Session Four
Keynote Presentation
Title: The imperative of an arts-led curriculum: Lessons from Research
Presenter: Robyn Ewing, University of Sydney
Suitability: All
Form: Keynote Address
Biography:
Initially a primary teacher, Robyn is Professor of Teacher Education and the Arts and Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. She has a commitment to innovative teaching and learning at all levels of education and is passionate about the role that the Arts can and should play in learning.
In the Arts, Robyn’s research and writing has focused on the use of drama with children’s literature to enhance children’s English and literacy outcomes. Current projects include a partnership with Sydney Theatre Company on School Drama an initiative that aims to develop the drama expertise of primary teachers. She is also a chief investigator on the TheatreSpace: Accessing the cultural conversation ARC project examining what engages young people in theatre. The experiences of early career teachers and the role of mentoring in their retention in the profession, sustaining curriculum innovation and evaluation, inquiry & case based learning and arts informed research methodologies are also research interests. Robyn is National President of the Australian Literacy Educators Association.
Robyn’s publications include: The Arts in the lives of young children (in press); Transforming the curriculum through the Arts (with Robyn Gibson); The Arts and Australian Education: Realising Potential; Curriculum and Assessment: A Narrative Approach; Teaching, Challenges and Dilemmas (with Susan Groundwater-Smith and Rosie Le Cornu), Beyond the Script Take 2: Drama in the classroom (with Jennifer Simons) and Action Learning in Schools: Reframing Teacher Professional Learning and Development (with Peter Aubusson and Garry Hoban). She is editor of Beyond the Reading Wars: Towards a balanced approach to helping children learn to read and co-editor of Teaching and Communicating: Rethinking Professional Experiences (with Tom Lowrie and Joy Higgs).
Launch
Title: Acting Green: Drama Australia Guidelines for sustainable drama practice and drama teaching
Presenter: Drama Australia
Suitability: All
Form: Launch
Description:
Drama Australia’s Acting Green guidelines seek to directly engage students and educators with contemporary thought and practice, to develop understanding, awareness and capacity. The guidelines define sustainable drama and theatre practice in two ways; teaching sustainability through drama, and sustainable drama and theatre practice. The first addresses the use of drama to explore the key issues around sustainability using stimuli, stories, content and form, the other addresses how the form itself can be sustainable and green in its practice. They offer support to drama educators on ways to address issues around sustainability and directly involve students in understanding their impact on the planet now, and in the future.