In February, the Griffith Institute for Educational Research (GIER) held a series of events for its members.
The Griffith Institute for Educational Research (GIER) is home to more than 220 researchers and research students, making it one of the largest concentrations of university-based education researchers in the country.
The first event of the day was the Action Research Masterclass which was led by two leading professors in this field – Professor Stephen Kemmis and Professor Robyn McTaggart. Over 70 people attended the 2 hour session, and the participants came from all the universities in QEQ (i.e. Griffith University, Southern Cross University, University of Southern Queensland, University of Queensland, Australian Catholic University, Queensland University of Technology) The session focused on school-based professional development through action research. This event was sponsored by GIER with the support of Lynanne McKenzie and Greer Johnson.
“The Action Research Masterclass was very interesting and I came away with some improved ideas about my own research project. It was a great success.” (George Morrison, USQ)
The Higher Degrees Research (HDR) Fire-side Chat was an opportunity for HDR students and ECRs to meet and informally discuss their research with two of Australia’s most highly regarded professors. Over 30 people attended this session from a range of schools at Griffith University and from other universities. This session was also sponsored by GIER and supported by the School of Education Director of Postgraduate Studies and HDR (Dr Christopher Klopper) and chaired by Levon Blue (Griffith SoE PhD candidate)
“I’m a HDR student in Education and I particularly appreciated you organising the afternoon session where we could ask questions in a very supportive environment. So thank you again!” (Lyn Sherington, HDR student — Griffith University)
The final session was a Seminar for teachers and school leaders. About 15 people attended this session from schools, system offices, professional associations and universities. It included a lively interactive discussion about school development, action research and understanding educational practices. This session was sponsored by the Teacher Education Industry Advisory Group (TEIAG) through Dr Judith Kearney, Director of Community Partnerships.
“Just wanted to say thank you for a really great personal development session yesterday with Stephen and Robyn… I really enjoyed it.” (Ros Capeness, Manager (Accreditation & Professional Standards), Queensland College of Teachers)
GIER is planning to hold another program related to educational practice and action research in Semester 2 on the Southbank campus.