URALLA Central School Teacher, Nicolette Hilton was one of only 16 teachers and principals from across the state who received a prestigious 2013 Premier’s Teacher Scholarship at a reception at Government House, Sydney.
“This program is about helping to make our best teachers world experts in education,” Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli MP said.
“It is a proud statement about the quality of education in this state.
“The Premier’s Copyright Agency Creativity and Innovation Scholarship recognises Nicolette’s commitment to furthering her already considerable skills and then sharing those new insights to improve other teachers’ delivery.”
The $15,000 scholarship will allow Ms Hilton to travel both internationally and within Australia to meet with some of the world’s leading educational academics into Indigenous perspectives in science curricula.
Ms Hilton’s research proposal is based upon the notion that students and scientists alike must be able to consider scientific knowledge from a variety of cultural viewpoints and ways of knowing.
Indigenous history and culture has been identified as one of the cross-curriculum priorities in the Australian national curriculum, yet Her preliminary research revealed that many Australian science teachers were not confident or competent in delivering science from an Indigenous perspective.
Ms Hilton has been a science teacher for eight years, and in this time she has worked alongside NASA in their Spaceward Bound program for students and teachers, received a Churchill Fellowship, and completed her Masters in Education through UNE.
This is not the first time Ms Hilton’s work has been recognised. She has previously received the Minister for Education’s Medal of Distinction and Best National Achievement in the Australian Government Quality Schooling Awards, BHP Billiton Science Teacher Award, and an Australian Academy of Science Teachers Award. In 2008 she received UNE’s Young Distinguished Alumni Award for her early career achievements.
It was the only scholarship of its kind presented by the Premier at this year’s awards.
“Most of us have fond memories from our school days of an inspirational teacher,” Mr Piccoli said.
“The scholarship program is designed to help more educators develop and share their considerable talents, and thereby provide inspiration for another generation.
“This program helps to inspire and re-invigorate these talented people, and brings them back to the classroom ready to share new knowledge, teaching methods and skills, all of which – of course – benefits students in the classroom,” he said.
