Keynote Presentation by Sharon Davis
Wednesday 4:15pm
“Aboriginal English: A Non-Negotiable for Good Teaching Practice”
Aboriginal English (AbE) is not just a dialect; it is a cornerstone of identity, culture, and community for over 80% of First Nations people in Australia. Yet, in classrooms dominated by standardised testing, linguistic imperialism, and off-the-shelf literacy programs, AbE is persistently erased or ignored. This Keynote will argue that understanding and valuing AbE is not optional – it is essential to good teaching practice and culturally responsive pedagogy.
Knowing about AbE requires more than language knowledge. It demands teachers engage in deep self-reflection to confront their implicit biases and critically examine their role within the historical and ongoing impacts of colonial education policies on Aboriginal children. Understanding AbE means acknowledging how assimilationist practices – such as prioritising Standard Australian English (SAE) over Aboriginal ways of speaking – continue to harm students today. It requires teachers to actively decolonise their classrooms and ensure that teaching SAE does not come at the cost of erasing or devaluing Aboriginal languages and identities.
AbE is a critical tool for creating culturally safe learning environments where First Nations children feel valued, seen, and respected. This Keynote will highlight how embracing AbE can empower teachers to build stronger relationships with Aboriginal students, bridge cultural divides, and foster educational outcomes that honour rather than diminish Aboriginal identities.
As we redefine education under the theme “Purpose and Possibility,” this address will challenge educators, policymakers, and researchers to step beyond the convenience of standardised approaches and embrace the transformative work of creating schools where Aboriginal children are not assimilated but celebrated.
Sharon Davis (they/them) is a non-binary Bardi and Kija person from the Kimberley, Western Australia. They are the inaugural CEO of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC). Sharon holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Notre Dame Broome, specialising in Aboriginal Education, and an MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition from the University of Oxford. Their previous roles include Director of Education at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and leading Aboriginal Education for Catholic Education Western Australia across 164 schools. Currently, Sharon serves on the boards of Reconciliation Australia, the Stronger Smarter Institute, Magabala Books, and the Aurora Education Foundation. They are also a member of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Anti-Racism Campaign Expert Advisory Group and the Australian Education Research Organisation’s First Nations Expert Reference Group, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia.