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Dr Katrina Thorpe

Dr Katrina Thorpe

Director

BEd UWS

MEd (HRM) Syd

GradCertEdSudies (Higher Ed) Syd

ProfCert (IndigRes) Melb

PhD Syd

Faculty of DVC Academic
NG Academic Programs

Associate Professor Katrina Thorpe is a Worimi woman and Academic Lead at Nura Gili. Katrina's research focuses on educational approaches that engage students in Country-centred 'Learning from Country' pedagogies. Katrina is passionate about developing culturally responsive pedagogies that facilitate connections between students and Aboriginal people, communities and Country. Katrina also has 20 years experience teaching mandatory Indigenous Studies across a number of disciplines including education, social work, nursing, health and community development.

Areas of supervision include: Aboriginal education, Country-centred/place-based learning, Indigenous research methodologies, learning and teaching in Indigenous higher education.
Phone
+61 2 9348 3120
E-mail
k.thorpe@unsw.edu.au
Location
Nura Gili Centre for Indigenous Programs Balnaves Place, Level LG, Electrical Engineering Building G17 UNSW SYDNEY 2052
  • Books | 2025
    Thorpe K; Burgess C; Egan S; Harwood V, 2025, Aboriginal Community-Based Educators Teaching the Teachers: Learning from Country in the City, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-1769-2
  • Book Chapters | 2025
    Thorpe K, 2025, 'A Letter to All the Deadly Accidental Academics Starting Their Early Career Researcher Journey', in Springer Briefs in Education, pp. 27 - 33, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2823-7_4
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Thorpe K; Bell S; Page S, 2024, 'Indigenous-led learning design: Reimagining the teaching team', in Designing Learning Experiences for Inclusivity and Diversity, University of Technology, Sydney, pp. 142 - 174, http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/aal.e
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Thorpe K; Burgess C; Grice C, 2024, 'Aboriginal Curriculum Enactment: Stirring Teachers into the Practices of Learning from Country in the City', in Living Well in a World Worth Living in for All, Springer, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1848-1_13
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Thorpe K, 2024, 'Learning from Country', in Marana Dyargali, University of Technology, Sydney, http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/aam.n
    Book Chapters | 2023
    Thorpe K, 2023, 'Learning from country: Aboriginal-led country-centered learning for preservice teachers', in International Handbook on Education Development in the Asia Pacific, pp. 1581 - 1602, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6887-7_77
    Book Chapters | 2022
    Thorpe K, 2022, 'Learning From Country: Aboriginal-Led Country-Centered Learning for Preservice Teachers', in International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific, Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 1 - 23, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_77-1
    Book Chapters | 2022
    Thorpe KR, 2022, 'Relational Narratives for Developing Knowledge at the Cultural Interface of Indigenous and Western Knowledges', in Encyclopedia of Teacher Education, Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 1552 - 1558, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8679-5_473
    Book Chapters | 2022
    Thorpe KR, 2022, 'Relational Narratives for Developing Knowledge at the Cultural Interface of Indigenous and Western Knowledges', in Encyclopedia of Teacher Education, Springer Singapore, pp. 1 - 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1179-6_473-1
  • Journal articles | 2024
    Burgess C; Thorpe K, 2024, 'How Teachers can use the Learning from Country Framework to build an Aboriginal Curriculum Narrative for Students', Journal of Professional Learning, https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.T2024081200007702057190827
    Journal articles | 2024
    Thorpe K; ten Kate L; Burgess C, 2024, 'Reimagining democratic education by positioning Aboriginal Country-centred learning as foundational to curriculum and pedagogy', Curriculum Perspectives, 44, pp. 205 - 216, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41297-024-00233-2
    Journal articles | 2022
    Burgess C; Thorpe K; Egan S; Harwood V, 2022, 'Learning from Country to conceptualise what an Aboriginal curriculum narrative might look like in education', Curriculum Perspectives, 42, pp. 157 - 169, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41297-022-00164-w
    Journal articles | 2022
    Burgess C; Thorpe K; Egan S; Harwood V, 2022, 'Towards a conceptual framework for Country-centred teaching and learning', Teachers and Teaching Theory and Practice, 28, pp. 925 - 942, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2137132
    Journal articles | 2021
    Thorpe K; Burgess C; Egan S, 2021, 'Aboriginal Community-led Preservice Teacher Education: Learning from Country in the City', Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46, pp. 55 - 73, http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.202v46n1.4
    Journal articles | 2020
    , 2020, 'Intercultural Competence in the Work of Teachers', , http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429401022
    Journal articles | 2016
    Thorpe K; Burgess C, 2016, 'Challenging lecturer assumptions about preservice teacher learning in mandatory indigenous studies', Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 45, pp. 119 - 128, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jie.2016.20
    Journal articles | 2012
    Thorpe K; Burgess C, 2012, 'Pedagogical approaches in a mandatory indigenous education subject', International Journal of Learning, 18, pp. 177 - 190, http://dx.doi.org/10.18848/1447-9494/cgp/v18i11/47808
    Journal articles | 2006
    Baldry E; Thorpe KR; Green SM, 2006, 'Urban Australian Aboriginal peoples` experience of human services', International Social Work, 49, pp. 364 - 376

2023 Colin Marsh Award, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, Best Journal article for 2022-2023, Learning from Country to conceptualise what an Aboriginal curriculum narrative might look like in education. Curriculum Perspectives, 42(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-022-00164-w

UTS, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Learning and Teaching Award for Integration of Indigenous Professional Capabilities into Curriculum, 2022.

UTS, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Remote Learning Award for innovation in learner engagement in the context of COVID-19, 2020.

University of Sydney, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Unit of Study Commendation - KOCR2013 Indigenous Health and Communities, 2017