieve literacy outcomes while valuing their home language.”
Sharon completed, with a High Distinction average, a Bachelor of Education specialising in Aboriginal Studies, from the University of Notre Dame in 2013. She was awarded the Student of the Year Kullarri Region NAIDOC Award in 2011, and was the first Indigenous recipient of the University's Vice-Chancellor's Medal for outstanding academic results in the School of Education in 2010.
Sharon was a participant in the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour in 2012. She was awarded a 2013 Roberta Sykes Scholarship and completed a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford in 2014. She was Oxford's first Indigenous Australian graduate from a remote community (Broome).
She went on to serve as a mentor on the 2014 Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour. Sharon is currently Team Leader of Aboriginal Education at Catholic Education Western Australia and in 2019 joined the Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation Board as a Trustee.
Sharon is looking forward to being able to benefit Indigenous school students as a result of her study:
“As an Aboriginal teacher situated in the Kimberley with a Master’s from the University of Oxford, I will be in the unique position to reach beyond the classroom and influence what happens with educational policy and practice in our children’s schools.”
Sharon is passionate about improving the literacy standards of Indigenous students and her main goal is to become a teacher in her local community, with the skills to effectively teach Aboriginal children Standard Australian English, while valuing and maintaining their home language, culture and identity. She wants all Aboriginal children to have the opportunity, and be equipped with the language skills, to fully participate in school, their community and beyond.
Sharon explained, “English is the language of education, work, law and media, and holds great power. For many Aboriginal Australian children, English comes as a second language or dialect, and many of today’s classrooms do not cater for this type of language diversity. I have witnessed teachers dismiss Aboriginal children’s home language as slang or broken English, and the confusion and shame that is felt by each child as a result.
As both a student teacher and an Aboriginal person, it is heartbreaking to know that nearly nine out of ten Aboriginal children in regional and remote areas of my country grapple to read and write, and fall far below literacy standards. I have come to realise that I have the chance to make a real difference in the lives of Australian school children, in particular the future of many Indigenous Australians.
Aboriginal English is a legitimate dialect and a marker of Aboriginal identity, so when a teacher denounces a child’s home language, they also deny that child their Aboriginality. I want to learn how I can best teach Standard English to children with Aboriginal English or Kriol as a first language, and research strategies and methods to empower these students to achieve literacy outcomes while valuing their home language.”
