Flori King-Smith: Preparing young Indigenous women to succeed in STEM

Flori King-Smith is a transition support teacher at the AFL Cape York House for Girls, a boarding facility for Indigenous girls who are attending high school in Cairns.

‘These girls’ home communities are from the Torres Strait Islands, Northern Peninsula Area (NPA), Cape York and Groote Eylandt,’ Flori said.

In 2019, Flori heard about and researched the Teachers of STEM Initiative, a program designed to prepare teachers to support Indigenous women and girls so they can succeed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

‘It was culturally appropriate and safe. Indigenous women teaching and passing knowledge to other Indigenous women, how amazing is this? It was enough to convince me that this was the most appropriate course to do,’ Flori said.

The course included acquiring content knowledge and skills of each STEM discipline.

‘I enjoyed the STEM inquiry experience, where I had to choose STEM-based industries and work together with these experts from the various STEM disciplines to collaboratively solve problems, including the creation of new knowledge and products.’

Flori did the graduate certificate in education (STEM) with Queensland University of Technology part-time for 12 months. It was a heavy study load doing 2 units every 10 weeks.

‘So it got a bit crazy and hectic during this period of time,’ Flori said.

‘There is currently a massive push to embed Indigenous perspective into the curriculum. As First Nation people, we are the story tellers and for this information to be delivered appropriately we need to be the ones leading this.’

‘It’s about encouraging First Nation people to be educators so the education system needs to change to suit us. Not for us to fit into a system that was never suited for us.’

The initiative’s program is designed to help educators improve the STEM educational experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

‘I have the opportunity to create a space for Indigenous girls to enjoy learning about STEM in an area where they can explore, manipulate, create and feel safe to learn, while not being judged or frowned upon,’ Flori said.

‘I can allow them to be interested and gain confidence in a STEM industry or field.’

 ‘As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.’

‘And with knowledge comes change, a change of an education system to suit our people,’ Flori added.