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Educational policies indicate that the role of an Aboriginal Education Officer (AEO) is to build on contextual understanding and provide culturally appropriate support to assist Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students’ learning. There is little research exploring the role of the AEO from the perspective of Aboriginal peoples. The stories of four AEOs from New South Wales, Australia, will be shared through a narrative case study. This article will focus on AEOs’ experiences when they were initially employed in their schools. Findings suggest that the lack of clarity within the state-wide AEO statement of duties impacted the schools’ delegation to the AEOs. This, in turn impacted on the AEOs’ initial experience in the role and the inclusion of tasks that AEOs felt were outside of their expectations. Policy states that more Aboriginal educators are required in education systems but there are continual hurdles that AEOs face that prevent them from successfully performing their duties.

Research driven by government policy in mathematics education has focused on determining teaching and learning strategies to promote engagement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The aim of this study is to systematically review empirical research from 2008–2017 that examines ways to promote engagement and support successful outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in mathematics. A total of 28 articles were included in the review, and they were examined in relation to research design and the theoretical framework of engagement. Findings indicate that the majority of research conducted are qualitative studies focusing on primary school teachers changes in learning content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge to teach mathematics. There are limited studies with regards to students’ behavioural and emotional engagement in mathematics. Finally, teaching strategies that support learning in mathematics including, focusing on language and mathematical patterns and representations are identified.

In this chapter we focus on the importance of co-constructing pedagogies and curriculum with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The pedagogy is based upon a co-constructed model of learning which allows teachers to focus on the knowledge and capacities of their students, promoting a strengths-based approach. Using a strengths-based approach celebrates the identity and culture of the students, which we argue can be achieved through two-way learning and a culturally responsive curriculum. Central to this is the importance of building positive relationships with all members of the learning community. Relationships are important to building two-way learning, and for planning and decision making within the school and classroom contexts. Practical strategies are provided to demonstrate how this can be fostered. In this chapter, examples of co-constructed pedagogies are provided to demonstrate how teachers can establish and embed the students’ lived experiences of their students in their classrooms. These examples are drawn from real experiences of educators.

This paper examines the outcomes of a 4-year implementation of a mathematics program (Representations, oral language and engagement in Mathematics: RoleM) for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students’ learning of mathematics across the first 4 years of primary school (Foundation—Year 3). It specifically aims to determine how engagement in teaching and learning mathematics changes as beginning teachers and student participate in the RoleM project. Data were collected from teachers across the 4 years of the RoleM project who were working in schools with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This paper draws on data from 22 beginning teachers (in their first 3 years of teaching) who participated in three semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that the relationship between the constructs of engagement are potentially on a continuum, with changes in teacher perspectives of their own engagement and students’ engagement acting in a synchronised manner.

This chapter considers how best to support the teaching and learning of early algebra, as well as the discourses in this area, for young, marginalised Indigenous students. In particular, the consideration that needs to be given to how these students construct their knowledge and mathematical discourse to act as a platform for reaching mathematical generalisations. This is especially important in the cultural context of Indigenous students given mathematical discourse is a social practice.

Indigenous teacher assistants (ITAs) are often employed in schools to assist in addressing educational issues relating to Indigenous students. While, this practice has occurred for over 40 years in most Australian states, little has been written about their contribution in assisting Indigenous students to learn. This paper explores the influence of a large longitudinal research project (Representations Oral Language and Engagement in Mathematics) with respect to the role of ITAs in supporting Indigenous students’ to learn mathematics. Data are collected from the perspectives of ITAs, teachers and school principals. In particular, the research proposes that including ITAs in high stakes professional learning, not only changes their confidence and contribution in the classrooms but also allows them and their students to begin to “walk” between the two knowledge worlds, Indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge.

Angiogenesis restores blood flow to healing tissues, a process that is inhibited by high doses of glucocorticoids. However, the role of endogenous glucocorticoids and the potential for antiglucocorticoid therapy to enhance angiogenesis is unknown. Usingin vitroandin vivomodels of angiogenesis in mice, we examined effects of (i) endogenous glucocorticoids, (ii) blocking endogenous glucocorticoid action with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486, and (iii) abolishing local regeneration of glucocorticoids by the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11βHSD1). Glucocorticoids, administered at physiological concentrations, inhibited angiogenesis in anin vitroaortic ring model andin vivoin polyurethane sponges implanted s.c. RU38486-enhanced angiogenesis in s.c. sponges, in healing surgical wounds, and in the myocardium of mice 7 days after myocardial infarction induced by coronary artery ligation. 11βHSD1 knockout mice showed enhanced angiogenesisin vitroandin vivowithin sponges, wounds, and infarcted myocardium. Endogenous glucocorticoids, including those generated locally by 11βHSD1, exert tonic inhibition of angiogenesis. Inhibition of 11βHSD1 in liver and adipose has been advocated to reduce cardiovascular risk in the metabolic syndrome: these data suggest that 11βHSD1 inhibition offers a previously uncharacterized therapeutic approach to improve healing of ischemic or injured tissue.