Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples have been gathering and honing traditional skills and knowledge for more than 65,000 years. They are the world’s first Scientists, Technicians, Engineers and Mathematicians.

The Stronger Smarter Institute offers educators and community leaders the opportunity to have deeper engagement in the role that Indigenous Knowledges have in shaping and redefining science, technology, engineering, and mathematics now and into the future.

At Stronger Smarter we recognise the opportunity to build on the strong foundations that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students demonstrate in STEM classroom spaces. We have responded by creating the Stronger Smarter Institute Indigenous Knowledges in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (SSiSTEMIK) Pathways.

Why does the SSiSTEMIK Pathway exist?

The Office of the Chief Scientist estimates that seventy-five percent of the fastest growing occupations for the future will require Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills and knowledges and that there is a growing crisis and STEM skills shortage. Concurrently the latest PISA results show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are outperforming their non-Indigenous peers in Science in the areas of the awareness of environmental issues, the knowledge, and application of science beliefs and constructs and they possess more optimism about environmental issues. However, students’ levels of achievement in national and international testing does not reflect these inherent perspectives.

The SSiSTEMIK Pathway offerings provide implementable strategies and processes developed by Indigenous Knowledge experts and educators that are based on a wide body of research. The strategies and processes provide teachers with the Indigenous Knowledges in STEM thinking and culturally responsive tools to add to their toolkits.

The SSiSTEMIK Pathway offers two distinct journeys – the Masterclasses – can be accessed by anyone through the 2-day and 4-day Masterclasses which allow participants to deepen their understandings of STEM and the integral role that Indigenous Knowledges plays at the centre. The other pathway is through the Teachers of STEM Initiative. The Teachers of STEM Initiative is a 10-year funded NIAA program that sits under the Indigenous Girls STEM Academy. Click here for more information

SSiSTEMIK Pathways