Meet The Education Researcher

Many people expect neuroscience to change our understanding of education. Michael Thomas (Birkbeck University) is director of the Centre for Educational Neuroscience in London. In this episode, Michael talks about what educators need to know about how the brain works, avoiding ‘disciplinary wars’ between psychology & neuroscience, and the need to balance a ‘medical model’ of learning with societal...

Keri Facer (University of Bristol) is a leading thinker in the area of education futures, and has just completed a term as visiting Zennström Professor of Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University. We talk about the diverse ways that higher education can respond to the uncertainties arising from climate change – from basic reduction of campus carbon footprints to more complex restructuring p...

Pat Thomson (University of Nottingham) is renowned for her public work in demystifying academic writing, career-building, and other practical aspects of researcher education. We talk about the benefits of ‘angry’ scholarship, the intimacies of co-authoring, and how to navigate the pressure of H-scores, KPIs and other performance metrics.

Rikke Toft Nørgård (Aarhus University) brings together educational philosophy with design practices and futures thinking. We talk about Rikke’s ‘University of We’ and ‘Playful University’ projects, and discuss the ways that design thinking can play a role in establishing more ethical universities.

“In times of crisis we need to be creative” Simone Eringfeld (Cambridge University) is part of a new generation of education researchers beginning to re-imagine what it might mean to work in higher education. We talk about Simone’s recent ‘Quaran-chats’ project documenting higher education lockdown experiences, Cambridge’s new ‘Post Pandemic University’ initiative, and the pros and cons of beginni...

“Sociology of education has devoted itself to saving, reforming, improving, perfecting the school … I now believe that it is a doomed enterprise. The school is an irredeemable institution”. Prof. Stephen Ball (IOE London) is one of the world’s most eminent education researchers – a leading voice in the sociology of education, and a founding name in the area of policy sociology. We talk about every...

Audrey Watters is a legendary critical voice in the world of education and technology. In this episode we talk about Audrey’s new book – ‘Teaching Machines’ - a history of the automation of education coming out with MIT Press in early 2021. We also talk about Audrey’s work as an independent scholar and writer, and dealing with the online misogyny provoked by being a female critical voice.

Prof. Tamara Moore (Purdue University) discusses her career in the area of Engineering Education – especially her work in developing ‘Engineering thinking’ in K-12 classrooms. We talk about the importance of context in getting children interested in science and maths, why we need to move beyond talk of a ‘STEM pipeline’, and why we all need to appreciate the role that engineers play in shaping eve...

Schools are now increasingly shaped by market forces and commercial interests. Listen to Dr. Anna Hogan (UQ) talk about the fast-changing privatization of public schooling. We discuss the diverse ways that private actors are now involved in schools, the difficulties of researching commercial activities in education, and how big corporations have quickly moved to redefine COVID-era schooling.

The coronavirus has pushed families, schools and researchers into new ways of doing things. Listen to John Potter (UCL) talk about how the COVID lockdowns are prompting new questions about children’s play, and the experience of remote schooling. We also talk about the future of academic travel, and new UCL research into academics’ experiences of moving to online teaching and home-working.

EdTech has been a key aspect of remote schooling during the COVID-19 lockdowns. How have schools and families been making use of digital technologies so far, and what might the longer term consequences be for education? Listen to highlights from an online seminar (24/06/20) with Felicitas Macgilchrist (Germany), Ben Williamson (UK) & Neil Selwyn (Australia)

Ola Erstad (University of Olso) is a leading researcher in the area of media education. We talk about how young people learn outside of schools, the ‘media literacies’ approach, and Ola’s emerging interest in pre-school children and digital technology.

Jeremy Knox is part of Edinburgh University's innovative 'Digital Education' research team. In this conversation, we cover Jeremy’s research into MOOCS, what makes for successful online teaching, as well as his interest in ‘post human’ perspectives on technology and education.

Mental health is a priority issue across every level of education – with rising levels of depression, anxiety and stress amongst all age groups. Listen to Dr. Christine Grove (Monash University) talk about her varied research focusing on young people, schools and mental health. We talk about the importance of participatory research approaches, as well Christine’s innovative work with therapy dogs...

Prof. Sian Bayne (University of Edinburgh) is one of the leading critical voices in the area of online teaching and higher education. We talk about why we are living in post-digital times, the benefits of post-humanist approaches, Edinburgh’s ‘Manifesto For Teaching Online … and the post-Brexit prospects for UK higher education.

Let's think about schools in terms of power and interests! Geert Kelchtermans (KU Leuven) discusses the working lives of teachers and principals - and how individual experiences are shaped by organisational contexts. We talk about school micropolitics, the ‘structural vulnerability’ of teaching, and the benefits of paying close attention to teachers’ narrative biographies.

Kalervo Gulson (University of Sydney) talks about his work in the area of educational policy. We talk about Kal’s early work on urban change and education, the relationality of race and his emerging interest in Artificial Intelligence.

What is 'Participatory Design' and how can we use it in education research? Bronwyn Cumbo (Monash University) talks about the benefits of participatory design as a research approach. We cover everything from practical tips and key readings, through to the radical origins of the Scandinavian PD tradition.

“Not all rabbit-holes are good places to be” Jesper Aagaard (Aarhus University) talks about his research on the impact of digital devices in school classrooms. We talk about the concept of ‘digital distraction’ and why it might be more useful to talk about our rising levels of technology use in terms of ‘habits’ rather than addiction. We also talk about post-phenomenology, and the struggle of bein...

How do we approach research in a world of fluid categories? Mary Lou Rasmussen (Australian National University) talks about her work examining how young people become subjects within policy. We talk about reconciling tensions between feminist theory, sexuality studies and gender studies, as well as Mary Lou’s interest in queer studies and rethinking survey methodology in an age of fluid categories...

Steve Roberts (Monash University) talks about his work examining young men and transitions to adulthood. We talk about balancing generosity and critique, Pierre Bourdieu, the notion of ‘inclusive masculinity’, and the Australian reticence to talk about social class.

“This system of [school] competition drives us all into behaviour that is probably not that helpful for the broad majority” Dr. Emma Rowe (Deakin University) talks about her work examining how Australian public schools articulate with the market. We talk about school choice amongst middle class families, the importance of place and space in shaping distinction, and Emma’s emerging interest in inno...

What does critical education research involve? Dr. Steve Courtney (University of Manchester) talks about how education researchers can usefully engage in critical work. We discuss the distinction between 'doing' (as opposed to 'being') critical, Hannah Arendt, and the role of scholarship in an era of Brexit, Trump and ScoMo.

“It is fascinating how much power numbers seem to have” Dr. Radhika Gorur (Deakin University) talks about her work examining numbers and the mobilisation of educational ideas. We talk about Australia’s role in establishing standardised testing as a global trend, Radhika’s use of STS theory to study education policy, and the realities of winning an early career ‘DECRA’ fellowship.

Listen to three Monash academics debunk some persistent misunderstandings in education ... Prof. Dragan Gasevic on why we shouldn’t be talking about ‘learning styles’ – but thinking about ‘metacognitive abilities’, ‘study tactics’ and ‘desirable difficulties’ Dr. Amanda Heffernan on why good school principals are not ‘born leaders’ but need to learn the art of leadership from others Dr. Carlo Perr...