Why Cross‑Cultural Communication Matters in Indigenous focused Research

Описание: People. Policy. Place. Seminar Series 2026
Title: Why Cross‑Cultural Communication Matters in Indigenous focused Research
Presenter: Associate Professor Tracy Woodroffe and Dr Khushi Chauhan
Date: 11 March 2026

About the Seminar:
This presentation describes the working relationship established between Dr Khushi Chauhan (non-Indigenous researcher) and Associate Professor Tracy Woodroffe (Indigenous principal supervisor), during Dr Chauhan’s PhD research study. The presentation tracks the stages and developments of the significant piece of work and the communication and strategies that ensured effective research and completion of the award within the required time.

Central to the presentation are the themes of shared knowledge about teaching and education, mutual respect, addressing issues of how perspective and cultural positioning can be explained and understood, cultural responsiveness, implementation of the Australian curriculum, as well as the underlying principles of equity, human dignity, and the right to education.

About the Presenters:
Dr Tracy Woodroffe is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Society, specialising in Teacher Education and the significance of culture and inclusive teaching practice. She was a 2024 ACSES First Nations Fellow. Dr Woodroffe is a Warumungu Luritja woman with extensive experience in Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary classrooms. Her expertise is in educational pedagogy, identity, perspective, and cultural responsiveness. Dr Woodroffe's work includes Indigenous methodology in examining the Australian education system through an Indigenous Women’s Standpoint. 

Dr Khushi Chauhan is a Lecturer in Education at Charles Darwin University with over a decade of experience as a primary school teacher in the Northern Territory. Her teaching and research are centred on inclusive education and equity, with a particular focus on improving educational outcomes for diverse and historically marginalised student communities. Khushi's work bridges classroom practice with academic theory, equipping pre-service teachers with the skills to develop culturally responsive and inclusive pedagogies tailored to the unique social and educational context of the NT