Researchers
Professor Bruce Johnson (University of South Australia)
Bruce Johnson is a Professor of Education at the University of South Australia where he recently completed a four year term as Dean: Research Education.
His research interests include human resilience, curriculum theory and development, school reform, and classroom management. He is a Key Researcher in the Hawke Research Institute with an active research program that includes international collaborations with colleagues in the UK.
Professor Barry Down (Murdoch University)
Professor Barry Down is a former secondary school teacher in the social sciences. He has particular expertise in teacher development at both pre-service and in-service levels, critically reflective practice, action research and collaborative models of school reform.
He has had extensive involvement in Commonwealth teacher development programs including Innovative Links and Quality Teacher Project. His research interests include critical policy ethnography, teachers' work, school reform, critical pedagogy, socially just schooling and revisionist educational history.
Associate Professor Rosie Le Cornu (University of South Australia)
Dr Rosie Le Cornu began her teaching career in ‘disadvantaged’ primary schools, in both the country and city. As a result of these experiences, she became committed to affective education and social justice. She was a Social Skills and Classroom Management Advisor working closely with primary and secondary teachers in disadvantaged schools in the northern suburbs of Adelaide.
Rosie now lectures in Teaching Studies, which involves working with undergraduate primary student teachers in their practicum placements, and is keen to see changes to the ‘practicum curriculum’, based on the notions of reflection, collaboration and partnerships. Her teaching responsibilities also include ‘reflective practice’ for Graduate secondary students, several Masters subjects and higher degree supervision (both MEd and PhD students). Rosie remains committed to affective education and social justice.
Dr Judy Peters (University of South Australia)
Judy began her career in 1972 as a primary teacher in departmental schools. She also worked as a facilitator and project officer in a number of state-wide professional development and curriculum projects (Literacy and Learning in the Middle Years; Assessment of Writing and Reading Teacher In Service Project and the SCIMAS project). Since 1990 she has been a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of South Australia, with particular foci on student teachers' work in schools, reflective practice, action research and teacher development.
Her PhD focussed on The Complexity of School/University Partnerships for Professional Development. Other research interests include: leadership and conditions for educational change, learning cultures that support constructivist approaches to teaching and learning; and the characteristics of successful early career teachers. Since 1999 she has worked as a Project Colleague with Learning to Learn, a DECS South Australia initiative aimed at redesigning teaching and learning to better meet the needs of students. Prior to that she was a university colleague to the Innovative Links Project, the School-based Research and Reform Project and the National Middle Schooling Authentic Assessment Project.
Dr Anna Sullivan (University of South Australia)
Anna Sullivan is currently an Adjunct Research Fellow with the School of Education at the University of South Australia. She has a strong commitment to education and a particular interest, background and experience in primary education. Her professional experience of over 10 years as a classroom teacher in South Australia, New South Wales and in England has provided her with experience in a variety of education systems, and has enabled her to work in both private and government schools. This experience in the profession contributes significantly to her activities. In higher education, Anna has worked at Edith Cowan University and Curtin University. Her current research interests include early career teachers, teaching, classroom management and qualitative research.
Dr Jane Pearce (Murdoch University)
Jane is a lecturer in education at Murdoch University. Her undergraduate teaching focuses on literacy teaching, sociology and philosophy in education, and professional practice. She also teaches qualitative research methodologies to postgraduate students. She has over twenty years’ experience of working with pre-service teachers, and additional experience of teaching in high school, middle school and adult education settings in Australia and the UK. Her teaching experiences have led to a strong commitment to social justice in education and a commitment to developing and practising culturally and socially inclusive pedagogies. Her award in 2008 of a Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, recognised her work in supporting university students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Ms Janet Hunter (Edith Cowan University)
Janet Hunter is a teacher educator and researcher at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. She teaches writing instruction at postgraduate level, and units in both Language and Literacy and Indigenous Education in the K-7 program at undergraduate level. Janet’s research interests include a focus on support for children who struggle with literacy, and the knowledge base of teachers who teach literacy. As well as the current ARC research project, she is currently involved in research that is investigating the impact of increased teacher knowledge on student outcomes in writing. Her PhD study involved looking at how to support beginning and early career teachers as they taught literacy to students in remote and rural locations in Western Australia. Participation in national research projects include the DEST funded projects 100 Children go to School (1998) and 100 Children Turn 10 (2002).
Student Researchers
Lisa Papatraianou
Lisa Papatraianou is a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia. She is an Australian Postgraduate Award receiver as well as a recipient of the University of South Australia’s Full Spectrum Scholarship which includes the undertaking of the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching. Her honours research explored the resilience of adolescents in a non-government schooling system. She has experience with supporting students with special needs through volunteering in the Learning Assistance Program. Her current research interests include: human resilience, early career teacher resilience, digital media, social technology, online learning environments and qualitative research methodologies.
Chad Morrison
Chad Morrison is a PhD candidate with the University of South Australia. He is an Australian Postgraduate Award receiver as well as a recipient of the University of South Australia’s Full Spectrum Academic Program Scholarship which includes the undertaking of the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching.
Chad is an early career teacher and has had experience in South Australian public and private schools, both metropolitan and rural, where he has encountered formative challenges of teaching in disadvantaged contexts. This experience has generated a doctoral research focus on early career teaching in primary education. Within this focus dimensions for investigation include early career teacher identity; early career teacher struggles and resources for meeting them; the means for teacher and student wellbeing; and teaching and learning in disadvantaged schools.
Samantha Davenport
Samantha Davenport undertook a Bachelor of Education in Primary and Middle teaching at the University of South Australia. She conducted an Honours project to investigate the strategies used by one school to support early career teachers in their first year of teaching.
Research Assistants
Emily Collins