Teaching Science to be Stronger and Smarter

Read more about Ali and her journey with ToSI: at: https://www.indigenous.gov.au/stories/ali-farmer-teaching-science-to-be-stronger-and-smarter

Ali Farmer is a proud Meriam Mir woman and a descendent of the Gudang and Wuthathi language groups.  After completing an Environment Science Degree, Ali was supported by the Teachers of STEM Initiative to complete her Graduate Diploma in STEM education.

Involvement in ToSI allowed Ali to continue studying while refining her teaching skills. She was able to learn practical skills and then apply them directly into her classroom. 

‘I managed to come away with so much knowledge from the program, that I was able to share with my school community and I still share constantly when we do planning sessions,’ Ali said. 

Ali is now teaching Year 5 at Belair Primary School in the Adelaide Hills.

‘It’s been really good to be able to use that support from Stronger Smarter to build on my knowledge and to share that knowledge not just with my children and my students, but with the whole community,’ Ali said.

Ali wants to see Indigenous kids be able to share the science knowledge they know so others can grow and learn even more. 

‘There’s not enough of us doing it and we are the first caretakers and custodians of this land, and we have so much knowledge. We can build on the knowledge we know with more science knowledge,’ Ali said.

She will continue to encourage her students to be anything they want to be and even to further develop their knowledge by going to university. 

‘We need to make sure that we’re keeping those kids who have a science interest in primary school, continue their interest within high school through STEM programs that connect with them,’ Ali said.

We still have places available in the Teachers of STEM Initiative for 2025. To find out more, visit our website or Contact Us for more details.